could anyone provide me some neibourhood info in NW pasadena? (Mountain View: house, neighborhoods)

[dw1108]

hello,
i am glad that i was able to regerstered this forum. i hope i can meet more good friends here and get some valuable information. i am working in south pasadena, del mar and lake ave. i am looking for a house in pasadena area, as most of you know, the house price in south pasadena area is very high, i can't offord it. lately i found a very disirable house which i can offord in north west pasaden, zip code is ca 91103, on north summit ave, west of Marengo ave, east of north raymond ave cross street is E.tremont ave. i really like that home, but my friends told me those areas in NW pasadena are very dangerous. i don't need to consider the kids in school, i just want know how this area and the neibourhood are. if any one can give me some information on this. it would be very appreciated.
thank youvery much in advance

[uptown_urbanist]

You could try calling the police department for more detailed information about that area. NW Pasadena has a reputation for being rough, but not all parts are that bad. I've walked around in that area a bit, but am not familiar enough with it to give you a well-informed opinion. That said, the stretch of Fair Oaks there (which I'm assuming is what you'd be traveling a lot) is kind of ugly, and certainly isn't the "good" part of Pasadena, but it might not be terrible, either. I think there was some new development on Fair Oaks up by Mountain View Cemetery, which would be just north of you on the Altadena side of the border. On the other hand, it depends on the block/neighborhood subsection to some extent, so you could at least perhaps get a sense from the police as to whether or not there are major problems on that street. You'll also want to think about your own personal safety comfort level; it might be one thing if you're hoping to do a lot of evening strolls through the neighborhood, another thing if you're mostly going to be coming and going by car.

I've heard people say (and this varies by person) that their east/west border between the "safe" and "unsafe" neighborhoods is Lake, Los Robles, or Fair Oaks. I don't know how accurate that is, although things definitely do get nicer on the other side of Lake.

You could try calling the Northwest Commission, too - they're actively working to improve NW Pasadena, and could perhaps give you a better sense of the realities of living in the area. 744-4791.

In short, while NW Pasadena has some genuine problems, don't be too quick to write it off just because of its zip code. There are a lot of people there working really hard to improve the area (and some money being pumped into the effort, too) and a NW address isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's definitely good to know what you're getting into, though, so good luck with your research.