im moving to l.a. anyone know which areas have the best Punk scene/community?

[Senshi]

Hollywood is your best bet for a "punk" scene most likely. But, like everyone else said, there isn't one central area.

$800 a month is tough but doable in a lesser desirable area of Hollywood or even Koreatown. Get a roommate and find a place that doesn't care about credit (they exist!). I believe it's a renters market at the moment.

Credit is never an issue if you have double deposit but I have no idea what your money situation is like.

[415_s2k]

I moved out from Boston to LA in 2002, when I was 18, fresh out of a Boston hardcore band...

Areas to look at: Koreatown (the Mexican part of Koreatown, specifically... between Beverly and 3rd, from maybe Western to Vermont); Silverlake; Echo Park; Hollywood; and off of Manchester Boulevard, closer to the airport.

When people suggest Orange County, they're thinking of the mallpunk set: middle-to-upper class suburban white kids who shop at Hot Topic. There's a reasonable punk scene in LA that's mostly Latin-American and some pretty sick bands around.

[miyu]

I haven't seen any real punks in LA since the late 1990s. Unless you count the geriatric ones.

[lalena81]

Try Eagle Rock, Silverlake, or Highland Park

[paladinking]

thanks,

[King0fthehill]

For a punk scene? Highland Park (specifically along York near Occidental College), Hollywood and East Hollywood, Echo Park (though EP skews more hipsters), and places in the valley, such as North Hollywood. Lots of Latino punk and metalero types in Boyle and Lincoln Heights, Huntington Park and Whittier. Here are a few pics of Highland Park: http://devanwells.blogspot.com/searc...ighland%20Park

Originally Posted by majoun

Punks and hipsters arent the same thing

And of which neither are in SM/Venice in visible numbers (and, no, the teenie-boppers wearing Urban Outfitters and American Eagle don't count).

[readymade]

Yep: Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Koreatown, parts of Hollywood, Alhambra.

Also, you'll want to go to The Smell. (all-ages punk club)

[majoun]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

And of which neither are in SM/Venice in visible numbers (and, no, the teenie-boppers wearing Urban Outfitters and American Eagle don't count).

Few hipsters in SM - the only ones there are still in high school and haven't moved out of Mommy and Daddy's place yet - , but Venice is as hipster ridden as Silver Lake and they're very, very visible.

Very few punks in SM or Venice, although Venice used to have some. The numbers were never comparable to Hollywood, though.

[King0fthehill]

Anecdotally, the real, "DIY" hipsters who play in bands, are actually involved in creating art, don't have time/money to hang out in coffee shops all day, etc. - basically, the non-trust fund types - can't afford Venice. Similarly, but a more recent development, they can't afford Silverlake, which is why they're constantly being pushed further out into increasingly rougher, fringe nabes - first Echo Park (which itself is now being gentrified), but onto places like: the Lafayette Park area in Westlake, the area of EHO near LACC, Atwater Village, Highland Park and Boyle Heights, for instance.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

Anecdotally, the real, "DIY" hipsters who play in bands, are actually involved in creating art, don't have time/money to hang out in coffee shops all day, etc. - basically, the non-trust fund types - can't afford Venice. Similarly, but a more recent development, they can't afford Silverlake, which is why they're constantly being pushed further out into increasingly rougher, fringe nabes - first Echo Park (which itself is now being gentrified), but onto places like: the Lafayette Park area in Westlake, the area of EHO near LACC, Atwater Village, Highland Park and Boyle Heights, for instance.

The DIY types are the true trailblazers. The hipsters follow in their footsteps after the real artists have already set up.

Stacy Peralta, when asked if Venice was capable of producing another countercultural youth culture movement, said that the likelihood of another countercultural youth movement coming out of Venice today was about the same as one coming out of Malibu.

And yes, Silver Lake has gone in the same direction. If not for the lousy economy, Echo Park would have by now.

EHO and Koreatown have had poorer hipsters for some time as well as genuine creative people (who I wouldn't call hipsters ; hipsters IMO are more "wanna bes" or as we used to call them in LA. back in the '80s "posers". Funny how the NYC term "hipster" eclipsed the LA term for the same thing.) . Agree about Highland Park and Atwater Village, although I wouldn't exactly call Atwater Village "rough" in 2010 (it's considerably safer than Venice and has a similar crime rate to Brentwood - the days when it was ridden with drug dealers and addicts are LONG gone.) Westlake and Boyle Heights are much more sketchy and rougher ; I don't see the hipsters following the truly creative into those areas too soon especially with the fall in rents.

Here's a question - do you see REAL creative DIY people going to the Valley? The only Valley neighborhood with hipsters is North Hollywood specifically the Noho Arts District. I wonder if any of the real artists have gone deeper into NH or to other areas of the Valley that are rougher and more fringy/off the beaten path.