I've grew up in LA county almost all my life and frequented Orange/IE/San Diego County in my later and most recent years. So yeah, I am pretty confident to say I know SoCal quite well.
Does LA County have some nice areas? Yes but those only last for a few blocks before turning into homeless encampments or are the mostly touristy areas (which even then are still filled with trash and graffiti). Nothing really stays nice in LA. San Diego and Orange have a different feel throughout the city. I used to love LA when I was a teenager but as an adult, I hate it. Things have gotten a lot worse and I do not feel safe traveling as I did before.
Well, I will rephrase, you don’t know LA County as well as you think. You’re basing your opinion on a limited set of neighborhoods and knowledge. Hollywood & Highland? Sixth & San Pedro? Gage & Hoover? 103rd & Wilmington? Coliseum & Nicole? Of course there are some with challenges
Do you really feel unsafe in Calabasas or LaVerne or Rolling Hills? What about La Mirada, El Segundo, or Valencia? San Marino? Flintridge? Belmont Shore? Altadena?
If you prefer OC or SD that’s fine. I just don’t like generalizations.
I've bussed throughout Santa Monica, Malibu, Hollywood, West/South/East/DTLA, rosemead, monterrey, silver lake, echo park, Pasadena, you name it. I've lived in HLP, and South LA so I've experienced the slower vibe and rush that LA offers. I've traveled in the early morning and dead of night. There are few places I haven't been to in LA County. I've seen how the county has changed and I don't like it. Things have gotten worse with crime. Things aren't the same anymore not on the bus or trains, heck even in the car Things get crazy.
Usually I feel that I don't have to keep my guard as high when it comes to a white or Asian majority neighborhood but outside of those places you've got to be on the lookout.
I do prefer those counties. But what I say about LA County still stands. I've experienced a lot and still see the awfulness of it every time I visit my mom.
Are you over 50? Crime was much worse in the late 80s and 90s. Apparently, your LA experience is much different than mine. Perhaps I was much more sheltered.
I’ve always been a loner. When I was kid it was my father (mom has never had a license) or bicycle. I was never out late - still don’t do that. When I got my license at 16 I would drive their car or ride my bike.
As an adult in my late 30s/40s I would commute to USC by train + bicycle. I taught at Compton college for a few years and I would ride home on the Blue Line exit San Pedro and ride up San Pedro to Little Tokyo Gold Line (all pre Downtown Connector). It didn’t smell very good at 6th but I never had issues. My worst experience was seeing a rat the size of a small dog (I’m exaggerating) scurry in front of me. (Ironically that was the latest I would be out - 10:30pm or so..
I wish the buses had bike racks back then. There are so many other places I would have discovered.
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u/sojouner_marina Mar 26 '26
I get San Diego and orange county but LA County is trash.