Verified answer

You'll have to decide what you want: Cheap or safe. Unless you're living with your parents in LA, there is no such thing.

You can check out westsiderentals.com for places that fit your lifestyle. However, the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to get a place that's close to your job. So find a job first, THEN find a place to live. The worst thing about LA is the traffic, and the less you have to drive in it, the better.

LA does not have a lot of loft condos. The only ones that you will find are the new / redone ones in downtown, a few scattered around the Westside, and a couple in Long Beach.

The only ones that would be fairly cheap are the ones on upper Pine St in Long Beach. They are cheap for a reason. From block to block in the area, the neighborhood changes. No way would I live past 4th St and you won't find anything "fairly cheap" in the area I would want to live.

I'm sorry to say that in LA, safe and cheap do not go hand in hand. Having said that, look at The Brewery. It's mostly artists and people like that, but the lofts have been around for a long time.

You might find something you like in the gentrified areas of downton. Here's a website with information on apartments/condos there. Sorry, but rent may not be very cheap, that's just how it is today.

http://www.downtownla.com/

Here's a blog about lofts in the downtown area.

http://laloftblog.com/

Hope these sites help you out!