Hawthorne, CA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Torrance: apartments, high crime, homes)

[g2732chevy]

I was curious to know about the crime in Hawthorne. I might be moving there in a few months and just wanted to know what it is like... Are they any areas that should be avoided at all costs? What are some decent areas of Hawthorne? I live in Baltimore so I am use to crime, but you know every city is different....

[SloRoller]

Hawthorne has deteriorated over the years. Given a choice, I would choose Lawndale or Torrance over Hawthorne any day of the week. Having said that, I must acknowledge that there are a few nice neighborhood pockets in Hawthorne. Anyway, to answer your question, I would stay out of the neighborhoods surrounded by Imperial Hwy. (North), Prarie Ave. (East), El Segundo Blvd. (South), and the San Diego Freeway (West). You MOST DEFINITELY don't want to be anywhere near Inglewood Ave. Between Imperial Hwy. and 120th St. Fairly high crime, gangs.

If I had to choose between Lawndale or Torrance, I would probably go with Lawndale. I find Torrance entirely too claustrophobic. That's my 2 cents.

But since this is City-Data, take a look at the crime stats for Hawthorn and surrounding areas.

[2Easy]

The further east you go the more crime there is. I wouldn't say that any of the "areas" should be avoided at all costs,but obviously some will be better than others.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by SloRoller

Hawthorne has deteriorated over the years. Given a choice, I would choose Lawndale or Torrance over Hawthorne any day of the week. Having said that, I must acknowledge that there are a few nice neighborhood pockets in Hawthorne. Anyway, to answer your question, I would stay out of the neighborhoods surrounded by Imperial Hwy. (North), Prarie Ave. (East), El Segundo Blvd. (South), and the San Diego Freeway (West). You MOST DEFINITELY don't want to be anywhere near Inglewood Ave. Between Imperial Hwy. and 120th St. Fairly high crime, gangs.

If I had to choose between Lawndale or Torrance, I would probably go with Lawndale. I find Torrance entirely too claustrophobic. That's my 2 cents.

But since this is City-Data, take a look at the crime stats for Hawthorn and surrounding areas.

No offense meant, but Torrance is FAR larger and has more variety (some really nice neighborhoods, too). Lawndale is about two square miles of land with narrow streets. Not really knowing it well but an acquaintance of mine who taught at Leuzinger High there was not very pleased with the area or his students--that may have been his issue.

There is an area in the middle of all that within the Hawthorne zip code (90250) right around El Camino College but is not part of the city of Hawthorne--it may well be your best choice--the exact name of the place escapes me for the moment, however.

[mrsltd]

To the OP:

Seeing you're from Baltimore, this whole area would be ok for you and very desirable in many spots.

[LAurbanist]

The best part of Hawthorne is a charming neighborhood west of the 405 called Holly Glen, which has its own elementary school district. That being said, Hawthorne is a geographically small city adjacent to safer and nicer areas to the west and south, so I wouldn't limit my housing search to the city of Hawthorne.

[xindig]

The area just on the other side of Holly Glen, EAST of the 405 fwy, how far east can one go before it's get sketchy?
East of Inglewood Ave.?
East of Hawthorne Blvd?
Any opinions on the safety of the Ramona Tract?

[stcml]

Oh goodness, I grew up in the South Bay. Hawthorne is a decent place to live. It has pockets that are sketchy (mostly around the blocks of apartments on Rosecrans Avenue near Leuzinger High) but honestly most of Hawthorne is just another inner-ring L.A. suburb, you'll be fine. Lots of regular people there. Good Indian food (and heavy Indian-American presence) on/near Inglewood Avenue. Very diverse place. Lots of different ethnicities (your neighbors will be white, black, Latino, Asian, Samoan, Indian, Nigerian, etc. etc. etc.) and many different income levels.

[hipcat]

I used to live in Hawthorne on El Segundo and Prairie for 5 months and I never had a problem. The nicer parts of Hawthorne are West of Hawthorne Blvd. It does a little sketchy to the East of Hawthorne Blvd near Rosecrans. But overall Hawthorne is a decent working class area.

[CaliforniaGal]

I live in Wiseburn, CA - actually we are in Los Angeles County Unincorporated and use Hawthorne's zip code which is 90250. Wiseburn borders El Segundo Blvd - Inglewood Ave - Rosecrans and the 405 freeway. My husband and I moved here in 2010 from Redondo Beach. We purchased the family home. I love it here. I grew up in Torrance, CA and of course my husband grew up in Wiseburn. Many people do not even know about Wiseburn or HollyGlen which are very nice communities located within West Hawthorne. We can't vote when it comes to Hawthorne's politics or electing a Mayor.

Wiseburn has a wonderful "neighborhood watch group" and we are currently working on getting our own high school so the high school aged kids do not have to go to Hawthorne High. If you search for a realtor in Manhattan Beach, CA or even El Segundo they can tell you about Wiseburn. We are a melting pot which is what I actually like. I do see a lot of young families buying here now which is wonderful. Many work at Raytheon - and other big companies located on El Segundo Blvd. It depends on what you buy here as far as homes go but prices can get a little high but that depends on the house, bedrooms, bath and if it was remodeled. Most homes in our tract were built in the 40's. Our home was built in 1971 and is 1860 sq feet. Hollyglen which is on the other side of the 405 freeway has some nice homes but it's pretty expensive over there. If you want to buy in a decent neighborhood I would highly suggest looking into Wiseburn. The neighbors are working class folks - lots of professionals who care about their neighborhood.

We are freeway close - and are just down the way from Manhattan Beach and El Segundo. Lots of good shops nearby. Wiseburn has the best schools...Google Wiseburn School District.

Hawhorne is a huge city and people do not realize that part of Hawhorne is Los Angeles County. Come visit the area...drive through the neighborhood -that's the only way you'll get to know us. Again, we are located in West Hawthorne - west of Inglewood Ave.