Cheapest and Safest place to live in LA? (Los Angeles, Anaheim: cheap apartments, to rent)

[lalondnm]

Can anyone tell me where renting is extremely reasonable under $1000 a month and safe? Moving from Michigan and am not sure of the right areas to move in the surrounding LA area.

[dr. kenneth noisewater]

i would be most interested as well; planning a move in july to weho initially (crashing with friends) but will be looking to rent a place asap (will have some savings). want to avoid pollution, traffic, serious crime as much as possible, but understand it's probably impossible to avoid completely. don't really care about being a minority, as long as the other people are cool to a cracka. suggestions?

[Chinghis]

Depends on a lot of things. Do you have a job, or an area you think you might be working in? Will you have a car? Sharing an apartment on the West Side might work out OK; in my apartment building, a lot of 2 BR apartments (which go for under $2K/month) are shared by a couple of people. There's even some public transportation - Santa Monica bus line, Culver City bus line, and of course MTA on the major boulevards.

I lived in Mid-City for most of the last ten years, from 1996-2006. Right outside Koreatown. There was some crime, graffiti, trash, but also kind of a funky vibe and the best Korean food you're likely to get between New York and Seoul. Note: Mid-City is not the same as Mid-Wilshire, which is a little farther West. But also a cool area.

Having lived here for 15 years, I guess I think of almost anywhere outside of South Central, Compton, etc., as livable.

[Stang66]

Try Burbank. Safe (Burbank Police, not LAPD), great schools, close to freeways (5, 134, 101) only 10-15 mins from Hollywood or Downtown.

[petrikke]

Originally Posted by dr. kenneth noisewater

i would be most interested as well; planning a move in july to weho initially (crashing with friends) but will be looking to rent a place asap (will have some savings). want to avoid pollution, traffic, serious crime as much as possible, but understand it's probably impossible to avoid completely. don't really care about being a minority, as long as the other people are cool to a cracka. suggestions?

You should first of all find a place close to where you will work or go to school? The traffic here is different from anything you have ever seen, and because there are so few tall buildings ( earthquicks make it so that most building are few floors, so the city is very widespread ) A trip that takes 30 minutes can take 3 hours if you are unlucky.
Are you looking for work, or how is it?
Stay away from Watts and South Central LA mainly, and if you are going to comute, post where you will be working. Mia

[kimbree]

Under a $1000 a month, you MIGHT be able to find a studio. Anywhere in LA that is reasonable safe, ie no drive bys, you will not find here in SoCa. Maybe in the high desert, which is where I lived for 8 years, but you will have to commute to what they call "down below" and that is 100+ miles round trip each day, I did it for years and my commute was 180 miles a day and anywhere from 4-6 hours a day. Under $1000 will get you a place that you do not want to live. Gangs, graffiti and poverty. Most 1 bedrooms are at least $1100 and a 2 bedroom upwards of $1300. I am not talking fancy either, I am talking basic. My youngest daughter rents somewhat fancy. In Agoura Hills (long drive to LA), two bedroom, 2.5 baths, gated and pays $2800 a month!!! My other daughter and husband purchased a home two years ago in Valley Village (close to LA), 60 years old, rehabbed, 1500 square feet, large yard, for $780,000 and that was a steal! With $100k down, house payment is $3500 not including taxes. Stay where you are if you are looking for something that cheap.

[dr. kenneth noisewater]

i talked to one of my friends i'd be staying with in weho, and he suggests la city college (i think he said it was in east hollywood) for a reasonably cheap place to go to school at nights that isn't dangerous. he also told me his current 1/1 is just over 1K, and his first place out here in the valley (also a 1/1) was 675. i visited him in his first place and i never felt scared walking the streets.
basically, i'm looking for something close to my friends in weho and close to an inexpensive 4-yr college, where i can find a decent job w/in walking distance or short commute (i will have a car assuming it doesn't blow up b4 then). if it was anywhere close to the beach that would rule, but i kinda expect to pay more for that.
overall, i don't plan in staying in la for more than a few years; it's just too big. but i would like to use my stay to finish school, find out what kind of career i want, and possibly find another, much smaller town in socal to live in.
graffiti is kinda cool sometimes...

[saucemoney]

Originally Posted by kimbree

Under a $1000 a month, you MIGHT be able to find a studio. Anywhere in LA that is reasonable safe, ie no drive bys, you will not find here in SoCa. Maybe in the high desert, which is where I lived for 8 years, but you will have to commute to what they call "down below" and that is 100+ miles round trip each day, I did it for years and my commute was 180 miles a day and anywhere from 4-6 hours a day. Under $1000 will get you a place that you do not want to live. Gangs, graffiti and poverty. Most 1 bedrooms are at least $1100 and a 2 bedroom upwards of $1300. I am not talking fancy either, I am talking basic. My youngest daughter rents somewhat fancy. In Agoura Hills (long drive to LA), two bedroom, 2.5 baths, gated and pays $2800 a month!!! My other daughter and husband purchased a home two years ago in Valley Village (close to LA), 60 years old, rehabbed, 1500 square feet, large yard, for $780,000 and that was a steal! With $100k down, house payment is $3500 not including taxes. Stay where you are if you are looking for something that cheap.

i seen some really cheap places in van nuys and i heard it was an ok city to live in...also in north hollywood and surronding areas i found some cheap apartments (between 900-1800)........

[saucemoney]

Originally Posted by dr. kenneth noisewater

i talked to one of my friends i'd be staying with in weho, and he suggests la city college (i think he said it was in east hollywood) for a reasonably cheap place to go to school at nights that isn't dangerous. he also told me his current 1/1 is just over 1K, and his first place out here in the valley (also a 1/1) was 675. i visited him in his first place and i never felt scared walking the streets.
basically, i'm looking for something close to my friends in weho and close to an inexpensive 4-yr college, where i can find a decent job w/in walking distance or short commute (i will have a car assuming it doesn't blow up b4 then). if it was anywhere close to the beach that would rule, but i kinda expect to pay more for that.
overall, i don't plan in staying in la for more than a few years; it's just too big. but i would like to use my stay to finish school, find out what kind of career i want, and possibly find another, much smaller town in socal to live in.
graffiti is kinda cool sometimes...

have you tried culver city? its about 20 minutes from WeHo and its a ok city

[miracle]

I think the cheapest of the safest places in Los Angeles and Greater Los Angeles (that include ventura, orange, an the inland empire) are those where latinos are majority and those latinos are working people well established here since years, I think Azusa, Covina, Whittier, Duarte, Alhambra, Arcadia, La Puente, Glendora, San Dimas in the San Gabriel Valley are the best centrally located and not very unsafe, latino majority but good people.

Also in Ventura try Oxnard, or some parts of northern OC as Anaheim, Garden Grove or Fullerton. In the IE biggest cities as Ontario, San Ber or Riverside has good and bad parts, are very diverse.