Westwood isn't Mayberry RFD or Pleasantville.
It's loud, noisy and crowded.
And there IS crime there. College students do report a few sexual assaults every now and then, there are robberies.
But it's definitely not a hell hole at all by any stretch. Westwood is an affluent part of town.
But of course because of the affluence, the opportunity for crime does exist.
Fortunately UCLA Campus Police have VERY WIDE jurisdiction and flexibility and LAPD also maintains a good presence there because UCLA can't afford for them both NOT to do so.
But for young people who keep their eyes open, Westwood is very exciting and fun, and it is possible to feel safe there.
But it is very much a big city.
Here is what a Westwood resident sees every time they wind up on Wilshire Blvd heading back to the villages:
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They're also on the border of what is affectionately known as "Tehrangeles"...little Tehran, the Persian part of Los Angeles.
There is a very very strong and well heeled Persian diaspora in the LA area and much of it is concentrated in the Tehrangeles enclave on Wilshire.
Pretty much all of them are fluent in English and very well educated, and well to do.
And they love the Western life and all its distinctly American values. The Persians have done pretty well for themselves in L.A.
If they don't live in Tehrangeles, they might live in Beverly Hills.
