Where's a good place to live near Los Angeles??

Question

Hi,

I'm moving from LA to Cleveland as soon as my home sells. I will be visiting LA for a week this Thursday, and I'm trying to come up with a list of good communities to check out while I'm in town.

Here is kind of a synopsis of what I'm looking for:
- good public schools (my daughter will be entering high school soon)
- in reasonable driving distance of Encino since I will be attending school there
- reasonably priced rental units and homes/condos

Although I plan to rent at first, it is my ultimate goal to purchase a home or a condo. So, I'm really looking for a reasonably priced apartment and then ultimately, I would like to buy an affordable home in the same neighborhood within the next year or two.

I am a communications professional and I would be seeking a job that involves marketing communications and/or public relations so proximity to magazines/newspapers/media companies is a definite plus.

Thank you SO much for any ideas that you have!

Answer 1

I love LA, but...

Affordable homes don't exist here. The average house is $500,000 and you wouldn't want to live in the neighborhood. For a safe neighborhood you will be spending close to $700,000. Unless the housing market crashes in 2 years, of course. In my neighborhood (Belmont Shore, Long Beach) a 2 bedroom 1 bath house is close to a million. Crazy!
Having a job before you come here is imperative unless you have a large amount of money saved up. The average 1 bedroom apartment is around $1200 and 2 bedrooms can start at $1700 a month.
My company transferred me out here 2 years ago and I can say add 40% to what you spend and make in Cleveland in order to maintain the same type of life you had there.

You don't need to know Spanish. Depending on the neighborhood you might need to speak Vietnamese, Korean, Armenian, Thai, Ethiopian, etc, etc....

Culver City would be good to look at for the type of work you do.

Answer 2

We see this over and over in this forum: Everyone is looking for the "cheap, clean, and safe". It's all about supply and demand: If it's in SoCal, then it's not going to be cheap to begin with. If it's clean and safe, then it's more expensive. For good schools, that's going to cost a couple hundred more per month.

If you want to live here and enjoy the weather, then you have to pay for it. You put up with the smog and the traffic, enjoy the weather and pay your rent or mortgage.

If Encino itself is too expensive, then I would start in Eagle Rock and South Pasadena, then go from there.

"LA" is such a big place, there are so many neighborhoods/cities where you can live. Of course, even within a city or neighborhood, there are safer sections and less-safe sections.

In Los Angeles, some nice sections are West LA, Brentwood, Westwood, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Eagle Rock, Encino, Tarzana, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Granada Hills, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, West Hills, Chatsworth.

To the east: Sections of Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Glendora, San Dimas, Laverne, Azusa, Rancho Cucamonga.

Along the beach: Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, Palos Verdes, Rancho PV.

In Orange County aka "The OC": Seal Beach , Huntington Beach , Newport Beach , Corona Del Mar , Laguna Beach , Dana Point , Capistrano Beach , San Clemente , Brea, Yorba Linda, Orange, Tustin, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest

To the west: Agoura, Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Simi Valley, Moorpark.

This is not an all-inclusive list, but it's a start.

Answer 3

You say that you are moving from LA to Cleveland, so why do you need to know a good place to live near LA? Did you mean from Cleveland to LA?

LA is a big place. West Los Angeles is the best in LA County. However, if you don't mind warmer weather, then some parts of Pasadena, as well as Arcadia and Monrovia are nice.

Outside of LA County, Orange County to the south is a lot nicer than most places in LA. Cleaner, less traffic, safer, and better schools. In the OC, consider Seal Beach Huntington Beach, and communities in South OC. Also, North OC, with close access to LA, are Fullerton, Cypress, and Cerritos. There are nice neighborhoods with good public schools.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I am a Los Angeles Police Officer so I know the area well. The two best communities in LA are Beverly Hills and Palos Verdes you will end up with multi million dollar homes with graffiti on them. With every community in LA you will get gangs, crime, smog and high rents. You will also notice that there is no such thing as a good public education. You will also have to put up with neighbors who all think they are famous movie stars.

I would recommend moving to Orange County. West Garden Grove, Cypress, Los Alametos area. West Garden Grove bosts the number 2 public school district in the United States very low crime rate and is only a few minutes from LA. Cypress and Los Al are very similar. You will also only be a few miles from the beach and very reasonable rents.

Answer 5

I actually work in Encino, and I've lived in LA my whole life.

Anywhere in the San Fernando Valley is a nice place to live with good schools. I'd say the best area is in Studio City, but it can get pricey, I don't know your money situation. Santa Clarita Valley is also nice but the traffic on the 405 south everyday can get tedious.

The nicest cities in the San Fernando Valley are West Hills, Woodland Hills, Studio City, Valley Village, Sherman Oaks, Granada Hills, Calabassas.. All very nice.

The summers in the San Fernando Valley can brutal, so if you don't like muggy summers, consider living over the hill, aka Hollywood, West LA, Century City, Santa Monica, etc. But it's a little too congested over there if you ask me!

Good luck on your search!

Answer 6

Yes, the EMT companies hire like crazy. Pay is around $9 an hour (much lower than you think). Most don't work fulltime and are working at multiple jobs. The companies also fire like crazy, so it's not a very stable job. Places that you MIGHT be able to get a studio for $700... Whittier (parts), Downey, Bellflower, Gardena... = these are places that are "mostly" safe but not really very hip.

Answer 7

Encino is in the valley, you could probably look anywhere in the San Fernando Valley and the rent will be more reasonable than the $2,000.00 per month minimum you'll pay to live on the Westside of Los Angeles.

There's really no "centrally located" area for "media, advertizing, communications" Los Angeles is too spread out, there's pockets of everything all over Los Angeles, not in one central area.

You should perform a zip code search for crime and quality of life in Los Angeles, and also think about how much you want to shell out for rent. Factor in commuting time which is always a headache.

Median home price is over $300,000 in Los Angeles county. You should do some homework on that also before you decide to move.

Answer 8

Check out Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Agoura, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Oak Park, Newberry Park Thousand Oaks.
Now as far as woking in communications, there are many offices and agencies out in the area. Joh rober Powers is just one of them. If is best to find a job at one of the communications agencies and find a place to live based on that.

Answer 9

reasonable is not the way i would describe the rents around where you are going. the schools are better in the el camino district. You could try to look around woodland hills towards ventura. a home averages 700k to 900k 3beds 2 bath . If you are ready for traffic come on down. you'll probably be taking the 101 freeway. Get ready for that. Good luck to you!

I wouldnt go as far as it says that it caters to latinos. All kinds are here. Come prepared!

Answer 10

South Pasadena is a very nice area. Established neighborhoods, lots to do, schools in the area have great api scores. Can be a little pricey but can probably find a good rate if you take the time to look. Close to LA. I don't live there but my brother moved there a few years ago and they love it.