After interviewing for the position in West Hollywood I decided to check the area out. Most of the places for rent on or near Melrose/Santa Monica in West Hollywood are really nice. I wouldn't exactly call any of the neighborhoods in the area rough, but some were much nicer than others.
I've found that rent in the area for a one bedroom runs about $1,800 a month. You can find apartments slightly cheaper but we've got a 20lb dog and most of the more inexpensive places didn't allow animals. After my salary offer came through I started to see what I could afford... And an $1,800 apartment isn't it.
So, I began searching craigslist for the cheapest apartments in the area. What I found is that 6 miles away in Koreatown you can get apartments in the $800 to $1,500 range (we settled for a $870 studio for 6 months just to play it safe). Now, I didn't get a chance to case the area while I was in Los Angeles but from what I can gather from talking to people it's not the nicest but it's also not the worst.
I grew up in an LMC part of Denver and my wife grew up in an even worse part of Roswell, NM so I think we'll be ok. Look forward to a post on the area once we get there and begin to explore a little.