Koreatown (West Hollywood: affordable apartments, for rent, crime)

[conando]

My wife and I have been finding many, many affordable apartments in nice old-style buildings in Koreatown for cheap. Is there a downside? What areas should we avoid?

[BRinSM]

parking sucks if you don't get offstreet parking with your unit. crime is still an issue in much of the area as well. south of wilshire definitely seems more sketchy to me than north of wilshire and the far north area close to beverly blvd is also pretty sketchy. great food options though and easy access to the subway.

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree with BRinSM's obvservations.

If you want A/C make sure to ask about it when considering renting in one of those old buildings; we rented in one of the old 1920s Hollywood buildings, and we didn't have air conditioning and weren't allowed to put a window unit in. We thought it was worth it, overall, as we loved the building, but if you have low heat tolerance it's something to ask about. I don't know if it's typical or not; they told us it was for historic/aesthetic reasons. (on the plus side, I think many of those buildings include most utilities, including heat.)

[Island_OnThe_Land]

I'd be interested to see some neighborhood crime stats on Koreatown because overall I feel like the area is pretty safe. Agree staying north of Wilshire (or even Olympic) is best.

Does anyone have a good link to LAPD crime stats that would compare K-Town to surrounding areas?

Also, agree that there are many "dives" in koreatown....that is older buidlings with few amenities = cheaper rent. That said, some of the older buildings are VERY well kept up....so you really have to investigate each potential one.

[24hr7]

Originally Posted by Island_OnThe_Land

I'd be interested to see some neighborhood crime stats on Koreatown because overall I feel like the area is pretty safe. Agree staying north of Wilshire (or even Olympic) is best.

Does anyone have a good link to LAPD crime stats that would compare K-Town to surrounding areas?

Also, agree that there are many "dives" in koreatown....that is older buidlings with few amenities = cheaper rent. That said, some of the older buildings are VERY well kept up....so you really have to investigate each potential one.

Here is the map you want to look at. Just drag it to your neighborhood for stats
LAPD Crime Maps

[PAS36BH]

What are the rents like in this area/ How far is this from West Hollywood? Would you consider this a up and coming gentrified area?

[24hr7]

Originally Posted by PAS36BH

What are the rents like in this area/ How far is this from West Hollywood? Would you consider this a up and coming gentrified area?

Rent is Korea town varies. You can get a studio apartment for $1200/month approximately. I think the rent is pretty reasonable for LA area cause many of my friends are few years out of college and they can afford the area.

The area is about 6 miles from West Hollywood. There are nice part and dumpy parts just like anywhere else in LA. I dont see it as an up coming area at least any time soon. It has gotten better over the years but I wouldn't want to live there. I go there a couple of times a month to visit and hang out with friends. Public transportation is there along with restaurants open 24 hours, mostly Korean restaurants and bars.

the street Western still has alot of homeless people and street walkers at night so I dont know if its got alot of cleaning up to do.

[SunnyDay70]

Originally Posted by PAS36BH

What are the rents like in this area/ How far is this from West Hollywood? Would you consider this a up and coming gentrified area?

Yes, I do think is is up and coming. There has been quite a bit of upscale housing built in K-Town over the past 10 years. If you google: The Mercury, Solair, or The Gardens on Wilshire you will see a few examples.

Many Koreans and Korean-Americans that fled to the suburbs are coming back to live in K-Town.

Also, in the early 2000's I went to grad school at USC with quite a few South Korean nationals that have made LA their home post-grad. I remember one striking comment that they often made about LA:

"The weather is great and you have so much SPACE here!" Basically, Seoul is a VERY DENSE city so Koreatown seems very spacious by contrast.

[PAS36BH]

@Sunnyday70 Gardens at Wilshire - Luxury Apartments very nice, thank you.

[PAS36BH]

Originally Posted by 24hr7

Rent is Korea town varies. You can get a studio apartment for $1200/month approximately.

I'M using CL as a guide to get and idea for rents in KT. From what I see listed in the past few days, you can get a 1-2 bed for $1,200 the studio's a below a $1,000

I may be better off buying then renting.