"stay south of ventura blvd." (Orange, Woodland: lawyers, neighborhoods)

[katenik]

this bit of advice is as common around here as "live where you work," but i have a hard time reconciling it as a hard and fast rule with the fact that gelson's in valley village is north of ventura blvd. i have never seen a gelson's in a bad neighborhood. have you?

[LaoTzuMindFu]

I dont think that I have. They are all in very desirable neighborhoods.

[9126ebk]

I used to work for gelson's, (not that it matters) they are Jewish owned. And will all know Jews live in desirable neighborhoods.

[straight outta camden]

Originally Posted by 9126ebk

And will all know Jews live in desirable neighborhoods.

Oh, yeah. Crown Heights, for example.

[katenik]

i was hoping to get some clarification about the oft-mentioned boundary between the good and bad parts of the valley. i'm not interested in generating a discussion about jews...or gelson's, for that matter.

[sponger42]

I've never lived south of Ventura, except for 6 expensive months in Malibu.

3 years in Canoga Park North of Sherman Way.
1 year in Canoga Park North of Victory
1 year in North Hollywood on Magnolia.

Had a 2 bikes stolen. One I recovered (the "expensive" one). That was the extent of the problems I had with crime.

Rode my bike to work all 5 years. The last year I rode along the busway (Orange Line) the whole way. Often after dark. No big deal except for the parts where I had to ride on the road. That was scary, but not because of crime.

Took walks around my neighborhoods, sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend, sometimes with my wife, also after dark. Never felt threatened in any way. I wouldn't recommend the same thing for a single woman, and you might want to avoid certain dark areas of some parks/alleyways/canals but the same could be said for a town of 500 people in the middle of the Midwest where nobody locks their doors.

[EGR 818]

Originally Posted by katenik

i was hoping to get some clarification about the oft-mentioned boundary between the good and bad parts of the valley. i'm not interested in generating a discussion about jews...or gelson's, for that matter.

Having spent most of my life living in the valley the boundaries of good parts and bad parts of the valley aren't very clear cut. The best areas of the valley are; Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, Northridge, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Granada Hills, Studio City and Tarzana. The definite areas to avoid are; Pacoima, Panorama City, and parts of Van Nuys and North Hollywood. There are also areas that are pretty mixed depending on the neigborhood; Reseda, Canoga Park, and North Hills, but i've never felt theartened in any of these even in the late night/early morning (12 AM-4AM)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by katenik

i was hoping to get some clarification about the oft-mentioned boundary between the good and bad parts of the valley. i'm not interested in generating a discussion about jews...or gelson's, for that matter.

Like an earlier poster mentioned, the border is sort of vague and a sort of a generalization. I remember "south of the boulevard" being quoted in this same context in the mid 1970s...It has always had the better reputation. Of course the middle sections of the valley seem a lot worse now than they were when I grew up in them (Canoga Park) in the 1960s and 1970s.

[Winston Smith]

Ventura Blvd divides the haves and the have-nots. Got big bucks? Enough to be a neighbor to the Jacksons, TV executives and big-time lawyers? Go south. If you don't, stay north.

[EGR 818]

Originally Posted by cre8

Ventura Blvd divides the haves and the have-nots. Got big bucks? Enough to be a neighbor to the Jacksons, TV executives and big-time lawyers? Go south. If you don't, stay north.

Thats Being too general, although all the areas south of Ventura Blv are affluent many of the nicest neighborhoods in the valley are chatsworth, woodland hills, and porter ranch all of them being in the north valley.