Roll Call! What LA neighborhood do you live in? name a few pros/cons about it.... (Los Angeles: buying, schools)

[normie]

Redondo Beach! Woo hoo!

I won't comment on the pros and cons, since I don't live there anymore. Things have probably changed in the last few years. But I will say the people there were great, and I'll bet that hasn't changed. Even though aerospace isn't king anymore I'm sure there are still plenty of pros living there. And plenty of cons too.... Anyway I sure enjoyed Redondo. Wish I hadn't sold that house!

[DJJohns]

I live in Marina del Rey

Pros:
- Definitely walkable to grocery stores, restaurants, shops
- Short walk/bike to Venice Beach or Playa del Rey
- Access to bike paths that allow you to ride up the coast to Santa Monica or down to South Bay
- Waterfront restuarants on the Marina
- Safe area, can walk at night and not be in fear
- Access to parks: Admiralty Park, Chase Burton
- Dog friendly, many apts allow dogs and there is a nice public dog park nearby in Playa Vista
- Easy access to fun, summer bars by the Venice Pier
- Walkable to Abbott Kinney (First Friday Art Walks are great!)
- Summer concerts at Chace Burton Park
- July 4th fireworks display on the Marina

Cons:
- Not many companies/job opportunities located in the Marina. Definitely more of a residential/leisure spot
- Due to the high cost of real estate in the Marina the area is not nearly as diverse as other areas

[Charles]

I don't live in West Hills anymore but I am familiar with it enough to add to this thread.

West Hills (what used to be the part of Canoga Park west of Shoup)

Pros: Some good schools, lower crime than most of the valley, some leafy, well maintained boulevards (Valley Circle for example), lots of shopping (for residential consumers), not too much traffic, mostly residential, lots of housing options, nice general appearance the further west you go.

Cons: At least a few miles from the 101 and even farther from the 118, some parts are ugly (power lines, bill boards), hot in summer (but dry), could use more modern intersections with safe protected left hand turn arrows.

[beachsider]

Hermosa Beach!

Pros: literally walk to the beach, walk to Hermosa pier (lots of bars/restaurants), especially fun if you're into a drinking/partying lifestyle even if you're not super young. Relaxed, "beach community" feel, strangers are nice and say hello to you, lots of bicycles, dog friendly.

Cons: Families w/kids or people wanting traditional suburban atmosphere may be put off by high # of renters, bars, tourist/out-of-towners, late-night partiers. Home prices are high ($900K & above). Parties can be loud especially on holidays and hard to avoid noise as a homeowner, because apt buildings are often mixed in with homes on the same street. Biggest con: NO PARKING. None.

[steven_h]

Torrance (nestled between Palos Verdes, Hermosa & Redondo Beaches and the Los Angeles corridor to the east)

Pros: Fairly safe with one of the most aggressive police forces in the country. Close to the beach cities where we take all available parking from beachsider on weekends and during the summer months tons of shopping with DelAmo Mall and the Galleria, good for families because of above average schools and a diverse citizenship

Cons: Horrible traffic, huge noise arena on the major avenues especially on the weekends. It's getting a bit run down in N. Torrance lately. Average homes are still pushing 6-700K (anything in LA is pumped), a City Hall that hammers us for everything we get and rapes us for things we want, sigh.

[sam222]

Pomona
pros: beautiful ladies (latino and mixed)
cons: lots of esses and gangs itself

[sabbytabby]

Hollywood.
We've only lived here for a week but it will be interesting to see what I say in a year. From what I've seen so far, the neighborhoods seem to vary block to block.
pros: less expensive than norcal, variety of restaurants (with good reviews), walking distance to the cool touristy places, public transportation.
cons: run down neighborhoods, graffiti, car break ins.
I'm still looking for that Starbucks.....(duh)
...but might I add I love the weather, watching the sun come up and go down, and the breezes. Our area is pretty quiet, am thankful for that.

[King0fthehill]

Unless that was some sort of joke I didn't catch, I can't help but wonder who comes to LA looking for Starbucks?

[osuzana]

Oak Park,Westlake Village area:

Pros: Clean, safe, good schools and parks, family oriented, planned communities with no pink houses, shopping, bikes lanes, cooler than the Valley ( a little bit) no high rises and close proximity to the ocean.

Cons: Planned communites with cookie cutter homes that have a Stepford feel to it as well as the people, getting very congested, difficult to get anywhere else on the weekends due to traffic in all directions, very expensive and like to let you know it, a degree of snobbishness, and people getting killed in the bike lanes.

[sabbytabby]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

Unless that was some sort of joke I didn't catch, I can't help but wonder who comes to LA looking for Starbucks?

...that was direct sarcasm to myself...in response to finding a relatively 'safe' area to live in...someone posted to me to find a starbucks or whole foods store...i thought that funny...