I'm thinking about moving there. How's the city and the feel of Catalina Island. Is it a good place to raise children. How are the freeways, traffic, schools, malls, etc. Thanks.
2007-02-07 17:34:47 · 8 answers · asked by Gus O 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Los Angeles
Catalina Island only has two small communities, Avalon is the main "town" and there is also an even smaller "town" called Two Harbors" on the opposite end of the island. There are schools there...K-12th grade, but no malls, no freeways, etc. Everyone there drives golf carts, there are no cars allowed on the island unless you have a special permit which there is currently a 10 year waiting list. So, there is NO traffic, there are not even any streetlights anywhere on the island, just a few stop signs. The whole town is in walking distance, so a golf cart is not a necessity. There is one grocery store, restaurants, hotels, one movie theater, shops, etc.....mostly a weekend tourist type place although about 3,000 people live there on a permanent basis. Housing is EXTREMELY difficult to find, as most places are rented weekly during the tourist season, so you may be able to find a place to live in the winter, but you would not be allowed to stay during summer months as owners can make lots of money renting out weekly during prime season. It would also be hard to make a living there unless you had some sort of home based business you can run, otherwise you would end up working in one of the many bars, restaurants, or shops on the island. The mainland is only a 26 mile boat ride away, but it would be quite expensive to compute daily to work. It is a beautiful place, but might take some getting used to....to actually live there. I lived there for 3 consecutive summers and loved it...however I did not live in Avalon but in a community in the Interior of the island which is a small community only for biologists and researchers on the island studying wildlife. I personally loved it there, but I think it might be a hard transition for many people.
2007-02-07 18:16:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Catalina Island is very small. No freeways, and many residents of Avalon, the main town, get around in golf carts. No malls, either. Think really small town, like Mayberry, only on an island isolated from the rest of Los Angeles county. Main "industry" is tourism and only way to get on & off the island is by boat/ferry or helicopter, although I think residents get a break on ferry transportation.
2007-02-07 18:50:08 · answer #2 · answered by rongee_59 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know who told you that Miami Beach is similar to Catalina, but there's really no comparison. The only common thing that they share is the proximity to water.
In addition to all the things previously mentioned in other posts, the water is very different. The ocean currents for Catalina get water from Alaska and bring it south. The currents from Miami come from the Gulf of Mexico. So you can guess which is a LOT colder.
Here's a webcam for Catalina: http://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/avalon/webcam.php
2007-02-08 02:59:25 · answer #3 · answered by Capt. Obvious 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Catalina is an island about 20-25 miles off the coast of southern california. It has one main town if you can call it that. Only a few thousand people live there(if that many). It is only connected to the mainland by small plane/helicopter or boat. I'm not really sure if they even have schools.
2007-02-07 17:43:16 · answer #4 · answered by j 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not like Miami Beach at all, it is almost the opposite. ...Island life is very different and not for everyone, it is much more isolated than you think...Everybody knows your business and to protect the tourist business (their life blood) there are very strict rules about what you can and can not do there. I would recommend an EXTENDED visit there to check it out and see if it suits you. If it were that great an idea it would be overrun with people from L.A., I assure you. You might want to rethink this. The island dream might turn out to be good for you or maybe not so hot...Good Luck...
2007-02-08 04:34:11 · answer #5 · answered by Paris Hilton 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Catalina is small and quaint. It is a tiny island. No freeways. And isolated from the main land.
2007-02-07 17:46:30 · answer #6 · answered by allindotcom@sbcglobal.net 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I kinda like the boat experience and many times I rode over, there were dolphins and seal that you could see swimming alongside us. It is nice to be able to sit outside for the full experience. You might take the boat there and the helicopter back. Other things to do while there: Take the tram tour to the interior of the island to see bison, foxes, bald eagles, etc. Go to the Botanical Gardens Hike or bike the island Go to a movie Hang at the beach Kayak Scuba or snorkel Parasailing Ride the glass bottom boat, or submarine Go dancing at the Chi Play miniature golf Rent a golf cart Shop, eat, drink
2016-05-24 05:46:44 · answer #7 · answered by Maria 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about a Miami Beach comparison but I hear they have an awesome Doors cover band!!
2007-02-11 15:50:55 · answer #8 · answered by Fidget 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋