Is there a bad area in Pasadena? (Los Angeles, Arcadia: 2009, homes)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by drshang

Most of north of 210 is fine, just stay east of Lake generally. Some areas between Los Robles and Lake are "okay" but I would avoid north of the 210 and west of Los Robles. Altadena is fine, again, the further east you go, and not so fine west of Lake.

Also note that Pasadena public schools are pretty poor if you have school aged children.

i would say the same: North of 210 and east of Lake.
By the way, some of the schools are pretty good, overall they are not highly thought of.

Nita

[lesallimc]

I lived South of the 210 and West of Lake midway between Lake and Old Town and thought that area was really nice. I also lived very close to the intersection of Lake and the 210 and didn't feel the same....

[Wing Feathers]

I lived in the south tip of So Pas & it was questionable at times (especially at night) probably due to the 110 exit being so close.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by lesallimc

I lived South of the 210 and West of Lake midway between Lake and Old Town and thought that area was really nice. I also lived very close to the intersection of Lake and the 210 and didn't feel the same....

Actually I was going to post, I would want to be quite a ways north of the 210, closer to Altadena, not just barely north. I wouldn't want to be anywhere around 210 nor west of Lake regardless.

Nita

[lesallimc]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Actually I was going to post, I would want to be quite a ways north of the 210, closer to Altadena, not just barely north. I wouldn't want to be anywhere around 210 nor west of Lake regardless.

Nita

I would agree regarding west of Lake and north of 210, but west of Lake and south of 210 is home to some of the most beautiful (and expensive) houses in Pasadena...

I guess it just depends on what you're looking for.

[drshang]

I don't think there are really any spots that are "bad" south of the 210. There are a few somewhat run down spots in east Pasadena around Rosemead Blvd, but they aren't really that "bad." Areas right next to the freeway tend to be less desirable everywhere, and Pasadena is no exception, so on a relative scale the parts east of lake and north of 210 right next to the freeway will be less desirable than areas farther north, but I wouldn't go so far as to call those areas "bad" except, with the one exception being the areas within 2-3 blocks of the 210 between Lake and Hill. The same logic applies to the areas south of the 210 and east of lake, but I don't think those areas are "bad" though, that would be a bit of a stretch. But certainly not at the top of anyone's list.

That said everyone has a different tolerance for what constitutes a good area and a bad area, and the only real way to answer that question is to see it for yourself.

[drshang]

Originally Posted by nmnita

i would say the same: North of 210 and east of Lake.
By the way, some of the schools are pretty good, overall they are not highly thought of.

Nita

I think you are correct, but I think the main reason people consider the schools bad is because, for the income required to live in Pasadena (aside from the NW part) the schools are pretty poor on a relative scale. I mean all the schools around Pasadena like Arcadia, South Pasadena, San Gabriel, Temple City, etc., are all much better and the cost of living is similar in all of those places (with Arcadia/South Pas being slightly more expensive and San Gabriel and Temple City being slightly cheaper).

[LArenter]

I live in Northeast pasadena between Allen and Sierra Madre and love it. The home are older and have a ton of character. Overall, the area is extremely safe, but even within this nice area, you'll find pockets of streets that are nicer than others, e.g. the upkeep of homes and lawns is quite noticable.

If you stray just a few blocks heading towards hill and a bit after, things change and change quickly. Not extremely dangerous per se, but not very safe.

That Northeast corner is great; it's afforable, has a decent farmer's market on Sat at pasadena h.s., great access to the freeway, nice dog park, friendly people overall - if i had to generalize, the people on my block are predominately white families with older children or empty nesters. etc.

Schools are a concern, but by the time my children our old enough for school, hopefully I will have the funds to move to an area with better school district.

[roosevelt]

I lived on Colorado Blvd. right across from Brothertons' in the 60's; I was looking at big homes around the Rose Bowl and couldn't believe that even then these beautiful homes had more than one family living in them and the yards looked terrible. I bought in Arcadia instead. In 1990 I visited Pasadena and could see north of Colorado was not nice anymore. I can only guess at what it is like now.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by lesallimc

I would agree regarding west of Lake and north of 210, but west of Lake and south of 210 is home to some of the most beautiful (and expensive) houses in Pasadena...

I guess it just depends on what you're looking for.

I think it depends on how far north or south we are talking about. Pasadena period has some gorgeous old homes. We had one in Altadena in the 70s. To this day our kids still talk about the house on New York Drive.

Nita