Downey, California, is a suburb of Los Angeles. It sits about 13 miles southeast of LA’s downtown area and is known for being both the city were the Apollo space program was created and the home of the oldest operational McDonald’s in the world. With over 110,000 people, Downey may be smaller than LA proper, but it’s also home to a good number of residents. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a home that isn’t insanely crowded, but is still near everything.
Downey’s biggest employers include the healthcare industry, the County of Los Angeles, and Coca-Cola. While not one of the largest employers, McDonald’s does have a special relationship with the city since its oldest restaurant still open today is there. It was the second restaurant to be opened by the McDonald family and is actually still a fairly major tourist attraction.
Downey itself is very LGBT friendly and welcoming. While it doesn’t have a gay neighborhood per se, the whole city is a great place to live. Condos in the city start at $215,000 and top out at around $395,000. That’s very affordable when compared to some other areas near LA. Single family homes start at $350,000. The more expensive homes are priced at around $5 million.
