I have been living in Portola Springs for the past 2 years, and am myself in the process of buying a home in PS. Obviously I like it here. I don't mind that it is away from "stuff". I grew up in San Marino which is far from freeways, and the only supermarkets are in other cities or in the county lines. Had to go to Arcadia, Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel, etc. for good Asian food; South Pas, Pasadena or Monrovia for good American food. Other than close proximity to schools, nothing was close. Kind of like PS, but Woodbury and the Zion marketplace aren't that far away. As another poster mentioned, taking Portola makes it a breeze to access those plazas, in addition to the Pavilions at Orchard Hills, etc.
Regarding the smell. . .I don't know if it is trash, but in the evenings, I can sort of smell a strong herb-y odor, almost reminiscent of eucalyptus. I am thinking this is from the landfill, and to be honest, it is not at all unpleasant. I was told not to plant or eat anything from the ground, but I see lots of avocado orchards in the area, and I assume those are being sold and eaten somewhere! Like other posters have said, I think there are definitely other health concerns to worry about.
WANTED TO ADD: I think it's entertaining when people put down other areas of the same, wonderful city, and toot their zip code as some sort of status symbol. People who are so concerned about driving BMWs, owning a home in a particular zip, and belittling others who don't have the same. . .that's kind of sad. When you have that type of outlook, the things you own end up owning you. Growing up around money, I learned that I am not defined by my materialistic possessions. And neither should you!
