What affordable neighborhoods do young people live in? (Los Angeles, Long Beach: high crime, how much)

[AllTheWayToMemphis]

So I recently visited LA and surprisingly fell in love with it, despite thinking I would always hate it. Being so big, however, I don't know much about all the different neighborhoods. What are the most affordable and at least semi-safe areas of LA City with a decent sized 20s population? My girlfriend is interested in looking for housing just to see what prices are like. Thanks!

[bhcompy]

for affordable and young, you're looking at coastal Long Beach districts like Downtown, Belmont Shore, and everything in between. 1400 would probably get you a 2bed, but its been a while since I looked

[KnoxTown]

Cheap is relative... how much can you afford to spend?

[fatmancomics]

"Affordable" + "young" rarely = safe but, based on what everyone's requirements seem to be when moving to L.A. I'd suggest North Hollywood. It's affordable, way safer than places like Echo Park, Highland Park, etc. The hipsters/posers in Los Feliz and Hollywood will give you a hard time about living in the SF Valley but the environment is the same as far as the type of people that live there, the shops in the neighborhood, the restaurants and North Hollywood is actually closer to the studios than those other areas.

[AnUnidentifiedMale]

Originally Posted by fatmancomics

It's affordable, way safer than places like Echo Park, Highland Park, etc. The hipsters/posers in Los Feliz and Hollywood will give you a hard time about living in the SF Valley but the environment is the same as far as the type of people that live there, the shops in the neighborhood, the restaurants and North Hollywood is actually closer to the studios than those other areas.

I'm glad you said that. If you buy into the hype, it's easy to get the impression that young people aren't moving to North Hollywood and that the area is a wasteland.

[AllTheWayToMemphis]

The two of us could probably afford about 1500 per month max. I live in a relatively high crime city right now so the area doesn't have to be pristine, but I don't want to live somewhere that my life is seriously in danger either. I basically want to be as close to the actual city of Los Angeles as possible while staying in that price range. I was on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park last night and it seemed perfectly safe, but I'm guessing maybe some of the off-streets aren't as friendly?

[ToadB]

Originally Posted by AnUnidentifiedMale

I'm glad you said that. If you buy into the hype, it's easy to get the impression that young people aren't moving to North Hollywood and that the area is a wasteland.

North Hollywood is pretty big. The southern part is perfectly fine, even has an "arts district," It's actually rapidly gentryfying, in ten years it will look like Glendale. But far up north, close to Sun Valley it's a bit grimy and light industrial.

[fatmancomics]

That's the area that I was talking about. The area south of Burbank Blvd between Tujunga and Laurel Cyn.

[fatmancomics]

Originally Posted by AllTheWayToMemphis

The two of us could probably afford about 1500 per month max. I live in a relatively high crime city right now so the area doesn't have to be pristine, but I don't want to live somewhere that my life is seriously in danger either. I basically want to be as close to the actual city of Los Angeles as possible while staying in that price range. I was on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park last night and it seemed perfectly safe, but I'm guessing maybe some of the off-streets aren't as friendly?

Why? What's in the city of Los Angeles? You have jobs waiting for you there? If not, I don't see any reason to try to be in the hub of it all. I think it needs to be said that, once you're here long enough, you're not going to want to live in an area that is basically surrounded by traffic jams from 6 AM to 11 PM and anywhere near the downtown area will be that way. Those of us who either grew up here or have lived here long enough to be considered local understand the importance of staying away from these areas when it comes to actually living here. Living in West Hollywood, Hollywood or downtown are a pain in the ass because, if you ever have to or want to go to another city, you'll be stuck in traffic getting there. I grew up in downtown L.A. and, once I could drive, I got the hell out of there and moved to the SFV. I still drove into Hollywood and the downtown area when I went to clubs or some other fun activity but I hated the parking lot that is Sunset Blvd.
Also keep in mind that downtown is constantly jammed because of the Staple Center, the Convention Center and the Alleys while Echo Park is jammed because of Dodger stadium and people using the surface streets as alternatives to downtown.
Just something you might want to consider. I know you young 'ens like to live in overcrowded areas and think that everything will be okay as long as you have a beach cruiser, a hat and a beard.

[King0fthehill]

Echo Park, though its mainly spillover (white hipsters who can't afford Silverlake) from Silverlake.

Supposedly, some live in Highland Park, though I've never really seen a whole lot the times I've been there. First-time homeowners are pretty big on Eagle Rock, too. And, of course, places like Venice, Silverlake, West Hollywood, Los Feliz, Downtown LA, etc all have young people hanging around, but depending on your budget, they are hardly 'affordable' .