Cosindering Buying House in Norwalk, CA (Long Beach, Lakewood: 2015, apartments, violent crime)

[kaygee18]

Hi,

I am considering buying a house in Norwalk, CA. I am aware that this city has it's pockets as do most cities in LA/OC area. The house I am looking to buy is off of Flatbush Ave.(by Alondra Blvd) and Studebaker. It's right off the 605. Does anyone have any info on this particular neighborhood? It's much appreciated, thanks.

[socal88]

Almost every time I hear Norwalk on the news, it's usually related to crime. And the violent crime stats over the last 10-15 years confirm it. Not a very good area.

Not sure what your upper price limit is, but if you're looking in that general idea, areas like Cerritos and La Palma are much safer. Even Lakewood is not bad.

Obviously these areas are little pricier, but I'd rather have a so-so house in a safe neighborhood than a nice house in a bad neighborhood.

[kaygee18]

Thanks, I appreciate the input, but I am looking for input on that specific area. I am well aware of the surrounding areas like La Palma, Cerritos, and Lakewood. I live in Long Beach. The price is considerably below the market, and I am looking for input on that particular area. I am looking for input from someone who lives in Norwalk or lived there for several years.

[harhar]

Well there has to be a reason why it is below market.

One glaring thing is the 605 freeway. Obviously over time you'd get used to it but I lived with my grandmother and her home was next to the 5 in Norwalk, and you could definitely hear the semi's at night.

On Google maps, It's a weird pocket area of Norwalk, there's even a small cemetery near there and the comps there are in the lowish 400k. Though they are running a bit artificially high right now IMO. Most of these houses should be in the high 300s and that suggests to me that, like most of Norwalk, it's just not that good of an area.

Unlike most cities, I'd be willing to guess that Norwalk unfortunately has the least good pockets out of any city in the area. Basically instead of a diamond in the rough, you're looking at the best lump of coal in the area.

With that aside that's my impression of Norwalk as a whole as a former resident and person who has lived in and around the area my entire life, I'm just not familiar with that specific area.

[KOC_Sights]

Originally Posted by kaygee18

Hi,

I am considering buying a house in Norwalk, CA. I am aware that this city has it's pockets as do most cities in LA/OC area. The house I am looking to buy is off of Flatbush Ave.(by Alondra Blvd) and Studebaker. It's right off the 605. Does anyone have any info on this particular neighborhood? It's much appreciated, thanks.

Ahh my old stomping grounds. I grew up in that area and still frequent it because my parents still live there. The Norwalk side is bunched between West side Cerritos and Bellflower on the other side of the San Gabriel River. True, Norwalk has crime but that are in particular has always been pretty calm.

If you haven't already, take a drive there at night and park across the street from the property you're looking at. If you feel comfortable just sit there in your car for a bit. IMO that's the best way to get a feel for the neighborhood. Also check crimemapping.com for any recent crimes that have taken place.

[kaygee18]

Originally Posted by KOC_Sights

Ahh my old stomping grounds. I grew up in that area and still frequent it because my parents still live there. The Norwalk side is bunched between West side Cerritos and Bellflower on the other side of the San Gabriel River. True, Norwalk has crime but that are in particular has always been pretty calm.

If you haven't already, take a drive there at night and park across the street from the property you're looking at. If you feel comfortable just sit there in your car for a bit. IMO that's the best way to get a feel for the neighborhood. Also check crimemapping.com for any recent crimes that have taken place.

Thanks harhar and KOC_sights. Yeah, it' right by Bellflower High School and Cerritos College. I'm just not familiar with Norwalk. I know Long Beach pretty well and it's like one block is super nice and then the next block it gets dark real early lol.

Do you know what areas are the no go areas? I know from 166th up to Hopeland Street is high gang activity.

[harhar]

Yeah the "one-ways" have always been notorious for gang activity for a very long time. That's the neighborhood behind Church's chicken.

A brief look on crimemaps shows the area you're looking at to be relatively safe. A majority of crimes in Norwalk seem to be thefts, burglaries and car related. The few homicides that do happen are between South of Rosecrans and North of Alondra. But usually the worst are between Excelsior and Alondra.

[mamitoshi]

Hi Kaygee,
I live in Norwalk. Bought a house here a little over a year ago. I wish i hadn't. The gang violence is ridiculous. I live closer to the 5 freeway , past Bloomfield. And our area is relatively quiet. But hearing about the shootings closer to the 605 area is enough to make me want to move. I'm already counting down to the end of the year when i'll be able to sell without paying capital gains tax (2 year minimum after purchase). There were 2 murders in 2 days right on the corner of studebaker and alondra just a few weeks ago. one gang related, the other deputy involved. I wouldn't recommend it. I'm just giving you the warning i wish someone would've given me before I purchased. I have a new baby and the thought of raising him here is just not acceptable. If you don't have kids it may not bother you as much. But there are shootings, and burglaries up the wazoo in this city. And the cops don't seem to have a handle on it at all. if you need to be in the area, i'd recommend maybe La Mirada or like was mentioned earlier Lakewood. Not here.

[Pennychaser11]

Stay away from apartments and you should be ok. Lakewood is better but not by much, next to Lakewood you find north Long Beach, and compton.

[Sisterluke]

I spent my first 8 years of my life in Norwalk pretty much. I went to Lampton Elementary School on Excelsior. My mom went to Excelsior High I guess back in the late 70s. My grandparents rented a house on Fairford Ave.(a residential street directly across from Cerritos College north of Alondra and east of Studebaker near the 605 Freeway)

Anyway, I was a child in the early 1990s when my family lived there and I would ride my bicycle up and down the street. At the time and I am not sure how the demographics are now since I haven't lived there since 1993, it was white, latino and koreans living in that area.

Long story short, my parents truck was stolen one night in December 1991. They never found the theves of course but frequently we would see gang members walking up and down the street sometimes. My parents did anyway, I was completely oblivious to it and they never bothered me.

My parents and grandparents ultimately ended up moving out of there. Apparently before I was born, they used to tell me it was a nice family suburb to raise children and it kinda went downhill by the time I was born in the mid-80s.

Anyway, not sure if this is around the same area or not but yeah Norwalk was pretty ghetto at least in the late 80s early 90s, not sure how its doing in 2015.