Safety & East Hollywood (Melrose & Western) (Los Angeles, Santa Monica: apartment, lease)

[LindSea]

I'd like to know how people rate the safety of the area around Lemon Grove and Western (between Melrose and Santa Monica). I am also wondering if the neighborhood is improving, getting worse, staying the same, etc.

I'd like to hear from people who have lived around there, or currently live there, if possible.

I have lived in mixed income, urban neighborhoods for my entire adult life, and am not looking for a suburban gated community level of safety. Just want to know how it ranks in LA, and if you'd live there.

My bf and I just moved there but are having doubts about the neighborhood, based on some things we've seen. We are trying to decide whether to break our lease and move. My concern is that street parking is really tight, so if the neighborhood is not safe, then we don't really want to be walking blocks and blocks at night alone.

[LindSea]

Bumping this. Can anybody help?

And adding that I am less concerned about your run of the mill car break ins, which are a part of city life, and more concerned about violent thefts, muggings, etc.

[LindSea]

Last attempt to bump. Anybody out there with some input?

I keep going back and forth between thinking this is a fine neighborhood if I just keep alert, and thinking it is more dangerous than the lower rent is worth...

[xyzxyz]

Originally Posted by LindSea

I'd like to know how people rate the safety of the area around Lemon Grove and Western (between Melrose and Santa Monica). I am also wondering if the neighborhood is improving, getting worse, staying the same, etc.

I'd like to hear from people who have lived around there, or currently live there, if possible.

I have lived in mixed income, urban neighborhoods for my entire adult life, and am not looking for a suburban gated community level of safety. Just want to know how it ranks in LA, and if you'd live there.

My bf and I just moved there but are having doubts about the neighborhood, based on some things we've seen. We are trying to decide whether to break our lease and move. My concern is that street parking is really tight, so if the neighborhood is not safe, then we don't really want to be walking blocks and blocks at night alone.

All I know is that when I hear the street "Western" I cringe. No, it isn't a great part of the city.

By the way, you can't break a lease because you are trying to say the area is unsafe. Your landlord will look at you and just laugh. It is your responsibility to research the area first.

[LindSea]

I am not planning on claiming ignorance to the landlord to break the lease-- I will deal with the consequences if I decide to leave. But thank you for the comment on the safety question.

[CESpeed]

I lived near that intersection for one year and while it wasn't the cleanest neighborhood. I never felt unsafe and I never had any problems. This was about 5 - 10 years ago. I've visited since then but it looks about the same.

[Cubancoffee]

Dense but reasonably safe compared to many other areas, IMHO.

[topshelf2]

It is not a good area.

[skreem2]

I live a bit to the north of the neighborhood you cite, and have been here for five years. There are FAR worse neighborhoods in which to reside in Los Angeles. Cleanliness, and safety issues would give the area around Western Ave. between Melrose and Santa Monica a medium rating. There are nutcases and thieves, but not the desperate, and often violent, crack addicts you will find farther to the south.
Let's face it. Ozzie and Harriet's world costs at least a half a million and mostly exists west of the 405 freeway.

[mading6]

OMG I just bought a house by the Lemon Grove Park/ Melrose Hill neighborhood. I have lived here for a year and there have been about 5 shootings in this area where one guy was injured, one killed, an apartment building down the street shot up, car shot up, a man down the street at the convenient store stabbed badly. I am freaking out!

I am a female from the South. I am not use to this GANG thing. This city is beyond retarded allowing this crap to happen. I had to pay over $30,000.00 (for two properties) in property taxes for 2007 to live with this CRAP!!!?????????? and I cannot even put up a 6' fence in the front of my house with tall bushes to prevent from these nuts breaking in to my house???? I was fined $600 because my bushed were tooo high.

They say this is a historic area. Well sorry it may be a so called historic area/neighborhood but I rather BE SAFE or at least feel safe.

Oh I NEVER, NEVER walk around at night. My boyfriend does not allow me to. He does just a little to go to the convenient stores but that is about it. We drive everywhere. It is a shame.

It is also a shame that we cannot enjoy the LemonGrove park down the street. We drive to Griffith, not too far!

Oh did you ask your landlord (I am a landlord also) before you moved in if the area was a "gang area" or shall I say "gang territory"? Because I just looked up the territories for gangs in Hollywood and guess what this area is MS13 territory. SO DAMN SCARY!

I was thinking of renting my house out and renting in a safer area.

Something is seriously wrong with California in those regards mentioned!

Take care and good luck!