Santa Clarita (Los Angeles, Lancaster, Palmdale: crime rate, how much, safe area)

[sebasticook2001]

Hello, I am considering moving to Cali to take a job in the San Fernando Valley. Several folks have told me with kids I should look at Santa Clarita. They said it is nice and safe, compared to other parts of the LA area. I can afford about 2g a month rent, possibly would like to get a town house. Any thoughts.

[BlackSS]

I have a friend who lives there and I hear nothing but great things about Santa Clarita. I say go for it.

[colson915]

I live in Valencia and aboslutley love it! It is a very child friendly city...The schools are great, and the people are friendly. It's far enough from the chaois of LA, but close enough that you don't feel like you are out in the desert. You should look at the area connect website...It has crime rate statistics (our city is below the national average). Hope this helps

[SarumanTheChef]

Originally Posted by sebasticook2001

Hello, I am considering moving to Cali to take a job in the San Fernando Valley. Several folks have told me with kids I should look at Santa Clarita. They said it is nice and safe, compared to other parts of the LA area. I can afford about 2g a month rent, possibly would like to get a town house. Any thoughts.

It's a nice city, though traffic commuting to the Valley/L.A. can be a problem as there's basically one way in or out (the highway 5), and as more people move there and to Lancaster and Palmdale to the north it will only get worse.

Most of the Valley is itself safe, certainly as you get west and/or north of Van Nuys, Reseda, etc. If the job is towards the west end of the Valley, communities in the valley itself like Winnetka or Canoga Park, or communities like Simi Valley just west of the Valley may be a more convenient option if they are equally affordable for you. The San Fernando Valley is a very big place (and "the LA area" is almost state-like in the scale of its size, so the actual 'unsafe areas' are distant from a majority of greater Los Angeles).

It all depends on how much traffic you mind commuting through, really, and the areas you are used to living in (the signifigantly more difficult driving here in the Valley was a bit of an unpleasant adjustment when I moved here from Northern CA).