Questions for all of you California residents etc...

Skinner

RIP The Rev
I am trying to get familiar with some towns and neighborhoods in the southern California area. I guess if you can give me some info on these areas, as far as what it would be like residentially speaking, that would be great. I.e. Does this area have a lot of crime? Is this area worth living in? Is it boring? Is it fun? etc. So please help a sista out and let me know about these places...(thanks!!!)

Gardena
Hawthorne
Long Beach
North Hollywood
West Hollywood
Canoga Park
Bellflower

I'll probably have more questions/areas to ask about later but here just some to start off with. Thanks CA peeps!
 
you aren't moving are you :confused:

I've always heard Silverlake was nice but have never been there myself.
 
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I am trying to get familiar with some towns and neighborhoods in the southern California area. I guess if you can give me some info on these areas, as far as what it would be like residentially speaking, that would be great. I.e. Does this area have a lot of crime? Is this area worth living in? Is it boring? Is it fun? etc. So please help a sista out and let me know about these places...(thanks!!!)

Gardena
Hawthorne
Long Beach
North Hollywood
West Hollywood
Canoga Park
Bellflower

I'll probably have more questions/areas to ask about later but here just some to start off with. Thanks CA peeps!

It's very difficult to say which neighborhood is "right" for you-- are you visiting? Moving? Working nearby?

Of the ones you mentioned, West Hollywood is without question the nicest neighborhood. It's known for being the gay center of L.A. and of the places you listed offers the best in the way of fun things to do. It's pretty fabulous. :)

The Hollywood area is nice, too. That's, y'know, east of West Hollywood. :rolleyes:

North Hollywood is okay. I never liked it much, but I know there are some less expensive places to live, and it's close to the city (it's more or less in the Valley-- be aware of that).

Certain parts of Long Beach are nice, particularly south of downtown by the water. Belmont Shore is quaint. The rest of Long Beach isn't so hot. Long Beach is the southernmost town in L.A. county, so you'd be well out of the way of the heart of L.A. On the other hand, you're that much closer to the unreal beach towns of Orange County, if that's your thing.
 
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I am trying to get familiar with some towns and neighborhoods in the southern California area. I guess if you can give me some info on these areas, as far as what it would be like residentially speaking, that would be great. I.e. Does this area have a lot of crime? Is this area worth living in? Is it boring? Is it fun? etc. So please help a sista out and let me know about these places...(thanks!!!)

Gardena
Hawthorne
Long Beach
North Hollywood
West Hollywood
Canoga Park
Bellflower

I'll probably have more questions/areas to ask about later but here just some to start off with. Thanks CA peeps!

I used to live in So Cal...all of the cities, as anywhere have good and bad.

I lived in a "beach" city, so anywhere more than 1/4 mile to to 2 miles inland to some people was considered unbearable.

The perception of Bellflower was "a white trash city"
West Hollywood...expensive...Morrissey lived in that area
Hawthorne...I lived adjacent to it...high minority...is next to Inglewood, which is next to Watts.

North Hollywood, is in the "valley" very hot in the summer....also lnown as the "porn" production area I believe.
Gardena, is on the other side of Hawthorn as I recall, and was more of an Asian/Philippino area.
Long beach is very diversified so can't really describe it easily

One thing though of Southern California..all of the cities are right next to each other...it is hard to distinguish when you have left one and gone into another. It is not like other parts of the world/country where you drive out of one town are then in a rural area and then come upon another.
Many times the only way to know you left one city and are in the next that the street corner signs have a different design.

A big determining factor in choosing where to live in the LA Southern California area is, where are you going to work and how much do you like to drive. Further inland in less expensive but you will need to drive a distance to be anywhere. There is not a great public transportation system linking SoCal and it's neighbors. Sure there is the bus system and a limited subway but no train system to take you from Bellflower to Hollywood.
 
Thanks very much for all of the info guys. Keep it coming.

I am potentially planning a move to SoCal in the next year. I don't mind driving persay but I don't enjoy sitting in traffic too much. However I realize it's something I will need to get used to considering the generally constant traffic on the freeways etc.

The easiest thing for me to do in way of where I will work, would be in any of the many Whole Foods Market locaitons though out the area. There are quite a few of them so trasnfering out there is my best bet for immediate employment and then I can try to find something else once I'm actually out there.

I asked about these areas bc I am trying to see where I can afford to live. Then I want to determine out of these areas, which one is best for me. I'll be making a visit out there in the summer-fall for a couple of weeks to visit friends, and check out potential housing/jobs etc. This is the plan anyway. See ya later east coast.
 
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Thanks very much for all of the info guys. Keep it coming.

I am potentially planning a move to SoCal in the next year. I don't mind driving persay but I don't enjoy sitting in traffic too much. However I realize it's something I will need to get used to considering the generally constant traffic on the freeways etc.

The easiest thing for me to do in way of where I will work, would be in any of the many Whole Foods Market locaitons though out the area. There are quite a few of them so trasnfering out there is my best bet for immediate employment and then I can try to find something else once I'm actually out there.

I asked about these areas bc I am trying to see where I can afford to live. Then I want to determine out of these areas, which one is best for me. I'll be making a visit out there in the summer-fall for a couple of weeks to visit friends, and check out potential housing/jobs etc. This is the plan anyway. See ya later east coast.

Gotcha.

I can confirm that the WF in Long Beach is in a pretty nice area (near Belmont Shore, which I mentioned). It's also near Seal Beach. It's kind of "Orange County" lite, but closer to L.A. There are some areas that are pretty pricey, but many more that are very affordable. Very short drive (or walk in some cases) to the beach, Long Beach harbor, etc. Beautiful area. Definitely need a car.

The one in Redondo Beach is probably nice, too (and you've got the Morrissey/Patti Smith connection to boot), but RB is pretty congested, not neary as relaxed and open as Long Beach/Seal Beach. Ditto Huntington, Newport, and Laguna Beach (though these are way out of the way, down in Orange County; I'd keep clear of Orange County if I were you).

Any of the locations in Santa Monica or Marina Del Rey are nice, and near the water. As with Long Beach, there are neighborhoods that are expensive but you can always find good deals on cheap-ish apartments. Mostly these would be expensive neighborhoods, and not all that "fun".

My advice, FWIW, is to go for the West Hollywood Whole Foods on Santa Monica Boulevard. The area is incredibly nice, there's lots to do, and if you're patient you can find a good, relatively inexpensive apartment in the area. Maybe not on the flashy streets, but nearby. You should consider the Hollywood Boulevard area, which has some surprisingly cheap places, or the area south of Sunset, east of La Brea, west of Vine, and south to about Wilshire, maybe Olympic. That's a nice mix of cheaper places and good location, though some of the streets are a bit seedy. You'd be within a stone's throw of the best theaters and best record store in southern California, plus a lot of cool little bars and clubs. Silverlake and Los Feliz, two other cool spots, would be much easier to get to from there, and also you'd be near a lot of major freeway interchanges, which is important.

If money is a concern I'd try a WF location in the San Fernando Valley, like the one in Sherman Oaks. I won't lie, the area is not terribly exciting, but it's probably going to be the least expensive and most hassle-free area to move to from the East Coast. If you're expecting to drive a lot, anyway, it's probably the safest bet.
 
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^^^

This is great info and exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks Worm!

I guess I am just looking for a safe and affordable area to live. Rent will be a big increase from where I live now so at this point I am just trying to make a smooth transition that will not leave me broke, but also not leave me living in a cheap yet dangerous area. I don't need to be super close to the beach. Being able to drive to the beach in less than an hour will be a great thing in itself . Also, I am not a huge club type person nor do I need to be in a super interesting area with tons going on. Just a cool neighborhood, that is close enough to fun stuff. Just doing the research now. Thanks again for all the info everyone.
 
^^^

This is great info and exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks Worm!

I guess I am just looking for a safe and affordable area to live. Rent will be a big increase from where I live now so at this point I am just trying to make a smooth transition that will not leave me broke, but also not leave me living in a cheap yet dangerous area. I don't need to be super close to the beach. Being able to drive to the beach in less than an hour will be a great thing in itself . Also, I am not a huge club type person nor do I need to be in a super interesting area with tons going on. Just a cool neighborhood, that is close enough to fun stuff. Just doing the research now. Thanks again for all the info everyone.


I do not know what a person earns at Whole Foods, and do not know your age or living stats etc, but I am thinking that you may need to have a room mate or two. If you can find decent people to live with you will be able to afford a nicer area, bigger accommodations, etc., possibly rent a house instead of an apartment.
 
Bellflower is one of the places I am "from"
I lived there from 77 to 80 and then again from 98 to 01 :straightface:
It had gone "down hill" as many saw it between those years, but remained a good place to live freeway access wise and is very affordable rent wise.

I would not suggest anyone new to Socal move to Long Beach :eek:
there are patches of it that are alrite, but you really got to know exactly where they are, because other parts are truly dangerous, I mean for real
as in it takes a long time for the cops or an ambulance to come

Canoga Park & North Hollywood are in the San Fernando Valley :cool:
if you are going to move to Socal, dont bother moving to places like that which are really "L.A." adjacent on the map, but frequently require you to spend way too much time sitting in traffic just trying to get "over the hill" one way or the other :crazy:

West Hollywood is the over priced part of "Hollywood" one can go further east and find more affordable places to live that are not too dangerous.
The key is knowing the specific little community you would be living in.
I suggest if anyone is going to live in that part of my hometown to move to near the Fairfax district, where the Orthodox Jewish community is based
just look for the red rope :thumb:


Gardena and Hawthorne are South Bay but inland, no point to that really
if you are gonna do the South Bay, you should live in one of its beach cities like Redondo, Manhattan, or Hermosa

Having said all that, seriously, check out San Francisco before moving to L.A.
I miss L.A. every once and a while, but then I go down for a visit, spend way too much time in a car, spend way too much time dealing with utterly shallow & vacuous people who are always in a hurry to do absolutely nothing and prone to a level fakeness that is just truly staggering to comprehend :sick:
So even what you think you might like about L.A., you gotta remember, its all pretend, still, I think everybody should live there for at least some part of their life maybe :o
then come to your senses, get real, and move up here like so many of us Angelino have :lbf:
 
skinner, i "lived" in the oc(huntington beach area) for like 2 months this fall.

philly > so cal. just sayin;)
 
Gardena -- You can do better
Hawthorne -- Bad
Long Beach -- As previously mentioned, there are some very good areas here like Belmont Shore, but one wrong turn can turn out to be a nightmare
North Hollywood -- This is a very large area. Some great; some not so great so it depends where, but it has become significantly urbanized in the past 15 years or so. Summers are also very hot as it is essentially a desert valley.
West Hollywood -- A lot of fun, but it can be expensive.
Canoga Park -- Not bad.
Bellflower -- Bad

I guess I am just looking for a safe and affordable area to live. Rent will be a big increase from where I live now so at this point I am just trying to make a smooth transition that will not leave me broke, but also not leave me living in a cheap yet dangerous area. I don't need to be super close to the beach. Being able to drive to the beach in less than an hour will be a great thing in itself . Also, I am not a huge club type person nor do I need to be in a super interesting area with tons going on. Just a cool neighborhood, that is close enough to fun stuff. Just doing the research now. Thanks again for all the info everyone.

There are a bunch of very safe places around LA: Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Calabasas, Agoura Hills; Orange County towns like Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Capistrano Beach, San Clemente (think "O.C.", and you'll get a picture of who lives in these, well, O.C. towns); Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Toluca Lake. But these places are a bit pricey as it usually is the case with very safe areas.

Some other very decent areas: Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Encino, Tarzana, Studio City, Granada Hills, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, West Hills, South Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, Burbank, Brea. The beach towns are also alright, but can be a bit pricey.

Good luck!
 
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