Prized East L.A. Area Is Known by Its ZIP : L.A. 22: Besides affordability and central location, it is within the attendance area of a top school district.

When Juan and Maria Mojica decided to relocate in 1984 to accommodate her aging mother, who could no longer climb the front steps of their home, they looked for a community in East Los Angeles close to hospitals and other amenities.

“We also were looking for a neighborhood that would be close to other family members,” said Maria Mojica, the mother of 10 with 32 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. One day, while driving up Hoefner Avenue, a few blocks east of Atlantic Boulevard, they spotted the house they were looking for.

“I liked the outside right away,” Maria Mojica said. “The inside was old, but you learn to like it. Most important is the feeling of it. I knew I would be comfortable here.”

The Mojicas’ house is in a small community dubbed “L.A. 22” by realtors after its ZIP code.

The house, with steep gables and an arched picture window, is representative of an architectural style used frequently during a post-World War I construction boom in that part of unincorporated East Los Angeles once called Eastmont.

The neighborhood lies between Atlantic Boulevard and the western boundary of Montebello, south of Beverly Boulevard and north of Whittier Boulevard.

At the turn of the century, L.A. 22 was part of a large expanse of land dotted with adobes. The ranchos de La Merced, Potrero Grande, and Potrero Chico owned most of this territory and used it primarily as grazing land for cattle.

El Camino Real, Spanish for the Royal Highway, roughly outlined what is now Whittier Boulevard.

Eventually the ranchos were broken up and sold to land developers. Eastmont and neighboring Bella Vista were subdivisions designed in the early 1930s as fashionable two- and three-bedroom residential areas for upper middle-class Anglos, who were lured by new industry such as the U.S. Rubber Co. and the Continental Can Co.

According to Diane Lopez, an agent with Denton Realty, L.A. 22 is prized territory among East L.A. residents.

In January of 1991, Lopez sold a house on Oakford Street to Santos and Carmen Arellano. They paid $155,000 for a 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath house on a 40-by-125-foot lot.

“We already lived in this area so we felt comfortable buying a house here,” Carmen Arellano, an employee of the Prudential Overall Supply Co., said. “We bought this house because of the low price for the area and the excellent condition of the house.”

“The Arellanos got a deal,” Lopez said. “The house was in immaculate move-in condition and the seller was motivated.”

Prices in L.A. 22 range from $162,000 to $210,000. “Location is what you pay for,” Lopez said. “In this area buyers are looking for affordable housing within a particular radius.”

Along with affordability and a central location, L.A. 22 offers another bonus. Much of it is within the attendance area of the Montebello School District. Lopez said buyers with children are looking for lower housing costs and better schools for their kids.

“The trend here is to buy close to Montebello without paying Montebello prices,” Lopez said.

When Jose and Wilma Castro were house-hunting last year, Wilma Castro, mother of three, emphasized that they were looking for a house they could afford within the Montebello School District.

They bought a two-bedroom, one-bath house on Sadler Street for $149,000.

“We bought here because we like the area. It’s completely residential. Also, we want our kids to get a good education, and the Montebello School District has a good reputation,” Castro said.

A reminder of L.A. 22’s heyday in the 1930s is the Golden Gate Theater/Vega Building on the southwest corner of Whittier and Atlantic boulevards. Modeled after the University of Salamanca in Spain, it has been a local landmark for more than half a century.

“The Golden Gate Theater was the top of the line, like the R.K.O. It was equivalent to any theater on Sixth and Broadway,” said Manuel Bagues, owner of Bagues and Sons mortuary and a member of the East Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.

“There was a beautiful fountain inside. A man in a striped uniform stood underneath a huge canopy behind the fountain and took your ticket. The theater even had a little shopping mall. Down the street was the finest bowling alley in this part of town, and right next to it was another fancy theater, United Artists.”

After World War II, developers engaged in another building boom in Los Angeles. New tracts on the Westside, in Montebello and Monterey Park provided the impetus for many residents of Eastmont and Bella Vista, as well as other neighborhoods of East L.A., to move out.

This exodus caused housing prices to fall, creating a new market for buyers with lower incomes.

Newcomers Daniel and Jessie Lugo built their house on Gerhart Avenue in 1950, and have been there ever since.

“We were the first Mexican family to move in. There were Armenians, Greeks, Italians, Jews and Anglos--the area was cosmopolitan,” Daniel Lugo said. “It was real quiet and nice.”

Lugo said he chose L.A. 22 because a family member had a rental there.

“When we moved here we didn’t own. We rented from my mother-in-law,” Lugo explained. “I bought a 40-foot by 135-foot lot and kept it for two years while I decided what I wanted to do with it. Then I found a builder. For $8,500 he built me a three-bedroom home.”

Lugo’s brother, Antonio, and his family have lived a couple of blocks away on Sadler Street for 17 years. His wife, Consuelo Lugo, an “ama de casa,” (Spanish for housewife), said, “Our relatives attracted us here and we’ve stayed because we like it. We have lots of friends and everything’s so close by--our schools, our church, our markets.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department handles crime in L.A. 22. Deputy Joe Eaton, who patrols the area, said there is some gang activity, but it’s not severe.

“At the most, they graffiti,” Eaton said. “Compared to other parts of East L.A., this area has a low statistic for crime.” Eaton said the community is “tight, friendly and cooperative.”

Mojica, who is an active member of her Neighborhood Watch, and her mother, Maria Garcia, a volunteer at Casa Maravila Senior Citizen’s Inc. and Eastman Community Center, agree with Eaton.

“The majority of homeowners are either families or old-timers, so there is not much burglary,” Mojica said. “Also, the burglars are not so bold yet that they will break in when someone is home.” She added that the police response in L.A. 22 is quick. “They get to know you and where you live,” Mojica said. “The answer is for people in the community to blow the whistle fast, to mediate the situation right away.”

L.A. 22 is one of the few remaining residential neighborhoods in Los Angeles that offers amenities within walking distance. Atlantic and Whittier boulevards have been popular local “strips” for more than 50 years, facilitated by a tightly woven transportation system. The shopping centers are a blend of the old and the new, with ethnic shops catering to the multi-cultural needs of the residents, while K-Mart and malls serve more general needs in the community.

“People find that if they sell and move out they won’t find what they have here--local stores, transportation, movies, parks, libraries, East L.A. College, the new mall--we have it all,” Mojica said.

Added Garcia: “We have a saying that goes ‘Beautiful Mexico but I’m staying right here.’ ”

At a Glance

Population 1991 estimate: 62,962 1980-91 change: +6.9%

Median age: 27.2 years

Annual income Per capita: 7,789 Median household: 24,700

Household distribution Less than $10,000: 18.6% $10,000 - $20,000: 21.9% $20,000 - $30,000: 18.1% $30,000 - $50,000: 24.3% $50,000 + 17.1%