Beach cities in Los Angeles with good diversity (Long Beach, Oxnard: low crime, house)

[Magisan]

From the little bit I got from your post and replies (mixed ethnic fam, fm nyc etc...) I think you'd really like Venice. In general Venice roots have been a mixed bag of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. It's only been the past decade+ it's been swarmed with $$$$. In the 1950s it was the "slum by the sea" but that notion sets it apart from the other beach cities. In time it organically grew attracting artists and independent thinkers to what it is today. Overall there's still an underlying art culture and notion of live & let live....quaint in some pockets and busy in other sections. Also, if you are not set on living right on the ocean since that is really pricey, check out the neighboring areas around it (Marvista, Culver City, Rancho Park, Palms...all pretty diverse). Although these communities are not right on the beach, they are still considered the West side and the beaches are still considered their backyards) I would say your diverse fam would fit right in I would skip Manhattan Bch, Hermosa, Palos Verdes, Redondo. And although SaMo is Democratic & liberal in nature, the majority is still white. Hope this helps.

[Cloudwalker]

Agree with the comments re Mar Vista, Rancho Park, West LA, Palms and Venice, but you then need to consider that the public schools in those areas are in LAUSD which faces a lot of struggles, not least of which is budget. There are some good elementary schools in the district, e.g. Beethoven St Elementary in Mar Vista which has 380 kids and has become a strong school in the last few years through parent and community support, but you do have to do your homework on that. And the good options start to get very thin on the ground at middle and high school level.

[2Easy]

Why are people considering San Pedro a "beach city"? It barely has a beach. Torrance has more of a beach.

[timtemtym]

I live in Long Beach, but have spent a lot of time in Venice/MarVista/MarinaDelRey area. I'm surprised at the level of diversity there. Regarding the African-American situation, we do certainly have some in Long Beach (seems like we have concentrated pockets that are slowly moving away), but up in the V/MV/MDR (see above) area you seem to have more of an integrated diversity along with greater diversity in African-Americans of varying income levels (as judged from my materialistic observations ).

Oddly enough, the AA population of Southern California has been shrinking since the 90's. There are quite a few forum discussions on this if you search back.

[kttam186290]

The answer should be obvious to you:

LONG BEACH!

Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo, Venice, Malibu and Santa Monica are all majority-White and suburban.

[yby1]

Originally Posted by 2Easy

Why are people considering San Pedro a "beach city"? It barely has a beach. Torrance has more of a beach.

It is beach adjacent and you do have ocean views. You are close to Torrance Beach. San Pedro offers diversity while still being close to the ocean.

[saybanana]

There is really only one place that mostly fits the OP criteria. It is Santa Monica. They have the money to afford the best beach cities except Malibu. They have kids so they probably want the safest areas and best schools. Santa Monica has a real downtown feel for a small city (though connected to larger ones east). The other beach cities are suburban except Long Beach.

[yby1]

There are some parts of Santa Monica that are not entirely safe...not the worst by any stretch, but not what I would call "the safest" part of town and still very expensive. Downtown Santa Monica also has that homeless issue, which adds to it's charm I guess.

Affordability is all relative. You can find a 3 million dollar home in Malibu, the beach cities or Santa Monica. Maybe Pacific Palisades is an option.

[NeverStopSmiling]

Yeahh I really do think that Santa Monica might be the best place. I've visited LA, but just Hollywood. Again, i don't understand how some people still think I'm being racist when I am looking for DIVERSITY. I'm not going to keep explaining myself and stating that I do not care if the majority of the residents are white. That is not a problem at all. But I don't think some of you understand that growing up in a place like NYC will make it difficult to adjust to seeing practically ONE race and any other people from another race can be counted on your hand. It's just weird to me--that's all. I'm extremely tolerant. My kids are biracial. Lots of people who grow up in an area dominated by one race whether that be white, latino, or black often aren't aware of other people in the world. Like, they know they exist but have no idea what's really going on. That's what I liked about being in New York--I've seen it all. But I do have a love for LA for their weather and vibe and beautiful beaches. I don't want to feel attacked just I want what's best for my kids. Like I said, I don't really expect everyone to understand if you've lived SoCal all your lives or just haven't had the opportunity to live in a very culturally mixed environment. Again, I don't my kids to be around nothing but blacks or nothing but hispanics EITHER, I'm not trying to make it sound like I'm trying to avoid white people. I feel like that's what a lot of people think. My husband is white. I just want diversity and even he agrees that that's what's best.

Thanks for everyone's support (:

[yby1]

We get it. There is plenty of diversity in Los Angeles. If you were to look into places other than the beach cities, you might find what you've experienced in New York.