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Hi, I am Geri DeVille, your real estate professional in Brea, California. If you are looking to buy, sell, relocate or for any other information about real estate in Brea or the surrounding areas you've come to the right web site. Please feel free to browse this site, or contact me with any questions you may have.
Welcome to Brea, CA
As Brea California Real Estate agents we are offering help in all aspects of Realty. Brea's population varies depending on the time of day, as commuters make their way into and out of the city to work. The regular population is 35,500 while during the day the population increases to 100,000. The median age of residents here is approximately 34.5 years.
Brea leaders are committed to a strong public works program including street maintenance, tree trimming, traffic management, street sweeping, and infrastructure such as the water and sewer systems. A new reservoir was completed in 1995, adding to the city's water storage capacity. A tough anti-graffiti ordinance, community volunteers, and a Graffiti Hot Line have helped keep Brea free from the unsightly blight that plagues many other cities. Graffiti is removed within 24 hours when possible, and perpetrators are prosecuted and made to perform or pay for clean-up. Medical Care A new diagnostic imaging pavilion opened in 1989. Transitional Health Corporation (THC) opened an acute care facility in 1995, offering full-service care for patients recovering from critical surgeries or illnesses. A Kaiser Permanente facility will be completed in early 1998. Placentia Linda Hospital is located in the neighboring city of Placentia, while Friendly Hills Medical Center is in La Habra and St. Jude Regional Medical Facility is in Fullerton. There are also several industrial and family medical clinics in the city. Brea is planning for the future through community task forces that discuss open space and potential residential and commercial development in the city's "sphere of influence" which encompasses 7 1/2 square miles of unincorporated land in the hills to the north of the city. Nearly 150 residents participated in a consensus-building workshop that addressed issues such as environmental preservation and economics. This pro-active approach to development ensures that Brea will continue to be a vital, beautiful place to live, work and do business in the years ahead.
With a good mix of homes and shops, regional mall (Sears, Macy's, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney, Robinson's-May), warehouses and light industry located away from homes, Brea offers every amenity including eight parks, a cultural center, three golf courses, two malls (one opened in 1996), three regional parks, and a seniors center. Two "Super Blocks" on Brea Blvd north of Imperial Hwy are also scheduled for development as Brea strives to create a vibrant, people friendly downtown. Some of Brea's older buildings have been preserved or may be recreated in order to preserve some of the city's historical heritage. Brea Union Plaza, a retail center located at the intersection of Imperial Hwy. and Kraemer Blvd was partially completed in 1997 with the opening of Home Base, Linens 'n' Things, Babies "R" Us and several smaller retail and restaurant tenants. A Wal-Mart Department Store opened in January of 1998.
Brea enjoys a diverse mixture of housing types, from quaint neighborhoods dating back to the 1920s to modern single-family developments, planned apartment communities, condominiums, townhouses and five mobile home parks. Sales prices of existing homes range from $160,000 to well over $1,000,000. Rental prices range from $500 per month for a one-bedroom apartment to more than $1,000 and up for a 3-bedroom apartment, condominium, or single-family residence. Baywood Development built 96 single-family residences in the old downtown area. Called the "Ash Street Cottages", the project features charming Victorian and Craftsman archictecture clustered in a pedestrian-oriented village setting. The Olson Company completed a 27-home development called The Arbors in 1997, and has built a neighborhood for an additional 25 families in the same area near the Brea Mall/Brea Civic Center at Poplar and Birch. City Walk townhomes sold out very quickly in the downtown area, and 625 new tract homes are now being built at Olinda Heights, near the intersection of Lambert Rd. and Valencia Ave. The Arbors is another new neighborhood at the SE corner of Imperial Highway and Placentia Avenue. Brea also offers a number of housing opportunities for senior citizens, including Alterra Wynwood Assisted Living, Brea Woods Senior Apartments, Rebecca's Senior Apartments, Orange Villa Senior Apartments, Lake Park Brea Mobile Home Park, Breal Senior Apartments, Heritage Plaza Senior Apartments, and Bandera Estates Mobile Home Park. As of 1996 the state of California estimated 12,968 housing units, of which 7,259 were single detached, 779 single attached, 4,036 multiples, and 894 mobile homes. Redevelopment plans for 50 acres in the old downtown area are nearing completion, with the construction of a 22-acre retail shopping center and the completion of the Ash Street Cottages residential neighborhood.
A strong commercial and industrial sector offers employment opportunities and a strong tax base which allows Brea citizens to enjoy a high level of public services rarely found in a community of 35,500 people. Brea is a regional retail center offering every conceivable type of goods and services. The diversified business sector includes manufacturing, service industries, retail and distribution outlets, and professional corporations. The median income for Brea families is $61,238 per year, one of the highest in Orange County. Brea is an important retail and industrial center. The Brea Mall has undergone expansion twice in the last decade, nearly doubling its space and adding JC Penney Department Store to its other major anchors: Sears, Robinson-May, Macy's and Nordstrom. Nordstrom built an entirely new building in 1989 and Robinson-May and Macy's have both expanded their existing facilities. A full-service 229-room Embassy Suites Hotel opened in 1990 and attracts visitors, conferences and small conventions from many domestic and foreign locales. Homestead Village, an extended stay hotel, opened in 1998.
Located among rolling hills in the northeast corner of Orange County, Brea offers easy access to Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, and to a number of beaches, resorts, and tourist attractions. Orange County Airport is 17 miles away, Ontario Airport 25 miles away, and LAX 48 miles from Brea. An Amtrak station and a municipal airport are located in the neighboring city of Fullerton, approximately 5 miles away. Brea is 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The Orange (57) Freeway bisects the city from north to south and offers easy access to the Riverside (91) Freeway to the south and the Pomona (60) and San Bernardino (10) Freeways to the north. A major street improvement project was completed in early 1995, when Imperial Highway, the major east-west artery in the city, was widened and improved between Randolph Street and the 57 Freeway. The city has also obtained funding to expand the 57 Freeway onramps at Imperial Hwy and Lambert Rd. Brea Blvd north of Imperial Hwy is currently being widened, and several other key intersections around the city have been widened or improved in recent years.
A 12-screen Edwards Brea Stadium 12 Cinemas complex opened in September of 1997 at Birch St. and Brea Blvd, and an additional 10 screens, retail and dining establishments are now open in the pedestrian-oriented area.
School rankings in Brea are in the 80th and 90th percentiles which is in the top 20 percent in the state of California. The new High school opened in 1999. Another elementary school is to be built in a few years. Brea public schools consistently score above the 90th percentile in state and national achievement tests. Several Brea schools have been recognized as "Blue Ribbon" and "Distinguished" schools. The Brea Olinda Unified School District operates six elementary schools, one junior high school, a high school, and an alternative high school. The new Brea Olinda High School campus opened in 1990 and boasts state of the art computer technology, (including a link-up to the "Knowledge Network"), a professional performing arts center, and complete athletic facilities, including a synthetic track. Brea also has several preschools, two Christian schools, and a Catholic school serving grades K-8. Higher education opportunities in Brea exist right in the neighborhood. The Southern California College of Business and Law, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, and a number of technical and vocational schools call Brea home, while California State University, Fullerton College, Pacific Christian College, Hope University, an optometry school and another law school are located minutes away in Fullerton.
Brea's average mean temperature 62.2° and the average rainfall 15.9 inches per year with an average humidity of 45-75%.
Brea became one of the first cities in Orange County to implement trash recycling in 1989. Brea Disposal, contractor for refuse disposal, furnishes residents with three special receptacles for sorting recyclables and green waste from other refuse, and uses automated equipment for collection. The city's environmental consciousness is also reflected in the many drought-resistant landscape plantings on city properties, and the use of recycled and recyclable goods in city operations.
The city was incorporated on February 23, 1917 with a population of 752. For a short time the early settlement's name was Randolph. The city grew steadily through the years. As oil production declined, the 40s, 50s and 60s brought many new housing developments and new businesses. The 70s ushered in an incredible period of development with the opening of the Orange (57) Freeway and the construction of the Brea Mall. Industrial parks and retail areas proliferated in Brea during the 70s and 80s as more and more companies took advantage of the city's strategic location in the center of Southern California. A history of Brea by local historian Esther Cramer titled, "Oil, Oranges and Opportunity" is available through the Community Services Department. There is also a video and a commemorative 75th anniversary book produced by the Historical Society. For information, call 990-7100. The "Brea Welcomes You" Sign and Brea Clock historic icons have been refurbished and prominently displayed at their new home on Birch Street in Downtown Brea. Daily Real Estate News | eSchoolProfile - FREE School Reports
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Located
on a plateau next to the foothills at the tip of Northern Orange County,
Brea was known to Native Americans and pioneers as a place where tar seeped out of
the foothills and chunks of tar were used for domestic purposes and fuel.
"Brea" means tar in Spanish, black gooey stuff that oozed out of the hills
and suggested the presence of oil. In 1898, the first oil well came in and
started an oil boom in the hills of Brea and Olinda. The first workers
lived in tents; as the industry grew, settlements spilled down to where
the roads connected to the rest of the county.
Brea
has an outstanding police department with highly-trained personnel and
state of the art technology, and special services such as canine units, a
bicycle patrol and a Community Action Patrol. The city also provides
police service to the city of Yorba Linda on a contract basis. The Brea
Fire Department has excellent firefighting and paramedic capabilities. The
department added an aerial ladder truck to its equipment list in 1991. The
Basic Fire Insurance rating for the city is 3.
