Portland to Culver City

[majoun]

Originally Posted by nick2006

thanks. so good elementary for mar vista, good middle for palms. where does clover elementary lie? i heard they were good also

An area called "Westside Village" that traditionally was considered part of Palms but due to being whiter than Palms and having more SFRs than Palms decided to secede from Palms and become part of Mar Vista - as a result Mar Vista now extends east of the 405.

The middle schools for the area of the elementary school would be either Palms or Webster.

I wouldn't call Palms a good school, it's "LAUSD good" which means merely bad as opposed to godawful. Culver City schools are better. MV is getting closer to Santa Monica which is much better for schools, but is also more expensive. Also the elementary schools in Mar Vista vary considerably, some are actually good, others aren't.

[nick2006]

Originally Posted by majoun

An area called "Westside Village" that traditionally was considered part of Palms but due to being whiter than Palms and having more SFRs than Palms decided to secede from Palms and become part of Mar Vista - as a result Mar Vista now extends east of the 405.

The middle schools for the area of the elementary school would be either Palms or Webster.

I wouldn't call Palms a good school, it's "LAUSD good" which means merely bad as opposed to godawful. Culver City schools are better. MV is getting closer to Santa Monica which is much better for schools, but is also more expensive. Also the elementary schools in Mar Vista vary considerably, some are actually good, others aren't.

lol...your first sentence is a little funny. thanks

[tigerlily]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

If you cant find what you are looking for in Culver City, check out Mar Vista and Westchester. Both have some nice neighborhoods and Ive seen homes for rent in both areas for $2200-3000/mo which is about as cheap as it gets on the Westside.

People get steered away from those areas due to school issues, but the neighborhoods are clean and safe, and renting there is a bargain compared to what the homes sell for.

For instance, this place is pretty nice Charming Westchester Home--Kentwood! Family Room! (http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/apa/2585532756.html - broken link), although about $300-400 overpriced(I'd negotiate price).

Thanks. Both price/commute in two areas would work for us. In checking further, it appears some Westchester neighborhoods could be in LAX flight paths. Definitely, a problem.

[rascal-c]

I live in the Helms art district and I highly recommend it. However, I think calling it "walkable" is a stretch, especially with all the construction in building the Expo line train terminus (they've taken over much of the sidewalk area around Washington/National). You're still going to need to drive everywhere.

That said, it is a great place to live. It's easy to drive to Santa Monica, Hollywood, WeHo, Downtown, etc. There are three Trader Joe's within a 5 to 10 minute drive, and all the bars and restaurants of downtown Culver are about a mile away. It's safe and quiet at night, and a very diverse and middle class neighborhood. If you like to run, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Park is nearby, along with Kenneth Hahn and Culver City parks.

In a couple years, once the train to downtown is complete and the area around Washington/National has been renovated for the new commuter train crowd, I think this neighborhood will be even more desirable and walkable - so I'd get in now before the rents skyrocket!

However - addressing your point that there aren't a lot of houses for rent - you're right, there are not. I found my 2-bedroom house on Westside Rentals - usually a much better selection than Craigslist. The fact is that there are a lot of homeowners in Culver City and not a ton of house rentals. However, they ARE there - just keep an eye on CL, Westside Rentals, and even drive around the Helms district streets and the streets south of downtown Culver City and look for signs - there are still quite a few old school landlords in these parts.