Thinking of moving here? You may want to reconsider (San Diego: mortgage, how much)

[Charles]

Depends on your timing. If you have to start at 8AM then I would leave your apartment in TO 7-715. The drive will be moderate through the Conejo Valley then around Topanga/Canoga/Desoto it will really slow down after 730ish but you only have to go about five or six miles to Encino from Topanga - but that'll be at around 30mph or less into the sun too.

One other thing about TO, Agoura, Calabasas, Westlake VS the places you mentioned: TO and the others are more family neighborhoods, not club type places. You will be closer to social type things for single people in Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana. Plus from the valley it is easier to head into west la/beach communities/westwood for a lot more single person type things.

Finally, Just about any nice place in the valley is never more than a few blocks from an ugly (not necessarily high crime) type place. Ugly meaning power lines, bill boards, mismatched fencing, hodge podge architecture, crusty looking apartments, and incongruent land use (residential, industrial, commercial, and retail all on the same block). In TO and eastern ventura county ugly places are rarely seen.

[tomwhite56]

Originally Posted by jlrobe

Hey man, I am black, and all for racial equality, but what you say is true. I dont care if it is white people, mexicans, blacks, arabs, whatever. My father was poor as heck, and so was my mother. They could barely eat. There was crime in their dilapidated neighborhoods. The thing is they were raised the right way. The second they left, they made a better life for themselves and for me . Now, my dad's family moved from the poverty striken south to LA, My dad was 17 at the time and was off to college, but the youngest two brothers, 6 and 9 at the time, moved to LA. Fast forward about 35 years, and now, Sure enough, these uncles of mine smoke weed and let their kids smoke weed (even when they were 16). They wear gang clothing, and walk around like thugs and act like thugs, when they are 45 and 41 respectively. The 41 year old was banging till he was 37 with 6 kids. His wife, who is also a banger, stabbed him, and after that, they both quit the hard life. This is all very true (you dont have to believe me though).

Point is, my dad had the same parents and grew up poor as could be. THe first thing my dad wanted to do when given an opportunity was make life better for himself and his family. All my dad's brothers who left for college before moving to LA turned out fine, the brothers that moved to South Central and grew up poor there turned into gang bangers. Now, many of my cousins have that mentality that they cant get rid of. They will never grow up and never fit in becasue they will most likely cary that thug mentality for a long time. It has nothing to do with being poor or black/mexican. It has to do with growing up in an area that fosters a thug mentality (e.g. LA).

I actually had a small ghetto mentality growing up, so trust me, I know what its like to be in the situation, but that is another story altogether.

Thank you for your post. I'm white and living in Long Beach near downtown, and I was beginning to feel like I must be a racist because of the negative feelings I have for the way gangbangers -- and those who emulate them -- and their children! -- behave. I simply cannot understand it. It's almost as if these people prefer to keep themsevles in the lower strata so they can blame others for their problems...like they revel in the ghetto so that they can stay in the ghetto and complain about the ghetto. It's circular, self-defeatist thinking, it seems to me. Am I mistaken? I'm also the office manager for a 12-step program dealing with marijuana use and I really feel bad about the children who are not only exposed to the drug, but encouraged by their parents to use it. Like people who drink, there's a certain percentage who are going to turn out to be alcoholics, because they have an addictive behavior, and the same chances apply to pot. Doesn't it make more sense to DISCOURAGE drug use in young people so that they have a better chance? What is UP with that?

[LALady]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

This is an old post, but it's still quite true. It has been my experience as well. I moved from Van Nuys to Sherman Oaks, from a noisy building to a quiet one, etc. Now this building is almost the same as the previous one. My neighbors scream at each other in Spanish day and night.

Interesting. Your move from Van Nuys to Sherman Oaks mirrors mine. At the time i thought I was 'out pricing' the trashy people but they can afford to live where ever I live. How do they do it? They live 5 to a one bedroom apartment. Sherman Oaks, Northridge, Reseda, Tarzana, etc.... they are all becoming trashy. (the apartment areas, not the nice single family home areas).

P.s. I'm not applying the term "trashy" to any race.

[gentledental4u]

i'd like to add something about the inland empire and san bernardino, last month i got approached by a hooker who tried to jump into my car .... that was interesting...

[proteus]

Originally Posted by John Alemu

Yes MANY neighborhoods in my city, and other cities like Inglewood parts of South Central, Gardena, Carson have very nice neigborhoods with well kept homes and nice green lawns. But you have to remember that its the few people here that make it have that bad image.

I agree. Perception doesn't trump reality, however. Carson's (large) ZIP code 90746 has a lower crime rate than the overwhelming majority of cities in THE COUNTRY. If you go here Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals (http://www.livingchoices.com/community/communitydetails.aspx?mid=4480&zip=90746 - broken link)
you'll find that the 5 'North' Carson neighborhoods have a crime rate that almost mirrors that of million-dollar Laguna Beach. 92651.

There is A LOT of envy-based resentment/assumptions about Carson from whites in neighboring and more dangerous Long Beach and North Torrance.

[depacifico]

"Don't bother moving to the "Inland Empire", it's the same crap there, plus it's extremly hot, and many places, including the city of San Bernardino itself are run down, dangerous, unattractive, impoverished and just plain depressing."
This is very true. San Bernardino is filthy everywhere....people use business & public parking lots as a dump for all of the trash they carry in their vehicles. The air pollution is sickening, combine that with tempuratures in the 90's to 100. Worse yet, they have an extremely corrupt police department, city attorney, and district attorney office. The police dept. runs the city with fraud and strongarm tactics over the government there. It is not even a good place to die (very high murder and homicide rate) and the chances are good you might, prematurely, If you live there...lots of white trash methamphetamine criminals to boot.

[rzone]

I'm talking about Manhattan the most fasinating city in the world,Yeah I've been to LA, love the beachs in Calif, And the people I've met.But I'm a native new yorker.There are gangs all over the states you have to feel for the good people.Idon't know if you have ever been to NYC, from battery park to mid town mahattan ,I've never had trouble with gangs or anyone I mean you could find it if you want.Manhattan is a rich wealthy area the police don't take any BS from no one Ifeel safer there then any where plus so many things to do places to go.By the way if you're looking to relocate forgetaboutit you think LA is expensive.

[Kettenhund54]

I read all this talk of Southern California cities going down the sewer pipe and can relate. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's happening here too. Antioch in Contra Costa County was once a nice town and like Moreno Valley it was "invaded" by Section 8 trash and their thug kids. The result? The town has turned into a crime ridden cesspool. The former ghetto residents of Oakland and Richmond have poisoned the well up here too. California....paradise lost.

[nowincal11]

The suburbs are becoming worse and the inner cities are becoming better. Oakland's downtown is nice. Hollywood is better than it was. Downtown LA has grown substantially. I know some don't like to talk about it, but Santa Monica used to have a serious gang problem.

[Hegotsoul831]

Originally Posted by ITChick

This has to be one of the best posts yet. Seriously. It explains what has happened to LA and many other places as well.

True, because L.A. didnt invent all the woes spoken of in this post. I have lived in New York and saw the same there. Columbus, Ohio, Atlanta Georgia, Fort Worth, Tx, Miami, Reno, Nv, Sacramento, Seattle, and to some extent, I even saw evidence of social decay in world-renowned Portland, Oregon. Its US, the world falling apart folks. Not 'them'.