where in los angeles should i move to, if i want to live safely and enjoy the life of a screenwriter?

Question

which part of l.a. is safest and closest to all the major studios, etc ... (i've heard echo park is nice, but is it near hollywood?). also, i'd like it to be near an excellent hospital, as my wife is a nurse.

Answer 1

Burbank. Look in the hills.
Pasadena - Look south of the 210 freeway.

Both of these towns can get very expensive. Pasadena is nicer, and more expensive. About 10 to 15 miles from the studios in Burbank. There is a very good hospital in Pasadena (Huntington Memorial).

You can also try some of the neighborhoods in and around Burbank in the San Fernanado Valley - like Toluca Lake, Calabasis, Van Nuys etc. All of these are going to be very hot and smoggy in the summer.
If you want the 'scene' and lifestyle of a screenwriter check Silver Lake, Hollywood (hills preferable as Hollywood itself is a cesspool). There are some great neighborhoods near Hollywood that are very nice.
Check the area that is bordered by Beverly on the North, Highland on the East, 3rd on the South and Martel on the west. If you need a starting place on google maps copy and paste this into the search field W 3rd St & S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036 and zoom into the that little area I just mentioned. Lived there for years and LOVED it.

Answer 2

Best place - hands down for someone who needs studio access but wants to live inexpensively - is the sections of the San Fernando Valley that I will list below. Look for apartments on craigslist that are in these areas. (I wouldn't suggest Hollywood itself because it's expensive and crowded & has some rough areas - plus terrible parking & freeway access).
1. Valley Village
2. North Hollywood (good sections & bad - don't consider anything on Burbank, Victory, or Oxnard streets)
4. Burbank
5. Sherman Oaks
6. Toluca Lake (more expensive but still some good deals if you can find them)
7. Studio City (more expensive but still some good deals if you can find them)

All of these are near St. Joseph's hospital & near some major studios (WB, CBS) & you can buzz on over the hill cause you are near all the freeways and Laurel Canyon. Plus don't believe all the hype about how crappy it is to live in the valley - it's a wonderful place to live, you can park easily and enjoy a higher quality of life - yeah okay it's hot in August - but a little air-conditioning will cut out the heat and there's no humidity at all!

Answer 3

Echo Park is NOT nice (I just moved from there). But, it is near Silverlake, which is near Hollywood, so maybe that's what was meant. Silverlake is pretty nice and is relatively safe and would cater to the screenwriter life, but it's not near a hospital or very very close to studios.

I would go with Burbank near St Joseph's hospital as the other answerers have said.

Answer 4

Burbank is a great place, that is where the disney studio is, also close by is quixote. Just to warn you it does get quite hot in the summer months and be prepared for an expensive cost of living. Apartment rental can get costly, expect about $1200-1600 for a decent 2 bedroom apartment. There are many parts of los angeles that are safe, much of the area has become safer over the years. I believe Burbank is a safe area.

Answer 5

Shadow Hills is a very nice area. It's just north of Burbank. Most of the properties are zoned for horses, which means you get more land for your $$. It's 15 - 20 minutes to Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale areas. The newer developments of the area are extremely safe. Glendale contains three state of the art hospitals: Glendale Adventist, Glendale Memorial, Verdugo Hills.

Answer 6

yeah burbank, san gabriel, culver city, santa monica, and kaiser hospital is near all seeming there are a lot of them around, ucla medical center cedar sinai, all good hospitals, north hollywood near mullhulland

Answer 7

Hollywood...

Answer 8

id say bel air its a very nice and quit community and thats where certain movie stars live!