Is Inglewood safe? (Imperial: rent, condo, crime)

[emhazary]

My wife and I live in Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys but would like to move back to LA. It is important to us that we buy rather than rent (want a yard for the dogs among other reasons). We can only afford between 350K and 400K which leaves very few options other than south and central LA. We have visited a few neighborhoods in Inglewood and they are beautiful, specifically Morningside Park and South of the Forum. We are concentrating our search between Prarie and Western on the West and East, and Florence and Imperial Highway on the North and South as it seems to be the nicest area.

My question is, are we going to feel safe there?. Will we be able to walk our dogs at night or go to the corner store and back without worrying about being mugged? I ask this because the surrounding neighborhoods are listed by the LA Times as some of the most dangerous, but Inglewood being its own city does not have as many readily available stats. Even if the stats are high, if I'm not in a gang do I have to worry about the high assault and murder rate? If anybody has lived there before, or lives there now, please inform me. Any advice would be helpful.

[Clifton Santigo]

inglewood is much safer today than decades ago. just try to stay in the latino side of town, the black areas are still pretty rough.

you can get a general idea here: Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census - NYTimes.com

[Statz2k10]

I can't offer any advice on the area. But I can offer advice in terms of thinking about not just focusing on the present but also focusing on the future.

Might want to ask people how they see the area in 10-15 years? Is it going in the right direction in terms of crime. Crime might not be THAT high in the area but is it trending in the wrong direction.

I'm not sure if you plan on living there permanently but if you're not think of making decisions that will not hurt your chances of selling. I.e. is it in a good school district.

Good Luck

[emhazary]

Clifton Santigo, if you seriously know where the best areas are, would you mind giving me some specifics? Thanks

[Clifton Santigo]

Originally Posted by emhazary

Clifton Santigo, if you seriously know where the best areas are, would you mind giving me some specifics? Thanks

the best/safest parts of inglewood are close to lax and culver city, you'll want to stick to the west side of town.

a little over a year ago i was considering purchasing a dominos anchored retail strip (corner of la brea and arbor vitae). ended up doing a bunch of research in the area but ultimately passed on the deal (seller wasn't realistic with pricing). it's definitely an area that's improving substantially. it's in an upswing and in a decade will be better off than today.

anything close to culver city is just common sense, especially with the light rail in place and influx of tech/media companies, it'll have lots of positive effects on surroudning property values down the road.

the rest of pringlewood? BLAH. no. if finances are a big issue, i'd rather take a condo in a good area than a home in a bad part of town any day of the week.

[kaymcl]

Originally Posted by Clifton Santigo

inglewood is much safer today than decades ago. just try to stay in the latino side of town, the black areas are still pretty rough.

you can get a general idea here: Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census - NYTimes.com

Funny as hell considering the stats about those hispanics

[jesse977]

Inglewood is cool, stay in the north western parts near westchester

[BeatAngMoh]

Originally Posted by emhazary

My wife and I live in Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys but would like to move back to LA. It is important to us that we buy rather than rent (want a yard for the dogs among other reasons). We can only afford between 350K and 400K which leaves very few options other than south and central LA. We have visited a few neighborhoods in Inglewood and they are beautiful, specifically Morningside Park and South of the Forum. We are concentrating our search between Prarie and Western on the West and East, and Florence and Imperial Highway on the North and South as it seems to be the nicest area.

My question is, are we going to feel safe there?. Will we be able to walk our dogs at night or go to the corner store and back without worrying about being mugged? I ask this because the surrounding neighborhoods are listed by the LA Times as some of the most dangerous, but Inglewood being its own city does not have as many readily available stats. Even if the stats are high, if I'm not in a gang do I have to worry about the high assault and murder rate? If anybody has lived there before, or lives there now, please inform me. Any advice would be helpful.

The blunt question in order to honestly help you is what is your race? If white, have you lived (not worked) amongst non-whites?

[owl6969]

Originally Posted by jesse977

Inglewood is cool, stay in the north western parts near westchester

If by cool you mean hip or for being young you're right.

[stabo]

Originally Posted by BeatAngMoh

The blunt question in order to honestly help you is what is your race? If white, have you lived (not worked) amongst non-whites?

yes, if you're a white liberal trying to be some pioneer, you will probably regret it. is it safe for a hardworking hispanic/black family? possibly. a white liberal or chinese kid walking down the street with an ipod? can you say target?