East Coasters in Los Angeles, please help! Need to choose neighborhood. (Pasadena: real estate, credit)

[nickdahammer]

Whittier certainly has the vibe, but I agree with the posters who recommended Silverlake, Larchmont (alittle more upscale, I suppose but rather quaint), parts of Echo Park are great, especially up against Elysian Park and the area up on Mohawk, Waterloo above Alvarado. Los Feliz is nice as well. There are tons of 'palm-tree' free zones here. That's such a stereotype, at least when you travel further north and east.

I like South Pasadena as well, but keep in mind that Pasadena is alittle hotter (and smoggier). No shortage of nice tree-lined streets.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

I'm not that familiar with Whittier but was there the other day and the architecture and trees gave me an East Coast vibe. There is a liberal arts private college within the vicinity (Whittier College) so maybe it is a liberal-leaning area?

Whittier is far too conservative, although the area you are speaking of is beautiful. And the part of Whittier that would appeal to them would be Friendly Hills, which is even more conservative than the rest of that area.

Silver Lake sounds perfect for the OP; especially since it sounds as if the kids will attend private schools.

[Raxian]

Ahh Yeah that was what I meant about walking to the water. Probably should have said "Walk Into" lol. Well things that are fun, would be more like social events, Not really into the nightclub scene so to speak, though the occasional bar run wouldn't be bad. I figured LA was huge. Santa Clarita looks like a good place, but I don't know the nuances of what would be a good neighborhood or not (like the different sections in LA. I know to stay away from East LA and Compton.

Oh I know that acting is ruthless. I enjoy it actually. I have a unique difference so I won't fall into most mainstream such.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Looking for a place that has east Coast looking cities? Imagine that, so are the people who make TV shows and Movies. Many of those East Coast shows are filmed in the LA area. Imagine that. I would think that if film crews can find places that remind people of the East Coast you should have no problem.

Looking for a mix of races? We have that all over the place. I was thinking that Segregation ended years ago. The only kind we have now is economic segregation. Sure some people can not afford to live on the beach in Malibu or over in the Hills. But no one is keeping anyone out of those areas. Most people you meet are not in the market for $3.5 million homes like you are. Most people wish that they could be in the market and have the means to pull it off though.

You want politics? We have you covored. This is not a Liberal or Conservative state. We are a moderate state and many within the state seem to be able to hold educated conversations with those that sit on the other side of the political aisle and can still have a drink together as freinds when they are done.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by fatmancomics

Based on your criteria, I'd say you want to live near Crenshaw.
I know, I know, that sounds scarry already but what a lot of people don't know is that Crenshaw has very posh neighborhoods in their hills and those neighborhoods are full of well to do black folks.

There is also Culver City.
There are some hills off of La Brea (I think it's called Northride-not to be confused with the Norhridge in the Sand Fernando Valley) that are also full of well to do black folks, mostly in the music industry, and it is near the major black communities (which will mean black churches) of what I call "old LA".

I wouldn't want to live in those areas because of the congestion and the closeness to "questionable" neighborhoods and would have suggested Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley but you made it clear you want your children to go to a black church without having to take a freeway.

I'm not an east coaster but, contrary to popular belief, some of us here in LA do make good neighbors.

A well-to-do neighborhood with many black professionals is Baldwin Hills - that's the one that borders Crenshaw.

[R66]

Please stay in New York. We got enough of you uptight people in CA and FL. And with your income, why not relocate to Idaho and and retire on the Snake River?

My 0.02

[Raxian]

Just to turn this thread back on track: What does everyone here love about Los Angeles? What does everyone do for fun (Of course I expect a wide variety of answers). Even though I have been through and stayed at Los Angeles for a few. I really don't know the "in's" and "Out's" of the area. For me, I would just like a nice safe area. With good people, and good weather, life can be easier. Even though I am from NY. I do not really fit the NY mold, so it's a moot point either way (and those that are anti-NY. I just say Meh. Most people in NY complain about NY anyways lol so its not an issue).

[sirinyat]

Catherine - You'll have to let us know what you decided to do!
I am not an East Coast native, but I lived out there for seven years sans car (college in MA, work in DC), and saw LA very differently when I came back here as an adult. I certainly hope you wound up looking in Larchmont, Silver Lake, Los Feliz AND in Hollywood. I think you'd like the vibe and you'll discover that there are definitely a lot of people who are very politically active but not so dogmatic that they're opposed to change. Los Feliz and Hollywood are proximate to the subway, which I love riding because I always get this feeling of thinking that I'm back East -- and then I feel very lucky that I get to be back in LA!

[cmcgill]

Sorry I'm late to the conversation, but you should take a look Downtown. We recently moved here from the East Coast, and we LOVE downtown living. It's definitely the closest thing to an East Coast vibe that you'll find in LA.

Of course, there are no single-family homes here. But you can get several thousand square feet of living space space in a multi-family building with amenities like a rooftop pool and fitness center.

Good luck!

[Fontucky]

Why do people come West looking for East?