East Coasters in Los Angeles, please help! Need to choose neighborhood. (Pasadena: sale, houses)

[Catherine Sinclair]

Hi all,

I am a New Yorker (born, half-raised, have lived here as an adult) and I am facing having to move to Los Angeles in the near future for work. I lived in Los Angeles, Brentwood specifically, for a long time as a kid......and I absolutely hated. (Sorry Angelenos, it's nothing personal!)

I am looking for a neighborhood that is as un-"LA" as possible -- in look, vibe, and demography. My fiance and I can afford up to $3.5 mil on our house (he's a lawyer, I work in film production), but if LA's most desirable neighborhoods are, say, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, we don't want the best money can buy. I'll try to explain what I mean by un-"LA."


1) DEMOGRAPHY: SEGREGATION VERSUS SEPARATE UNIVERSES. Every city in America is segregated. In New York, however, we at least have proximity. The Upper East Side borders Harlem, for example, so you're never separated from other cultures and ethnicities by more than a few blocks. In Los Angeles, you're separate by miles and highways and, really, worlds. My fiance is black, and our children will be half-black, so we need to live in a neighborhood that -- if not diverse in and of itself -- is at least close to black neighborhoods. For example, Hancock Park is I believe relatively near Crenshaw, Pasadena has a sizable black community that I know of. Brentwood, on the other hand, is surrounded by white, wealthy neighborhoods for miles on end. We want to live somewhere where our kids can go to a black church or be immersed in the black community without having to jump on the 405.

2) VIBE: POLITICALLY ACTIVE VERSUS JUICY COUTURE AND JAMBA JUICE. My fiance and I are both passionate about political issues and try to be as politically involved as possible (mostly through volunteering). I was always astounded by the lack of political interest, involvement, and activism in Los Angeles. There almost seemed to be an attitude that "other people's problems" were worlds away, and that to be concerned about these problems almost disrupts the easy-going lifestyle people move there for. I don't need to live a neighborhood where everyone has a bumper sticker on the back of their car, but it would be nice to live in a neighborhood that has a higher population of, I don't know, professors or more serious-minded types than, say, jamba juices and juicy couture sweatpants. (We live on the Upper West Side right now, if that helps.)

3) LOOK: OAK TREES VERSUS PALM TREES. I find the classic palm-tree-lined streets and Spanish-style houses of LA beautiful -- but that image would be so starkly different from the East Coast, and such a strong daily reminder that I'm living in Los Angeles, that I would find it depressing. I would love to live in a neighborhood that has a lot of trees and shade, that has homes that could be mistaken for the East Coast, and that doesn't look as shiny and new as so much of LA.


These are high demands for Los Angeles, but we're aiming high and we'll bargain from there! All suggestions appreciated!

Thanks,
Catherine

[Lovetheoutdoors]

Originally Posted by Catherine Sinclair

I am looking for a neighborhood that is as un-"LA" as possible

Try Phoenix.

[clsicmovies]

Traditional cities: San Marino (shade/trees-Oaks) has lots of private schools, also similar for South Pasadena, La Canada/Flintridge, upper Arcadia and upper Pasadena. These away from poorer gang areas. North end is Altadena has some nice areas but then going downhill on Lincoln ave. and other streets there are gangs with the hispanics and blacks killing each other; toward East Altadena still good areas. In East Pasadena Hastings Ranch is nice, maybe not up to price you mentioned. Beaches: New Port Beach, Balboa Island, Laguna Beach, Malibu are nice, then Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica...heavy traffic on PCH.

[BRinSM]

1. Outside of the communities in the hills, la isn't nearly as segregated as before.

2. la isn't a very political city. if you wish to be politically active i recommend living near one of the universities.

3. there are plenty of neighborhoods that aren't dominated by palm trees.

[Catherine Sinclair]

Nope California Sur, just a hardworker and benefiting from the sale of my recently deceased parents' property.

Spent eleven years of my childhood in Brentwood -- never been to Texas, on the other hand.

Thanks for reminding me how friendly people are in this town, however!

Responses from legitimate east coasters would be appreciated.

[Catherine Sinclair]

RE: clsicmovies
I'm hearing from more and more people that Pasadena is the kind of area we're looking for. I remember Pasadena as kid and liked it a lot. I hear San Marino is a little on the conservative side, so we'd want to avoid that. And we don't care that much about "safeness" -- we live pretty close to Harlem on the Upper West Side and if proximity to a dangerous neighborhood means better diversity, that's a good thing.

RE:BRinSM
Any neighborhoods come to mind? Brentwood didn't have a lot of palm trees, I guess, but San Vicente and having Santa Monica nearby sort of set the tone for that neighborhood.

[Catherine Sinclair]

SILVER LAKE: Does anyone know anything about Silver Lake? I've never been there, but I saw something about it on another post that sounded good. Would that be a decent fit based on our criteria?

[eastcoastlover]

I was actually going to suggest hancock park, there are great homes around there and not too LA looking. Close to alot of activities and probably close for you to work around town. I lived close to Olympic and la cienega for a while and there was a strong black presence in the community around there.

I am from new york originally and when I used to get homesick, I would drive down larchmont ave, near paramount studios and it would remind me of larchmont/mamaroneck with the slanted parking and mom and pop shops. Great homes around there too.

Pasadena is a good choice too.

what about silverlake/Los feliz/atwater village? Great area although you would need to get on the freeway for some things.

[clsicmovies]

Originally Posted by Catherine Sinclair

RE: clsicmovies
I'm hearing from more and more people that Pasadena is the kind of area we're looking for. I remember Pasadena as kid and liked it a lot. I hear San Marino is a little on the conservative side, so we'd want to avoid that. And we don't care that much about "safeness" -- we live pretty close to Harlem on the Upper West Side and if proximity to a dangerous neighborhood means better diversity, that's a good thing.

RE:BRinSM
Any neighborhoods come to mind? Brentwood didn't have a lot of palm trees, I guess, but San Vicente and having Santa Monica nearby sort of set the tone for that neighborhood.

Not just upper Pasadena, but around California Tech University is nice too. Hope our suggestions helped you.

[Catherine Sinclair]

Hey Eastcoastlover,

Just looked at Larchmont Ave on googlemaps. You're right, it does have a bit of Westchester vibe. Hancock park seems a little less out of the way than Pasadena, too.

I really like the sound of Silver Lake. Anybody have anything to add about Silver Lake?