The Neighborhoods of East side vs the Westside: How to Actually Decide Where to Live
One of the first things people discover about Los Angeles is that residents have strong feelings about which part of the city they live in. The East side versus Westside divide is real, it runs deeper than just geography, and understanding it is genuinely useful when you're deciding where to live.
This isn't about which side is better. They're genuinely different, they suit different kinds of people, and the right choice depends almost entirely on how you live your life.
What people mean by East side and Westside
Roughly speaking, the East side refers to the neighborhoods east of Hollywood and Downtown, including Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Highland Park, and Eagle Rock. The Westside covers Santa Monica, Venice, Brentwood, West Hollywood, Culver City, and related areas.
Midtown neighborhoods like Larchmont, Hancock Park, and Koreatown sit somewhere in the middle geographically and often in character too, which is part of what makes them attractive to people who want the best of both.
Character and feel
The East side tends to have a more eclectic, creative, neighborhood-focused character. Streets are hillier, architecture is older and more varied, the coffee shops and restaurants are more likely to be independents, and the vibe is generally less polished and more lived-in. People who move to the East side and love it tend to value authenticity, neighborhood identity, and the sense of community that comes from places that haven't been fully smoothed over by development.
The Westside has a cleaner, more open feel. Proximity to the ocean is the defining geographical fact, and the light and air quality that comes with it is genuinely different from inland LA. It tends to be more expensive, more manicured, and more international. It suits people who want easy beach access, a certain kind of polished urban environment, and proximity to the entertainment and technology industries that are concentrated on that side of town.
Cost
As a general rule, the Westside is more expensive than the East side, sometimes significantly so. The gap has narrowed over the past decade as the East side has become increasingly desirable, but it persists.
For buyers, the Westside has some of the highest per-square-foot prices in the country. The East side offers more value for buyers who are willing to be further from the ocean, and the housing stock, particularly the pre-war architecture in Los Feliz and Hancock Park, is genuinely beautiful.
Commute
This is arguably the most important practical variable, and it's one people often underweight when choosing a neighborhood based on feel alone.
If you work in the entertainment industry, a lot of your destinations will be on the Westside: studios in Culver City and Burbank, agencies in Beverly Hills and Century City. A Silver Lake commute to Culver City in morning traffic can be 45 minutes to over an hour. Living on the Westside or close to it changes that calculation significantly.
If you work remotely or in Downtown or Hollywood, the East side makes a lot more sense. The commute calculus is completely different, and the neighborhood character and price point of the East side become straightforward advantages.
Social life
The East side has a strong restaurant and bar scene concentrated in Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and Echo Park, with Highland Park increasingly part of that picture. The focus is on independent venues, neighborhood spots, and a certain kind of relaxed, come-as-you-are social culture.
The Westside's social scene is centered around Santa Monica, Venice, and West Hollywood, with a mix of higher-end restaurants, beach bars, and the kind of places you end up in when you're in an industry that spends a lot of time entertaining. It's less gritty and more glossy, which is a selling point for some people and a drawback for others.
The honest summary
If you value neighborhood character, architectural beauty, a creative community, and getting more for your money, and you're not dependent on a Westside commute, the East side is hard to beat. Silver Lake and Los Feliz in particular offer a quality of life that is genuinely special.
If proximity to the ocean matters to you, if your work and social life are concentrated on the Westside, or if you want the kind of clean, open, well-resourced urban environment that comes with more money in the neighborhood, the Westside makes a lot of sense.
The middle ground, Larchmont, Hancock Park, and parts of West Hollywood, is where a lot of people end up landing when they want access to both worlds. The commute to either side is manageable, the neighborhood quality is excellent, and the areas are genuinely liveable in a way that LA's extremes sometimes aren't.
If you're trying to figure out where you belong and you'd like an honest conversation about it with someone who's been through the process of arriving in LA without a map, I'm always happy to help.
