Baldwin Hill??? (Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank: for rent, hairstylist, neighborhood)

[CESpeed]

Baldwin Hills is a very nice community surrounded by two other afflunet Black neighborhoods: Leimert Park and Angeles Heights. The black eye is the Jungle. But if you are looking for a house, you won't accidentally move into the Jungle, there aren't any houses there.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Originally Posted by DRAMAGIRL322

I am looking to buy, I have a 6 year old and I run my own business. So I will not have to commute to downtown L.A. on a daily basis, but still need it to be pretty close proximity.

Cool. Are you the girl who is a hair stylist? I cant remember.

With your budget, I would choose a much nicer location with better schools. Am I wrong in assuming that you are black because of your choice of Balwin Hills? There are other much nicer diverse areas to consider than there. With your budget I would seriously consider Burbank, Glendale or even the Lake Balboa area. There are some grate deals to be made right now in those areas.

Burbank and Glendale would have much better schools (not LAUSD) and you'll be 15-20 minutes from Downtown even on high traffic days. If you choose Lake Balboa, you are Encino adjacent which is a very nice area but make sure you are in Birmingham High school district and not Reseda or Van Nuys. Baldwin Hills will not give you great resell $$$ on your property and you'll still need to venture into Jungle area for shopping (market, drug store, etc.) unless you want to drive further into Fox Hills/Culver City area.

You also mentioned that you would like to be in a commutable distance to downtown LA. Will you be going there daily? Weekly?

[King0fthehill]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

Baldwin Hills is a very nice community surrounded by two other afflunet Black neighborhoods: Leimert Park and Angeles Heights. The black eye is the Jungle. But if you are looking for a house, you won't accidentally move into the Jungle, there aren't any houses there.

Yes, and it is also adjacent to the hub of the Black community, which is the Crenshaw district. It is also close to Windsor Hills and View Park, 2 more affluent Black nabes.

Baldwin Hills itself is a nice area, however, like many have mentioned, it is also close to the J's and some seedy areas north of Rodeo to the east of La Cienega.

BTW, you should have no business in the J's. It is a labyrinth of misery, poverty and violence. All sorts of crazy stuff happens there -- sometime last year some girl was gang-raped then stabbed to death and later mutilated...why? Because she wore a red mini-skirt.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

Cool. Are you the girl who is a hair stylist? I cant remember.

With your budget, I would choose a much nicer location with better schools. Am I wrong in assuming that you are black because of your choice of Balwin Hills? There are other much nicer diverse areas to consider than there. With your budget I would seriously consider Burbank, Glendale or even the Lake Balboa area. There are some grate deals to be made right now in those areas.

Burbank and Glendale would have much better schools (not LAUSD) and you'll be 15-20 minutes from Downtown even on high traffic days. If you choose Lake Balboa, you are Encino adjacent which is a very nice area but make sure you are in Birmingham High school district and not Reseda or Van Nuys. Baldwin Hills will not give you great resell $$$ on your property and you'll still need to venture into Jungle area for shopping (market, drug store, etc.) unless you want to drive further into Fox Hills/Culver City area.

You also mentioned that you would like to be in a commutable distance to downtown LA. Will you be going there daily? Weekly?

Baldwin Hills residents do not shop in The Jungle. (I assume you're talking about the commercial strip on La Brea, between Rodeo and Coliseum, which isn't actually in The Jungle, but caters to that neighborhood.) Everyone I know who lives in the Baldwin Hillls/Windsor Hills/View Park triangle is oriented south and west for shopping and recreation. Ralphs at La Cienega and Centinela is a hop-skip across Stocker and down the hill, and caters to that demographic. Many people also shop close to work, rather than home, so by no means is someone living in Baldwin Hills without options closer to home than Culver City, and they certainly don't need to venture into The Jungle for anything.

Also, I'm not sure why you think those homes have poor resale value. One family I know sold their Baldwin Hills home purchased for less than $60K in the 1970s for over $500K in the 90s. Home values in the area rise and fall with the market, just like everywhere else. Perhaps you're not aware that well-to-do blacks from all over the country target these neighborhoods when they relocate to LA...(There's even a teen-oriented show on BET set in Baldwin Hills that plays up the area's reputation as the "black Beverly Hills.")


Certainly can't disagree with you about the schools, however. Private (or, at least, charter/magnet) school enrollment is a must for anyone moving to the area with kids, so that must be factored into the analysis.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Im just saying that anyone who wants to spend $800k-$900k on a home should NOT be looking at Baldwin Hills. This isnt 1970 and Baldwin Hills is NOT a hotbed relocation destination no matter what. Im just telling the OP that if she wants diversity AND a nice area within her budget, she should look at Burbank, Studio City and Sherman Oaks. All very nice areas with much much better resell value than Baldwin Hills.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

Im just saying that anyone who wants to spend $800k-$900k on a home should NOT be looking at Baldwin Hills. This isnt 1970 and Baldwin Hills is NOT a hotbed relocation destination no matter what. Im just telling the OP that if she wants diversity AND a nice area within her budget, she should look at Burbank, Studio City and Sherman Oaks. All very nice areas with much much better resell value than Baldwin Hills.

As they say, "it's a black thing." Some black people do not desire to live in ethnically/racially mixed neighborhoods, and if you're one of those people, and CAN spend that much on a house, Baldwin Hills etc. are attractive options. The people I know who feel that way either A) blame their kids (the "I want my kids to know they're black" argument; B) are of an age to remember restrictive covenants that kept them (or their parents) out of the better neighborhoods, and don't trust that times have changed and they would be welcome in any neighborhood they choose to live; or C) were unduly influenced by the tales of B.

Like it or not, some people really would rather live a stone's throw from The Jungle, than next door to you in Woodland Hills or Sherman Oaks. That's just the way it is.

[CelticViking]

[quote
BTW, you should have no business in the J's. It is a labyrinth of misery, poverty and violence. All sorts of crazy stuff happens there -- sometime last year some girl was gang-raped then stabbed to death and later mutilated...why? Because she wore a red mini-skirt.[/quote]

That is a horrible tragedy, but The Jungle area is bloods, I wonder why they would target her for wearing red?

[BennyPhoenix]

Originally Posted by CelticViking

[quote
BTW, you should have no business in the J's. It is a labyrinth of misery, poverty and violence. All sorts of crazy stuff happens there -- sometime last year some girl was gang-raped then stabbed to death and later mutilated...why? Because she wore a red mini-skirt.

That is a horrible tragedy, but The Jungle area is bloods, I wonder why they would target her for wearing red?[/quote]

They targeted her because they could. They didnt need a reason. It's called the jungle because of the large number of animals who are there.

[DRAMAGIRL322]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

Cool. Are you the girl who is a hair stylist? I cant remember.

With your budget, I would choose a much nicer location with better schools. Am I wrong in assuming that you are black because of your choice of Balwin Hills? There are other much nicer diverse areas to consider than there. With your budget I would seriously consider Burbank, Glendale or even the Lake Balboa area. There are some grate deals to be made right now in those areas.

Burbank and Glendale would have much better schools (not LAUSD) and you'll be 15-20 minutes from Downtown even on high traffic days. If you choose Lake Balboa, you are Encino adjacent which is a very nice area but make sure you are in Birmingham High school district and not Reseda or Van Nuys. Baldwin Hills will not give you great resell $$$ on your property and you'll still need to venture into Jungle area for shopping (market, drug store, etc.) unless you want to drive further into Fox Hills/Culver City area.

You also mentioned that you would like to be in a commutable distance to downtown LA. Will you be going there daily? Weekly?

Thank you for the helpful advice, I will def look into those areas.

P.S. I'm not the hair stylist (I envy those skills.....could barely do a cool ponytail.... ugh!), I own a clothing line.

[WinnieC]

Originally Posted by katenik

As they say, "it's a black thing." Some black people do not desire to live in ethnically/racially mixed neighborhoods, and if you're one of those people, and CAN spend that much on a house, Baldwin Hills etc. are attractive options. The people I know who feel that way either A) blame their kids (the "I want my kids to know they're black" argument; B) are of an age to remember restrictive covenants that kept them (or their parents) out of the better neighborhoods, and don't trust that times have changed and they would be welcome in any neighborhood they choose to live; or C) were unduly influenced by the tales of B.

Like it or not, some people really would rather live a stone's throw from The Jungle, than next door to you in Woodland Hills or Sherman Oaks. That's just the way it is.

Just needed to chime in here.There is abosolutely nothing wrong with Baldwin Hills,yes you are near the Jungle,but you will not venturing into the Jungle for any needs.There are no stores in the Jungle! If public schools are an issue check out View Park/Windsor Hills both areas have good elementary public schools and a good portion of these areas are joined with Westchester middle and high schools. Also,there is nothing wrong with living in a predominantly Black Neighborhood if that is what you prefer. I grew up in Windsor Hills and went to a very diverse school. Not only did " I know I was Black"I also had friends of ALL races. So stop it already!People live where they feel most comfortable. This is L.A. you can live in a great area and just 10 minutes away a be in a bad area from just about any city.Maybe,this person wants to be centrally located. That is reason enough not to go with Sherman Oaks or Woodland Hills. Yes,the 2010 census will be interesting you will notice an influx in White,Asian and Hispanic families in these areas you are steering people away from. Other races are starting to realize that these are great areas,maybe you should also. Other areas that show true diversity that I would consider are Westchester and Culver City you can definitely find something good for your price range and both are centrally located and very safe.