The San Fernando Valley - Getting Uglier Each Year? (Los Angeles: apartment, homes)

[gypsystar]

Originally Posted by lalife

Spanish signs bother you? Personally I would never live in Southern California if I didn't have at least a basic knowledge of how to read and speak Spanish. It would be too alienating. Plus being able to speak Spanish will open up a whole other world.

I lived in Miami for four years- no they don't bother me and I do know basic Spanish. I was just making a point that many of the uglier parts of the Valley have a lot of signs in Spanish while the better areas do not.

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by gypsystar

I lived in Miami for four years- no they don't bother me and I do know basic Spanish. I was just making a point that many of the uglier parts of the Valley have a lot of signs in Spanish while the better areas do not.

Well, it is what it is. In LA, there is definitely a correlation between ugly, dirty, low income areas also having a heavy Latino presence. That's not unique to Van Nuys, but is the case across the entire city. The ugliest and dirtiest areas are mostly populated by poor and mostly illegal Latino immigrants.

It's also a tax base issue. The wealthier areas, especially with a heavy concentration of big business and affluent residents (e.g. Century City, Westwood, Brentwood, etc.) generate more tax revenue for the city, therefore, they are cleaner and better maintained. Plus some businesses and big commercial property owners contribute to the upkeep of their immediate areas. This is the case in practically every major city across America.

[cynwldkat]

The valley has changed drastically in the last 15 years....and not for the better. That being said they are trying to fix some places up but I personally feel it's a little to little and a little to late. And yes, there has always been signs in Spanish , to a degree but come on guys, if you live or visit the "valley" you know as well as I do that the graffiti has gotten really bad and it is just about everywhere! It's not pretty or a form of art it's ugly. The trash has gotten out of hand. The valley certainly has changed and is changing yearly. I really don't know if the state can really ever clean it all the way up now! This is just my personal opinion. Maybe others just don't see this or they haven't lived in the valley for 35 years so they don't realize the changes as much as the old timers.

[LALady]

Originally Posted by gypsystar

I have only lived in L.A. for three years, but is seems like the Valley is getting uglier, dirtier and nastier each year. I do live in Van Nuys right now (which believe me, has its REALLY ugly parts) and all around the area I live is filthy. They do not have street sweepers in this area and there is junk and litter EVERYWHERE! Why don't they clean the streets in Van Nuys?? We are paying almost $1400 for a one-bedroom and I think we deserve to at least live in a semi-clean area for that price!

I've lived in the SFV for 20+ years. So imagine how much trashier it's gotten since I moved there!

[SandyCo]

I have to agree with the comments about graffiti and trash increasing. I live in what used to be considered a good area - Sherman Oaks, just north of the freeway. There's now graffiti sprayed on our dumpsters, the walls, etc. Just down the alley, another apartment building was demolished, and nothing was built to replace it. This has become a haven for all kinds of trash - old sofas, beds, refrigerators, etc. It's embarrassing.

[jerblaine]

I live in the valley. I used to live in Hollywood. Then I lived in Thousand Oaks and now the valley.

Well the valley is basically Mexico. The grafitti will come back within a week after you wash it off. Believe me I know this!

What is happening is that LA is turning into RICH and the latino workers!! that is the dichotomy that is being created.

Woodland Hills is the nicest part of the valley...and anything along Ventura Blvd...

but in the middle flatlands of the valley is where Mexico is :-))

The funny thing about LA is that not many buildings are over 2 stories tall so everything looks like another country!!

[matt345]

Is Burbank considered to be a part of the Valley? Most of it is well north of Ventura Blvd, but Burbank has some of the cleanest streets I've seen in LA County. I'm talking 1950's, Leave It to Beaver, white picket fence clean. I don't think I've ever seen graffiti in Burbank either. The downtown area has really come alive in recent years and draws quite a crowd on weekend nights.

[jerblaine]

Originally Posted by matt345

Is Burbank considered to be a part of the Valley? Most of it is well north of Ventura Blvd, but Burbank has some of the cleanest streets I've seen in LA County. I'm talking 1950's, Leave It to Beaver, white picket fence clean. I don't think I've ever seen graffiti in Burbank either. The downtown area has really come alive in recent years and draws quite a crowd on weekend nights.

yeah Burbank is really nice!! it is a world of its own......because of the stuidos!!!

and the downtown area is really nice too!! no it is not really a part of the valley........i dont know why they consider it to be so.........Burbank is probably the reason why the valley did not win the secession!!!

[cre8]

Originally Posted by jerblaine

[Burbank] ... is not really a part of the valley........i dont know why they consider it to be so.........Burbank is probably the reason why the valley did not win the secession!!!

Could be a technical distinction somewhere, I suppose. Burbank is geographically in the San Fernando Valley, which is bordered by mountains, east, west, north and south. However, Burbank is an incorporated city, not part of the City of Los Angeles. Most of the SFV became part of L.A. City back in the early part of the last century to secure water rights vis-a-vis the L.A. Aqueduct, which brought water to the area from Mono Lake and the Owens Valley. At that time, the San Fernando Valley was nothing more than a collection of separate communities. Those communities that joined the City of L.A. could partake of the city's new water supply. Other communities opted to stay out of L.A. City and later became their own cities, such as Burbank, San Fernando, Glendale, etc. Were it not for the water issue, the San Fernando Valley probably would have evolved more like the San Gabriel Valley, which is comprised of smaller, incorporated cities (Pasadena, Azusa, Monrovia, and so on) rather than one big section of L.A.

As to secession, I don't think Burbank had any say in that. The question was for that part of the Valley that's incorporated with L.A. City. As stated earlier, Burbank is not part of L.A. Secession would have made the L.A. portion of the SFV its own city -- like Burbank.

[jerblaine]

Originally Posted by cre8

Could be a technical distinction somewhere, I suppose. Burbank is geographically in the San Fernando Valley, which is bordered by mountains, east, west, north and south. However, Burbank is an incorporated city, not part of the City of Los Angeles. Most of the SFV became part of L.A. City back in the early part of the last century to secure water rights vis-a-vis the L.A. Aqueduct, which brought water to the area from Mono Lake and the Owens Valley. At that time, the San Fernando Valley was nothing more than a collection of separate communities. Those communities that joined the City of L.A. could partake of the city's new water supply. Other communities opted to stay out of L.A. City and later became their own cities, such as Burbank, San Fernando, Glendale, etc. Were it not for the water issue, the San Fernando Valley probably would have evolved more like the San Gabriel Valley, which is comprised of smaller, incorporated cities (Pasadena, Azusa, Monrovia, and so on) rather than one big section of L.A.

As to secession, I don't think Burbank had any say in that. The question was for that part of the Valley that's incorporated with L.A. City. As stated earlier, Burbank is not part of L.A. Secession would have made the L.A. portion of the SFV its own city -- like Burbank.

Yeah I was wondering after i said that if Burbank was its own city...i thought it might be...

BUT

Pacific Palasades was part of the valley in that vote!! I still wonder why that is!!