Relocating from Atlanta (Los Angeles, Compton, Lynwood: appointed, movers, school district)

[TheRealAngelion]

I think just about everyone has hit the hammer right on the head. Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills, View Park, and Baldwin Hills are where the majority of affluent black families in LA live and those areas are all very close to Culver City. I also agree that Cheviot Hills is another possible option as is Beverlywood which is just east of Cheviot Hills and south of Beverly Hills.

Another area I don't think anyone mentioned is Playa Vista, a brand new community near the ocean and also very close to Culver City. They have upscale, single family residences in the $1.5 to $2M range.

Also, some other very good private schools nearby are Crossroads in Santa Monica and Brentwood School.

[PropRt]

Greetings,
I am African American who grew up on the Westside of Los Angeles and have a great deal of family in Atlanta. I understand exactly what you are looking for. The schools mentioned in other threads are good but they might lack the cultural diversity you seek. My son, now entering the third grade goes to a nice school (Cathedral Chapel) just south of Miracle Mile. They are academically rigorous and continually win educational awards. Notre Dame is another school worth looking into. I am a Real Estate Agent and would recommend areas like Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills, and Cheviot Hills to name a few. If I can be of further assistance in helping you find a home, feel free to contact me. On your next visit to Los Angeles perhaps I can take you out to view properties that fit your criteria.

Cordially,
Ebony Owens
(323) 395-1743

[Sorcerer68]

I've seen some amazing deals in Bel Air lately. Amazing. Also have a look in Hollywood Hills East and the part of the hills technically called Sunset Strip. If you're looking for the BH vibe, this is where the stars REALLY live. Check out the hills of Los Feliz as well, it was the original BH.

[katenik]

also consider ladera heights and view park. both are neighborhoods that populated predominantly by black professional families (if you want that), within your budget, and a stone's throw from culver city-- as in you won't even have to get on a freeway! it doesn't get better than that in LA. one drawback: you'll want to put your kids in private schools if you live in either place, as the local schools are also fed by some less desirable communities, and the influences might not be what you want for your children, and the academic programs sub-par. another option might be getting permits for them to attend public school in culver city schools (most districts offer these to children of parents who work in a district where they do not reside.), but i'm not certain how much better the schools are there. however, it would be an improvement over inglewood unified (which serves ladera heights) and LAUSD (which serves view park).

i can put you in touch with a realtor who knows the territory quite well. if you're interested, send me a private message.

[TheRealAngelion]

I recently drove by a brand new luxury home development in Westchester near Loyola Marymount University that I had not heard about. It's called One Westbluff. Check it out.

One West Bluff-Residential Collections in Westchester by Standard Pacific Homes

[Berengi]

Originally Posted by stvincent

Hello all. My wife and I are currently considering a move to Los Angeles. I got a job offer out there and going off of my visits it seems like a nice place to live. I currently reside in Atlanta and have 2 school aged children. We are an upper income Black family and are looking to find a home for under two million dollars. We were shocked to find that areas like Beverly Hills and Brentwood did not offer much in our price range. Two Million goes a long way in Atlanta and I wanted to know of a part of L.A. where you could get alot for two million as well. I have heard that the traffic in L.A. is horrific so I would preferbaly like to be within 30 minutes of Culver City, where the office is located. I also wanted to know some good private schools to consider and if the people in L.A. are quick to self segregate like people here in Atlanta.

I'm new to this site and just read stvincent's post. I am in exactly the same situation, except we're moving in from the Northeast, and instead of Culver City I have to commute to Universal. The other posts really answered a lot of questions except one: where do I find a decent, safe, racially diverse, quality public high school in Los Angeles?

From the small amount of research I've done so far, there were only 2 districts that got strong recommendations: South Pasadena, and the Las Viergenes district that serves Calabasas. Both of these are majority white districts, and we don't really have a problem with that. We just like having our kids in a diverse environment, which is what we are used to.

It sounds like in L.A. if you are Black upper middle class and want quality public school for your kid you have to live in a mostly white district.

Am I wrong?

[straight outta camden]

Originally Posted by Berengi

I'm new to this site and just read stvincent's post. I am in exactly the same situation, except we're moving in from the Northeast, and instead of Culver City I have to commute to Universal. The other posts really answered a lot of questions except one: where do I find a decent, safe, racially diverse, quality public high school in Los Angeles?

From the small amount of research I've done so far, there were only 2 districts that got strong recommendations: South Pasadena, and the Las Viergenes district that serves Calabasas. Both of these are majority white districts, and we don't really have a problem with that. We just like having our kids in a diverse environment, which is what we are used to.

It sounds like in L.A. if you are Black upper middle class and want quality public school for your kid you have to live in a mostly white district.

Am I wrong?

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is just how small the African-American population of Los Angeles is. Blacks are 10% of the city population and 9% of the county population (and falling) which makes LA less black than America as a whole. That has two consequences. First, the city's black upper middle class is inevitably very small indeed--much smaller, as a proportion of the overall population, than in Atlanta or many cities in the northeast. So, second, if you want your children to go to school with the children of other affluent blacks you will be limited to very few areas.

"Diversity" in somewhere like Atlanta means a good mix of blacks and whites. In LA it is more likely to mean a good mix of whites and Latinos (or Latinos and Asians, or Asians and whites). You will have to find a way to fit into that more complex picture.

[hgclyde]

Berengi,the Pasadena and Altadena areas are pretty good; Burbank and Glendale is also good, Los Feliz, Hancock Park, Beverlywood; Miracle Mile,Ladera Park and Baldwin Hills are very diverse areas the drawback is traffic and schools.

[Atlantasfinest]

If you happen to move to Ladera/Baldwin Hills/View Park and If your kids perform well enough you could also send them to the good public magnet High Schools which include LACES (Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies) or Pacific Palisades High School. I grew up in Ladera but my Aunt lived in Santa Monica so we used her address to attend high school there (94-98). Before my family moved to Ladera Heights we lived in South Pasadena and and the public school system was excellent there.

My choices of Public High School schools when I lived in Ladera Heights (94-98) were Inglewood & Westchester High School and my parents were not going to send me there! Alot of Ladera/View Park/Baldwin Hills school aged children attend St. Bernard's High School which is a great private school located in Westchester. If they don't attend the private schools most Ladera/View Park/Baldwin Hills kids attend Westchester, Palisades, Hamilton or schools like Harvard Westlake, Marlborough, Serra or a number of private schools and good public schools (using a address or obtaining a permit) to attend Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and to a lessor extend Culver City High School.

If I was in your shoes, I would live in Ladera Heights or Santa Monica. You cannot compare any upper class Black enclaves in Atlanta to the class, amenities, location, lifestyle and people of Ladera Heights Baldwin Hills & View Park. Also when you move here join the local Jack & Jill chapter in the area. Great for networking and your children would be in good hands and you would have other couples with similiar interests to fellowship with.

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by straight outta camden

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is just how small the African-American population of Los Angeles is. Blacks are 10% of the city population and 9% of the county population (and falling) which makes LA less black than America as a whole. That has two consequences. First, the city's black upper middle class is inevitably very small indeed--much smaller, as a proportion of the overall population, than in Atlanta or many cities in the northeast. So, second, if you want your children to go to school with the children of other affluent blacks you will be limited to very few areas.

"Diversity" in somewhere like Atlanta means a good mix of blacks and whites. In LA it is more likely to mean a good mix of whites and Latinos (or Latinos and Asians, or Asians and whites). You will have to find a way to fit into that more complex picture.

LA has one of the largest black populations of any major city or metro area in the U.S. with approximately 1 million blacks in LA County alone. I wouldn't call that small or insignificant. There are 3 blacks on the 9 member LA City Council (a full third of the council) and 1 black on the 5 member County Board of Supervisors. Also, the head of the LA Police Commission is black, the head of the LA City Fire Department is black, and the superintendent of the LA Unified School District is also black. A black woman ran LAX until she stepped down this past spring. I could point to other examples. But I say this to dispel the myth that's being perpetuated on this forum that blacks are this radically shrinking group of people in LA when they are not. The radical shift or change is the increase in the Latino population and less so the decrease in the white and black populations.

Also the Ladera Heights, View Park, Windsor Hills, and Baldwins Hills areas have the greatest contiguous concentration of affluent black families in the United States.