How is Cerritos? (Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Anaheim: violent crime, buying a home, buying)

[MorningCalm]

I'd like to hear from residents or people who really know about this city. It seems like it's one of the best in LA to live in, but I've also heard it has a very high burglary rate..like 3-4/week..and just yesterday it had that home invasion where the homeowner was murdered..then I'm hearing there is a gang problem there..in Cerritos?!?

[bhcompy]

Cerritos itself does not have problems that I'm aware of, and I grew up in it and live right by it currently. It's an excellent city, with great schools, and a very safe place to live. The only area to avoid really is around Cerritos City College because it borders the "One Ways" area of Norwalk, which is the worst area in the southeast LA/OC county border area. That part of Cerritos is a small sliver north of the 91 fwy, west of Bloomfield, and right off 166th south of Alondra essentially is where to specifically avoid. Even then that area isn't that bad because the police patrol it heavily and some of the communities in that area are gated or at least walled.

[graciously]

in la or la county cerritos is one of the more safer and more desirable places to live than many other cities and areas of the county. It is next to cities and another county that are very desirable and nice or not very bad places to live. Its more of a suburb area.

[basketballakev]

Hey MorningCalm. I've never lived in Cerritos but I've lived most of my life in the city next to it called Norwalk but I went to school in Cerritos and I have a lot of friends who live in Cerritos. I personally think it is a terrific place to live although it is quite expensive to live there. The schools over there are definitely top notch. Whitney High School is located in Cerritos and it is one of the best High Schools in the nation. There's some gang activity due to its surrounding cities such as Bellflower, Norwalk, Artesia and Hawaiin Gardens but other than that it is still a relatively safe place to live. All the freeways are easily accessible and it's in the center of everything. Please let me know if you have anymore questions.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by MorningCalm

I'd like to hear from residents or people who really know about this city. It seems like it's one of the best in LA to live in, but I've also heard it has a very high burglary rate..like 3-4/week..and just yesterday it had that home invasion where the homeowner was murdered..then I'm hearing there is a gang problem there..in Cerritos?!?

This stuff happens everywhere. LOL that 3-4 burglaries a week is a high rate in a city of 50K+ population in Los Angeles area. If you can't take that stuff you have no business living in So Cal at all.

Cerritos is a pretty nice are that is highly asian...its clean, suburban, and safe with very good schools.

[cafeguy]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Cerritos itself does not have problems that I'm aware of, and I grew up in it and live right by it currently. It's an excellent city, with great schools, and a very safe place to live. The only area to avoid really is around Cerritos City College because it borders the "One Ways" area of Norwalk, which is the worst area in the southeast LA/OC county border area. That part of Cerritos is a small sliver north of the 91 fwy, west of Bloomfield, and right off 166th south of Alondra essentially is where to specifically avoid. Even then that area isn't that bad because the police patrol it heavily and some of the communities in that area are gated or at least walled.

bhcompy,
I was thinking about buying a home on Sierra Vista Way or Judy Way, which happen to be in the area that you mentioned as being the worst. Can you tell me why this area is so bad? Is it because of gangs? violent crimes? property crimes, etc...?? Thanks.

[ferretkona]

We live just a mile away. Cerritos has no more problems than any other city.

[RobE]

Cerritos itself is generally a nice place and it is pretty well located as a jumping off point to go to other places around OC and he L.A. area.

However, some of the surrounding cities, as has been indicated, have gone downhill over the last 30 years and you want to put a buffer zone between yourself and them.

But that's SoCal for you. Irvine, the safest big city just about anywhere in the country is next door to rundown and gang riddled Santa Ana. Wealthy Anaheim Hills is pretty close to Corona, which has gang and crime problems all of its own (though, thankfully, not like Santa Ana does).

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by cafeguy

bhcompy,
I was thinking about buying a home on Sierra Vista Way or Judy Way, which happen to be in the area that you mentioned as being the worst. Can you tell me why this area is so bad? Is it because of gangs? violent crimes? property crimes, etc...?? Thanks.

It's not "so bad", it's just not the best part of the city. You are bordering Norwalk and are only about a full major block from the one ways, which are considered the worst part of Norwalk. I wouldn't mind living there, but I would be wary about keeping my ground floor windows open and my car unsecured over the scope of years because there will be some spillover from the neighboring areas. In my experience, Cerritos patrols those areas fairly well, but it doesn't stop crime from happening.