Safe Areas to Live in Gardena, CA (Inglewood, Redondo Beach: apartments, houses)

[jayhb208]

I am looking to purchase a home in central gardena just south of the Marukai Market (la salle ave and 158th street area approx). Is this area and/or the surrounding areas safe? Anything I should be worried about. I appreciate any specific feedback you can give. Thank you!

[s0nginmyheart]

I know that area pretty well actually. It's a quieter street and mostly small apartment buildings and SFH. I've never had a problem there - and it's mostly the "Asian" side of Gardena, especially with Marukai (Pacific Plaza?) and the other shopping center across Redondo Beach Blvd there. There's a tea-house that is open late in that plaza so a lot of geeks stick around since there isn't anything else to do in the area that late.

Redondo Beach Blvd is fine - lots of retail/fast food/restaurants. Western corridor looks a bit ghetto until you get to Artesia. Rosecrans starts to get more industrial and undesirable (the bullet-proof Pizza Hut on Normandie/Rosecrans might be a testament to that).

[R-Tistic]

I grew up in Gardena, between 135th and Rosecrans, but in the houses and not apartments.

Thing I'd say....the houses and apartments are a LOT, lot lot different in that area, and even in other areas of the city...almost to where it won't feel like you're in the same city. And the main streets seem to look a bit run down...a mix of industrial, older worn down looking shops, and then those brand new shops that you can tell are brand new.

I'll say that compared to the rest of L.A., the parts of Gardena that look undesirable aren't as bad as they appear to look, if that makes sense. Like the Normandie and Rosecrans area, and a lot on Western between Rosecrans and maybe Redondo Beach, it does look ragged, but it's not really a dangerous area.

The Crenshaw side of Gardena is also pretty rough looking...it actually looks a LOT worse than the "Black Crenshaw" area that is known to most folks in L.A. and even Inglewood.