If you don't already live there, Valley edition

In Sandra Tsing Loh's 1997 novel, If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home By Now, a young bohemian couple lusts to buy a home somewhere suitably hip like Silver Lake or the Hollywood hills. When the snooty realtor delivers the unhappy news that their income indicates they look over the hill, the female, Bronwyn, shrieks: "No. No. Absolutely not. Not the Valley!'' Though it's not to everyone's taste, moving out to the Valley has been the affordable option for young families and others looking to buy a first home in L.A. for about half a century. (Before that, the Valley was the place for stars and anyone desiring a few acres.) Now, the Daily News reports, the median price of a home on the sweltering, suburban side of the Santa Monica Mountains has hit a record high of $367,500. And the selection at that price is meager. That's why, for a lot of Angelenos, places like Moorpark and Lancaster are looking better all the time.