moving to 'gentrified" location good idea or bad? (Irvine: real estate, apartments)

[sbrbn]

Hi all, I have a question about moving from the suburbs to a more urban location. I have an opportunity to make some money off my home in an LA suburb with good schools, low crime, typical family oriented/senior neighborhood. I'm intrigued by the promise of a more urban experience both for my family and myself, as suburbia can be pretty bland.
BUT to be honest, I have traditionally suburban values such as high priority on kids' education being academically rigorous, no drugs lifestyle with occasional social drinking, no tattoos, body piercings, or weird hair for my kids... We are a hispanic family-I am a doctor, husband is an accountant, kids are 2, 2, and 5 (and no more!)
What would I get for my money in LA? The real estate prices seem comparable to where I already live ($800,000s to $2mil). Thank you!

[hsw]

"Gentrified" stuff had some appeal during the RealEstateBubble to usually cash-poor youngsters w/o kids who would tolerate the crime, homeless, filth, etc of such areas to seem "cool"

Suspect that, in any deep recession, violent street crime dramatically increases, esp in any areas of urban regions near poverty and on mass transit, etc

Would argue that part of elegance of LA region is that its economic, intellectual and cultural epicenter is BeverlyHills....for those who can afford it, BH provides decent weather and spacious lots....short commute to Westside offices....and proximity to most of LA's best dining...

Suspect well-regarded suburban areas will be in greater demand in coming yrs by affluent families in every major urban region....esp in a deep recession w/increased crime...w/many urban "gentrified" and suburban foreclosure areas serving as cesspools of crime w/much Sec8 rental housing and social instability

[sbrbn]

good point about probability of rising crime in the ares you mentioned, hadn't considered that... maybe a beach community with some diversity might be better for us. Any ideas?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by hsw

"Gentrified" stuff had some appeal during the RealEstateBubble to usually cash-poor youngsters w/o kids who would tolerate the crime, homeless, filth, etc of such areas to seem "cool"

Suspect that, in any deep recession, violent street crime dramatically increases, esp in any areas of urban regions near poverty and on mass transit, etc

Sometimes I wonder if you've EVER been in L.A.

Re: gentrification, some areas have been gentrified to the point that de-gentrification is impossible (Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Venice, etc.), in others substantial parts will probably stay gentrified while others won't (downtown, Hollywood, etc.) while in others gentrification is embryonic and could easily be reversed (Highland Park, Koreatown, etc.)

Would argue that part of elegance of LA region is that its economic, intellectual and cultural epicenter is BeverlyHills

Don't make me laugh. I'm originally from the West Side (although I no longer live in L.A.) and I would not consider Beverly Hills as an intellectual or cultural epicenter, unless you're talking about a "Greater Beverly Hills" that extends from Westwood to WeHo. And even that is questionable, as it leaves out the West Side west of the 405 and Los Feliz/Silver Lake.

For an "intellectual and cultural epicenter", how come Beverly Hills proper couldn't support an independent bookstore (Book Soup is not within BH city limits) and only has one remaining movie theatre? Unless you're grouping WeHo in with BH. Don't get me wrong, BH is a perfectly good place but it's not good in everything.

....for those who can afford it, BH provides decent weather and spacious lots.

You are aware most residents of Beverly Hills live in APARTMENTS, not on "spacious lots"? Not that there's anything wrong per se with Beverly Hills nor is there anything wrong with apartments, but I wonder how much time you've spent there. You for some reason have denigrated its excellent school system by saying it's not up to the level of Irvine...

Suspect well-regarded suburban areas

Santa Monica would fall into this category as much as Beverly Hills. So would Culver City which has always had less crime than Beverly Hills.

will be in greater demand in coming yrs by affluent families in every major urban region....esp in a deep recession w/increased crime...w/many urban "gentrified" and suburban foreclosure areas serving as cesspools of crime w/much Sec8 rental housing and social instability

Sec8 housing is not that easy to find in any halfway decent area in L.A. - I think you're talking about the areas where gentrification is still in its early stages such as Koreatown and Highland Park. And those areas could easily backslide.

From much of what you've said on these boards, I wonder how much time you've actually spent in L.A.

[King0fthehill]

OP: How much are you looking to spend?

Majoun: good post, you were pretty much spot on. +rep for you