Your favorite LA neighborhoods? (Los Angeles, Irvine: apartments, homes, job market)

[Garyc3]

Anybody who lives, or has ever lived in Los Angeles, what are your favorite LA neighborhoods and why?

[TheRealAngelion]

Here are a few of my favorites:

Miracle Mile/Fairfax/Beverly Center - central location, cool vibe and energy all around, nice eclectic mix of people, great old LA housing stock from the 20s, 30, and 40s, tons of shopping options from high fashion to LA kitsch, cafes, restaurants, and a host of neighborhood amenities and conveniences in abundance.

West Hollywood - great vibe and energy, beautiful boys, lots of neighborhood amenities and conveniences, great sidewalk scene up and down Santa Monica Blvd. and Sunset Strip, quaint and charming residential streets with cool bungalows and other period housing stock.

Hollywood - Crazy, fun, and eclectic. From the enchantment and mystery of the hills and canyons, to the wackiness of Hollywood Blvd., to the more fashionable west end of Melrose Ave.-- its all quite amusing and stimulating at once.

Larchmont/Hancock Park/Windsor Square - Love the gracious and stately feel of Hancock Park and Windsor Square, and Larchmont Village is the perfect litttle commercial space for the area. Very subdued and classy like the neighborhoods that surround it.

Loz Feliz - I don't care for the commercial village along Hillhurst and Vermont all that much, but love the housing stock and charm of the residential areas.

Pasadena - Old Town rocks and the housing stock is among the finest anywhere.

Venice - Hollywood at the beach? The clash of rich and poor or should I say the convergence of gangster, surfer dude, stoner, hippie, and urban haute bourgeoisie cultures all at the beach is pretty unique.

Beverly Hills - The ostentation and pretension of it all is so much fun. I also like how green and well manicured the place is. It makes for a very pleasant oasis among the more unsightly aspects of LA's strip mall atmosphere.

Westwood - Love the confluence of hi rise living right up against leafy residential streets. Makes for a very toney and cosmopolitan feel.

Santa Monica - The beach, Third Street, Main Street, Montana Avenue, great housing stock, beautiful residential areas. This place gets as close to perfect as an urbanized beach city can get.

Brentwood - If I had kids, this would probably be my neighborhood. Beautiful residential streets and a nice commercial village. Close proximity to Santa Monica is also a big plus.

Malibu - A slice of heaven on earth. I like the fact that it’s not over developed like other beach communities (e.g. Laguna). Its rural and rugged nature is what makes it so serene.

[Radical Raul]

When I was kid and L.A. was actually a nice place to live my Dad use to take me to the La Brea Tar Pits, there was also a very large and narrow park in that area with ponds. My Dad use to also take me to the El Monte Legion Stadium and the Olympic Auditorium to watch boxing matches.

I don't know what people are smoking in L.A. these days, but the show sure ain't worth the price of admission anymore.

[KnoxTown]

I absolutely love downtown.

[WestSideGirl310]

My favorite areas of L.A. are:

Santa Monica
Westwood
Miracle Mile
Laurel Canyon
West Hollywood
Pacific Palasades

[WestSideGirl310]

Originally Posted by Radical Raul

When I was kid and L.A. was actually a nice place to live my Dad use to take me to the La Brea Tar Pits, there was also a very large and narrow park in that area with ponds. My Dad use to also take me to the El Monte Legion Stadium and the Olympic Auditorium to watch boxing matches.

I don't know what people are smoking in L.A. these days, but the show sure ain't worth the price of admission anymore.

I took my 9 yr. old nephew there this past June and I think he could take-it-or-leave-it! It's certainly not something to see twice.

[King0fthehill]

OP, what's your favorite neighborhood?

[Garyc3]

Thank you guys for the posts. I think Miracle Mile is great, I also like Culver City based on my experiences there. I am graduating in June from the University of Washington with my Bachelors and will be returning to California this summer. However, I am well aware I need to find a job before making the move. Any ideas on areas with a good job market or prospering economy? I heard Irvine was one of these areas. I speak fluent Spanish and conversational Portuguese, which I am sure will help me land a job. However, with the current state of the economy I am worried about landing a quality position. I am single and 22, so a huge salary is not priority number one, but I also understand it is a more expensive city compared to Seattle. Thanks for the help.

[King0fthehill]

Wilshire Vista/Miracle Mile:

Central location offering short drives to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Downtown, the Beach, Koreatown, The Grove, etc. This may be the best thing it has going for it--nowhere is ever too far as the neighborhood is amidst it all.

Diverse jumble of people from all walks and classes of life--it's also one of the few neighborhoods here with a decent prosperous Black population. Seriously, I've seen professional Blacks, Whites, Armenians, Asians, etc around here. Nice community cohesiveness, too..many organizations out to better the nabe, holding block parties, etc.

Eclectic mix of architecture, especially with its abundance of charming Spanish revival homes and Art Deco apartments.

GREAT selection of culinary options and various amenities--we've got it all here.

Koreatown:

Great architecture stock with many art deco/beaux arts gems. A few nice contemporary pieces, too.

Decent urbanity and pedestrian traffic with people walking around much of the day and night. Its not uncommon to see people piling out of Korean BBQs/discos/bars in the wee hours of the morning.

Proximity to Hollywood/Downtown--they are just a hop and a skip away, awesome late night Korean culture, 2 subway lines. With the Purple Line extended to Westwood, Koreatown will further solidify its position as on of the premier LA transit hubs.

However, the neighborhood is still a work in progress with many unsightly areas smelling/looking/feeling rather dirty and grimy. Some parts smell like **** and many more are unsafe for the average person.

[Fontucky]

Carthay Circle
Picfair Village
Los Feliz
The Fairfax
Angelino Heights/Carroll Avenue
Windsor Hills/View Park
Ladera
Morningside Park (in Inglewood)
All of the canyons