Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-16-2020, 11:47 PM
 
2,088 posts, read 1,944,290 times
Reputation: 3167

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by seain dublin View Post
Long time LA resident here. The majority of homeless people I see here (in the Hollywood/Silverlake area) are for the most part white. Some black but mostly white, rarely any Latinos.
The homeless are plurality white probably, but AA's are way over represented, which is probably what the OP meant. IIRC, 35-40% of the homeless are AA, compared to overall AA population in LA city/county of <10%.

Still, OP sounds like a professional family, so no one is going to confuse them for homeless people. I get their concerns about their housing budget, as there are a lot of neighborhoods you are priced out of for $800K if you want a SFH. They should be able to find something though, just not in San Marino.

Agree with other posters re: Altadena, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena as potential areas that are nice with higher percentages of AA's, while being a reasonable commute to San Marino. If they were open to living in areas with less AA's, I might recommend a few other neighborhoods.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-17-2020, 09:46 AM
 
4,536 posts, read 10,577,162 times
Reputation: 4068
May want to look at Monrovia also. Another place that used to be a little more heavily black and now is less so. However if you can afford Altadena(or Pasadena or South Pasadena) those are better drives to San Marino.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-18-2020, 10:31 AM
 
6 posts, read 12,259 times
Reputation: 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texamichiforniasota View Post
The homeless are plurality white probably, but AA's are way over represented, which is probably what the OP meant. IIRC, 35-40% of the homeless are AA, compared to overall AA population in LA city/county of <10%.

Still, OP sounds like a professional family, so no one is going to confuse them for homeless people. I get their concerns about their housing budget, as there are a lot of neighborhoods you are priced out of for $800K if you want a SFH. They should be able to find something though, just not in San Marino.

Agree with other posters re: Altadena, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena as potential areas that are nice with higher percentages of AA's, while being a reasonable commute to San Marino. If they were open to living in areas with less AA's, I might recommend a few other neighborhoods.
Thank you for your response and your suggestions. So far, I've become quickly infatuated with Altadena's Janes Village, though I know not all areas of Altadena are as safe/nice/desirable as others.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant re homelessness. A recent LA Times report stated that 8% of LA's population is black but 40% of LA's homeless population is black. I can't seem to insert links but it's Googleable. Follow-up reporting in the LA Times and Los Angeles Magazine tied the disparate homelessness to racial discrimination in housing and employment. Again, I'd expect racial disparities but that's striking and just not at all what I am used to. I'm not concerned about people thinking I'm homeless or losing my own job; I'm concerned about rampant antiblackness *if it exists* as I've read in reporting. I don't have family in LA and my smattering of black Angeleno friends left for other major cities like New York, Atlanta, DC and Chicago for a variety of reasons over the years. And obviously all of these places have black populations over 5-8%, which is apparently the norm for large parts of California.

I'd definitely be open to other nabes if you'd be willing to take the time to suggest some. Again, areas with more black people were really a point of departure. $800K seems to be a tough budget but I am finding some options; it's just that there are definitely more options around $1.2MM, which is just more than we can bear. Again, I appreciate your help.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-18-2020, 10:46 AM
 
6 posts, read 12,259 times
Reputation: 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by jacktravern View Post
I'll start with being dubious about you calling 800K paltry for a house, but ok.
Just to give some perspective, I'm black and been in LA over a decade. The little bit of racism I have experienced has mainly been from a small pocket of Latino's (mainly low class ones), some Asian, and white racism in my experience has been almost non-existent. I can honestly say I've faced a whole lot more racism from whites in New York City. ANd that mainly when I was younger. Over the last 9 years, I've lived in neighborhoods that have been considered nice or outright affluent with black populations of roughly 5% or less. In fact, the most racism I witness in LA county tends to be Latino's hating whites, although its usually mentioned in private conversations.

I honestly think some of your experiences have scarred you when you mention people look at you with "suspicion". Maybe thats true, but unfortunately you and both have to live with that reality until the perception of black people changes in America, and with the current ugly Federal statistics of black folks (homicides, assaults), it probably won't happen in our lifetime.. Just move somewhere that statistically is safe, and be a good neighbor, make sure your kids are well behaved and nobody will care about your race.

To keep it real a neighborhood in LA that is 20% more or black is likely going to have LOTS of problems, but if that's where your comfortable, go for it. I see plenty of black people of note out here, some of your favorite ex- athletes and actors, and NONE of them live in neighborhoods with a double digit percentage of black people unless they're secretly broke.
I appreciate your perspective and I'm glad your experience in LA has been a positive one. I'm not scarred. When I talk about "suspicion", I mean literal, actual suspicion. The actor Forrest Whitaker was racially profiled and frisked in a Manhattan deli that my black Ivy League friends and I also had the experience of being followed in, years earlier. I've lived all over the country and I just have had enough experiences that I will have to politely disagree with the bolded; some people definitely care, no matter how nice you, your car, your kids and your house may be.

With regards to budget, the cheapest house on the market in San Marino we started looking was an eye-watering $1.56 MM, hence my descriptor, "paltry." I'm finding great options in Pasadena / Altadena around $1.2 MM mark but that's 50% over budget. There are homes for $800K or less but they are just many fewer and further in between; some are on streets that I wouldn't live on. If you have neighborhoods you'd suggest convenient to San Marino, I'd appreciate hearing them, whatever the racial makeup.

Thank you!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-18-2020, 11:05 AM
 
5,381 posts, read 8,630,690 times
Reputation: 4550
Although I have almost no familiarity with Altadena, this recent article in the NYTimes caught my eye. From the description and pictures, it seems like a pretty nice place. There are also accompanying comments by locals.

Living in
Altadena, Calif.: Open Spaces Above the Sprawl of Los Angeles
A variety of housing styles and good value for people priced out of metropolitan neighborhoods.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/r...pgtype=Article
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-18-2020, 03:40 PM
 
2,088 posts, read 1,944,290 times
Reputation: 3167
Quote:
Originally Posted by EverLost View Post

Yes, that's exactly what I meant re homelessness. A recent LA Times report stated that 8% of LA's population is black but 40% of LA's homeless population is black. I can't seem to insert links but it's Googleable. Follow-up reporting in the LA Times and Los Angeles Magazine tied the disparate homelessness to racial discrimination in housing and employment. Again, I'd expect racial disparities but that's striking and just not at all what I am used to.

I'd definitely be open to other nabes if you'd be willing to take the time to suggest some. Again, areas with more black people were really a point of departure. $800K seems to be a tough budget but I am finding some options; it's just that there are definitely more options around $1.2MM, which is just more than we can bear. Again, I appreciate your help.
I'm not AA, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I don't think current racism is a large driver of AA homelessness in LA. Historic disparities play more of a role.

This article in citylab would suggest the LA metro has fairly successful AA women compared to other US metros(doesn't comment on men). I know that doesn't mean that there isn't racism here, but maybe it's not as bad as you are worried it will be.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/...-women/604384/

As for other communities that have some homes in your price range, that are still a reasonable commute to San Marino, and are nice communiies, but don't have as many AA residents, I'd add Glendale, La-Crecenta Montrose, Burbank, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre to the list. A fixer will be the top of your price range in some of these, but some of the others have reasonable options for 800k.

Good luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-18-2020, 04:55 PM
 
216 posts, read 126,156 times
Reputation: 383
Quote:
Originally Posted by EverLost View Post
I appreciate your perspective and I'm glad your experience in LA has been a positive one. I'm not scarred. When I talk about "suspicion", I mean literal, actual suspicion. The actor Forrest Whitaker was racially profiled and frisked in a Manhattan deli that my black Ivy League friends and I also had the experience of being followed in, years earlier. I've lived all over the country and I just have had enough experiences that I will have to politely disagree with the bolded; some people definitely care, no matter how nice you, your car, your kids and your house may be.

With regards to budget, the cheapest house on the market in San Marino we started looking was an eye-watering $1.56 MM, hence my descriptor, "paltry." I'm finding great options in Pasadena / Altadena around $1.2 MM mark but that's 50% over budget. There are homes for $800K or less but they are just many fewer and further in between; some are on streets that I wouldn't live on. If you have neighborhoods you'd suggest convenient to San Marino, I'd appreciate hearing them, whatever the racial makeup.

Thank you!
You aren't buying a house in San Marino for 800K. Don't bother looking.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-18-2020, 06:45 PM
 
4,536 posts, read 10,577,162 times
Reputation: 4068
Another place you may want to look that matches budget and has a very diverse population is Lakewood. Its 26 miles from San Marino so around an hour rush hour commute. But you’ll get more house for your money. This is the 2010 breakdown of the city and I don’t think much has changed.

The 2010 United States Census[14] reported that Lakewood had a population of 80,048. The population density was 8,456.4 people per square mile (3,265.0/km²). The racial makeup of Lakewood was 44,820 (56.0%) White (40.9% Non-Hispanic White),[15] 6,973 (8.7%) African American, 564 (0.7%) Native American, 13,115 (16.4%) Asian (8.1% Filipino, 1.5% Korean, 1.4% Chinese, 1.4% Cambodian, 1.2% Vietnamese, 0.7% Japanese, 0.6% Indian, 0.4% Thai), 744 (0.9%) Pacific Islander, 9,249 (11.6%) from other races, and 4,583 (5.7%) from two or more races. In addition, there were 24,101 (30.1%) Hispanic or Latino residents of any race; 24.1% of Lakewood's population was of Mexican ancestry.

Neighboring Bellflower is probably around 10-15% African American and may work too. It’s more run down than Lakewood, but some neighborhoods are still very nice. A small bit closer to San Marino also.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-20-2020, 06:42 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,081,702 times
Reputation: 49243
OP, just a personal opinion, but forget places like Lakewood and Bellflower. The commute alone could be a killer, plus there are so many better bets much closer to San Marino. Of course Altadena comes to the minds of many of us: Sierra Madre is a possibility and certainly Eagle Rock should be on your "lets consider" list. So Pasa would probably not work, if for no other reason the property is very pricey, much like San Marino. Don't be too concerned about crime, racial issues, etc. You will be just fine. Oh, and as for Monrovia, that is a city that might work very well for you. You will have several good choices, but your budget might be a bit low for some of the areas. Isn't it hard to think, 3/4 of mil is low for a home. Holy Cow, I can remember when $200,000 bought a mansion even in San Marino.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-20-2020, 08:21 AM
 
7,759 posts, read 3,825,653 times
Reputation: 8846
Quote:
Originally Posted by jacktravern View Post
I'll start with being dubious about you calling 800K paltry for a house, but ok.
Just to give some perspective, I'm black and been in LA over a decade. The little bit of racism I have experienced has mainly been from a small pocket of Latino's (mainly low class ones), some Asian, and white racism in my experience has been almost non-existent. I can honestly say I've faced a whole lot more racism from whites in New York City. ANd that mainly when I was younger. Over the last 9 years, I've lived in neighborhoods that have been considered nice or outright affluent with black populations of roughly 5% or less. In fact, the most racism I witness in LA county tends to be Latino's hating whites, although its usually mentioned in private conversations.

I honestly think some of your experiences have scarred you when you mention people look at you with "suspicion". Maybe thats true, but unfortunately you and both have to live with that reality until the perception of black people changes in America, and with the current ugly Federal statistics of black folks (homicides, assaults), it probably won't happen in our lifetime.. Just move somewhere that statistically is safe, and be a good neighbor, make sure your kids are well behaved and nobody will care about your race.

To keep it real a neighborhood in LA that is 20% more or black is likely going to have LOTS of problems, but if that's where your comfortable, go for it. I see plenty of black people of note out here, some of your favorite ex- athletes and actors, and NONE of them live in neighborhoods with a double digit percentage of black people unless they're secretly broke.
It's all about the jobs and employment opportunities. As others have mentioned the Black legacy in CA went when those blue collar jobs started disappearing and in came the government backed crack era. I think it's interesting that you faced more racism from Whites in NY because I have a rather approximate years that stopped for me as a Native NYer it was around early 2000s when many of the lower class blue collar Whites got priced out. Racism/Classism of course still is around in the upper echelons just not as profound as before.

I agree with your observations that it's primarily Latinos that discriminate against Blacks in CA and that is due to a variety of reasons. One of which is the heavy history of gang culture in LA which is race based. This comes from the days of community based self policing gone wrong. Whereas NY is more like a tightly controlled standardized area that can be properly administrated, LA and CA "sprawl" out too much which leads to less diversity and more inconsistencies in policing and ignorance of each other. NYC due to space constraints you have different ethnic enclaves literally one subway station away in some cases. In LA it can be an hour long drive in traffic. In addition, Mexicans and Central Americans in particular tend to have a severe case of Peninsulares idealization sickness. In the Latin American caste system (yes there is one) Blacks and indigenous people are at the bottom. Due to their position below Los Blancos, Criollos or Mestizos tend to feel the need to sh** on Blacks to make themselves feel better.

OP - Bottom line do you want to have your kids be in an area with this legacy of gang wars and race riots in a place you potentially can barely afford or would you rather start fresh somewhere that has less racial baggage and a better cost effective standard of living?

The reality is that in my company (F500) most Senior Black executives do not want to stay in CA even if that's where the growth was for their particular job function. As a mid level Black professional myself I have to pay close attention to all of this naturally. We've seen the same net migration out of CA with our vendors. Most of the diverse top talent has moved to Charlotte, Dallas or Ft. Lauderdale area. Etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top