Where are all those cute 1920 houses with gardens in CA? (Pasadena: rental, low crime)

[artistx]

Hi guys,
I am 53, divorced and soon to be an empty nester and dreamt of living in CA since childhood. I love the laurel canyon artsy feel. I have about 2500-3500 to rent. Id like to be somewhere lively with a walkable town, work as an Art Director, Drum and yoga vibe. Low crime. I have no ideas of what areas would meet my needs. Please help! I close in 45 days.. Thanks!!:)

[uptown_urbanist]

We lived in a cute 1920s house with a garden in South Pasadena. Walkable, low crime, filled with beautiful bungalows. Plenty of artsy people around. Check out Los Feliz and Eagle Rock, too, plus parts of Pasadena. (and lots of other places, too) Do you have a job already? I'd get that lined up first and then find the location. There are lots of nice neighborhoods with houses from the 1920s and gardens (and walkable and artsy) all over the LA area, so the secret will be to find the job first, if possible, then the home.

[DowntownVentura]

Downtown Ventura fits the bill but might be a little out of the area you had in mind.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by artistx

Hi guys,
I am 53, divorced and soon to be an empty nester and dreamt of living in CA since childhood. I love the laurel canyon artsy feel. I have about 2500-3500 to rent. Id like to be somewhere lively with a walkable town, work as an Art Director, Drum and yoga vibe. Low crime. I have no ideas of what areas would meet my needs. Please help! I close in 45 days.. Thanks!!

Do you have a job? Where?

[NaplesRes]

check out belmont shore

[timelesschild]

Originally Posted by artistx

artsy feel.
I have about 2500-3500 to rent.
Id like to be somewhere lively with a walkable town,
work as an Art Director, Drum and yoga vibe.
Low crime.

Look at these zip codes:
90027
90029
90039

Also check out Venice, which is on the coast directly south of Santa Monica.

With Charles, I have to ask, though: Where do you plan to be working?

[artistx]

Just got laid off in NJ. Have an offer on my house. Figured I'd go out there and rent as no CA company will give you the time of day without a CA zip code, even if you are willing to accommodate the transport for the interview. I'm so sick of the NJ Shore winters! Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated.

[ferretkona]

Originally Posted by artistx

,,,,, as no CA company will give you the time of day without a CA zip code,,,,,.

They will not return calls or emails if you are a resident either. Count on at least 6 months unemployment.

[jbunniii]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

They will not return calls or emails if you are a resident either. Count on at least 6 months unemployment.

And probably some difficulty finding a $2500-$3500 rental that will accept an unemployed tenant.

As for where to live that has a "Laurel Canyon vibe," why not live in Laurel Canyon? It's not especially walkable, though. Laurel Canyon Blvd. is like a freeway in slow motion because it is a major connection to the Valley. It also lacks sidewalks in some places. Beechwood Canyon, a bit to the east, might fit the bill.

If the "canyon" part is optional, and you're just looking for '20s bungalow with a garden that's within walking distance of a cool shopping street, many neighborhoods in LA will give you that. Consider, just off the top of my head: Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Fairfax District, Koreatown, maybe Atwater Village. These are all east of Beverly Hills. If you go west from there, the prices get higher and maybe out of your range, depending on how many bedrooms you are looking for.

[irvine]

For more options:

The small suburban towns east of Pasadena (La Verne, Claremont, Upland, etc) also have plenty of California craftsmans, bungalows, etc. Much cheaper than in Pasadena or South Pas.

In LA, you might want to look at the neighborhoods to the south and north of the Miracle Mile in LA. South Carthay has plenty of what you are looking for. This is near the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA). Or about a mile north of the Miracle Mile (i.e. north of Wilshire Blvd) are neighborhoods with small, spanish mission style homes. This would be the southern portion of Hollywood around Melrose Ave.