are these safe areas to live? (Santa Monica, Brea: apartment, theatres, subdivisions)

[noniel]

I'm moving in July to L.A. and I have got some great info from this forum, someone had mention a few places to me, so I'd like to ask is West L.A. , North Hollywood, Park La Brea good, safe areas? Also where exactly is Park La Brea and what areas does West L.A. cover?

Thanks for your help...
NonieL

[fastfilm]

If you can afford West L.A. and Park LaBrea, scratch North Hollywood off your list, nonie. North Hollywood has one interesting, liveable area near the film/tv studios nicknamed "Noho," that would be reasonably safe and inexpensive living for those who wish to live near these studios for work. It has restaurants, funky stores, small theatres, etc., but since its orientaion is for the adventurous young, it may not work for families, etc. The rest of North Hollywood varies wildly, with crummy areas near light industrial places.

West L.A. is an expensive residential area for a reason: it is fairly safe over its entirety, which would be, generously, Beverly Hills as its eastern border, the Pacific Ocean as its western border, Pacific Palisades as its NW border, and the South Bay beach communities (El Segundo, Playa Del Rey) as its SE border. Except for tiny rough pockets that you'll likely not encounter like Oakwood in Venice or some areas directly adjoining the Santa Monica freeway, the whole of it presents nice living amongst reasonably well-educated people, and a smog-free environment due to prevailing ocean breezes. Its only drawbacks are priciness and heavy traffic.

Park La Brea is an interesting anomoly for L.A. as it was one of the first large, truly planned communities of higher density living in the city proper, hence it has a nice quasi-retro feel of more amenities than standard subdivisions today. It looks like a warren of labyrinths among apartment buildings. I don't know its current residency/vacancy attributes, but it is in the Mid-Wilshire area of L.A., which puts it near many desirable aspects of L.A., like the Art Museum, department stores, tons of businesses lining Wilshire Blvd., etc.

Do you know where you'll be working yet? Some of us are hesitant to recommend areas that would be a ghastly commute for you when you have choices like these in such widespread parts of L.A.