Forget about the postcard-worthy beachfront in Venice or the familiar landmarks of Hollywood, the true heart of L.A. may very well be Downtown, according to a new survey.
The Time Out Index polled more than 34,000 people in 48 cities around the world, and part of the survey asked respondents to dish on their most and least favorite neighborhoods in the city. Here in L.A., Downtown finished at or near the top in every positive category. Most notably, Downtown was selected as L.A.’s most loved neighborhood, beating out West Hollywood, Silver Lake and Los Feliz by a couple of percentage points.
Though no neighborhood received more than a single digit share of the votes—Angelenos nominated a staggering 39 different areas for the distinction—Downtown’s narrow victory was cemented with effusive praise. Most respondents praised DTLA’s walkability, public transit friendliness, cultural variety and sense of history. “Everything is there. It has become the true center of Los Angeles!” wrote one respondent. “[DTLA has a] small city feel, but walkable and trendy like a big city,” noted another.
When it came to judging L.A.’s best areas for eating, the results weren’t even close: Downtown crushed it, amassing 22% of the votes (the number two spot, West Hollywood, came in with 9%)—which isn’t surprising, considering that nearly a third of our picks for the best restaurants in L.A. are located Downtown. The neighborhood took a close second for the best area for going out and having fun (West Hollywood edged it out with 24% of the votes) as well as most underrated (Culver City and Highland Park tied for first).
As for the one category in which Downtown didn’t rank? Most overrated neighborhood. That dubious honor goes to Hollywood (followed by Beverly Hills and West Hollywood), for the second year in a row.