How is the "Quality of Life" in and around L.A. ? (Los Angeles: how much, neighborhood)

[greggd]

I agree with Fastfilm above.

One scenario I see over and over is the family that cannot afford to live in one of the nicer parts of Los Angeles and dont want to send their kids to the neighborhood public school. So, they pony up the tuition, assume the role of busdriver, and enroll the kids in a private school. Its a huge financial burden and reduction in quality of life.

[Jazzedforhim]

Originally Posted by JerZ

It isn't really a matter of wanting "a dream house"--often it's just a matter of wanting any house. Someone here posted a picture of a small house for sale in either Watts or Compton, I can't remember which, listed at $480K.

"Dream" house my butt... Anything under $650K would be nice. And that's for maybe a 2-bedroom, or for a lucky find, a fixer-upper 3-bedroom...about an hour and change from where the jobs seem to be. We're really not talking mansions here. ETA: Also, for people with children, schools are a consideration. I wouldn't "choose" to put my children in a school in a dangerous, but less far of a commute, area.

It's all well and good for those who love California, and/or those who managed to buy more than a few years ago before the tiniest of homes in the worst of areas passed the half-million dollar mark, to be positive about California. There are positives about California. But if you're really trying to be helpful to people moving here, you'll want to be honest about the real estate situation in Southern California.

And yes, that means for the majority of us, not asking for mansions or anything even close, there will be a commute.

I totally agree with your comment! Not only that but if you are moving to the nicer area's near the beach expect to pay a lot for a very small home. It's all about neighborhood...but you don't necessarily get more house for that good neighborhood.

[Educatorspeakingtruth]

You are all correct with your observations! You are just speaking out the truth!

[cynwldkat]

I for one think if a person wants to move anywhere..CA. or wherever it's only fair to be truthful with them. We aren't trying to change anyones minds. I doubt that we really could...we are only trying to tell anyone thinking about the move here what they should expect. CA is a beautiful state but there are a lot of things here that are not so desirable...at least not to many who have/are living in CA. It's not that you won't love it and do just fine here--it totally depends on each individual. But some things are facts and that is what many here are trying to point out. Having money does play a huge role as to how your life will be in CA. Even with money you won't get rid of the smog, traffic and crime. Without a good amount of money there is a good chance you'd be living in the midst of it all!!

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by fastfilm

People considering relocation here should really be honest with themselves and circumspect about what they want from life. If you crave living near the beach but can't afford our outrageous rents; if you desire 355 days of sunshine a year but can't afford to live anywhere except our most extreme smog incubators in that sunshine; if you want your family to have a warm weather outdoor life but can't afford to live anywhere in L.A. that isn't overrun with violent gangs; if you want to live in a place "that has everything" but find you can't get there through our 24/7 congestion; unless you're moving here without a very well-paying job or are unbelievably serious about making connections in the entertainment industry to further that career - you're being a trifle delusional.

That's precisely how I've thought about it!! I live in Arizona, and I've toyed with the idea of moving to California after I graduate college. People have an image of LA built upon beaches, good weather, fun in the sun, urban amenities, Hollywood glamour, etc. All that good stuff exists, if you can afford it, but if "living in L.A." for a growing numbers of people really means living in the Inland Empire (the smog incubator fastfilm is talking about), the Antelope Valley, or even Bakersfield, commuting several hours a day and STILL paying up the nose for (slightly less) overpriced real estate, then we need to reasses the situation.

The difference between LA (and other California metro areas) and other states is that even the old "drive until you qualify" phenomenon does not work. You can live in a smog infested, gang infiltrated dump, commuting over an hour to work one way every day, and still get a horrible value. Instead of settling for a city like Riverside, which is still overpriced, why not just live another 4.5 hours further east on I-10 in Buckeye, (the west valley of the Phoenix metro area), save tons of money, and drive to L.A. for a long weekend trip once a month? Just looking at the base prices on a home builder's website (Richmond homes), you could pay $350,000 (http://www.richmondamerican.com/Shop+and+Buy/View+Community.htm?mr=Inland%20Empire&cm=1155&=ID= 1155&Type=Community - broken link) for a 1,400 sq ft house in charming Riverside, CA, or pay $190,000 for a 2,000 sq ft house in Buckeye, AZ, not to mention lower property taxes. (http://www.richmondamerican.com/Shop+and+Buy/View+Community.htm?mr=Phoenix%20West%20Valley&cm=1 390&=ID=1390&Type=Community - broken link) (Now, I wouldn't want to live in either Riverside or Buckeye. There are much nicer parts of Phoenix in the east valley, with "better" demographics, that are not much more expensive-- farther from L.A. of course, but you get the point.)

Living in L.A. seems like a gamble, financially. The math simply does not work out in your favor. The only conclusion I can draw is being financially independent is not the biggest priority there.

[StriderMatic]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

That's precisely how I've thought about itAll that good stuff exists, if you can afford it, but if "living in L.A." for a growing numbers of people really means living in the Inland Empire (the smog incubator fastfilm is talking about), the Antelope Valley, or even Bakersfield, commuting several hours a day and STILL paying up the nose for (slightly less) overpriced real estate, then we need to reasses the situation.

(from someone not from LA but possibly moving there soon)
Do people live in Bakersfield and commute to LA everyday? How long does that take with traffic factored in???

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

That's precisely how I've thought about it!! I live in Arizona, and I've toyed with the idea of moving to California after I graduate college. People have an image of LA built upon beaches, good weather, fun in the sun, urban amenities, Hollywood glamour, etc. All that good stuff exists, if you can afford it, but if "living in L.A." for a growing numbers of people really means living in the Inland Empire (the smog incubator fastfilm is talking about), the Antelope Valley, or even Bakersfield, commuting several hours a day and STILL paying up the nose for (slightly less) overpriced real estate, then we need to reasses the situation.

The difference between LA (and other California metro areas) and other states is that even the old "drive until you qualify" phenomenon does not work. You can live in a smog infested, gang infiltrated dump, commuting over an hour to work one way every day, and still get a horrible value. Instead of settling for a city like Riverside, which is still overpriced, why not just live another 4.5 hours further east on I-10 in Buckeye, (the west valley of the Phoenix metro area), save tons of money, and drive to L.A. for a long weekend trip once a month? Just looking at the base prices on a home builder's website (Richmond homes), you could pay $350,000 (http://www.richmondamerican.com/Shop+and+Buy/View+Community.htm?mr=Inland%20Empire&cm=1155&=ID= 1155&Type=Community - broken link) for a 1,400 sq ft house in charming Riverside, CA, or pay $190,000 for a 2,000 sq ft house in Buckeye, AZ, not to mention lower property taxes. (http://www.richmondamerican.com/Shop+and+Buy/View+Community.htm?mr=Phoenix%20West%20Valley&cm=1 390&=ID=1390&Type=Community - broken link) (Now, I wouldn't want to live in either Riverside or Buckeye. There are much nicer parts of Phoenix in the east valley, with "better" demographics, that are not much more expensive-- farther from L.A. of course, but you get the point.)

Living in L.A. seems like a gamble, financially. The math simply does not work out in your favor. The only conclusion I can draw is being financially independent is not the biggest priority there.

That's pretty much what I've decided. I live in Orange County but moving inland would basically mean starting over because commuting back to OC isn't an option for me. So if I'm faced with starting over, I may as well go somewhere that isn't just a little cheaper, but A LOT cheaper.

[Sonrise]

I lived in Burbank, in the same apartment building for 8 1/2 years. My wife and I were up the hill on Olive Ave. and could walk down the hill to all the shops, restaurants, movies, mall, Ikea, etc. It was really nice.....on the surface.

The problem was we were in an apartment, not a house and basically throwing away money. They started building condos in a mixed use development near the movie theater. Just for fun we looked at a model, thinking we were prepared for the sticker shock. Starting price: 700k, FOR A FREAKIN' CONDO! Other little bungalo homes built after WWII start at 550k. We were paying $1125/month and the day we moved out the rent was raised to $1250.

The traffic in Los Angeles is horrendous. It is worse than anything you could ever read about or imagine and must be experienced to be believed. Rush hour starts @ 6am, (4:30 if you live in Palmdale or the Inland Empire) and ends around 10:30am. After work rush hour starts around 2 pm and ends around 8:30. I'm not exaggerating by the way. Last year i was working in Culver City/Marina del Rey for about 6 months. I had to be at work at 7am on Mondays and if I left Burbank later than 5:15 I would be late. The worst problem with the traffic, is that unlike most other cities in the country, in LA it is 7 days a week. Try going down to SD or up to SB or even Valencia on a saturday.

If you want to move to SoCal, you better learn the official language, spanish. It boggles my mind how many neighborhoods have spanish only signs and how many people have absolutely no interest in learning english. To me that reeks of disrespect and is very insulting. I'm the son of an immigrant and the husband of one but they had respect and appreciation for their new country. Today, too often that isn't the case.

The mountains are nice, when you can see them. Unfortunately the last few years there has been very little rain so everything is a crappy shade of brown and a thin layer of smog usually hangs over the entire city.

The schools are awful and kids are being indoctrinated with all sorts of agendas or being recruited by one type of gang or another. You can't let your kids play outside because SoCal is the pedophile capital of the country. We can't put these people in jail, we have to understand them.

Lastly, diversity of opinion doesn't exist in Los Angeles, whatsoever. I made the mistake of coming out of the closet a few years ago. No, I'm not gay, that's openly accepted. I'm a conservative. That's the real closet one must stay in in LA.

Those are the some of the reasons that 3 months ago we moved to Greenville, SC. We bought a brand new 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2000sqft home with a 1/2 acre backing up to the woods for $181,500. Our mortgage is less than our rent was for our 1 bedroom in Burbank. lol People actually wave using all 5 fingers unlike LA where only the middle one was used.

My wife and I miss the family and food the most, the food really sucks here. But other than that I'd never go back. Quality of life?, if you're a multi-millionaire in a gated community or an illegal gang banger you'll do well. Otherwise think long and hard about why you're living there, we did and our eyes were opened. According to a recent study LA has the smallest percentage of middle class in America and it'll continue to shrink.

[Ultrarunner]

Sonrise... How does the employment situation compare to LA? Did you or your wife have any trouble finding jobs?

[NDA]

Sonrise, why are you still on the California Board? I'm sorry Ca. didn't work out for you, but your posts are so bitter. I guess you regret staying here so long?