Top 10 Best Places to Live in LA (Long Beach, Glendale: low crime, neighborhoods)

[TheRealAngelion]

In your opinion, what are the top 10 best communities overall in which to live in LA County, including neighborhoods within the city of LA, smaller cities, and unincorporated areas of LA County.

The criteria I used for my list included the following: Family oriented, good public/private schools (the area had to have at least one high school with a rating of 8 or better on the “Great Schools” Web site), good recreation areas, sense of community, shopping conveniences and amenities, cleanliness, safety, quality of housing stock, etc.

In Alpha Order:

1. Beverly Hills
2. Brentwood
3. Calabasas
4. Manhattan Beach
5. La Canada/Flintridge
6. Pacific Palisades
7. Palos Verdes Estates/Rolling Hills Estates
8. San Marino
9. Santa Monica
10. South Pasadena

The Rest: I tried to do a top 25 but had a hard time excluding someone so I came up with 16 additional communities for a total of 26:

Agoura Hills
Arcadia
Burbank
Cerritos
Claremont
El Segundo
Glendale
Granda Hills/Porter Ranch
Long Beach
Malibu
Redondo Beach
Santa Clarita
Torrance
Woodland Hills
Whittier
Westlake Village

[Rats]

I agree with your top 10. I think Walnut, Diamond Bar and Chino Hills should be added to the list. They're all nice places with good schools and very low crime.

[lucero32]

You have to add Hancock Park to any list regarding the best areas to live in L.A.. I know you're using public schools as a criteria, but even in many of your top ten cities people opt to send their children to private schools (Flintridge Prep, Pasadena Poly, Crossroads, etc...). Plus, the Hancokc Park elementary i one of the highest rated in the city. The location of Hancock Park relative to downtown and Hollywood, the stately old money mansions, Larchmont Village, all add to the desirability of the neighborhood.

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by lucero32

You have to add Hancock Park to any list regarding the best areas to live in L.A.. I know you're using public schools as a criteria, but even in many of your top ten cities people opt to send their children to private schools (Flintridge Prep, Pasadena Poly, Crossroads, etc...). Plus, the Hancokc Park elementary i one of the highest rated in the city. The location of Hancock Park relative to downtown and Hollywood, the stately old money mansions, Larchmont Village, all add to the desirability of the neighborhood.

I love Hancock Park and Windsor Square. But even though I personally would choose to live there over Palos Verdes or Calabasas, for example, there are no good public high schools that serve that community. Ditto for places like Bel Air and Westwood. So I think it's important to point out communities in which people can live in LA that still have good public schools from K-12.

[straight outta camden]

What about traffic and parking? Figure that in and Beverly Hills goes from #1 to at, or near, bottom.

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by TheRealAngelion

In your opinion, what are the top 10 best communities overall in which to live in LA County, including neighborhoods within the city of LA, smaller cities, and unincorporated areas of LA County.

Granada Hills/Porter Ranch

Yeah! ............

[Cattknap]

I live in Long Beach and love it here - during the summer months it is at least 10-15 degrees cooler and much less smoggy when compared to Diamond Bar, Chino Hills, Burbank, Arcadia, Whittier, Pasadena, San Marino, etc. There are some gorgeous areas, great beach towns, freeway close to Orange County and lots and lots of things to see and do....and the cost of housing is less than most of the other places on the lists mentioned.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by TheRealAngelion

In your opinion, what are the top 10 best communities overall in which to live in LA County, including neighborhoods within the city of LA, smaller cities, and unincorporated areas of LA County.

The criteria I used for my list included the following: Family oriented, good public/private schools (the area had to have at least one high school with a rating of 8 or better on the “Great Schools” Web site), good recreation areas, sense of community, shopping conveniences and amenities, cleanliness, safety, quality of housing stock, etc.

In Alpha Order:

1. Beverly Hills
2. Brentwood
3. Calabasas
4. Manhattan Beach
5. La Canada/Flintridge
6. Pacific Palisades
7. Palos Verdes Estates/Rolling Hills Estates
8. San Marino
9. Santa Monica
10. South Pasadena

The Rest: I tried to do a top 25 but had a hard time excluding someone so I came up with 16 additional communities for a total of 26:

Agoura Hills
Arcadia
Burbank
Cerritos
Claremont
El Segundo
Glendale
Granda Hills/Porter Ranch
Long Beach
Malibu
Redondo Beach
Santa Clarita
Torrance
Woodland Hills
Whittier
Westlake Village

Why isn't Culver City on that list.

Long Beach shouldn't be on that list, it has a few nice areas but it's mostly ghetto

[majoun]

Originally Posted by TheRealAngelion

I love Hancock Park and Windsor Square.

If you're going to include those you should include Los Feliz as well.

But even though I personally would choose to live there over Palos Verdes or Calabasas, for example, there are no good public high schools that serve that community.

True. And the same goes for ANYWHERE within LAUSD territory.

Ditto for places like Bel Air and Westwood.

The same goes for Brentwood also. Uni High isn't what it was 20 years ago, it's gone to crap like the rest of LAUSD.

[TheRealAngelion]

El Camino Real Senior High School in Woodland Hills, Granada Hills Charter High School, and Palisades Charter High School are all within LA city limits and LAUSD and they all have “Great Schools” ratings of 8 on a 1-10 scale.

By the way, most of Brentwood is in the Pali High attendance area not Uni.