Best area of Long Beach not named Belmont Shore (Lakewood: apartments, to rent)

[DMP Coming to LBC]

Hello, I'm trying to get opinions on the best area of Long Beach to rent an apartment. I lived in the LBC before when I studied for my undergrad at CSU Long Beach however I never ventured too far beyond Ximeno. I'm not moving back to Long Beach for my new job and I'm setting my rent budget at no more than $1000 a month. If I feel safe and the area is nice, maybe I'd spend more for the safety. I will say the city has changed a lot since I graduated in 1993. Thank you in advance.

[ihatedcu]

Originally Posted by DMP Coming to LBC

best area of Long Beach....my rent budget $1000 .....safe....

How many roommates can you handle? It's either ghetto or roommates at your budget.

[KeithM7]

Los Altos. Basically the area from north of CSULB to Lakewood in the NE part of the city. Not cheap but less expensive than Belmont Shore.

[sacreole]

I have a friend who recently moved to Long Beach to pursue his residency at a local hospital. He found a decent one bedroom apartment in the Bixby Knolls part of town. I understand his rent isn't too bad. You may want to check out Bixby Knolls.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by ihatedcu

How many roommates can you handle? It's either ghetto or roommates at your budget.

This isn't necessarily true. Basically anything south/east of the traffic circle is fine and lots of the stuff between Junipero and the traffic circle is ok. This isn't the days anymore of armys of crack ho's walking PCH from the 710 to Redondo.

And of course Bixby Knolls...and Lakewood as well.

OP, your budget may be pushing it but I'll bet you can find something around that price range if you work at it.

[Chowhound]

You can probably rent a room for that kind of money, you may get lucky and find something really small in terms of an apartment.

As others have said, anything east of Redondo you can't go too wrong with. The better parts are nearer the ocean and near CSULB.

The west and north sides of LB are crappy, downtown is ok, but you go a few blocks north of DT and it's dodgy, even DT can be a bit dodgy, but pine street and the pike areas are great.

[2Easy]

Bixby and Bixby Knolls. Also California heights.

[shapeshift]

I really love bixby knolls and California heights.. Bixby knolls may have apartments in your price range and the area is absolutely lovely.. People always seem to suggest belmont shore, alamitos beach, bluff heights, east village and DT.. But to me, these areas are definitely a bit more on the ghetto side than either bixby knolls or California heights.. Those other areas all are in very close proximity to crime ridden areas and the boundaries overlap.. Great for visiting, but not to live there. Every so often, you encounter a homeless crackhead or hooker especially on 4th St.. And of course, DT has a ton of homeless..The vibe seems off to me in an uncomfortable way when i go visit these areas despite their rapid gentrification.. With bixby knolls and California heights, you basically have del amo Blvd and the police station and scherer park which sit just south of del amo on atlantic.. So there is a boundary that definitely separates the ghetto north from bixby knolls, Virginia country club, California heights and los cerritos.. There is virtually no homeless or crackheads in these areas..They are quieter and more ideal as places of residence than the southernmost parts of LB which tend to rub shoulders with the ghetto surrounding areas just north and west of them..

[DMP Coming to LBC]

Dear friends:

Thank you for your kind replies. First off, as much as a roommate would be nice, I'm a little uncomfortable with the sharing of costs especially if the roommate isn't financially stable. Based on my initial search on Craigslist, I'm thinking $1000 should be doable and keep me out of "shady" areas of the south. I've seem to be hearing that a perimeter of PCH to the north, Ocean to the south, Alamitos to the west, and Redondo to the east is not bad and affordable too. I'm sure no matter where I settle I'll have to take the good with the bad. All replies were appreciated and will be taken into consideration. Looking forward to hearing some more.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by KeithM7

Los Altos. Basically the area from north of CSULB to Lakewood in the NE part of the city. Not cheap but less expensive than Belmont Shore.

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