<p>What is the area like around Occidental? Do most of the students hang around there off hours, stick around school, or go somewhere else? How would you rate this as a "College town" type place.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I personally like the area. It is a little 'ghetto', but there are nice shops and stuff down Eagle Rock, and lots of good food in the area. I don't feel comfortable walking too far at night (I'm also a girl, so that factors into the equation), but walking just a couple blocks from campus isn't really a big deal most of the time. Every now and then there is something serious though, like a mugging, but if you don't feel comfortable walking we have a wonderful campus safety escort van that will drive you to and pick you up from areas within a certain radius of campus. Most students stick on campus and hang out in the dorms or at the Cooler. My group of friends go out to dinner alot in the area. I know other people who go off campus all the time, I think they go to shows and stuff in L.A. I wouldn't really call it a 'college town', but there is alot of stuff to do.</p>
<p>I like the sound of the area and hope "ghetto" means blue collar diversity. My D has been raised in a suburb where she is the only person of color, and I'd love to see her see something else. My brother lives in LA and he considers it a typical California suburb, but then we grew up in what some would call a real "ghetto"...</p>
<p>I would definitely call the area diverse. I like to walk to the grocery store during the day and stop at the fruit carts and talk with the sellers. I also really like that half or more of the billboards in the area are in Spanish or another language.</p>
<p>My D is loving Oxy, and the surrounding area is what I would consider blue collar. My understanding is that there are many Filippino businesses in the area, and that Glendale (nextdoor to the west) has a substantial Armenian population. We're from Miami, so we're used to ethnic diversity and she's quite comfortable with it. For upscale, people go to Pasadena, where there's TONS of shopping and restaurants. Eagle Rock is easier on budget, and verging on funky.</p>
<p>My S would like this. In our part of No. Cal the largest ethnic group is Filipino, so it would seem real familiar to him. Eagle Rock sounds like a good, diverse "college town". We can't wait to visit</p>