Living in Mid-City, Los Angeles

Mid-City sits close to the geographic middle of Los Angeles, and the E Line reflects that — it's one of the few neighborhoods here where a single light rail line reaches toward both downtown and the beach without a transfer, a rare bit of geography working in a resident's favor. The restaurant scene draws from the diversity of the surrounding blocks, with no single cuisine or strip dominating the way it does in more branded neighborhoods nearby, and the residential streets mix apartment buildings with older bungalows set back from the sidewalk.

Rent runs toward the more affordable end for a neighborhood this centrally located, a real advantage given the rail access on offer and the short ride available in either direction from the same station without switching lines.

The catch is that Mid-City doesn't have the walkable commercial spine of places like York Boulevard or Sawtelle — daily errands are more scattered here and often still call for a car, even with a rail line running right through the middle of it and a station a short walk from most front doors.