Are South Gate & Lynwood good cities to live in?

[ka8]

I would say no to lynwood and SG. 30 more years later who knows? They may actually gentrify like many cities are going through now. But Downey is a different ball game. I love downey. Of course it's gone down after NASA and Boeing left but I like what I'm seeing in Downey recently. I still own the house I bought in 2009 near Kaiser building and can't wait until they finish the Promenade next year.

[steph478]

I have lived in Lynwood for most part of my life and can say that there are "some" areas in Lynwood that are ghetto and the gang violence is high. There are some areas in the city that are very quiet, clean, and there is no type of violence or crime. I have 10 years living in Lynwood and have never witnessed a crime. It all depends on what area you are looking at.

[7th]

It's not an ideal location, but they're quite livable and definitely worth checking out. Personally, I'd rather come to Downey, where there is some action going on. Pico Rivera is also kinda "cute".

[genjy]

Originally Posted by 7th

It's not an ideal location, but they're quite livable and definitely worth checking out. Personally, I'd rather come to Downey, where there is some action going on. Pico Rivera is also kinda "cute".

Man, this is the first time I've seen Pico Rivera described as "cute." I used to live in Rosemead and drove down to Pico Rivera every so often.

PR is even more of a barrio than Rosemead.

[7th]

You're right, and I'd choose Rosemead any day over Pico Rivera. That region is much nicer though- San Gabriel, Alhambra etc. South of SGV, if you compare the safe and okay parts of SG and Lynwood to Pico Rivera, you'd be able to appreciate Pico Rivera more.

I do not intend to mislead people into thinking that Pico Rivera is more like Pico-Robertson but it really has its charm, which I couldn't see in either South Gate or Lynwood. Of course this is probably because I have more fond memories in Pico Rivera having spent more time there than combined time I spent in SG and Lynwood.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by 7th

You're right, and I'd choose Rosemead any day over Pico Rivera. That region is much nicer though- San Gabriel, Alhambra etc. South of SGV, if you compare the safe and okay parts of SG and Lynwood to Pico Rivera, you'd be able to appreciate Pico Rivera more.

I do not intend to mislead people into thinking that Pico Rivera is more like Pico-Robertson but it really has its charm, which I couldn't see in either South Gate or Lynwood. Of course this is probably because I have more fond memories in Pico Rivera having spent more time there than combined time I spent in SG and Lynwood.

Pico Rivera has a semi-rural area north of Beverly Blvd. Some people keep horses here just off the river.

Also, it has "Dork St." I am totally NOT making this up. If I had the pictures handy I would send them but just put it into Google and see. "Cute" definitely applies here.

I think Pico Rivera and Whittier both blow South Gate and Lynwood "out of the water" because both either are closer to or have nature in them (especially Whittier). I am not sure why a previous poster would call Whittier "bad" unless he/she was comparing it to the very newest area built and even then....

I realize that SG/LYN area has the LA River but doubt that any riparian forest or thickets are surviving over there. Perhaps natives/current residents can chime in on this?

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

Pico Rivera has a semi-rural area north of Beverly Blvd. Some people keep horses here just off the river.

Also, it has "Dork St." I am totally NOT making this up. If I had the pictures handy I would send them but just put it into Google and see. "Cute" definitely applies here.

I think Pico Rivera and Whittier both blow South Gate and Lynwood "out of the water" because both either are closer to or have nature in them (especially Whittier). I am not sure why a previous poster would call Whittier "bad" unless he/she was comparing it to the very newest area built and even then....

I realize that SG/LYN area has the LA River but doubt that any riparian forest or thickets are surviving over there. Perhaps natives/current residents can chime in on this?

Whittier has very diverse neighborhoods; it has ghetto, run-down areas, middle-class areas, and upscale, affluent areas. It just depends on what part of Whittier you are in. Uptown Whittier is nice, with all those Victorian-style homes and large lots; the area around Whittier College is upscale, especially the further up into the hills you go. There are several multimillion dollar mansions up on Skyline Drive (Turnbull Canyon).

But you have some pretty rough areas down by Pioneer High School and that whole section of Whittier bordered by Washington and Slauson Avenues and Norwalk Blvd. That area of Whittier is older with more signs of typical ghetto areas: graffiti, junked out cars, trash on the streets, etc. But there are nice houses mixed in that area, but they are not the norm. I think Whittier Blvd. is like a separation point, with areas north of Whittier Blvd and east of Norwalk Blvd. generally better than areas south and west.

The area around Whittier Police Dept. is sort of mixed; you have a few nice streets here and there intermixed with some rundown, ghetto-looking streets. As part of my job, I visit Whittier PD twice a week, and I always see some very unsavory characters at the police station. LOL..Mostly drug addict/old cholo(a) looking people.

I also visit South Gate PD as well, and I never felt South Gate was all that bad (at least not around the police station). It's an old city with a lot of old homes, but a lot of the areas seem well-kept. Even Bell has some nice, old homes that are well kept and streets that are nice.

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

Pico Rivera has a semi-rural area north of Beverly Blvd. Some people keep horses here just off the river.

Also, it has "Dork St." I am totally NOT making this up. If I had the pictures handy I would send them but just put it into Google and see. "Cute" definitely applies here.

I think Pico Rivera and Whittier both blow South Gate and Lynwood "out of the water" because both either are closer to or have nature in them (especially Whittier). I am not sure why a previous poster would call Whittier "bad" unless he/she was comparing it to the very newest area built and even then....

I realize that SG/LYN area has the LA River but doubt that any riparian forest or thickets are surviving over there. Perhaps natives/current residents can chime in on this?

My aunt has lived right off Beverly Blvd. and San Gabriel River Parkway for the past 40 years or so. I remember it used to be a big horse stable right at the corner of those two streets; now it's a storage facility of some sort. But it's kind of cool the neighborhood she lives in: big lots, with huge front and backyards, and no sidewalks. It still has that rural feel, and a lot of people still ride horses in that neighborhood.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Straight outta Lynwood!:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8CX...FCE6B83D9EA0FC