Top 5 LA neighborhoods (Long Beach, Anaheim, Irvine: apartment complex, homes, good schools)

[bklynchapin]

I am asking you to name your top 5 neighborhoods/cities in the LA area and why. It might also be fun to name your least favorite and why. Here are mine:

1-Echo Park-Love the park and views you get around it- just a cool vibe
2-Venice-Great people watching and laidback beach vibe
3-Downtown-Seen better days, but a historical treasure trove & cultural mix
4-Hollywood- Like downtown, such an iconic place that is complex
5-Malibu-Most incredible views, can hike around there for days

Least Favorite- Anaheim- I hate Disney

[LALady]

Originally Posted by bklynchapin

I am asking you to name your top 5 neighborhoods/cities in the LA area and why. It might also be fun to name your least favorite and why. Here are mine:

1-Echo Park-Love the park and views you get around it- just a cool vibe
2-Venice-Great people watching and laidback beach vibe
3-Downtown-Seen better days, but a historical treasure trove & cultural mix
4-Hollywood- Like downtown, such an iconic place that is complex
5-Malibu-Most incredible views, can hike around there for days

Least Favorite- Anaheim- I hate Disney

All the 'hoods you mentioned are fun to visit but difficult to live in - either too expensive or too crowded.

[Charles]

Not sure if these are all considered int he LA area. Obviously I haven't visited or lived everywhere, but here are some places I had positive experiences or places that made good impressions:

1. Thousand Oaks: Planned, safe, leafy, comfortable (climate, demographics, amenities), good schools, positive
2. Calabasas: Amenities, leafy, good mix of modern and historic, good schools
3. Ventura: Perfect weather, don't need air conditioning, not crowded, close to Santa Barbara, historic, close to the beach and the Topa Topa mountains both with no traffic, great for cycling
4. Burbank: Somewhat underrated older section of SoCal, doesn't look as run down as other communities with smaller older homes of the same period, has good mix of 1940s era (Lockheed) retirees and a modern tech and entertainment presence
5. Seal Beach: Good schools, in the heart of the SoCal aerospace corridor (El Segundo to Irvine)

[bklynchapin]

Originally Posted by LALady

All the 'hoods you mentioned are fun to visit but difficult to live in - either too expensive or too crowded.

I agree. I guess I should have specified. I live in Austin now, but I lived in LA for two years, first in Koreatown (which I liked a lot) and then in Playa Del Rey (not so much). Yeah living in these places would be a different story, although I found some places in Echo Park that could have worked. If I still lived in LA I would probably be in Echo Park.

[jessemh431]

Favorite-

1. Westwood/Brentwood-love Westwood Village, UCLA, and it is my dream to live in the hills above one of those two cities.
2. Manhattan Beach-Another place I dream of living is along the strand
3. South Pasadena-An oasis from the tropical, palm tree and spanish style homes filling SoCal
4. Los Feliz/Silverlake hills-Just as beautiful as the rest of the SaMo Mountains, but cheaper.
5. Long Beach (downtown)-The only urban beach living in LA

Least Favorite-

1. Inglewood
2. Compton
3. Van Nuys
4. North Hollywood
5. Malibu-too many natural disasters

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by bklynchapin

I agree. I guess I should have specified. I live in Austin now, but I lived in LA for two years, first in Koreatown (which I liked a lot) and then in Playa Del Rey (not so much). Yeah living in these places would be a different story, although I found some places in Echo Park that could have worked. If I still lived in LA I would probably be in Echo Park.

Why don't you like PDR? That's where I live.

[bklynchapin]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Why don't you like PDR? That's where I live.

Not too much going on. I lived in a crappy apartment complex that could really be anywhere. You pretty much had to drive everywhere. I should probably specify that I am originally from NY and live the more urban hoods. I moved to PDR because I had a couple of friends who lived there and a room in their apartment opened up. I guess i also didn't like the commute since I worked downtown.

[jessemh431]

Favorite-

1. Westwood
2. Downtown
3. Santa Monica
4. Century City
5. Venice

Least Favorite-

1. Torrance
2. La Canada Flintridge
3. Calabasas
4. Compton
5. IE-except Big Bear

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by bklynchapin

Not too much going on. I lived in a crappy apartment complex that could really be anywhere. You pretty much had to drive everywhere. I should probably specify that I am originally from NY and live the more urban hoods. I moved to PDR because I had a couple of friends who lived there and a room in their apartment opened up. I guess i also didn't like the commute since I worked downtown.

where in PDR was it?

[bklynchapin]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

where in PDR was it?

I lived on Tuscany off of Manchester.