El Monte, California, is known as the End of the Santa Fe Trail and as a friendly city. With more than 110,000 people, El Monte is large enough to have everything you need while still being smaller than cities like LA proper. Many commute to Los Angeles or other nearby cities for work. Others stay in El Monte and work for the school district, the city, or for companies like Driftwood Dairy.
According to the 2010 census, the city is fairly diverse and includes a number of LGBT individuals and couples. Like most of the area, LGBT people are very accepted and fit right in, although there’s no real gay neighborhood in El Monte. If you’re thinking about moving to the area, you’ll find that housing costs are a bit lower than they are in other parts of LA. Condos range from $250,000 to $600,000. Single-family homes start at $320,000 and go up to about $700,000.
