Good neighborhoods around Hawthorne? (Torrance, Redondo Beach: best neighborhoods, apartment complex, to rent)

[mah115]

Hello,
I'm moving from Chicago to LA for work; my job is in Hawthorne, and I will only have a few days upon arriving to find a place to live. What are the best neighborhoods around the area with low crime rates? Do you think the number and size of swimming pools in the area (which can be seen from Google Maps) is a good indicators of the quality of the neighborhood?

[bhcompy]

any of the coastal cities from santa monica on down through torrance would be good places to start.

you can also look in culver city, limited parts of carson and gardena, and long beach has some nice areas in the portion near the 405 that would make commuting okay(namely bixby knolls and signal hill. east long beach is nice too, but thats more time to travel)

[musician2012]

Regarding crime in LA, we lived in Hawthorn (on Prairie Avenue, I think it was?), years ago, over 20 years ago, and one of our cars was stolen out of the parking lot, and found stripped. Apparently that lot was known to have this sort of activity, but nobody in the apartment complex (the lot was behind the apartments) bothered to tell us.

Moral of the story is, always have insurance.

[JTGJR]

Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Westchester, Playa del Rey, Marina del Rey and Culver City, going from south to north. Manhattan and El Segundo are the closest to Hawthorne. I wouldn't go further south than Torrance, if possible, or further north than Culver City for an easy commute. All of these "cities" will run >$1000/mo for a nice 1BR apartment.

[CelticViking]

You have to realize that in L.A just because a neighborhood looks nice, doesnt mean that it is completely safe. Hawthorne borders a lot of areas that look really nice but are known for gang activity. Even in the heart of south central there are some areas that look very nice but are home to a lot of gang activity. Dont be decieved by nice looks.

so I agree with the person above, look at some of the south bay beach areas if you can afford them.

[mah115]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm not rich (yet), but I'll see what I can do with the beach communities. Are there any neighborhoods I should avoid?

[JTGJR]

Generally, avoid places east of Hawthorne Blvd. As mentioned, there are some decent areas in the area, but west of Hawthorne would be a better bet. Are you looking to rent or buy? And to answer your original question, no, swimming pools will not indicate the quality of the neighborhood.

[bhcompy]

generally in that area you want to avoid anything inland(as in the city doesnt border the beach). Culver City is an exception.

[mah115]

I'm looking to rent; probably a studio or roommates. I don't have a car yet, so somewhere accessible by public transportation would be nice. Is the traffic really as bad as everyone says it is? How long would it take to drive from Manhattan Beach to downtown LA on a weekend?

[bhcompy]

traffic is really that bad and without transport you're not going to be very happy. public transportation in LA is not very efficient even if there is a lot of it.

i would look at bus lines and rail lines for the LA metro and find a route that fits you and move onto the route because theres no telling if you'll find something to get you from a to b if you pick without looking