How safe is this side of Gardena? (Los Angeles, Torrance: crime rates, home)

[bn2409]

Hi,
I found a place in Gardena near Western and 166th. The place is located just east of Western. I was wondering how safe this area is. I drove around the area, but it was hard to grasp the normal day to day atmosphere of the area. I searched the forum and read a lot of comments saying how unsafe Gardena is. I am worried because I'm a 26 year old female, and I want to walk my dogs everyday after work, like around 8 pm.

Thank you!

[Mr. Mysterious]

YouTube - Freeway City: Portrait of an L.A. Suburb (Gardena Documentary Trailer)

[Fontucky]

Not too bad there. Torrance is on one side and Gardena on the other. About three blocks south of the Gardena Police station. And that section of Western gets overlap of Gardena and Torrance police cruisers You start to go further east and it starts to become a little sketchy.

[mrsltd]

A little rule about Gardena gleaned from a gang documentary and talks with locals:

The farther south the better.

Stay away from Rowley Park on the north side.....it is the gathering place for the Shotgun Crip gang.

Also, realize that, in this area, some places that have a Gardena zip code actually are with Los Angeles or Carson city limits, or in an adjacent unincorporated portion of land where only Los Angeles County holds jurisdiction. This is important when policing and other community issues come into play.

There are three zips labeled "Gardena":

90247--includes much of the central and southern portions of the city but the sliver of land between El Segundo Blvd, Vermont Ave, 91 and 110 freeways is actually city of Los Angeles, part of a section known as "LA Strip" to locals. In the strip area it is pretty iffy throughout even though it doesn't look particulary bad everywhere.

90248--Only the extreme southern part of Gardena is here; everything else in the zip code is either city of LA, Carson or LA County (community of Rosewood). Oddly, Gardena High School is in a little enclave of LA surrounded on three sides by the City of Gardena here.

90249--Northern Gardena and part of an unincorporated area near El Camino College known as "El Camino Village". As stated before, area around 132nd to 134th and Van Ness is home to Rowley Park and Shotgun Crips.

This is just to inform the OP of what he/she may be getting into when checking into a place with a "Gardena" address, given the vagaries of the area.

[ginkonuts]

Zip code info very helpful, thank you.

What about the Japanese-American neighborhoods near Marukai or Pacific Square Shopping Center in Gardena? They seem like charming historical residential areas with all the bansai trees but some of the areas surrounding seem a bit dodgey... Are those communities in danger of being overtaken by gangs and high crime rates anytime soon? Are they safe places to set up home or misleadingly close to the trouble spots and therefore at risk?

[agnt.starling]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Not too bad there. Torrance is on one side and Gardena on the other. About three blocks south of the Gardena Police station. And that section of Western gets overlap of Gardena and Torrance police cruisers You start to go further east and it starts to become a little sketchy.

That sums it up, I always told people that & they never believed me......

Originally Posted by ginkonuts

Zip code info very helpful, thank you.

What about the Japanese-American neighborhoods near Marukai or Pacific Square Shopping Center in Gardena? They seem like charming historical residential areas with all the bansai trees but some of the areas surrounding seem a bit dodgey... Are those communities in danger of being overtaken by gangs and high crime rates anytime soon? Are they safe places to set up home or misleadingly close to the trouble spots and therefore at risk?

The area behind the Marukai/Pacific Square Shopping center isn't a problem, I lived not too far from there, off of 157th & Brighton Place, behind the 99cent store, by myself w/two tots, we were safe, and I do visit their godmother who still resides by the park, aside from development w/shops around, it still seems to be ok. Venture further out past Normandie towards the Casino & it gets iffy.

[CelticViking]

126th and normandie is where FRIDAY the movie was shot...right in Gardena.

Everybody pretty much sums it up.

[Baber]

how safe is near address of 832 west gardena blvd, 90247 zip.

[agnt.starling]

I remember driving through there & back then it wasn't a place I wanted to be in...this being about 10 years ago, and if you google the address, to me, it still looks the same and flashbacks & all, yeah I wouldn't want to be out there now...but thats just my opinion....

[bionictony]

832 west gardena is a ghetto alright area. anything east of there is bad.. but not too bad. past figoura is ghetto. giuliano's deli and brudda's just 2-3 blocks west and great food!

166 and western is alright.

anything south of marine ave and west of normandie blvd is ok in my book.. i grew up near normandie and imperial and went to gardena high in 2000. it's been 10 years since i've been back. my parents are near Gardena honda and that's a quiet neighborhood.