Gardena/Hawthorne/Inglewood - any ok to buy? (Vista, Culver City: affordable houses, safe neighborhood)

[emb123]

I have just found some new homes in Hawthorne, they are called detached condos. They look like single family homes, they are being built now and it seems to be in a fairly good neighborhood. It's called Parkside Village. I am seriously considering it as my job has recently located from Orange County area to Inglewood. I have looked at a lot of places and this place has lots of rooms and closet space. Also it seems to me to me like when I go to sell down the road, I will recoup some of my money due to the location, size and project concept. The website does not do it justice, so you should go look at the models if you haven't already purchased something by now. From an earlier post it said this was a good safe area for families. It is set back off the main street by a park and golf course with new stores and businesses surrounding it.

[yby1]

I just bought a house around that area near the golf course. I have seen that condo development. It looks really nice. Go for it!

[SLA74]

If you're still considering Gardena, I recommend the area known as El Camino Village (the neighborhoods near El Camino College bordering Torrance), as well as some neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. I grew up in Gardena and it really wasn't that bad. In the 40 years my parents have lived there (they are still in the same house they bought in 1973) their home has never been broken into. They are in the area near Crenshaw Blvd and Marine Ave. Some friends of mine bought a lovely 4 bedroom house off of Manhattan Beach Blvd a few years ago and it's a great neighborhood. Of course schools are an issue, especially past elementary (156th St School in Gardena apparently has a good reputation as far as LAUSD goes). I went to Catholic schools, a common practice as was mentioned by a previous poster. Good luck in your search!

[HeadhunterPaul]

Originally Posted by xmasevemom

Backstory (skip if you like): My husband and I (Santa Monica) are ready to make the transition from renting to buying, but buying in Santa Monica is out of the question due to our price range.

All that said, the only areas that are geographicaly bearable that have homes available in our price range seem to be the Gardena/Hawthorne/Inglewood general area. Can any natives of that area give me some insight into how liveable they are for a family with small children?

We would need to live in an area where there aren't people partying until 3 am and would prefer a high ratio of homeowners to renters. Occasional property crime is not a huge concern for me, but serious gang activity or high violent crime rates occurring against random strangers obviously are not good.

I am more concerned with things like drugs and guns in the school than I am with good test scores.

Our ideal would be a condo complex that had some kind of central outdoor area where children could play safely without being accosted by random passerby who do not live in the complex.



Is there anywhere in this general area that would be a nice place to settle down?

Hello, Xmas....

I spent twenty years in SM, a few in Brentwood and and grew up in Redondo Beach.

Normally I'd read the posts to see if what I have to say has been covered and maybe I should but I feel very strongly about this:

First, you will, as you know, experience Culture Shock. There is no way around that; the closest community with similar culture could only be Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills and first, they are at the far end of the South Bay with no on or off ramps via the 405 and neither communities have what Westside, Brentwood and SM have to offer. (You will not like the Dry Cleaning services- say goodbye to Brown's Cleaners...)

Know that Gardena has a well-known history for high crime. Inglewood is the same and maybe more.

Hawthorne is less so but only by a bit and Lawndale is slightly 'better'.

Try your best to see if you can afford property in El Segundo; choose as far as possible from the flight paths; it can get tedious having to stop a conversation in one's LR, waiting for the plane to get out over the ocean. El Segundo has a 'closed community' mentality.

You ought to try also Playa Del Rey. It is considered 'upper income' by a bit and is close to Marina Del Rey and then of course, SM. And you can take PCH back and forth conveniently, allowing for the five o'clock traffic. (OK, I guess you know this already).

Stay as close as possible to Pacific Coast Highway, west of it is considered best and in fact, we often say 'there is no life' east of PCH.

Pick from properties that are, if necessary, east of PCH but west of Hawthorne Blvd.

As a rule, the farther east of Hawthorne Blvd you go, the more you are going to be uncomfortable for the sake of your children.

It would help to know where 'work' is since I could, from that, dial this in even closer.

Consider a 'Direct Message', I think they call them here. That way I'll know you want to know more.


Paul

[yby1]

East of Hawthorne isn't that bad. Gardena/Hawthorne/Lawndale/Inglewood are pocket towns...There are good streets and bad streets. You just need to do your homework on the area before you buy. Crime in that general area is down, making such broad does the area a disservice.

Since we are making general assumptions...Usually, anyone considering Gardena is not going to afford property in El Segundo or Playa Del Rey, unless they want to move their family into a 400sq studio.

There is plenty of life (and lots more humility) east of PCH.

[SLA74]

Originally Posted by yby1

East of Hawthorne isn't that bad. Gardena/Hawthorne/Lawndale/Inglewood are pocket towns...There are good streets and bad streets. You just need to do your homework on the area before you buy. Crime in that general area is down, making such broad does the area a disservice.

Since we are making general assumptions...Usually, anyone considering Gardena is not going to afford property in El Segundo or Playa Del Rey, unless they want to move their family into a 400sq studio.

There is plenty of life (and lots more humility) east of PCH.

Totally agree with this!! There are definitely plenty of areas in these cities where there isn't a whole lot of crime going on, or at least if there is it's mostly petty stuff. Gardena Police have a great reputation and are really on the ball. My family has been involved in the area on a civic level for quite some time and most of the inhabitants care about the place (of course there are always exceptions). Mostly the area suffers from a lack of money/investment as the vast majority of its citizens are people living on modest incomes, and as a result it's much shabbier looking than Torrance or Redondo Beach, for example. But by no means is it a hotbed of criminal activity...and the parts of these cities which do experience more than their fair share, including shootings, etc., are easy to avoid.

[DontH8Me]

Originally Posted by yby1

East of Hawthorne isn't that bad. Gardena/Hawthorne/Lawndale/Inglewood are pocket towns...There are good streets and bad streets. You just need to do your homework on the area before you buy. Crime in that general area is down, making such broad does the area a disservice.

Since we are making general assumptions...Usually, anyone considering Gardena is not going to afford property in El Segundo or Playa Del Rey, unless they want to move their family into a 400sq studio.

There is plenty of life (and lots more humility) east of PCH.

Police log: Hawthorne, Lawndale, Gardena - The Daily Breeze

Here is the most recent crime report. East of Hawthorne Blvd is where essentially all criminal activities are happening, as a rule. No thanks. I wouldn't even consider investment property east of Hawthorne, let alone a home I would live in with my family.

There are communities in Hawthorne that are worth looking at buying property in, they are called Holly Glen, Del Aire and Wiseburn. They are more like Manhattan Beach than Hawthorne/Gardena/Lawndale/Inglewood. Key in these safer pockets is that they're almost entirely SFRs, not apartment blocks sprinkled with random liquor stores and none of the graffiti and urban decay you see east of Hawthorne Blvd. They have their own school district as well.

[Jennifernewmankw]

Hi xmaseve mom.
I'm a real estate agent and I have sold in gardena. My clients like gardena around Bodger park and also holy glen. They are Safe family oriented.
Also look at el Camino village.

[hipcat]

Hawthorne is the best pick of the three. Especially the area that is near Aviation Blvd and the 405. A good spot to live in Gardena is close to El Camino High school. I used to live there for a few years. And it was a nice, family oriented area.

[PDR2015]

Originally Posted by hipcat

Hawthorne is the best pick of the three. Especially the area that is near Aviation Blvd and the 405. A good spot to live in Gardena is close to El Camino High school. I used to live there for a few years. And it was a nice, family oriented area.

Agree with Hawthorne being the best among the three. Close to Aviation / 405 should be a good bet, especially in Wiseburn district.