The greater Los Angeles metropolitan area is one of the largest in the country, spanning over 500 square miles with many neighborhoods that have much to offer a home buyer or renter of any age. Trulia’s recent article, America’s Best Neighborhoods for Living Well, identified the best neighborhoods in small, medium and large metros for living well.
Trulia used its latest map feature to find neighborhoods with the quietest streets, great places to play and care essentials, finding that L.A. metro is host to 10 of the top 20 best large metro Live Well neighborhoods.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Live Well Index |
| 2 | Plaza | 90.2 |
| 3 | Sunpark | 88.8 |
| 4 | Beverly Center | 87.9 |
| 6 | Belmont Heights | 87.5 |
| 7 | Wrigley | 87.2 |
| 10 | Beverlywood | 84.8 |
| 13 | Belmont Shore | 83.9 |
| 17 | Poly High | 82.1 |
| 18 | Melrose | 82 |
| 20 | Olde Torrance Neighborhood | 81.3 |
Beverly Center
Beverly Center ranks fourth on Trulia’s Live Well index. Named for the premier shopping destination that it is home to, Beverly Center is centrally located on the western side of the city. Just a short drive from the beach, the neighborhood is close to the nightlife of Santa Monica Boulevard, the Sunset Strip and many boutiques and restaurants of Melrose Avenue.
As of April 1, the median listing price for homes in Beverly Center area was $1,186,747, up 10.9 percent from April 2015’s median listing price of $1,069,904. The median rental price is currently $7,912 per month, up 86.9 percent year-over-year from $4,231.28 in April 2015.
If you are looking for an area that is slightly less expensive but still offers some of the same amenities, check out Silver Lake. A home for sale in this Northeast L.A. neighborhood also offers easy access to amenities and ample shopping opportunities at a slightly lower median listing price of $907,055 and median rental cost of $4,578.42 per month.
Beverlywood
Beverlywood is a quiet, residential oasis, located just a few blocks south of Beverly Hills and world-famous Rodeo Drive. Beverlywood is bordered on the east by Robertson Boulevard — a lesser known, yet still extremely popular boutique shopping and dining area. Due to the area’s proximity to the nearby trails of Baldwin hills and lots of quiet streets, Beverlywood ranked 10th on Trulia’s Live Well Index.
The current median listing price for real estate in Beverlywood is $1,304,244, up 22.9 percent from April 2015’s median listing price of $1,061,556. However, one can sometimes find condos and small homes for less than $1 million. A rental in Beverlywood currently has a median price of $6,760.85 per month, up 47.9 percent from April 2015’s median of $4,571.47.
Melrose
Ranking 18th on Trulia’s Live Well index is Melrose, a central Los Angeles neighborhood made famous by a certain TV show from the ‘90s.
The current median price for a home in Melrose is currently $1,389,007. This area has seen the smallest percent change in real estate value in the last year, up only 8.1 percent from April 2015’s median listing price of $1,285,115. However, its rental market has seen a larger jump, with a median rental price of $3,947.58 per month in April 2015 turning into $5,365.62 in April 2016, a 35.9 percent growth rate.
For a slightly cheaper option with similar amenities, nearby West L.A. offers a current median listing price of $880,299 and a current median rental price of $4,749.64 per month.
Hannah Goodman is a writer for Trulia.