I don't see the "Ghetto" problem anymore. I can see how it might have been that way a few years back, but the City seems to have a pretty ambitious urban renewal plan. They have re-paved most of Atlantic ave and installed nice decorative crosswalks. They are condemning whole blocks of run down buildings and bulldozing them wolesale. It might have been sketchy before, but it looks like people still care enough about the area to try to keep it from becoming a slum.

The park across the street is a nice touch. There is a very active soccer league, a popular skate/ bmx park, and a teen center that actually gets used.

There is a large police presence though. You are less than a mile from Compton (yes, that Compton), and LBPD seems pretty determined to keep the crime in Compton. As a result, I see a LOT of low level police activity. There is also a large high school across the street and, well, teenagers attract cops.

The units are nice, if a bit old. The floor plan of our two bedroom is nicer than most apartments I've lived in, and the kitchen/ living room area is actually quite airy.

The pool and Jacuzzi are clean, and the pool really is Olympic sized. The sauna works, but gets so little use that you have to warm it up for an hour before it gets hot. The gym is really a couple of treadmills and a weight machine, but it gets the job done.

Staff is friendly enough, but I get a lot of packages so they've gotten to know me pretty well. There is actually a full time maintenance staff, and they did a reasonable job the few times I've needed something fixed.

Parking is a bit of a problem. There is enough space in the garage, but people who come in late insist on illegaly parking on the top level, rather than go to the bottom. (The congestion problem may have solved itself however- see below)

The other problems are related to the building's age. I saw a cornerstone dated 1964. This place is forty years old. Stuff isn't always quite even/ straight anymore. They have to shut off the water every other month for a day to work on the pipes (they usually do the work from 9-4 while people are at work). The cable system (Time Warner) is from the 1980's and can only provide basic cable (40 channels). If you want anythign else, be sure you can have a DirecTV dish installed. You have to put the dish on your balcony, and not all teh units can get a good signal.

All of this may be moot however. Most of the north building burned down last night. It took 200 firefighters four hours to get it under control, but something like 100 of the 340 units are a total loss...

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 12/29/2007
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/long-beach-ca/T837RET0F0RPF This is a web address that shows how people were treated after a fire. If you think they will treat you better proceed at your own risk. Usually one can tell the quality of management in an emergency and they treated these people like crap.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates