The San Fernando Valley - Getting Uglier Each Year? (Los Angeles: low income, how much)

[Humanoid]

We are paying almost $1400 for a one-bedroom and I think we deserve to at least live in a semi-clean area for that price!

Van Nuys hasn't been a nice area for a long time, if you didn't want to live in an area like that why move there? It hasn't changed much in 3 years.

Also, you can easily find a decent 1-bedroom for $1,400 in the valley. I would never pay that much for an apartment in Van Nuys.

[SurekRZA]

Originally Posted by Humanoid

Van Nuys hasn't been a nice area for a long time, if you didn't want to live in an area like that why move there? It hasn't changed much in 3 years.

Also, you can easily find a decent 1-bedroom for $1,400 in the valley. I would never pay that much for an apartment in Van Nuys.

I agree, you can get a two bedroom in North Hills or Northridge for that price.

[gypsystar]

Originally Posted by Humanoid

Van Nuys hasn't been a nice area for a long time, if you didn't want to live in an area like that why move there? It hasn't changed much in 3 years.

Also, you can easily find a decent 1-bedroom for $1,400 in the valley. I would never pay that much for an apartment in Van Nuys.

Believe me, we are moving. We have only lived in Van Nuys a year and a half (we lived in Woodland Hills initially) and chose to live here because the building and apt. itself are really nice - it is the outside that is very ugly. At the time, our rent was $1295 and one bedrooms were going for about $1450 in Woodland Hills and Sherman Oaks, so we thought we were getting a good deal. Now the rent is going up (like it is all over) and it is so not worth the money. I am hoping to move by April 1 since we are on a month to month lease.

[gypsystar]

Originally Posted by greggd

The nice thing about the valley, is that you can bulldoze easily. Let the declining sections go back to farmland and orchards. It will boost the value of the well kept areas.

Just think how nice the view from the hills of Sherman Oaks, Encino, and the surrounding hill communities would be if the basin was all lush green.

Might not be a bad idea...

[Humanoid]

Now the rent is going up (like it is all over) and it is so not worth the money.

Hmm, actually I've noticed that rents are going down in Southern California (maybe the last 6-8 months). Rents haven't gone up nearly as much as house prices, but they have still gone up more than local incomes.

[N-Dawggy]

You know how you can get rid of all the ghetto people in the valley and Los Angeles? Have the State give away free land in Death Valley or somewhere secluded. They will flock over there and place a mobile home over their land, GENIUS.
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by gypsystar

I have only lived in L.A. for three years, but is seems like the Valley is getting uglier, dirtier and nastier each year. I do live in Van Nuys right now (which believe me, has its REALLY ugly parts) and all around the area I live is filthy. They do not have street sweepers in this area and there is junk and litter EVERYWHERE! Why don't they clean the streets in Van Nuys?? We are paying almost $1400 for a one-bedroom and I think we deserve to at least live in a semi-clean area for that price!

The sad thing is that it isn't just Van Nuys that is filthy anymore. It is hard for me to tell where Sherman Oaks even begins because there is so much gang graffiti and litter there, too. When I moved here in 2005, Sherman Oaks was a good area to live in, and Woodland Hills, too. Now I am seeing gang writing and rundown buildings everywhere I go.

What is going on here? Am I just opening my eyes to the filth now because I am thinking of moving away? Or are things really getting worse here? All over the Valley I see signs in Spanish, abandoned shopping carts filled with crap, plastic cups washed up on the side of roads and tons of illegals waiting for jobs outside of Home Depots. And we are still paying a crapload to live here. Ugh. Just had to vent!

The Valley is what Staten Island is to NYC - the STEPCHILD of the county.

EVERYTHING sux in the valley. Thank God you don't have to take public transportation. It's not that great in some areas and stops at midnight.

I guess there ARE gangs here, but like you, all I've ever seen is the graffiti. I've never seen a gang person or really know what they look like. According to the stereotype they're supposed to have shaved heads, wifebeaters and tattoos everywhere.

I don't see people that look like that here.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by gypsystar

I have only lived in L.A. for three years, but is seems like the Valley is getting uglier, dirtier and nastier each year.
...
What is going on here? Am I just opening my eyes... All over the Valley I see signs in Spanish, abandoned shopping carts filled with crap, plastic cups washed up on the side of roads and tons of illegals waiting for jobs outside of Home Depots. And we are still paying a crapload to live here. Ugh. Just had to vent!

Lol! Don't worry; be happy. The Valley is a work in progress. Some areas get worse, while others still worse get rehabilitated and come around again. This is at least my experience with the Valley for 30 years. What you see in one area today may not at all be what you see in a few years -- in both good and bad ways. I've seen good areas fall apart and bad areas come around. You've only been in the area for 3 years, but I guarantee that if you stay close by, over time you will see what I mean.

As to Spanish-language signs and Latin people. Eh-hem, this is California. That hasn't changed for 500 years. Don't expect it to change any time soon. Seeing and hearing Spanish may not be for you at the moment, but give it a chance and you might surprise yourself. Best thing to do if this bothers you is -- don't let it bother you.

The Valley and Southern California in general is largely what you make it. If one area doesn't suit you, it may not be a big trek to find an area that does. I don't live in the Valley any longer, but I'm still in S CA. My biggest complaint about the Valley was the summer heat. I had to get out on that point alone, but I didn't have to go far.

[Sorcerer68]

$1400/mo for a 1 bedroom in Van Nuys? YIKES! You could get a nice apartment in Studio City for that.

[lalife]

Spanish signs bother you? Personally I would never live in Southern California if I didn't have at least a basic knowledge of how to read and speak Spanish. It would be too alienating. Plus being able to speak Spanish will open up a whole other world.