life difficulties in Los Angeles????

Question

so as a person who has never lived in LA and based on information I got these are the most difficult things about life in LA?1-traffic 2- air polution3- high cost of housing4- crime and safety5- racial conflict....Is that true? So how do you handle these difficulties ..../I want to work in LA for 2 years and my main concern is how I can afford a safe small place close to work and how I can make sure I will be safe and how I can find a nanny for my baby in this city....and if I needed to repair anything in side the house how safe or dangerouse it can be to ask someone to come into your house.....I just wanted to ask people who has been living there for many years to tell me their way of dealing with these problems.....For example....I know I should get a place as close to work as possible...I probably do not intend to have a car or if I get one I am not sure how safe it could be to just buying and selling a car in this city ...many people say it is full of gangs and has high crime rate.

Answer 1

First of all, keep in mind that the city of Los Angeles is a really large area and includes a wide variety of different types of neighborhoods. Some have higher crime, some are quite safe. Some have worse pollution and others much less so, etc. If you choose to move to LA, you will no doubt select a neighborhood that suits your particular needs -- and budget, of course, since quality of life does have a price!

Second, don't let second hand rumors about LA (or any city) dominate your opinion. Almost every place has its negative stereotypes and, at least in my opinion, these stereotypes rarely conform to reality.

I have lived in LA for a year now and I quite like it here. Traffic, pollution, racial conflict, and crime have not dominated my life at all. My neighborhood has no more crime than the last city I lived in (Seattle), the weather is very nice, and - since I live on the west side of the city - the pollution is pretty minimal. Traffic is pretty bad sometimes and in some places, but it hasn't interfered with my life in a very appreciable way. It is expensive, but less expensive than New York or San Francisco and I can get by on a pretty modest income.

My advice is to read more about specific neighborhoods in LA such as Westwood, Brentwood, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Mid-Wilshire, Los Feliz, Rancho Park, Beverlywood, Palms, Mar Vista, West LA, etc. and surrounding cities such as Hollywood, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Culver City, etc. Wikipedia might be a good first step for looking at neighborhoods within the city limits, as they include listings of neighborhoods in LA that often link to official neighborhood websites. In my opinion, the north and west parts of the city have the highest quality of living, of course they can also be the most expensive. You can use a rental service (such as westsiderentals.com) to get a sense of the relative costs of different parts of the city. I would also recommend you get a book about the city that breaks it down by neighborhood (the Not For Tourists - Los Angeles book comes to mind) to get a better sense. Plus, it will help to have a guidebook because you should definitely come and visit before you make this decision! Good luck!

Answer 2

In finding a place to live, there are three things that you might want, and you can get two of them. The three things are Safe, Cheap and Close. If you want Safe and Close, it won't be Cheap. I had a friend who lived in LA and didn't have a car, but it's really tough. Finding a nanny is pretty easy unless you want one who speaks English and is legal. Getting handymen is easy: they're bonded. Parts of the city have gangs, but other parts are quite beautiful as it's next to the ocean and you can watch the sunsets. So, it all depends on what part of the city you live in. Make sure you make enough money to afford it, as costs are high. There's a book, "Places Rated Almanac" I think it's called, and it will tell you how the price of housing compares to other parts of the country, and it will also tell you about crime and other things, too, and you can compare it to where you live now.

Answer 3

Los Angeles isn't as bad as they (the media) make it out to be. I lived out there for a couple of years then returned home.

The traffic is extremely frustrating. The air pollution, never relly bothered me. Hope you have a car because the only other mode is bus. There's a train that doesn't really go anywhere.

Racial conflict...I only dealt with this at my then place of employment. Certain groups tend to make everything about race when it just isn't so.

When I looked for a place I went to westsiderentals.com. You may have to pay a fee but it will be worth it.

As for the gangs it depends on where you're going to live.

Cars are alot cheaper in Cali. Cars last longer due to their lack of 4 seasons.

As for a place to work, if you don't have a job set up yet go for the Gas company, DWP (water company), Schools district or major hospital. Good luck!

Answer 4

Its a crap hole! You do not want your child growing up there.Try Orange county,or Riverside County in CA!

Answer 5

unless you lived it! youll never know!