Tropico

Tropico is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Glendale. It was inhabited before California was part of the United States—or even Mexico, for that matter. These days, t majority of the neighborhood is commercial in a fairly practical and unremarkable way. There is an accumulation of auto dealers in this neighborhood. You can get everything from a Dodge Caravan to a Lexus or a Harley Davidson here. As far as fast food places, Burger King and Shakey’s Pizza (yes one of the remaining franchises from the pizza joints popular in the early 80’s) are typical of the eateries in the area.

There are some highlights to area however. The Amtrak Station and its tracks mark the western end of Tropico. The station is part of the city wide public transportation system that has been steadily increasing over the last few years and that now helps relieve some of the congestion on the overcrowded freeways.

Tropico is also home to the Luna Playhouse, a live Armenian supported performance theater (plays are in English, but the playbill often has Armenian subtitles) that likes to update classics like Ibsen’s Doll’s House. The theater set the play in the 1950’s—a great choice given the repressive subject matter of the play. The theater is at once a great cultural boon to Glendale and a celebration of the now strong Armenian presence in the area (Glendale has the third most Armenians living here than any other place outside of Armenia itself).

As far as housing goes, mixed among the car dealerships on the northeastern side, you will find some smaller Ranch homes, many hidden behind thick front yard hedges. They are modest, usually well-kept homes. Something about the residential streets have the sleepy older feel of Chatsworth to me—perhaps because so many of the homes seem to date from the 50’s in this area. On the southern end of the neighborhood, rents climb sharply (from around $850 to $1,100) and the homes stretch out a bit into the more traditional, long, squat Ranch homes. There are also a number of newer apartments here. The streets are more attractive in this southern area as well, being both wider and lined with palm trees.

All in all, there is a lot going on in Tropico—you might, if you are given to lame puns as I am, say it is a regular jungle of offerings.