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By A Mystery Man Writer

Frank Amaro, with son Happy, 2 1/2, wife Deborah, and daughter Jessie, 11 at their newly bought home in Hawaiian Gardens. Frank Amaro bought the 3bedroom, one bath house three months ago after renting a home for seven years. He knew prices in the city were going up, but he said he didn't even look anywhere else. "Despite the cost, I'm really happy to live here in Hawaiian Gardens," he said. It should come as no surprise that Los Angeles County's fastest growing cities, Palmdale, Lancaster and Santa Clarita, saw big increases in assessed property values last year. But Hawaiian Gardens, Lawndale and Pico Rivera? The three workingclass towns reported doubledigit growth in property values despite being builtout for decades, according to a new report from the L.A. County assessor's office, placing them in the top six cities with the largest jumps in assessed value. They don't have spanking new housing tracts, but Assessor Rick Auerbach said they and other older suburbs have things homebuyers are looking for in Southern California's heated housing market: Central locations, easy freeway access and relatively affordable prices. The sharp increase in values in these cities as well Downey and Azusa reflect just how much Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty