What part of la is great for a young african american couple to raise a child? (Pasadena: home, neighborhoods)

[STACEY1205]

Hi all. My fiance and I are looking to relocate from NYC to LA in a few months. We are in our late 20's and have a young daughter (school age). We are looking for a safe community with a mixed race to live in with good schools. Price really isn't a problem. I work in the fashion industry so I will be working in downtown la. My fiance's career causes him to travel alot, so I would like a safe family oriented area. I would also like the community to have great shops. Does anyone have any idea where we should start looking?

[Charles]

School Performance Maps may help


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[DesertEssence]

Check out Pasadena, esp the areas south of the 210. It's close to downtown LA (quick trip down the 110) and Old Town Pasadena is a wonderful district with lots of great shops and restaurants. As for diversity, you won't find any great locations in LA that are majority African American, except perhaps Baldwin Hills which is a tiny bedroom community. South Pasadena has a fairly large Asian population so it at least won't be all white. Also the Pasadena school system is very good, and of course the city is home to Caltech, the math/sci/eng powerhouse.

You might also want to take a look at Eagle Rock, Atwater Village, Silverlake and Los Feliz, which are fairly diverse, up & coming artsy areas, though you will want to speak with your agent about which are the better neighborhoods. These areas are also part of the LA Unified School District, which is not known in general for having good schools, so again speak with an agent to find out which neighborhoods correspond to the best public schools (or just put your kid in private school).

FYI a good website for checking racial demographics based on zip code isModerator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[Charles]

Originally Posted by DesertEssence

FYI a good website for checking racial demographics based on zip code is ZipSkinny: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Yep, zipskinny is great. Use it with this cool zip code map and also census data maps

Click for a Zip Code Boundary Map.

American FactFinder

[bhcompy]

What type of commute are you looking for? Will you be willing to use public transport?

[uptown_urbanist]

I would echo the greater Pasadena area suggestion. One thing to note, though: the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) has a spotty reputation. There are some really good schools, and some not-so-good schools. South Pasadena (a separate city from Pasadena) has a much better school reputation, but is less diverse (although that's all relative). Like noted above, South Pasadena doesn't have a large African American population, but it's by no means all one race, either. Pasadena itself has a broader range of diversity, including a larger and long-established African American history.

I loved living in South Pasadena with kids; very safe and family-oriented. I would have happily lived in the city of Pasadena, too. And if you will be taking public transportation it's an easy ride downtown on the Gold Line. And while South Pasadena itself isn't a major commercial center (more of a small town feel with some small boutiques and shops) it's very close to the heart of Old Pasadena, which does have good shopping.

I've heard Eagle Rock has some good public schools, although I don't have any personal experience. Eagle Rock is also conveniently located not too far from Old Pasadena (and not too far from downtown), so it could be a good possibility.

[STACEY1205]

Thank you for your comments! I will start with Pasadena/South Pasadena and Baldwin hills.... I will have a vehicle but if there is a train that will make my commute quicker I don't mind riding it. How far is Pasadena/south pasadena and Baldwin Hills from Downtown?

[smokingGun]

Ladera Heights and View Park/Windsor Hills are the prime areas for buppies to reside (or so I've been told by my Ivy-educated black friend). Culver city & Westchester are also upscale areas which are very open & inviting to other races. I could be wrong, but it's been impression that South Pas and San Marino have skewed heavily toward affluent Asians in the past decade? Maybe some one can correct me.

[pbergen]

how about culver city? it sounds like a really good match for your family.

culver city has a racially diverse population, with double digit percentages of african-americans, asians, and latinos combining for nearly 50% of the population and non-hispanic whites constituting the other half. it also has a fairly broad spectrum of classes and incomes.

because CC has its own school district, which is supposed to be pretty decent, it's a better choice than most areas that are served by the much-maligned LAUSD. i think there are a handful of LAUSD schools that are ok (i keep hearing about eagle rock and some areas of the western san fernando valley), but for the most part it seems you'd be better off in a smaller, separate school district like CC.

another plus is that over the past few years, CC has been on the upswing. there has been noticeable gentrification in certain areas (mainly the culver city art district) due to an influx of creative/artsy types, which in turn has resulted in restaurants, cafes, shops, and galleries catering to that community. since you work in the fashion industry, you may find these amenities very appealing.

at the same time, the community is reportedly pretty safe and family-friendly for the most part with some nice retail districts.

the gentrification should only continue in future years with the exposition line (light rail connecting downtown and santa monica via culver city) being constructed right now; i think the first phase, from downtown to CC, should be opening in the next 18 months. and once the rail line is complete, you'll be able to commute to work via mass transit.

the thing i like best about CC is that it's a fairly balanced city that doesn't seem to be heavily skewed in any particular direction. it isn't an ultra-urban area, but it isn't cookie-cutter tract housing suburbia, either. it has a lot of urban amenities and some of the aforementioned hip/creative edge while still remaining family-friendly. and it's conveniently located not too far from the beach, the westside, LAX (which is great since your fiance travels a lot), hollywood, and downtown.

[STACEY1205]

Thank you! Culver city sounds like a great match for us.