What's it like to live in Los Angeles?

Answer 1

Tubester,

First, there are some great answers on here and some really lame ones. I was born and raised in so cal in actually grew up near Hollywood and downtown. I've also traveled much and can tell you I have seen much much worse than this city.

To be honest with you, I can't picture really living anywhere else at my age (20's). If you are the progressive, trendy, fast paced, adventure seeking type that can adapt and accept change this place is probably for you. Depending on what 'pocket' you live in, yes it may not be the best place to raise a family or look for the love of your life.

This is one of the few places in the world where you can snowboard and surf in the same day, hit up a club or bar and run into a celebrity, head 2 hours down south and be in a totally different country, head 4 hours east and be in vegas, head 5 hours north and be in downtown SF.

People have a lot of negative things to say about the place but hey, different strokes for different folks. As an added note, with all the people I have met here, it seems the self centered, rude, fake people that are supposedly in LA the majority of them are transplants.

Reality is if it were such a bad place it doesn't explain the13 million plus people in so cal alone.

Answer 2

LA, in my opinion, is a huge sprawling suburb with pockets of downtown/villages spread around it. While there is some public transportation, having a car is essential to get to know all of it. On the surface, LA can seem crowded and superficial, but once you get to know the "insider spots" it can be an incredible place that you'll never want to leave....and yes, there are some shady areas that would be considered by some as "dangerous", but for the most part LA is a wonderful place with lots of things to do and see throughout the sprawling metropolis.

The weather is fair most of the time. In some spots, the marine layer can come in thick and make it quite chilly at times....even in the summer. The further east you go, the more you realize that LA is a desert, and it can get down-right hot. There are probably a few weeks in the winter that having a jacket or layers is probably recommended, but it's nothing like the North East Coast or the Midwest.

As far as living there is concerned, it is expensive compared to the typical American town/city...namely because you'll need a car, gas, insurance, and generally pay higher than average accommodation costs. If you can afford it (have a good stable, well paying job...or a trust fund...or movie star cash) it is a great place to be single in. There are beautiful people in choice spots (like Hollywood & Vine, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, etc.). Making friends in LA is probably the same as in most big cities. The stereotype is that folks from LA are more superficial that other parts of the country, but what I've found is that generally those folks are from other places. LA is a city of transients. Most of my friends move out once they settle down to have kids.

Answer 3

It's crowded. It's expensive. It's big. It's different.

Asking that question is like the old story about asking 6 blind guys to describe an elephant. One guy grabs a leg and says an elephant is like a tree. Another grabs the tail, and says an elephant is like a snake. They're all right, but only in a limited way. You can't take a single person't anecdotal experience and judge an entire city/region based on that.

I'll tell you what LA's NOT. It's NOT like on TV, all glitzy and glamorous. It's NOT like in the movies, running gun battles in the street. It's NOT like baywatch. OK, maybe a little, at the beach.

LA's what you make of it. It's not for everyone. I love it here, and that works for me.

Answer 4

i don't live in LA but I live in the surrounding area, you know the O.C. Orange County. LA is about 20-40 min away and that is with out any traffic with is almost never. i never go down there! It's to crowed, some neighborhood you gotta be care in. I don't see why tourist want to go there. i guess like anything else, maybe try it once. The price of living to so expensive here. If you plan on living here make you have a lot of money and you have a good job. A lot of people are materialistic, i think, but hey that's just my opinion.

Answer 5

I love it. Sure, it has its problems, but so does every other city. It is certainly big, but big isn't necessarily bad. LA is a very diverse and different place full of people from all over the world. Because it is so large, there are tons of different things to do all over the city. A car is a must to really get around, and is great to take little wandering drives around town to explore and discover new places. I have lived here all my life and have never wanted to leave. It is an excellent place to live with great weather, fun things to do, and interesting people from everywhere to meet.

Answer 6

I always wanted to live in Los Angeles--until I actually lived there. It really lives up to its stereotype in so many ways. Most people seem incredibly shallow and narcissistic; traffic is awful; the smog is choking; the ocean is polluted; people really do judge you by the kind of car you drive; on and on and on. So many things I thought were amusing when I'd go there on vacation became soul-sucking nightmares once I actually moved there.

Answer 7

Depends what part of LA you're talking about. Compton, maybe not so great. Beverly Hills, probably nicer. LA is huge and wide and home to millions, and cities within it that are 20 minutes away from each other are worlds apart as far as population, ethnicities, professions, class level, costs of living, pollution, things to do, and even weather! So really, you should specify what part of LA you would like to know about, and you'll get a more accurate answer to your question.

Answer 8

I started out in L.A. when I first moved to CA. -

A few weeks ago I am on the phone with my best friend - who lives in L.A. - her entire neighborhood is on lockdown. She wasn't allowed to leave her house for almost the entire day. Along with that her son's school was on lockdown as well. He was stuck in P.E. for hours. The parents were not allowed to pick up their kids from school because of this as well.
The kids are also ushered out by the police surrounding them as to protect them.

His school has cameras in each classroom. This is in the suburbs by the way not in the inner city....

Hmmmm Hollywood Blvd. USED to be a cool place to go - back in the 80's now, even if I am with my kids - I have people walking up to me trying to sell me a hash stick - the first time we were all - what the heck is that? It looked like a kabob that we get and the local carnival.

Did you want to know about the traffic? The 405 can get really bad - no matter time of the day you are there. Even at night - right around where 101 and 405 intersect - it can get pretty bad as you are coming down the hill....

As for the people being rude, well, I also lived in NYC and the people in L.A. SHOCKED me at their rudeness. The people in NYC were so nice! Last year I was there with my kids, we were at a gas station and I asked this guy for directions just to make sure I was correct in my thoughts - he looked at me so disgusted! No I am not threatening - Professional woman/Mom here and my teenagers aren't threatening either they dress rather conservatively - preppy I guess you would call it. He just walked away. Even here in Silicon Valley had I asked the same thing - the person would have been very polite and at least have told me that he didn't know. His rudeness caught me off guard.

Oh wait let me tell you about the Hispanic guy that tried to run me off the road late at night as I was getting on the freeway. Probably thinking I was this stupid white chick - heck no I road the shoulder and just went faster, he even chased me for a bit, talk about scared/ticked off! He was going faster, then I just slowed down almost to a stop to get a good look at him and his license plate - he knew what I was doing and then left me alone.

However! They have awesome beaches and Venice beach is fantastic for a Saturday afternoon for entertainment! There is this guy that performs - he wears this black thing and shadows people - VERY entertaining! Hilarious actually!

Answer 9

I have a friend that absolutely loves L.A. For me it is fun, a lot to do, close to Las Vegas. But it all gets old, everything is expensive. I had a good time in L.A but I am done with it. I am moving to Georgia next week. My advice to you is come and see it for yourself. There are nice areas around L.A, Pasadena is very nice, Santa Clarita Valley is family oriented. So come and experience it for yourself just don't stay in Hollywood, then you will definitely hate it.

Answer 10

Actually LA drives are some of the nicest in America...not my opinion but a national survey.

The city has no soul, however it does have great weather, great people and very progressive. However like all big cities is it crowded and expensive.