Depending on which side of Valinda you call home, you might tell people you live in La Puente or West Covina. The two-square mile unincorporated L.A. County community is sandwiched between those two cities (and a nugget of City of Industry). But Valinda has its own distinct charm.
Where Valinda really feels like Valinda is … on Valinda Avenue, at Amar Road to be specific. Virtually all of the area’s shops are along these two streets, and they’re a nexus point for anyone who’s walking or biking in the area.
Valinda is a more relaxed alternative to the north-south arterials that buttress the neighborhood, Hacienda Boulevard and Azusa Avenue. Plus, the surrounding views of the Puente Hills, San Jose Hills, and San Gabriel Mountains give the calmer corridor its quintessential “Valleyness.”
The now lived-in Valinda Avenue Greening Project also adds to the sense of place.
In 2009, a greenway was installed along an empty swath of land on the east side of the street. The property belonged to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. The formerly vacant area was landscaped with drought-tolerant plants, a decomposed granite walking path, and rainwater-harvesting bioswale along the rear of the path.
The whole path runs some 2,000 feet (minus the crosswalk at Mulvane Street) and cost $1.5 million to build.
Previously, this passageway was part of a wider beautification program in the La Puente Valley where school kids painted vines on cinderblock walls. More recently, these degraded murals were replaced with real vines, though the remnants still show.
Greening projects aren’t common in the area, but over time this path has garnered users, especially in the pandemic era. It figures, because it takes you to the decades-old Industry Hills multi-use paths on Temple Avenue.
And Valinda Ave. hasn't even reached its full potential yet. Right at the south end of the existing path, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is planning a walk-bike path on the Puente Creek’s shoulder, part of the broader SGV Greenway Network.
When completed, the creek path will provide a safe convenient bike and walk facility through Valinda, quieter than than the roughly parallel Amar Road. The path will connect to Wing Lane Elementary School and Rimgrove Park.
There's also transit connectivity through the area via the East Valinda Shuttle, plus Foothill Transit bus lines 185 and 486.
All in all, this pleasant small stretch of existing greenery is a welcome respite from the hot sidewalks and noisy freeways of the SGV, and is seamlessly woven into the tapestry of the community.
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