Would anyone reccomend living in Los Angeles, CA?

Answer 1

If you can make the type of income it takes to live well there I would reccomend living there. The weather is great, there are lots of places to go and have fun. There are lots of great hospitals and doctors, universities and many other great things.

It is expensive to live there, very expensive. There is a lot of crime there, I sure would not live there with kids as there are too many drugs there.

But if you can live in the wealthy area and provide for your family, even Los Angeles can be a good place to raise kids.

Answer 2

I live in L.A. County.

Some people here are waay off.

First of all, L.A. County is big. I live about 45 min drive N.E. of LA and housing is affordable...but like most cities, prices go up.

But so do salaries. So salary isn't a concern because they tend to match the area.

Traffic can be bad if you commute through downtown or any of the central cities. I don't.
I come in from the outside to the outskirt to work. Just like any city (chicago) if you work downtown you can expect to get stuck in some trafffic from time to time.
Schools in surrounding cities are pretty good also. The Metrolink train system is pretty modern and runs from Downtown to the outskirts in all 4 directions. Buses are pretty good and usually run on time. Smog...? Yes. There is smog but not as bad as Houston or Chicago.
What distinguishes L.A. from the others is the WEATHER. You can have summer year round but if you want snow, you can drive the 60-90min up into the surrounding snowy mountains or farther to Nor.Cal. to hit the slopes. Then drive to the beach the next day for 75 degree lounging.
Just some thoughts to help you make the decision. Again, i stay out of downtown and South and East LA so i dont deal with any of the traffic or people problems. Occasionally I ride the train to work to enjoy a magazine and some coffee. It is really what you make of it.

Hope you make the right decision. See you up in Big Bear.

Answer 3

YES! L.A is the place to be. Whoever who says it sucks are just L.A HATERS. Los Angeles is the second biggest city in the US, which means there is a lot of fun things to do, you will never ever get bored. Who wouldn't like to be here, why do u think it's overcrowded? Because it's the best city. It's famous with famous people, famous Lakers, Dodgers, LAPD, actors, Hollywood...the list goes on. I live in South Central Los Angeles, which is a bad part of L.A with gangs. But i still LOVE it, it's my home and i know waz up over here. Just don't walk around with a bald head and you'll be fine, i'm bald, but like i said, i know waz up.

Six Flags is the best, universal studios is pretty cool. My dad works at LAX and he meets actors and singers all the time. He loves his job. Traffic is a ****** but oh well. That is part of L.A.
It is very expensive, but i got a home and we ain't rich. We got a nice house here in South Gate.

Just come over here man! And have some fun! Peace

Answer 4

Sure! It's a lot better than dying there! I'd hate trying to get affordable housing there, though. If a friend or relative got a place there before the '90's, they may let you help out on bills instead of charging $1k or more a month for a bedroom with kitchen privileges. There's still plenty of jobs the migrants won't do for less!!

Answer 5

Whoever you are, whatever you are - there's something for you here and you'll love it. It's worth it - I LOVE it. I'd rather have an apartment here than a house anywhere else. I don't want to ever be a bored housewife thats why.


Gas Prices
Currently $3.40 - $3.90

Rent
1 bedroom ranges from $700 - 1400 depending on area
2 bedroom ranges from $900 - 2200 depending on area
Average 1 bedroom is probably $1100, average 2 bedroom probably $1500
To rent a house ranges from $1400-$3000
Use www.craigslist.org
Be sure to get one with central A/C and heat as well as some sort of parking. Parking is important in L.A.

Real Estate
Condos average from $300,000 - $600,000. I have seen some condos for $150,000 - $300,000 but in worse areas or they are something called "co-ops which I am not exactly sure what that is. HOA fees for condos range from $150-500 depending.
Houses also average from $450,000 - $800,000 depending on the neighborhood. In more ghetto areas houses are $300,000-450,000 (or it's a smaller or run-down house). Use www.craigslist.org and www.ziprealty.com to find housing.

Bills
Are suposed to be a little higher than average but I'm not really sure

Traffic
HORRIBLE TERRIBLE HORRIBLE . Taking the bus is many times better - and cheaper. $52 bucks a month gets you unlimited rides. And if you are going to be at UCLA and on the Westside alot then another $60 for the Santa Monica bus. IF you have a car, parking at UCLA is alot. And of course gas and insurance both are terribly expensive out here.



Neighborhoods
I reccomend Glendale area. Glendale is a bit cheaper than the average but also very nice and very safe. Glendale / Burbank / Pasadena is the best area to live in with regards to both price and quality. Glendale has a local bus for a quarter, rent for 1 bedroom is $800-1000 with Pasadena and Burbank being about $900-1200.

Hollywood is nice if you want a bit more excitement and flavor. Hollywood ranges from really cheap to really expensive. North hollywood is really cheap $700 apartment.



Entertainment
Hundreds of clubs, bars, strip clubs, restaurants, malls, movie theatres, complexs, fairs, festivals, events, etc.etc. It is literally IMPOSSIBLE to be bored in Los Angeles. Whatever type of person you are there is something for you. There are hundreds of different neighborhoods and they are all different in some way. Whatever race you are, whatever weird activities you like, whatever music you like - you will never feel weird or alone in Los Angeles. It is a very exciting place to live. BUT the right area can still be good for families. It is possible to raise good well-rounded kids here if you live in the right area and raise them right.

If you are young or going here for college or don't have kids yet, you'll LOVE it here. It is just a paradise to be young in Los Angeles.

The buses run everywhere so despite what you hear you don't really need a car in L.A. It helps of course but it's so expensive these days to drive that it's nice to always have the bus there to fight traffic for you.


Weather
It gets somewhat hot here but I am from Texas and Texas is worse. The winter doesn't get too bad and obviously it doesn't snow except high in the mountains. Many apartments don't have central air and heat they have A/C in the wall like in NYC but be sure to look a bit harder for an apartment with central A/C and heat it's well worth it. It only rains in the winter months. In the summer it hardly ever rains. When I moved here I went like 6 months without seeing rain. Where I grew up in Houston it usually rains at least once a week no matter what time of year. In Los Angeles we have a "rainy season" which is from about November - March. Sometimes it will rain off and on for days at a time. But once March comes you start to miss the rain. Better than having tornandos. There is rarely thunder and lightening. It's really gentle rains not really storms. No hurricanes. Earthquakes occur often but most are so tiny you can't feel them and most are out of the city and don't cause any damage.




Job Market
There are always job opportunities out here. Minimum wage is $6.75 .. Average working-class job is $8-10/ hour (restaurants, coffee shops, stores, etc.) Most office jobs starting entry level pay at least $30,000. My job pays $12/hour in a nice office. To find jobs try www.craigslist.org Use them also for apartments.
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Answer 6

It all really depends on your particular tastes. I've grown up out here so i'm pretty used to it. A lot of people come and go, crash and burn etc with stars in their eyes. It's a very large, very populated, very expensive city. But on the flip side it's great weather, and tons to do out here. You take the good with the bad. You have to be willing to accept being stuck in the traffic, paying a ton in living costs, crime rate, if that doesn't bother you you'll love it.

Answer 7

sure if you love fake people, hundreds of thousands of wannabe "actors" and "musicians" all trying to be fake so they can "cath their big break" while they wait table for 15-20 yrs of their lives than LA is perfect for you. Its the only city that could ever have 8 million people but not have a NFL franchise, its the only place in the United States that would let something like that happen.

Answer 8

That depends. It can take hours to get to and from work and is a rough place to have a family. If your single and making a good salary or wage it would be a lot of fun!

Answer 9

Stay away from Los Angeles - it is Hell on Earth.

Answer 10

i would, i live in Los Angeles and its awesome you'll love it, its really fun always stuff to do, you meet a ton of celebrities just having your daily coffee