Los Angeles- 66th street between S. Normandie and S. Vermont Avenues? (El Segundo: rent, crime)

[Midwesterns45]

My cousin is relocating to Los angeles for a new job offer this spring. She is short on money because she just got out of college and there for is working hard to pay back her loans.
She has gone home searching and found a home that she is thinking of buying on 66th street between Normandie and S. Vermont Avenues. For whatever reason, she isn't too keen on the neighborhood but is willing to give it a chance. Any accurate advice or information on this neighborhood would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[Charles]

I can't say for sure but I can write that most of the homes have bars on the windows

66th street and S. Normandie los angeles - Google Maps

and the majority of the schools are Greatschools 1 out of 10.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by Midwesterns45

My cousin is relocating to Los angeles for a new job offer this spring. She is short on money because she just got out of college and there for is working hard to pay back her loans.
She has gone home searching and found a home that she is thinking of buying on 66th street between Normandie and S. Vermont Avenues. For whatever reason, she isn't too keen on the neighborhood but is willing to give it a chance. Any accurate advice or information on this neighborhood would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Has she seen the neighborhood? Has she described it to you?

66th Street between Normandie and Vermont Avenues, or for that matter ANYTHING between Normandie and Vermont Avenues from the Thirties south to El Segundo Blvd (which around the 120s/130s) is going to be dicey at best. The reason? Gangs.

I'm not sure who claims that area as their territory nowadays. At one time I think it was the Eight Tray Gangsters; now, maybe it is the Rollin' Sixties or even the Six-Deuce Brims (a Blood Gang). Check on LA Gangs website or start Googling the address of the house (zip is 90047).

The houses may look charming, but most of them would have bars on the windows and pretty much all of them would have security doors. The street may look very charming (there are a LOT of palm trees in the southern part of LA, which helps that look a lot), but this can lull people to sleep regarding their safety).

This may sound really crass, but of what appearance and race is your cousin? This may make a difference. The area is majority black but that is changing rapidly; probably in another few years will be majority "Hispanic" at the rate that it is going. White may not matter, since it is a minority (if your cousin is not Hispanic AND white) but she will stand out if she is.

This is probably why she is not excited about living in the area.....it is a difficult place, with gangs and poverty to deal with.

[EscapeCalifornia]

How many Marines will she have guarding her house and escorting her around? I suggest no less than 4.

[BRinSM]

two words, "Rollin' 60s". Google it.

[uptown_urbanist]

What's the rush to buy a house? It's one thing to take a risk with a rough neighborhood if you already know the area and know what you're getting into, but a recent college grad, and presumably a young, single woman, who is new to LA?

If I were her I would NOT buy the house. She could try renting first to get to know the city and the neighborhoods; she'll then be able to make a more informed decision. Maybe she'll be willing to take the risk, maybe not, but at least she'll know what she's getting into, as well as know where she'll be spending most of her time. I know there are tax benefits right now, but she could potentially be on her way to a very costly mistake.

I agree with those who say that even the most dangerous streets can look okay on the outside.

The point about race is also a good one; I knew a white woman who lived in a bad neighborhood (she was an artist, needed a large and cheap studio space); the local gangs came around and asked her who she was and why she was there. They left her alone (and she left them alone), but she was definitely noticed.

Seriously, I'd tell her to reconsider buying. Rent first.

[Mike121]

My family's old neighborhood was down at 90th and Vermont, and I go down there from time to time to check it out. I don't have a clear vision in my head of what 66th and Vermont is like, but, I imagine it is pretty similar.

So, there are some charming houses there and some good people, but, while most blocks down there look fairly similar on the surface, some would great places to live and some would be miserable. You really do have to take it block by block.

I worry that a newcomer might not have the proper skills to gauge which micro-neighborhoods are calm and which are hectic. I may be one of the most optimistic guys that hangs out on this forum, but, even I am going to recommend renting first in the neighborhood you're looking at before locking yourself into a mortgage.

[Midwesterns45]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

Has she seen the neighborhood? Has she described it to you?

66th Street between Normandie and Vermont Avenues, or for that matter ANYTHING between Normandie and Vermont Avenues from the Thirties south to El Segundo Blvd (which around the 120s/130s) is going to be dicey at best. The reason? Gangs.

I'm not sure who claims that area as their territory nowadays. At one time I think it was the Eight Tray Gangsters; now, maybe it is the Rollin' Sixties or even the Six-Deuce Brims (a Blood Gang). Check on LA Gangs website or start Googling the address of the house (zip is 90047).

The houses may look charming, but most of them would have bars on the windows and pretty much all of them would have security doors. The street may look very charming (there are a LOT of palm trees in the southern part of LA, which helps that look a lot), but this can lull people to sleep regarding their safety).

This may sound really crass, but of what appearance and race is your cousin? This may make a difference. The area is majority black but that is changing rapidly; probably in another few years will be majority "Hispanic" at the rate that it is going. White may not matter, since it is a minority (if your cousin is not Hispanic AND white) but she will stand out if she is.

This is probably why she is not excited about living in the area.....it is a difficult place, with gangs and poverty to deal with.

My cousin is a mix of hispanic and caucasian races. I just talked to her on the phone and she describes the near by main streets like Gage, vermont, normandie and Florence Avenues as having a lot of 'urban hardships' graffiti murals that have been painted on buildings. Also there apparently is a reasonable amount of homeless people and loiterers ( perphaps drug dealers?) in the area. She isn't bothered at all by a little bit of urban blight. She just doesn't want bloods or dangerous criminals as neighbors. She is fimilar with this general area of LA as she has just attended the USC.
I told her even if she steals on a deal with this nice home, the neighborhood will be a concern that will stick with you as long as you live in that home.
Its up to her though....If I were her I would rent. Anybody have more information that would pull her away from buying in this area?

[uptown_urbanist]

"A little bit of urban blight" isn't a big deal, or homeless people, loiterers, graffiti, or even small-time drug dealers, but if she's concerned about gang activity then it's probably a better idea to pass on buying at this time. I admit, I don't know that area at all, and certainly agree that things can change dramatically block-by-block. But anywhere in LA that only has a "little bit of urban blight," or even small to moderate gang problems, is selling for far more than the prices I see listed in that neighborhood. That would raise some BIG red flags for me, or at least suggest that it's not just an issue of minor urban blight.

Has she talked to the police or looked at crime statistics?

Maybe she's willing and able to take the risk, but I'm getting the impression that she still hasn't dug too deeply into the actual specifics of the neighborhood or the block.

[CelticViking]

If I remember correctly thats a few blocks from the famous "florence and normandie" where reginald denny got pulled from his truck...

none the less...gang infested...

L.As bad areas may look suburban...but that doesnt mean there is no crime and no gangs...

All these threads on compton this and south central that...i feel like a broken record...because a lot of these so called hood areas...look like a typical decent working class neighborhood...even better then working class...especially west of main, but even compton has some really nice looking areas, but that doesnt mean that its not gang infested.

For example look up western and 111th...looks like a real nice neighborhood but its home to the 111 crips...