Since the Metropolitan Transportation Authority began construction on the Crenshaw Line in January 2014, the highest rate of increase in home values citywide has occurred in areas of South L.A. immediately adjacent to the light-rail line, according to data compiled by the real estate website Trulia.

Between January 2014 and April of this year, three of the fastest-rising home values anywhere in L.A. were in Baldwin Village/Crenshaw (No. 1), Leimert Park (No. 3) and Hyde Park (No. 4). What do all three neighborhoods have in common? They're historically African-American, historically in the lower 20 percent of average income brackets and, perhaps most important, will be home to stations on the Crenshaw/LAX Line when it opens in two years.

The Crenshaw Line will extend south from the Metro Exposition Line at Crenshaw and Exposition boulevards and connect with the Green Line in the South Bay. According to a map on the Metro website, the first, second and third stops on the Crenshaw Line will be located in Baldwin Village/Crenshaw, Leimert Park and Hyde Park.