Is LA "the nastiest city in the world?" Really? (Los Angeles: fit in, credit)

[hj2500]

Originally Posted by stickybit

Oh, and no U.S.A. city has made the Top 25 in the 2 recent lists I've seen of the world's most livable cities (with the exception of Honolulu at #12 or so in one of them). If I were you, I'd move to Paris, or Zurich, or Munich, or Sydney, or Tokyo or ... you get the idea

Having to drive everywhere is generally time spent not living.

The Los Angeles murder rate is about 13.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.4 per 100,000 in London. New York, the safest major city in the US had a murder rate of 6.9 per 100,000. Osaka, the most dangerous major city in Japan had a murder rate of 1.9 per 100,000. Hong Kong had 0.8 murders per 100,000 people. Being murdered is time spent not living either I'd say.

Here in Fairfax County, the most populous and gang-infested place in Virginia, the murder rate was 0.3 per 100,000. San Jose, which has as many people and is the least murderous large US city, had 2.6 murders per 100,000 people.

Originally Posted by gypsystar

One myth that I found didn't hold true was that the people are rude, snobby, etc. I met some of the nicest people I have ever known in L.A.

I've lived in lots of places and I would say this 'myth' is well-deserved. In fact, the rudest people in my family live in Los Angeles.

[SugarHazard]

Here's the thing about LA... sure there are good cities in it but you won't be able to own a home there unless you either inherit it or are rich enough not to care about crime in general. And like other major cities in the US, there are also bad areas in LA (except the bad places are really truly bad crime-wise!).

So the thing to LA is that if you are fortunate enough to live in one of the nicer places in LA, you're still "screwed" because right next door, you're surrounded by crime-ridden cities or have to drive through crime-ridden cities to get to 1. freeways to go to work; 2. do your shopping, run your errands, doctors' appts, etc.; 3. send your kids to schools which are iffy unless you're rich enough to put your kids in private school, homeschool, or rent in an area where there are good schools but never be able to afford to own the home you rent.

So LA in general is nasty for middle-class who want to own their own homes, want their kids to go to good schools, and want to live their lives without having to worry about crime (or having to have "street smarts" in order not to be murdered or raped).

LA is great for the young 20-something crowd who don't have kids and think they are invincible or "street-smart" enough not to be bothered by crime who don't mind sharing a 2 bedroom apt with 3 roommates.

LA is great for the poor who share the same 2 bedroom apt with 3 FAMILIES.

LA is great for the rich/weathy who could care less what is outside their gated communites as they have housekeepers/nannies/butlers/assistants who do their shopping and run their errands. They may also have nannies who drive their kids to school and drivers who drive them whereever they go as well so... crime? what crime? when you're rich, body guards will make sure the crime rate index is lowered whereever you go.

Whether LA is great or nasty depends on who you are or how much you make or a combination of the two.

As my grandpappy always said; "Only the rich and the poor can live anywhere."

[gregorian]

Fine comment,SugarHazard...

[CESpeed]

I agree with what SugarHazard said and will add, If ypu don't mind living in a a city where very few speak the language of the country they live in, you'll love LA. It's annoying how few people speak English in LA. And then they talk about you in tour face but you don't know exactly what they said because you poor sap grew up in America and have the nerve to speak in your native language. I can't wait to leave.

[Delron]

Originally Posted by Clinton167

I've been reading some of the threads and I'm starting to get this image of L.A where I'm jumped by a gangster two or three times a day, my car is broken into weekly and then eventually stolen, and there are homeless people sleeping outside my apartment (a tiny box that I'm paying >$1200 for) and in between the awful dry heat and mudslides and earthquakes, I'm also having to deal with some of the rudest people I'll ever meet!

When I write this, I'm sort of laughing, but also genuinely wondering if it's true....I live in London, which also has a reputation of being wayyy overpriced ($6.50 for a Starbucks), dirty and crime ridden (NB the recent knife crime craziness.) But I manage just fine here. It's pleasant.

I know there's already a "what do love you about LA" thread, but what about a "myth vs reality" thread? I'm just intrigued to know how bad it really is...I sort of want to last longer than a few weeks before I give up and move back to Oregon

LOL, $1200 a month for your tiny box? Maybe if it's a super-mini studio or a 1 bedroom in the ghetto, otherwise you need to add a few more C notes at the very least.

And $6.50 for Starbucks? That's only if you get a pastry with it. Otherwise, $4.50 or so.

[SouthBayTodd]

parts of LA are very nasty, very dangerous, very hellish!

BUT...many places in LA are very nice, very pretty, very awesome!

this is a HUGE city/area and bad neighborhoods come with the territory. love it or leave it.

[MisterMark]

Another "nasty" statistic:

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale Metropolitan Area has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country.

As of 2005, only 69.4% of residents had a high school diploma. That's pathetic!

Among large metro areas, only the Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Metro Area was worse at 68.2%.

For those of you who don't live in L.A., think about what life is like in a metro area where nearly 1/3 of the people didn't graduate from high school. It's not exactly a positive sign; it certainly doesn't bode well for the future of L.A.

[Delron]

Originally Posted by MisterMark

Another "nasty" statistic:

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale Metropolitan Area has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country.

As of 2005, only 69.4% of residents had a high school diploma. That's pathetic!

Among large metro areas, only the Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Metro Area was worse at 68.2%.

For those of you who don't live in L.A., think about what life is like in a metro area where nearly 1/3 of the people didn't graduate from high school. It's not exactly a positive sign; it certainly doesn't bode well for the future of L.A.

Well, we have a huge immigrant population (and not the educated, H1B Visa kind - ours is mostly from locales that don't value education or see it as a way out of poverty, so immigrant children and 1st generation citizens don't do well because their parents place so little emphasis on education), so the pathetic education rates/high school graduation rates are to be expected.

As for LA being the "nastiest city in the world", come now. Pick any third world major or minor city and chances are it will be far worse...often TRUE hellholes. Look no further than across the border to Mexico City (or any major Mexican city, for that matter). Pollution FAR worse LA, much worse overcrowding, poverty, crime...in all ways it makes LA seem like paradise. And what about cities in war-torn countries...Baghdad, Kabul, Harare.

As for murder rates, check out this story on London. Just like the Japanese nutcase last month who went stabbity stab crazy, perhaps Brits will now consider banning steak knives? Because after all, it's obvious that gun/knife/blunt object control is the answer. Sorry, had to throw out some props to the 2nd Amendment.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080709/ap_on_re_eu/britain_french_students (broken link)

[Sarah Marie]

Ive been here for 13 years, I am now "Over it"....
LA is a great place if your single, and want to hit the bars, clubs and shopping!!!
It is a materialistic place, crowded and smoggy.
Good luck, and get a reliable car with good gas mileage!

[mf123]

I made the move to Santa Monica from NYC last year and I'm loving it! Although I commute to downtown for work, it's not that bad...only 40mins at its worst and 20mins in the evening. And, on the weekends, SM has so much to offer that I often don't even get in my car all weekend.