5.7 out of 10

Mid-City

Ranked 42nd best neighborhood in Los Angeles
34.0373898078873 -118.342784916604
Great for
  • Cost of Living
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
Not great for
  • Resale or Rental Value
  • Childcare
  • Nightlife
  • Eating Out
  • Gym & Fitness
Who lives here?
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Singles
  • LGBT+
  • Students

Reviews

1/5
2yrs+

"STOP GENTRIFYING MID CITY"

STOP gentrifying midcity we do not want you here you are not welcome here if you were planning on moving here and changing how midcity works it's our community and if you're planning on developing it that is not OK and you are not welcome
4/5
2yrs+

"Perspective from a 4-year resident"

Unbeatable neighborhood for home buyers seeking historic, architecturally significant residences, including many 4+ bedroom homes on large lots. Great ten minute vehicle access to the best parks in central Los Angeles including but not limited to Harold Henry, LA High Memorial, and Roxbury Beverly Hills. As a home owner with kids I take advantage of this!

Residents have superior commute times to all parts of Los Angeles, inclusive of cheap cap rides to LAX and DTLA. Crime is no worse than any of the urban parts of the city and I feel safe with my family and young children. I know and interact with my neighbors here more than any other suburban city I've lived in across the country.

Great investment has come into the community in the way of retail and fitness. This is clearly evident in the Mid-town Crossing development along with the extremely low vacancy rates for commercial spaces nearby. Very short drives to the West Hollywood, Beverly Grove and Koreatown make for a variety of shopping and dining opportunities. Home owners with families have convenient access to some of the best of LA's charter and private schools available. This may be one of the most culturally diverse areas of Los Angeles.
Pros
  • Central location
  • Good Transportation
Cons
  • Bad Schools
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • LGBT+
  • Hipsters
  • Students
1/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 2/5
  • Clean & Green 3/5
  • Pest Free 4/5
  • Peace & Quiet 2/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 2/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 2/5
  • Internet Access 4/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 5/5
  • Cost of Living 5/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 2/5
  • Public Transport 4/5
  • Medical Facilities 4/5
  • Schools 1/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"Too Dangerous for Me"

Mid-city is an economically disadvantaged area of Los Angeles the sits just to north of the Santa Monica 10, looking somewhat like a beached whale from an aerial view. This is sort of an average urban neighborhood—it is neither truly horrible, but definitely not the kind of place most people would choose to live if given other options.

Let’s begin with crime. In terms of burglaries and petty theft—like breaking into vehicles, that kind of thing—the neighborhood is about average for Los Angeles. (Actually, in terms of property crime, you often find they are highest in some of the areas most Angelinos think of as affluent—probably because there is more to steal, I don’t really know.) In the last six months, for example, there have been hundreds of such reports from this area.

In terms of violent crime, however, the neighborhood is pretty bad, approaching the very worst neighborhoods in LA (though not quite reaching it), though no where near as dangerous as Hollywood. Since 2007, there have been 22 murders in the area.

The vast majority of the slayings here had to do with gang-related violence—either the victims were themselves gang members (or former gang members) or they were with gang members and simply got caught in the cross-fire.

Education is unfortunately just as poor. For example, the three high schools in the area—Hamilton, Dorsey and LA Senior High—all have some of the worst API ratings in LA. Hamilton has a Humanities Magnet extension that does a pretty good job, but even the extension has terrible math scores and overall the school is failing to meet “No Child Left Behind” standards. Dorsey is even worse with supposed Math Magnet getting barely one in twenty of their students to pass the proficiency test.

Put simply, I would not feel safe living here or raising a family here
Pros
  • Good Transportation
  • Central location
  • Cheap rent
Cons
  • Bad Schools
  • Noisy
  • Dangerous at night
1/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 1/5
  • Safe & Sound 1/5
  • Clean & Green 1/5
  • Peace & Quiet 1/5
  • Eating Out 1/5
  • Nightlife 1/5
  • Parks & Recreation 1/5
  • Shopping Options 1/5
  • Gym & Fitness 1/5
  • Lack of Traffic 1/5
  • Cost of Living 5/5
2yrs+

"Pretty depressing"

Mid-City is a desolate place where dreams go to die. There is nothing noteworthy about this entire cross-section of land. The homes and apartment buildings are all run down. The coolest thing to look at is the 10 freeway. There aren't really any parks, there's no beach, no mountains. . . there's not even a mall. And, it's pretty dangerous in this part of town. So, if you are looking for wire fences, danger and a Taco Bell, mid-city is your spot. If not, just drive through it to avoid the freeway on your way to Venice Beach.

There are a couple of outpost restaurants here that are worth mentioning should you find yourself stuck in this hellhole part of town. Oki dog is really famous for hotdogs and it really is better than Pinks. There's one in West Hollywood too, so unless you live on the westside, don't bother traveling for this. Same with Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. There's one here -- but, also one in Hollywood.
Versailles is the only place maybe worth a travel. It's Cuban food and there isn't a lot of that in Los Angeles. It used to be really good and definitely worth the drive to this lonely part of town. But, it's gone downhill a little, so it's really just up to the individual's preference.
Pros
  • Central location
  • Cheap rent
Cons
  • Dangerous at night
  • Ugly
Recommended for
  • Professionals

Travelling to Mid-City?

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Unranked Streets in Mid-City

Bangor St

3.5/5
"Little Arizona Style Houses"
34.0370628610133 -118.356499827271

West 28th St

2.5/5
"USC's Fraternity and Sorority Row"
34.0305929333629 -118.328229090356

West Blvd

2.5/5
"Old passed down family homes"
34.0397431757135 -118.337473063811

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