Crime in your area?

[Joe Biden 2020]

Believe you me, Springfield Township has had its fair share of mischievous rascals!

I know, Bart and Lisa can be devilish kids.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

My car got broken into last week. Second time in 12 months.

What about hit and runs? From what I have read it sounds like a real nightmare on LA roads. Im more of a walker myself.

Yeah, hit and runs are bad here. Not to sound racist, but there are a LOT of illegal immigrants around LA driving cars without licenses or insurance. If you're going to drive here, you def want uninsured motorist protection, and you definitely want to assume that cars will hit you when you try crossing the street.

What part of SoCal do you live in, Moderate? Do you have a nice car?

I live in Encino, a fairly affluent, heavily Jewish town in "the valley." My apartment has a gated underground parking lot, but management left the gate open for a week last month when they changed gate code. That's when my car was broken into. The earlier incident happened in Van Nuys on a road lacking street lights.

My car isn't that nice -- it's a 2005 Honda Civic. I don't usually keep a lot of things in my car (and I keep my trunk locked), so the theft was limited to a pair of old Ray Bans I left on the dash, a canister of my pre-workout supplement (I'd assume the thief knew what it was, because it's expensive to buy and holds 0 value for 90 percent of the population) and sadly, my Nintendo 3DS that I stuffed in the glove box after I took my car in for servicing a week prior.

[memphis]

A lot of Memphis is pretty ghetto. My little corner is pretty quiet though.  I have no reservations about walking around at midnight. And I do fairly often when I have trouble sleeping. But I always lock the door. No need to tempt fate.

[TJ in Oregon]

Madison: Fairly Low
My Neighborhood: Pretty close to not existent out here in yuppieville. Next year I'll be moving across town to an area with a bit more crime, say low to moderate.

[fezzyfestoon]

Very low in my neighborhood, pretty high in the city. I rarely feel unsafe because I rarely go to unsafe areas at night. It's very easy to avoid danger in Philly. You know when you're somewhere you shouldn't be.

[Sbane]

My car got broken into last week. Second time in 12 months.

What about hit and runs? From what I have read it sounds like a real nightmare on LA roads. Im more of a walker myself.

Yeah, hit and runs are bad here. Not to sound racist, but there are a LOT of illegal immigrants around LA driving cars without licenses or insurance. If you're going to drive here, you def want uninsured motorist protection, and you definitely want to assume that cars will hit you when you try crossing the street.

What part of SoCal do you live in, Moderate? Do you have a nice car?

I live in Encino, a fairly affluent, heavily Jewish town in "the valley." My apartment has a gated underground parking lot, but management left the gate open for a week last month when they changed gate code. That's when my car was broken into. The earlier incident happened in Van Nuys on a road lacking street lights.

My car isn't that nice -- it's a 2005 Honda Civic. I don't usually keep a lot of things in my car (and I keep my trunk locked), so the theft was limited to a pair of old Ray Bans I left on the dash, a canister of my pre-workout supplement (I'd assume the thief knew what it was, because it's expensive to buy and holds 0 value for 90 percent of the population) and sadly, my Nintendo 3DS that I stuffed in the glove box after I took my car in for servicing a week prior.

Encino is a fairly nice area, so I'm surprised that happened there. Perhaps the sunglasses were too visible, I dunno. My sunglasses are usually pretty visible, but they are also fairly cheap (but they work well).

Also, LA traffic and driving habits are terrible. I always assume the drivers around me are going to F up in some manner. Also you must watch out for the freeway trash. Random sh**t just tends to pop out at you on the freeways there. There is a price to be paid for living in SoCal.

[they don't love you like i love you]

I sort of live in the transition area between uptown and the ghetto, so moderate probably. A significant amount including serious crime but nothing to be scared of unless you're one of those suburbanites. You're a dumb if you leave your car unlocked while parked though.

[Napoleon]

Encino is a fairly nice area, so I'm surprised that happened there. Perhaps the sunglasses were too visible, I dunno. My sunglasses are usually pretty visible, but they are also fairly cheap (but they work well).

I hear that unless your up in the hills, anything can happen in LA. I had been wondering where Mr. Not So Moderate lived, Encino sounds more like a family style suburb than a cool, young person neighborhood from my admittedly limited research of it. The only area of the Valley I really looked at was Studio City and then decided that I'd much prefer access to decent public transportation. Silver Lake caught my eye because you can get Silver Lake, Echo Park, Hollywood and Downtown all fairly easily.

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Let me know if you have any advice/warnings. By the way, are you permanently in Tennessee, or moving back to California soon?

You're a dumb if you leave your car unlocked while parked though.

Why would anyone leave their car or home unlocked, no matter where you live? "Better safe than sorry" isn't a well known cliche without reason.

[Sbane]

At least according to crime statistics (and not just from LA but the cities surrounding it), LA does not seem to be as crime ridden as one may think. There are obviously areas to avoid, but overall it seems to be fairly safe. I think you will find more property crime than violent crime, in any case. I would just steer clear of South LA and the North Hollywood area in the Valley. Otherwise, you should be fine, though it can get pretty suburban out in the valley (nothing wrong with that, but it all depends on what you want). I wouldn't mind living in the areas south/south east of Hollywood, and I think those areas will get gentrified next, if they haven't already. Korea town is exciting too, though I think rents are likely sky high there already.

I an in Tennessee for school and my plan is to move back to California or maybe the Pacific Northwest. Mostly likely it's going to be California.

[Napoleon]

I'm far more concerned with property crime than violent crime. Alas, I'm far more prepared for property crime than violent crime. If someone wants to kill me, they'll probably be able to. If someone wants to break into my house, they will struggle with it.

I, too, was deciding between California (Bay Area and LA area) and Pacific Northwest (Portland and Seattle). Ultimately I went with the warmer weather and diversity.

[dead0man]

In my neighborhood and general part of town, very low.

[Tender Branson]

Virtually no crime.

A homicide happens every 20 years or so.

Mostly break-in crime from Eastern European gangs and tourists who steal skis or snowboards.

[MaxQue]

In Montreal, it's quite high in my neighboorhood (it's a poor, immigrant neighboorhood, with some gang related shootings and a very mediatized horror crime happening last year). But I live in a part of the neighbourhood which is calmer (heavily student area, on the border with affluent Outremont).

Val-d'Or is Val-d'Or. We have the problems of a city which too much bars and too high rents (public drunkenness and homelessness, not a good mix). Big drug (so, we have the related dealers) and gambling problems, too.

[Franzl]

Virtually none.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Virtually no crime.

A homicide happens every 20 years or so.

Mostly break-in crime from Eastern European gangs and tourists who steal skis or snowboards.

Which reminds me, I should to visit your area. I need a new snowboard, you see.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

here is major cities by crime rate for 2011

Detroit is number 1 in violent crime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

I heard a few years ago that Flint was the most violent city in the world per capita.  That's not the same of course, but did you hear anything like that too?

[Hatman 🍁]

Fairly high for Ottawa standards, I think, which is to say quite low.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

It's odd - there's a major road that divides the north immediately North of the Canberra CBD... On one side there's a bit if property damage, some robberies - and sadly one random murder - but on my side, virtually nothing.

[Torie]

I think I live on perhaps the safest un-gated street (lots of old people (I am probably still below the median age) who stay at home, and it's a cul de sac), in the safest city, in the relatively safe county of Orange, in CA. I don't even lock my back sliding doors, unless I go away for long periods. Never had a burglary or any other incident in 25 years.

Former Moderate lives in the town (well it is part of LA but has its own post office name) that I grew up in for most of my youth - Encino.  We lived at 17437 Rancho St., Former Moderate, in case you are interested. That portion of Rancho is at the bottom of a former creek bed, kind of whindy, and has beautiful old Oak trees all around that are hundreds of years old. The big house on the hill to the east where Rancho meets Louise (and doglegs before continuing on east to Balboa) is where John Wayne lived, and then Walt Disney's daughter. Aretha Franklin lived on the SW corner of Louise and Rancho. Efram Zimbalist Jr. lived right behind us. His wife loved exotic animals, and occasionally this ostrich like creature would hop the fence, and wander around our pool area. The family cats did not know what to do with a bird that was 50 times their size. It seemed to them at once prey and predator.

Oh for you lawyers out there, nascent and actual, do you remember the Zimbalist violin contract case you read in law school? That was Efram's father. It's the case one reads to learn about the doctrine of mutual mistake. Both parties in good faith thought the violin that was sold was a Stradivarius. It turned out not to be. Can the contract be rescinded?

Sbane, Silverlake is almost totally gentrified now - and hideously expensive. I can rent out 1 bedroom apartments now for about 2K a pop.

[Sbane]

Oh, I know Silverlake is totally gentrified. I was just wondering whether the area south/south east of Hollywood, sort of between it and Koreatown was gentrifying yet.

Also Napoleon, you should look into Pasadena. It gets a little warmer in the summer (average high in the upper 80's with no humidity), and it also gets smoggier than the basin (but so does the valley). Downtown Pasadena is a exciting place to be though, and will be cheaper than other gentrified places in LA. Also, the apartments are newer and nicer there.

[Torie]

Oh, I know Silverlake is totally gentrified. I was just wondering whether the area south/south east of Hollywood, sort of between it and Koreatown was gentrifying yet.

Also Napoleon, you should look into Pasadena. It gets a little warmer in the summer (average high in the upper 80's with no humidity), and it also gets smoggier than the basin (but so does the valley). Downtown Pasadena is a exciting place to be though, and will be cheaper than other gentrified places in LA. Also, the apartments are newer and nicer there.

Koreatown is to the SW, and in general no. I have not seen much change east of Western, and south of Beverly Blvd, say along Vermont, if that is what you have in mind. Echo Park however seems to be undergoing some gentrification. And East Hollywood definitely is - in fact all of the flats of Hollywood are. And the area around the Staples center in south downtown is a whole new chic world. Another area gentrifying is the Adams district.

Pasadena is getting rapidly more expensive. A friend of mine owns 16 units there, and rents are skyrocketing.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Pasadena is getting rapidly more expensive. A friend of mine owns 16 units there, and rents are skyrocketing.

What about Glendale? My step-grandmother (maternal grandfathers second wife ) was born there. IIRC, there's a huge Armenian-American community there.

[Torie]

Pasadena is getting rapidly more expensive. A friend of mine owns 16 units there, and rents are skyrocketing.

What about Glendale? My step-grandmother (maternal grandfathers second wife ) was born there. IIRC, there's a huge Armenian-American community there.

It's less chic.  I don't know the market there very well. The north end (and Chevy Chase Canyon) has always been fashionable, and back in the day very WASP. Yes, it is heavily Armenian now for some reason. I have no idea why they gravitated there. There is another pocket just south of the Los Feliz district, and there is a city sign actually labeling it "Little Armenia."

[All Along The Watchtower]

Pasadena is getting rapidly more expensive. A friend of mine owns 16 units there, and rents are skyrocketing.

What about Glendale? My step-grandmother (maternal grandfathers second wife ) was born there. IIRC, there's a huge Armenian-American community there.

It's less chic.  I don't know the market there very well. The north end (and Chevy Chase Canyon) has always been fashionable, and back in the day very WASP. Yes, it is heavily Armenian now for some reason. I have no idea why they gravitated there. There is another pocket just south of the Los Feliz district, and there is a city sign actually labeling it "Little Armenia."

Ah, that's interesting. So more of a suburban, "family-oriented" vibe? I find it so interesting that even two cities that are right next to each other in the sprawling megalopolis of Los Angeles can be so different.

[Sbane]

Downtown Glendale has some new apartment buildings from what I have seen. Not as desirable as Pasadena though.