Redondo Beach - Conflicting stories

[canttakeitanymore]

Location, location, location. The golden triangle would probabaly be a much better choice in every aspects. I lived in No Red. for 16 years and moved to El Segundo. I LOVE it here as do most people that live here. There really aren't ever a whole slew of homes for sale because people who move here like it here and tend to stay. It has excellent schools, doesn't really have it's own beach but is close to the beach. I love the convenience of the airport being close and I am not real sensitive to noise. The noise also depends on where you live in El Seg. The other poster was right about So Redondo. It's wonderful there but the negative is that there is no easy or short way to get to the freeway, so unless you don't need to go far to work, or?? or use the freeway much living there will be a hassle. No Redondo can't begin to compare to So Redondo in charm, etc. El Segundo is very charming, so be sure to check it out. Prices in El Segundo are not as high as Manhattan and Hermosa, and between No Redondo and El Seg. as far as a real estate investment, I think you will do better in the long run in El Seg. That's one of the reasons I moved here and I am very happy I did. Hope this helps.

[2Easy]

El Segundo is one of the best areas that most people don't know about. It's very safe. It's convenient to lots of jobs and has quite a few rentals.

The downside is that being between LAX and Chevron is probably not especially healthy even with the prevailing winds being at their advantage.

[HappyDaffodils]

Here is the real scoop on Redondo Beach. Like many cities in LA, there are great parts, good parts and not so good parts.

First the great part. The homes that are closer to Torrance, West of Prospect Ave. are nice quiet, friendly folks & lower crime. There was an incident at the park near Prospect & Diamond. Check the local newspaper for addl. info. www.dailybreeze.com

Second the good parts are most of Redondo Beach between Aviation Ave. and Sepulveda Blvd. The main street, Artesia is being revitalized to lure more shoppers to the stores, restaurants in this area.

Last, the not so good part is the area adjacent to Lawndale near the South Bay Galleria, (Hawthorne Blvd. & Artesia Blvd.).

There were many car burglaries at the mall in past years and with the abundance of banks at this intersection, many bank robberies. Redondo Beach police were stationed on the roof of Macy's, not sure if they still are.

If you want to move to the general vicinity, check out Hermosa Beach & Manhattan Beach. I worked in MB 4 years ago. I have traveled to many cities & states in the U.S. I must say some of the friendliest people live in Manhattan Beach.

Even the kids are courteous, they actually walk single file when passing you on the sidewalk. It's almost like going back in time.

Remember, wherever there is people & money there is the potential for crime.

Hope this helps and good luck with your move.

[808n310]

The South Bay Galleria is located pretty much on the NE border of RB and Lawndale, so it's not really a good guage of RB as a whole, plus, I've read reviews similar to what you read on sites like yelp.com and found a lot of them to be funny and entertaining - seriously, some people are too sheltered.

OP where will you be working? The only sucky thing about the nicer areas of RB, and the South Bay in general is that the nicer it is, the further away from the 405 / 110 / 91 you are. If you're working in the area, say in Torrance, any of the beach cities would be very ideal. If not, as others have said, El Segundo might be a good option as it's convenient to both the 105 and 405. Also keep in mind that the area as a whole is older, so you're not going to get the same fabricated safe suburbia feeling that you would get in a newer area such as somewhere down in OC...

[Cyridame]

Just an update: I ended up purchasing a townhome north of Artesia Blvd between Aviation and Inglewood (but nearer to Aviation). It's relatively close to the elementary school (Jefferson I believe?).

Ultimately, it came down to price. South Redondo is significantly more upscale, but a comparable home would have been $250K more expensive. A home in the Golden Triangle area would've been similar in price, but the tri-level floor plans and steep sloping hills aren't too baby-friendly.

My home is a little close to Lawndale. However, while I agree that the Galleria area and Lawndale are somewhat undesirable, they're a far cry from "fear for your life" war zones that some people make them out to be.