About half of Angelenos love their neighborhood, according to a recent survey, and another 41% think their ’hood is at least “okay.” But only one can be crowned the most beloved, and that honor goes to Silver Lake, followed closely by Santa Monica and West Hollywood.
The ranking comes from the Time Out City Life Index, which charts the most exciting cities in the world right now. We surveyed our readers and ranked 32 cities on criteria including food, drink and culture, local neighborhoods, friendliness, affordability, happiness and whether people were proud to live in their city.
Part of the index includes a ranking of neighborhoods within each city, graded on items like the quality of an area’s nightlife, restaurants and bars. West Hollywood, Koreatown and Venice got top nods as food and drink destinations, while West Hollywood, Hollywood and Santa Monica were top-ranked for all-around fun. But Angelenos also seem to love to hate on some of those same ’hoods: Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills were considered the most overrated neighborhoods and cities in the L.A. area.
And lest you think Silver Lake’s top spot was some sort of coordinated effort among its residents: Only 5% of survey respondents live in the neighborhood, while 10% chose it as their favorite, just enough to edge out Santa Monica by a single percentage point.
Check out the full rankings below.
Most loved neighborhoods:
- Silver Lake
- Santa Monica
- West Hollywood
- Echo Park
- Los Feliz
- Venice
- Culver City
- Hollywood
- Koreatown
- Pasadena
Best for food and drink:
- West Hollywood
- Koreatown
- Venice
- Hollywood
- Silver Lake
- Santa Monica
- Culver City
- Pasadena
- West L.A.
- Los Feliz
Best for fun:
- West Hollywood
- Hollywood
- Santa Monica
- Silver Lake
- Echo Park
- Koreatown
- Los Feliz
- Venice
- West L.A.
- Long Beach
Most overrated:
- Hollywood
- Santa Monica
- Beverly Hills
- Silver Lake
- West Hollywood
- Venice
- Echo Park
- West L.A.
- Arcadia
- Calabasas