LA! I'm coming home!!

[West of Encino]

Married couples are a minority in Los Angeles anyway. The city sure doesn't fit the American stereotype of "get a job, get married, have kids, retire, with grandchildren". The glory days are gone.

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

After growing up on the Westside and going through graduate/professional school in Westwood, I can only deeply echo this statement. I'd also add that LA is not an ideal place to be married. Certainly not with a spouse who has expecations of a "normal" life. Obviously, the reason for this is that "normal" life (i.e. "go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids, save $$") is not really possible when the "buy a house" piece is no longer realistic in a decent area unless you: (i) are a major sitcom star, (ii) inherited money young, or (iii) make $250K - $400K per (though, realistically, that may still not be enough for an above-described "normal" life in LA unless one is willing to live in the distant dregs which, I'll admit, I'm too much of a beach-community snob to do without also being bitter, which is no way to go through life ).

I grew up in the 90402 and now live 1000 miles away in my beautiful and historic city's 90402 equivalent neighborhood, with a spouse who has the freedom to not work while we raise our kids. The idea of trying to recreate the incredible life I enjoy here but doing so back in the 90402 is just stupidly ridiculously impossible to conceive. I'd have to make 8-10X my current income. And even if I could pull it off with 90-100 hour weeks, what would be the point? To raise my kids in a city they'll eventually have to flee to have any realistic chance at normality? To see my grandkids (if I'm so blessed) once or twice a year if I'm lucky? In that sense, even success would be a form of failure, living in LA.

If I'd intended to be hedonistically single my entire life, then renting or sharing an apartment in LA forever would have made a GREAT DEAL of sense. (I'd also probably have been spayed @ age 23 to be on the safe side) If, however, one hopes to create an actual, real-life, healthy, multi-generational family life, I agree with the OP that one would do well to, and quite possibly MUST, look elsewhere. Sad, b/c I loved so many things about LA, but for this born-and-raised Angelino, also deeply true.

To the OP, I'm stoked for you, despite the above. It was not the right place to do what I needed to do, but if no kids/spouse are the plan, LA's The Place!

[majoun]

Originally Posted by West of Encino

[font=Arial]Married couples are a minority in Los Angeles anyway.

Which will grow when the judge allows same sex marriages to take place again!

[West of Encino]

Originally Posted by majoun

Which will grow when the judge allows same sex marriages to take place again!

And Los Angeles will have segregation based on sexual orientation.