I agree with many of the opinions stated here. I have lived and worked in the area for 17+ years. My wife has lived here her whole life. The development itself has been plagued by politics. That would be a while other post. As far as the area goes,it is interesting. The reason being is the closer to the water, the more lower income housing their is. There is a large housing project across Harbor Blvd. and the cruise ship terminal locally known as "The Ranch". Overlooking that is a modern high rise condo building called "The Vue". Quite a contrast. My daughter attends the charter high school across the street and attached to the Portal Police building. The thing is that the area has tons of homeless. They camp across the way from the new development. There are also many half-way houses and sober living adjacent to the development. The city of Los Angeles and the local councilman have been trying to find alternative means of housing the homeless. Another political fight. Many of the homes in the area are from the early 1900's with lots of charm and character that need work. Also many multi-family buildings mixed in.
San Pedro has for many years tried to be a destination for locals. It has a nice "bar/pub" scene. After "First Thursday" of the month, the food trucks hang out. Also, as stated earlier, usually two cruise ships a week come and go from here which brings in many tourist a day or two before departure to add revenue to the local businesses.
