Best Neighborhoods for low rents?

[STFUNerd]

Originally Posted by jacktravern

If my geography is correct, isnt Gardena located right next to Compton? And you call that a perfectly nice area, i do gotta wonder

PDF, I do recall you not being in LA for an extended amount of time. Not to say you cant post here, but you do say alot of things as if you're part of the daily grind. Werent you saying on the way out how LA isnt for you and you going to NYC or some mess like that?
My neighbor just got a 1 bedroom in ENCINO for $1500 so 1400 is not totally crazy for a nice area. Alhambra, a 1 bedroom will you about $1100, again, a nice area located only maybe 7 miles outside of downtown LA.

Things are not as exagerrated as some people make it out to be

Neighborhoods in LA change very quickly.

I've never been to Gardena, but I do know that just because a place is within 5 miles of Compton doesn't mean it's a complete dump.

[LuckyGem]

cheap rents in the ocean.....

but seriously. it's east of l.a. that has cheap rents.

[STFUNerd]

Originally Posted by LuckyGem

cheap rents in the ocean.....

but seriously. it's east of l.a. that has cheap rents.

Are you saying to just pay a Harbor fee and live on a boat? I know people that do that for a few months a year in the winter then go back to their primary homes in the summer.

[SLA74]

Originally Posted by STFUNerd

Neighborhoods in LA change very quickly.

I've never been to Gardena, but I do know that just because a place is within 5 miles of Compton doesn't mean it's a complete dump.

Thank you! That's the thing with L.A. Neighborhoods can change very quickly within a short distance. While Gardena is far from perfect, it has plenty of solidly decent areas and a strong police force. My parents have lived in the same house since 1973 and have never even had their house broken into. I would say Gardena's worst problem aside from mostly petty crime is being a bit run down overall, which can put a lot of people off. But even then there are plenty of neighborhoods that are well-kept and fine (especially in the areas near El Camino College). Historically Gardena has had one of the largest Japanese populations outside of Japan and their influence in keeping the city decent cannot be understated.

Maybe it's a matter of perspective but I find that many less-than-ideal yet perfectly fine areas get overlooked by people...mostly because of exaggeration or overhyping the potential dangers by people who have never stepped foot in those areas. I always roll my eyes when I see those "don't move east of the 405!!" posts, as if it were some kind of postapocalyptic warzone. Yeah, some bad stuff does happen and there are some areas that are better avoided, but in general it's not nearly half as bad as the naysayers would have anyone believe and there are plenty of good areas as well.

[wecaredalot]

I'm confused as to why people are saying that the OP's rent range is too low. I have a coworker who pays $1500 for a 1 bedroom in Culver City. I've also seen other 1 bedrooms going for $1400-$1600 in Hollywood and Mid-City. You have to actually drive around and call places. Don't just rely on Craigslist or Westside Rentals for your search. LA definitely has more affordable places than what all the articles talking about median and/or average rents in LA are. You can definitely find a nice 1 bedroom WITH parking in the Hollywood and Mid-City areas. Obviously, they won't be in super new buildings but so what? You don't have to live a life of luxury to be happy here despite what people may think.

[wecaredalot]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Well how about people who don't even live in that city telling newcomers how expensive it is? There a few who post on this board who never even lived in LA dishing out advice. One of my favorites said it costs $3,000 a month to rent an apt in LA...sigh.

Or a single person must make at least $100K a year in order to live well, and of course the freeways are jammed even at 3am.

This is not true at all. You can pay $3k for a 1 bedroom if you want to live in a brand new apartment complex in West Hollywood, but there are DEFINITELY more affordable options than that. And I've never been on a jammed freeway at 3AM...even on a Saturday. Traffic is bad, don't get me wrong. But it's still more or less contained to certain hours during the week and on Saturdays.

SMH at all these false generalizations about LA.

[Cloudwalker]

I would live in parts of Inglewood, but agree that you do need to have a reasonable feel for the area to figure out the generally safe parts. Friends of ours bought there 3 years ago, and they're very happy with their area - good facilities, lots of families, very stable, good commute. I would also look at Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills, and Windsor Hills, with the same proviso that you get a good feel for the specific area. There are some magnificent places there, and some not so great.


I would also keep looking in Culver City, as suggested by one of the other posters. The rent is higher in that area, but you can still find places in your range (just not as often). Palms, Pico Robertson, and Westchester are also areas to look at which would give you good commutes (think you said you'll be working in Culver City?).


I've had great results twice using Westside Rentals, although a lot of people seem to really not like them. Also try Padmapper, and then once you get here, driving and walking around the areas in which you are interested and calling on the "To Rent" signs is still a very effective way of finding a good apartment.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by STFUNerd

Neighborhoods in LA change very quickly.

I've never been to Gardena, but I do know that just because a place is within 5 miles of Compton doesn't mean it's a complete dump.

Gardena is separated from Compton by the 110 fwy and a large strip of industrial area to the east of the 110. Gardena is next to south LA, buffered in part by Athens on the Hill, the best part of South LA.

Anything in Gardena south of Redondo Beach Bl is pretty ok. Rosecrans and north gets sketchy.

The restaurants and shops esp along Redondo beach Bl and along Artesia Bl are plenty nice. There's also a sort of old fashioned style downtown area with lots of Japanese lunch places but I forget where that is. And along western north of Artesia there's a whole mess of Japanese and Korean restaurants. People that say Gardena is ghetto are kinda nuts and probably don't even really know what city they are in when they say that.