Is one likely to feel out of place in Glendale... (Burbank: cheap apartment, safe neighborhoods)

[CamaroGuy]

Originally Posted by whitechocolate86

As far I know, Armenians are "White", I was more or less asking if any non-Armeninan felt out of place...culture wise...I would like to see if anyone had any personal pictures of the city...I know you can do google and flickr...but the personal ones that go in the photo threads seem much better

Most Armenians I've met do NOT consider themselves to be white. I guess they feel that they're colored.

[LizzyNola]

There are all races of human beings in Glendale, and yes there is a large Armenian population, but I would not say it has a dominant Armenian Culture. Unfortunately many of the young Armenians have come here and made the choice to join gangs, but Glendale is not just about Armenians.

For the most part, Glendale is a nice place to live.

[Jduchart]

I have consider moving to this area when i move to L.A. I also have looked
at Glendale Community College. It does look like one of the more affordable parts
of L.A compared to other areas i was looking at. From the stats i looked at on the
net, crime was not as bad as other areas. I am debating on here or
Culver City. Still do not know where to move yet.

[LizzyNola]

Culver City is more "progressive" if you will than Glendale. Glendale also has a heavy Hispanic population, and in fact there are great Mexican restaurants.

Culver City is more centrally located than Glendale in my opinion. Close to the beach/coast, close to Beverly Hills,Century City, Westwood, Brentwoo, Santa Monica, etc. Culver City is experiencing renovation and new stores/restaurants are going up in the area. Culver city is also a very nice community, and it is well managed.You can't go wrong.

Good luck

[Praline]

I moved to Glendale from Chicago about 3 years ago. At first I hated it and thought that it was really a racist, clique-ish hell. Glendale was home to a KKK chapter in the '80s. Some Armenians are standoffish and there is a definite organized crime element here. There are still some Armenian restaurants that are not welcoming to anyone who isn't Armenian. Some Armenians can be rude, bad drivers, and difficult to deal with. By the way, Armenians are "Sephardic, Mediterranean" people and most do not consider themselves white. The schools in Glendale aren't that great and I send my child to school in Burbank.

That being said, the longer I've lived here the more I've grown to like it. After 3 years, my neighbors are starting to introduce themselves and while they are not exactly friendly, they are more willing to exchange greetings and chat a little. Being from the Midwest, I was used to greeting strangers on the street and having them return the greeting - not so in my early Glendale days. However, I just kept smiling and saying "Good morning" and slowly I got nods, then a tentative smile, and at last, return greetings. I think that many of the residents just have to warm up to you and see what you're about before interacting with you. Many of the older Armenian residents were afraid of dogs and considered them to be nasty and dangerous. People used to jump off the sidewalk when I walked my dogs (a beagle and a chow). Now, they are used to seeing my two "kids" and just keep on walking and are less afraid - also more dog owners have moved into the neighborhood and it is no longer odd to see a Rott or Shepherd strolling by with their owners.

I love shopping on Brand Avenue and I love being within walking distance of Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Blockbuster, IHOP, movie theaters, the Galleria, the Americana, etc. I no longer feel out of place or particularly unwelcome. I have a great view of the mountains, I'm 10 minutes away from Montrose Village, I really am starting to like it here and I've stopped pining for Chicago. Sure, I still miss Michigan Avenue, the lakefront, the great restaurants and nightlife, but I'm starting to think of Glendale as home and I'm finally glad I came.

[maja]

I moved from Glendale about seven years ago. I found it to be a safe, clean community. Has some beautiful old Spanish architecture homes/neighborhoods. The Armenian population was large and growing. No problems there, except I did start to feel kind of out of place and a bit lonely because of the language barrier. Communication, as is often the case in culturally diverse California areas, ends up being pretty basic and lacking in depth because of limitations in vocabulary/grammar. I grew up in the midwest and sometimes miss just being able to chitchat with the grocery store clerk or ask detailed questions of people, etc.

[Dr. Who]

I'm Armenian and I've lived in Glendale and the other parts of L.A. my whole life.

We are very welcoming people, but you gotta remember, like any other group of people from Asia/Eastern Europe, we're sort of old fashioned. It's really just the older crowd, our parents and grandparents, who have that "stick to their own" mentality, and not even a big majority of them are like that. We love teaching other people about our culture, and we are generally very hospitable people.

Sure we have the "type" of people you guys are talking about, but who doesn't. Some of you talked about the young Armenians having nice or flashy cars. You have to remember, back in Armenia, everyone was dirt poor, and when they came here, they just want their kids happy and give them nice things. Not that its alright or normal to buy your teenage kids an expensive car, but they're just that way, live with it.


Some of you also talked about how the younger crowds has no respect for anyone. Well that's not really true. Everyone race of people on this Earth, has those type of people, who are stand offish and don't respect anyone. It's not 'cause they're Armenian, they'd still be like that if they were "white".

You also have to remember that this is L.A. Sure you can go live in a nice suburban community in Simi Valley or Pasadena. Glendale may seem like a nice little place to live, but its not a little town where its made up of upper middle class to upper class of people, living in their cookie cutter mini-mansions. Its really a continuation of Hollywood, just no tourists.

If you're moving here from the east or the mid-west, do not choose to live in Hollywood, Glendale, Van Nuys, North Hollywood. You will never feel comfortable. To be able to live here, enjoy it and be comfortable at all, you will need to at least live here for 20 years, or be born here. L.A., is truly different from anywhere else.

[LizzyNola]

Wow!

I guess my age is catching up with me!

I can actually remember when there was no Armenians to speak of in Glendale!

Being a native (family arrived in California/Los Angeles) in the late 1800's, I have seen many of the neighborhood changes.

I also what to say that you may like LOS FELIZ which is just a hop and a jump from Glendale (next to Atwater Village). If you like being around Griffith Park, and a diverse people, then Los Feliz/Franklin Hills/foothills may be for you.

Again, good luck~

[mommabear2]

I'm non-Armenian, L.A. native and I like Glendale and Armenians. My opinions of Armenians is this... they are typically loyal to their family and other Armenians, hard workers, shrewd business negotiators, love brand names and nice cars (check out the car washes in Glendale... you'd think you were in Bev. Hill), they are clean, take pride in their work/neighborhood and culture, and after a generation or two they become just as American as the rest of us but they still keep touch with their roots. I love Armenian food (Zanku's anyone?). I think they are a good group of people that L.A. needs. I've never met a lazy Armenian. I personally never felt out of place in Glendale but then again... I don't dwell on those sort of things.

[NicoleP]

I lived in Glendale for about a year and LOVED it...would move back in a heartbeat. BTW, the Armenian culture adds to the charm of Glendale