Will South(Central) LA be the next Harlem? (Columbia: crime, houses)

[hjt123]

Originally Posted by munchitup

Could be - has transit, vibrancy and is walkable. Problem is it is a little bit isolated from the rest of the city (though very close to eastern suburbs, which is a plus).

it's right across the river from the arts district, which is about to explode and i figure will rival abbott kinney in less than 5 years.

it's only a matter of time til boyle is echo park, it's got the murals and great sidewalk culture already

[hipcat]

Originally Posted by hjt123

it's right across the river from the arts district, which is about to explode and i figure will rival abbott kinney in less than 5 years.

it's only a matter of time til boyle is echo park, it's got the murals and great sidewalk culture already

I can see it happening. Boyle Heights is quite cheaper too.

[2Easy]

Boyle Heights also has some great housing stock.

[HuntingtonHenry]

Originally Posted by hipcat

Meaning an low income area that was completely gentrified? I starting to see this right now. Especially considering how cheaper the houses are in South LA compared to the other areas of the city. I've seen a few hipster types south of the 110 on Crenshaw.

Depends on what you mean by gentrified. Only way I see that happening on any noticeable scale is if hispanics become a majority and rebuild+lower the crime rate. White Hipsters are more likely to move into hispanic hoods than black hoods.

[GatsbyGatz]

Not even 100 years ago, South LA and Compton used to be middle class neighborhoods before white flight hit LA. It really would not be surprising to see that trend reverse. A lot of the housing in that area is quite charming and has prime proximity to the beach, major job centers, etc. On a logical level, South LA and Compton SHOULD be nice areas. It's just that the racial divide that occurred within LA drove these parts of LA to digress.

It actually always boggled my mind as to how South LA and Compton even became "rough" neighborhoods in the first place. If residents took care of their properties there, they would actually be nice.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by HuntingtonHenry

Depends on what you mean by gentrified. Only way I see that happening on any noticeable scale is if hispanics become a majority and rebuild+lower the crime rate. White Hipsters are more likely to move into hispanic hoods than black hoods.

This does seem true in L.A , but in other cities there are 'white hipsters' that move into black hoods.

Also, the history of Boyle Heights is interesting as there actually used to be many Jews living there as well as other groups.

With the Arts District area as a very hip area , it just makes sense that boyle heights would be the next step. Also there isn't much single family housing in Arts district area, but in Boyle Heights you can buy single family homes. There is the subway there too. Lot's of different attractive features . There were some real bargains there back in 2011 (as there were in other parts of the city).

Nationwide the suburbs aren't as attractive for young people as they once were, and there is a huge movement going on to improve downtown/urban core areas. Downtown Detroit and Cincinnati's Over the Rhine are two that seem to have made a lot of progress...along with Downtown L.A of course.

When something is hot/popular/attractive people WANT to be in that area. If they can't afford it they will move as close as possible...which is why parts of South LA and Boyle Heights both have potential.

[2Easy]

Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz

It actually always boggled my mind as to how South LA and Compton even became "rough" neighborhoods in the first place. If residents took care of their properties there, they would actually be nice.

Most do take care of their properties. Visually most of South LA and Compton looks pretty decent.

[Mr. Opinionated]

Originally Posted by PDF

Well you were the one trying to tell me to read it again slowly and that I was wrong. Just getting your facts straight.

Well gosh! I hope you can sleep better tonight. Or do you need just that one last word to top this off? Lol

[Harrier]

Boyle Heights is an area in which I am looking for an apartment or condo.

Great access to downtown, an amazing history, and a vibrant street scene,

What can be wrong?

Yes - I know about Evergreen and White Fence - so what?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by PDF

But I think South Central comes with a much worse reputation than Harlem, no?

oh, I don't think so, but the difference to me is: Harlem was more a combination of business and residential; So Central L.A. is primarily residential. It is still very possible to see a turn around, certainly Compton is more desirable than it was 50 or even 30 years ago. I am not saying Compton is a dream come true and a great place to live and work, but it is better than it used to be. This could happen to the Watts area. I remember, back in the 1950s when Watts wasn't all that bad. It has always been a little iffy, but not, like the last 50 years.