Valley Village

Valley Village is conveniently situated at the corner of the 101 and the Hollywood Freeway. The location may be its best attribute. About 70% of the population are renters while only about 30% of the community is made up of homeowners. It was originally part of North Hollywood prior to the 80's and carries on the tired and more industrial feel of North Hollywood. The areas closer to Riverside have more of a Studio City feel. It could be as simple as the lack of trees in North Hollywood and Valley Village that give it the concrete ..urban feel.

Prices ranged from $389,000 to a million while writing the review. Rentals were plentiful and ranged from $1,200 for a 1200 sq. foot 1 bedroom condo to $3,800 for a 4 bedroom 1900 square foot single family home.

A good value for rentals and a great location. If you are looking for a more neighborhoody, green with parks location, you will have better luck in the surrounding Valley communities.

Valley Village is another newer neighborhood in the Valley that was made out of parts of North Hollywood and Studio City. Valley Village has a ton of apartment complexes and some streets filled with small houses. I'm not a huge fan of Valley Village because it's still pretty much just dirty North Hollywood, renamed.
The part around Laurel and Riverside isn't bad -- because it's the falloff of Studio City. So, if someone is looking to rent, this would be the area. You can find a place for much cheaper than just a few blocks up simply because you technically live in Valley Village and not Studio City.
There are a ton of restaurants around the Laurel Canyon / Riverside area but none to write home about. There are some cute cafes and a lot of Deli's. There is a pretty significant Jewish population in the neighborhood so you will never run low on Knish.
North Hollywood Park is a fine place if you want to do a quick run around. But, it's not a big park and it's not particularly pretty. And, because it's not in a great neighborhood, I wouldn't advise going there at off-peak hours (there are a lot of weirdos lurking around).
There's nothing to do in the neighborhood but it's close to a lot of neighborhoods that do have places to go. It's not terrible, but a lot of it is ugly. And, if you can afford to live somewhere else, I would do that.

Valley Village is yet another one of these new fangled neighborhoods carved out from the surrounding areas in order to help focus governmental management. Locals who grew up in the area tend not to like this new designation because most people have never heard of Valley Village and will often ask if that is the name of an apartment complex—which in a way it is since the vast majority of homes in Valley Village are apartments and most people who live here don’t actually own their homes.

Despite the high prevalence of renters, this is a fairly well-to-do community with good schools and low crime. The population tends to be older on average when taken statistically, but that is because of the nursing homes contained in Sherman Village, which is usually categorized within Valley Village. Valley Village incorporates much of what makes North Hollywood and Studio City popular places to live and although rents are high, most residents are pleased to live in this area.

Although they are not particularly unique or interesting, there are several restaurants and eateries in Valley Village. And if you go south on Laurel Canyon you will find your selection of eateries greatly increased as you enter North Hollywood proper. There you will find such traditional hang-outs as Jerry’s Famous Deli—the first sign that you are leaving the Valley and entering a more urban area happening area.

Put simply, if you are planning on renting an apartment and would like to live in a nice area—this would be a good bet.