Bars on the windows don't necessarily reflect the state of the neighborhood in 2012. Lots of nice areas have homes with bars on them - some have been in place for 30-40 years while the neighborhoods have changed a lot.

To nit pick, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, and Lawndale "aint" no South Bay to us locals.

Salson and LaBrea is OK, not great so be careful but there are some better parts around there. They have those bullet proof plastic glass things at Micky Ds. That must tell you something.

Uh, I grew up in the South Bay and my family has been there for 60 years. All those cities are part of the South Bay. You must be one of those transplanted folks in Redondo or PV.

Yep, those are all South Bay cities. WTH else would they be?

No transplan here. OK, they might give you Gardena. Most People that are from there are really thinking of all the beach cities including Torrance, PV, and such. My buddy was born and raised in Torrance and now lives there still. That's what the locals tell me as well.

I've been working in San Bernardino for the last few years, so I can deal with areas that are a little less than ideal. My wife sent me to pick up bbq at Slauson and Crenshaw the other day... I think she's going for the life insurance money.

Can the bars (on the windows) be removed? Frack that sounds horrible - I would put up with that. I understand the need for a balance between location and price but damn!

I kinda like them. I'd say about half the houses in the area have them, and half have new, modern windows. Because they're there I feel like I don't have to worry about anybody breaking in, or if they do I'll certainly here them coming. It's a decent neighborhood... but not so nice that break-ins aren't on my mind.

Can you open the bars on the windows from the inside in case of a fire? Lot of people die because they can't.

Window grates actually can be quite attractive. They are very traditional in parts of Europe, especially in Spain:

spain window grates - Google Search

Yes, the bedrooms have emergency releases. Of course, these windows are so old and difficult they would probably be the deciding factor.

Disagree. 90% of the images from your link look like prison bars to me. YMMV.