Altadena

[Lake Conroe resident]

Originally Posted by ewvdt

You moved to Texas? And when, if I may ask?
Yes, there are many negative people like yourself perpetuating the stereotype images, however, you will here (sic. your English) from me that there are opportunities if kids take the right courses and keep their eye on the ball (especially with the parents involved).
I had gotten to know many dedicated teachers and principals as I roamed the schools as a maintenance man.
You will always have kids that will be unruly, but bullet proof windows? Gimme a break!
I'm intimately familiar with this public school system.
One math and science teacher at Marshall high had his picture on the front page of Parade magazine a few years ago because of the positive results he had with his kids.

I am unfortunately also intimately familiar with the schools as I attended them... They were so bad that they took the school bus away because the kids "took over" the bus driver,slashed the seats, busted the windows etc...(this is junior high mind you). I witnessed three murders as well and basically graduated with straight A's for doing nothing more than showing up and not beating up the teachers... sounds like a great place. For all the folks in here who say that the area at the top of Lake is nice. Don't travel more than a block West as I lived on Loma Alta and you couldn't pay me to live there again.

[whatever78]

well...i have pretty good confidence in being able to gauge a neighborhood and it didn't strike me as frightening. a lot of neighborhoods in la that scare others don't bother me. also a LOT has changed in the past 5-10 years, places are gentrifying and some areas that have a bad rap historically have changed.

[Altadena gal]

I live in Altadena west of lake near the junction of Lincoln and Altadena Drive. I've bought my house there 3 years ago and I love it. The neighborhood is very safe, quiet and my neighbors are very friendly. We seem to have a great sheriff presence, and although there are gangs in the area I have never been affected by them or felt unsafe. I run the street regularly for exercise and hike in the trails off JPL, Lake and Chaney. I am honestly more worried about meeting a mountain lion on the trail than gang violence in the neighborhood. I have lived in Studio City, West Hollywood and Silverlake and Altadena feels the most neighborly and the safest. I have a few times forgotten to lock my car in my driveway and it's never been touched. In Studio CIty it would have been gone the next morning. I love Altadena!

[whatever78]

well, maybe we'll be neighbors eventually. i'm also a jogger and need either a trail or the beach to fulfill that need. we're priced out of the beach, basically, so...i'm trying to hit the foothills and altadena seems like my best bet.

[interossiter]

I lived in Altadena as an infant (dad worked at JPL) and I turned out OK!

[ewvdt]

Originally Posted by Lake Conroe resident

I am unfortunately also intimately familiar with the schools as I attended them... They were so bad that they took the school bus away because the kids "took over" the bus driver,slashed the seats, busted the windows etc...(this is junior high mind you). I witnessed three murders as well and basically graduated with straight A's for doing nothing more than showing up and not beating up the teachers... sounds like a great place. For all the folks in here who say that the area at the top of Lake is nice. Don't travel more than a block West as I lived on Loma Alta and you couldn't pay me to live there again.

Most of what you're talking about is in the past. It was bad, true.
The public schools have been improving as they are under pressure from the community.
It's been a rough road after the forced busing/integration since 1970 when I started working there.

I live and have lived on West Loma Alta Dr. for over 20 years now and the area has improved greatly and can be considered gentrified with young families and professionals having moved in, fixing up their homes and seeing them jog or ride their horses.


My wife and I love to just walk out the door in the mornings and head to Chaney Trail into the hills behind us; great exercise and wonderful air and meeting the same people doing likewise.

The gangs are only in a small area of town and the sheriff is keeping tabs on them.

[ewvdt]

I would suggest for anybody interested in the outdoors and hiking to drive to the top of Lake Ave. on the weekends and pick up the trail at the Cobb estates.
You'll see countless cars parked all by people coming from all over to enjoy this area.

Another area is Chaney Trail which leads to Millard Canyon or Sunset Ridge trail.
Incredible views of LA and the rest of the valley.

[Lake Conroe resident]

Originally Posted by ewvdt

Most of what you're talking about is in the past. It was bad, true.
The public schools have been improving as they are under pressure from the community.
It's been a rough road after the forced busing/integration since 1970 when I started working there.

I live and have lived on West Loma Alta Dr. for over 20 years now and the area has improved greatly and can be considered gentrified with young families and professionals having moved in, fixing up their homes and seeing them jog or ride their horses.


My wife and I love to just walk out the door in the mornings and head to Chaney Trail into the hills behind us; great exercise and wonderful air and meeting the same people doing likewise.

The gangs are only in a small area of town and the sheriff is keeping tabs on them.

I'm glad to hear that the area has improved as it was horrible back then unless you were on East Altadena Dr.( we lived at Loma Alta & Fair Oaks) How are the schools now? Muir, Blair, PHS... If it wasn't for the poor kids who got bused in from Sierra Madre back then there wouldn't have been any reason for the teachers to show up for work...I just can't imagine that the area has changed to be so much better as usually areas cannot over come that and instead of getting better they usually spread like a cancer as people can't get out fast enough when it creeps up on them.

[whatever78]

Originally Posted by Lake Conroe resident

I'm glad to hear that the area has improved as it was horrible back then unless you were on East Altadena Dr.( we lived at Loma Alta & Fair Oaks) How are the schools now? Muir, Blair, PHS... If it wasn't for the poor kids who got bused in from Sierra Madre back then there wouldn't have been any reason for the teachers to show up for work...I just can't imagine that the area has changed to be so much better as usually areas cannot over come that and instead of getting better they usually spread like a cancer as people can't get out fast enough when it creeps up on them.

I don't know when "back then" was, and how long you have been out of the la area, but there are many places in la that have been drastically improving, so that the concept of areas only getting worse over time just doesn't apply here like it might to some other places in the country. i would venture that if you haven't lived in an area for 5-10 years, then you really aren't in a position to comment on what its like. i know because i've lived in two such areas in la in the past 6 years (venice and san pedro) and i know that venice had such a bad rep for so long that some people seem completely unaware of how much it has changed.