Looking at a home in Azusa, near Dalton Elementary School. How safe and walkable is this neighborhood? (Pasadena: middle-class, apartment complexes)

[CarolynCee16]

My partner and I will be relocating down to the LA area from Eugene, Oregon later this summer. I recently accepted a job offer in Pasadena, and my partner works at REI and will be transferring to one of the LA area stores (depending on where we end up living - there is a location in Arcadia that he will probably transfer to if we end up living in the SGV).

I have been looking at housing options, and today I came across a cute looking, 2br 1bath home in Asuza, located on N. Pasadena and E. 10th, across the street from Dalton Elementary School. Looking on Google street view, the area seems nice enough. Properties aren't fenced in (which I've recently learned is a major red flag).

Here is a little more about us, and what we find important in a place to live: we really enjoy a mix of outdoor activities and city life. We enjoy finding good local restaurants and shops (we're not into chains or big box stores). We like to be able to bike downtown and to different amenities. We also have a big, lovable lab mix who we love to take on walks, so being in an area that's safe to walk at all times of day (including evenings) is very important to us. Something that appeals to us about this house in particular is that it has a fenced in yard for our dog. We like to go hiking and camping. My partner really enjoys cycling, so being near a bike path would be great. We're both very into sustainable, low footprint living, like to cook with organic groceries, and I enjoy having a small garden (my new job will be working as the director of a sustainability education program, so it's a big part of my life). Reading this over, I realize we may sound like complete hipsters, but we're super down to earth, I promise

So all that being said, how do you think this particular area would suit us? Is it worth it for me to message the landlord, or should I look elsewhere? The reason why I keep on emphasizing safety and walkability is because we're coming from Oregon, where most places are super safe to walk around in, even at all hours of the night! Violent crime is a rarity here, so just looking at a crime map of LA county is a little bit daunting and intimidating for us. I was born and raised in Metro NY and definitely have street smarts, but having lived out here in Oregon for the past 3 years, I have softened and let my guard down in terms of safety. I also understand that being street smart in a condensed city like NY is very different from being street smart in a more spread out city like LA (ex: bad areas in NY don't necessarily have fenced in houses because people mostly live in apartment complexes). Moving to a place where we need to watch our backs constantly would be an adjustment for us both (my partner more so than I, because he was born and raised here in Oregon).

I look forward to reading your responses! Thanks in advance!

[reen79]

i live in Covina....a few mins from Azusa......in all honesty I don't know of any nice parts of Azusa unless you move more towards the mountains......even the part of Covina I live in is getting pretty ugly and ghetto.....its considered la county and I know parts of Azusa is county to......I don't think its a nice city to move into so I would be cautious if I was you......I know they have a lot of crime and gangs in Azusa to.......so just be careful......good luck in your search....

[genjy]

It's a great location if your partner will be working at the Arcadia REI, since your partner will be able to take the Gold Line light rail across from the Azusa target basically straight to the Arcadia REI's front door starting early next year. If you like trains, that's the place to live... it will take you right to Arcadia, Pasadena, Highland Park, Downtown LA, and beyond.

However, there's gang presence (Azusa 13) in that area, but nothing incredibly dangerous. That area is walkable-ish (more like bike-able) since it's just right north of Azusa's downtown and two colleges--many mom-n-pop restaurants and small chain restaurants to choose from--mostly businesses that cater to the college students and employees. You gotta drive to Glendora or Covina or San Dimas for real groceries, though.

Northeast Azusa is gentrifying right now due to the middle-class getting priced out of LA and upcoming rail line, and you guys are one of the main types of people who are gentrifying it--nature lovers who want access to the LA urban core. It is very beautiful neighborhood with some rough patches. Good if you are into nature and cycling (up and down Foothill Blvd, the San Gabriel River trail, and the mountains).

[Charles V]

What about Bradbury? Avoid Azusa; it's just not that safe anymore and its schools rank poorly. It also has a gang problem. Arcadia's home prices will be higher than Glendora's; the further you are from downtown L.A. and/or the west side, the less expensive the housing is.

[CarolynCee16]

Thank you everyone for your input! After reading your responses and doing more research on crime in that particular area, we've decided that we're going to look elsewhere. While I'm open to moving into a gentrifying area, I went on crime watch and read about a couple of violent crimes (a drive-by shooting and a stabbing) that happened pretty recently within just a few blocks of this house- I believe the drive-by was in broad daylight. While I have experienced my share of bad neighborhoods (especially in NY), the idea of living around street violence is really scary to me, especially since we'll most likely be walking our dog in the evenings, and getting home late (after dark) from time to time.

Another thing that I thought of is that we'll have Oregon plates on our cars, and I don't want that to make us an easy target for thugs/gangs if they notice we're new and from out of town :P i don't want to sound too paranoid, but I know that people in rougher areas can have problems with outsiders coming into their neighborhood. I suppose if the area is gentrifying this might not be a huge issue, but it's definitely something I've thought about!

Some areas that we're very interested in are Sierra Madre, Montrose, Glendora, and Pasadena itself thanks again everyone.

[tcmtcm]

Glendora is great - especially north of Foothill Blvd. Also check out Altadena...lots of nearby hiking in all of the areas you've mentioned (though I'm not familiar with Montrose).

[genjy]

Glendora is very safe--much safer than Azusa, but not as walkable/bike-able as the part of Azusa you were looking at previously.

If you wants walkable in the foothill area, then generally it gotta be near Foothill Blvd, Colorado Blvd, Huntington Dr, Route 66, or the various short downtown stretches (Glendora Ave, Azusa Ave, Myrtle Ave, etc.)

Speaking of Myrtle Ave, check out Monrovia near its downtown... it's super-cool and has a nearby Gold Line train stop to the Arcadia REI and Pasadena.

[CarolynCee16]

Originally Posted by genjy

Speaking of Myrtle Ave, check out Monrovia near its downtown... it's super-cool and has a nearby Gold Line train stop to the Arcadia REI and Pasadena.

I just looked up Monrovia, and it does look super cool! I noticed a couple of gastro-pubs and cafés on the map, and also did a street view of Myrtle Ave. This is most definitely the type of environment we want to be in, and it's proximity to Arcadia and Pasadena only makes it more desirable! Thanks for the suggestion- now we can expand our list even more

I also looked on crime watch just out of curiosity, and saw that the most recent reported crime in Monrovia was back in January when a man burned himself making synthetic marijuana. I almost laughed because compared to other places (like Azusa) that I've researched, Monrovia seems ridiculously safe. I know for a fact that more crime goes down up here in Eugene, so seeing that was comforting.

[CarolynCee16]

Originally Posted by tcmtcm

Glendora is great - especially north of Foothill Blvd. Also check out Altadena...lots of nearby hiking in all of the areas you've mentioned (though I'm not familiar with Montrose).

Glendora is definitely a place that we're considering, and so is Altadena. Since I'll be doing community garden work, I've been looking into the Altadena Community Garden, and also the Altadena Farmers Market. I have read that the area West of Lake, and around Loma Alta Park (where farmers market takes place and community garden is located) is considered less desirable because of gang activity and the like, but I feel like it can't be too bad during the day when the farmers market is going on. Can someone confirm the "W of Lake" theory for me? Haha. I've heard that this is a rule of thumb for Pasadena too.

[brrabbit]

Gangs are everywhere in LA... As long as they don't target non-gangsters violently, you probably wouldn't notice them in your day to day life.