1. Crime. Gardena is a relatively low income city and attracts a lot neighboring losers. You have to watch your surroundings at all times. One woman was severely beaten and robbed while she was walking from the local Target to her car. Criminals have been known to hide out in the city and the police are pretty inept about catching any true criminals. However, they’re experts at fishing - setting traps to ticket people (speeding, parking, jaywalking, etc.). They spend more time fishing then fighting crime and in a busy school zone, they’re more focused on giving tickets then directing traffic. To prove this point, 2 LAPD officers won a 2 million lawsuit because they claimed that because they were ordered to fulfill their ticket quota, they couldn’t focus on fighting real crime. Also, you can get a ticket on your own property if you don’t follow code to the T. 2. Schools. If you have kids, forget about it. Find a private school or move out. With the exception of a few good elementary schools, every other school will probably set your kids back. High schools are known for violence and accepting the "rejects" from schools in surrounding cities. As one paper states, "Gardena High, which has a reputation for violence and consistently ranks at the bottom of the state’s lowest achieving schools list." 3. People. This is pretty much true for LA County. With a few exceptions, the people are simply rude and inconsiderate. Neighbors are truly inconsiderate. They don’t seem to know how to mind their own business. 4. The local government seems to have abandoned any effort to upkeep the city. Parts of the city look abandoned and some look like they’ve been stuck in 1970. Western Avenue is full of abandoned building and cheap motels. Also, beware of the 2 inch cockroaches that crawl the streets at night. 5. Homelessness seems to be a growing problem. You’ll bump into them when you walk down the street. 7. Dropping home values. While this is true in many parts of the country, Gardena home values are pretty pathetic. Although I’m not surprised. Why live in Gardena, when you can live in neighboring Torrance, a city that is everything that Gardena is not. 8. Poor government services. Just go to the Torrance web site for a list of all their services and compare them to Gardena’s services. On a positive note, this city has some of the best asian restaurants. So, in conclusion, this city has many great places to eat, but definitely NOT to live.