Raising kids in Santa Monica - thoughts (Orange, Culver City: best neighborhoods, houses)

[Rockie Road]

Oh, and you won't notice the tourists. You get used to them after awhile. Theyre just a part of being in Santa Monica.

[Astrolabe]

I don't live in L.A. anymore, but I did for years and spent a lot of time in Santa Monica. I actually like the tourists! If you're on the Promenade in summer, or really anytime, you can see a group of sunburned Scots, talk to an older couple visiting from Chile, etc. There are also lots of expats from the UK and at least two English pubs with actual English people in 'em.

North of Montana is obviously very, very nice. The local public elementary school is Franklin, which gets consistently great scores in the yearly ratings. People I know whose kids go/went to Franklin really love it there. There's also Roosevelt, which is apparently a little less fancy because it has a fair number of students from less affluent areas south of Wilshire.

I think SaMo High is actually pretty good, if you have smart, driven kids. SaMo sends at least a few kids to the Ivies and other excellent colleges every year.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Astrolabe

I don't live in L.A. anymore, but I did for years and spent a lot of time in Santa Monica. I actually like the tourists! If you're on the Promenade in summer, or really anytime, you can see a group of sunburned Scots, talk to an older couple visiting from Chile, etc. There are also lots of expats from the UK and at least two English pubs with actual English people in 'em.

North of Montana is obviously very, very nice. The local public elementary school is Franklin, which gets consistently great scores in the yearly ratings. People I know whose kids go/went to Franklin really love it there. There's also Roosevelt, which is apparently a little less fancy because it has a fair number of students from less affluent areas south of Wilshire.

Those areas south of Wilshire are still pretty affluent. Both Franklin and Roosevelt are in "movie star land" - as wealthy as wealthy can get. While I've never lived in SM (although have had many friends in SM) and am not particularly fond of that part of SM, the main difference to me is that the area for Roosevelt consists almost entirely of apartments while the area for Franklin has more SFRs.

Besides the two pubs near the Promenade that you mentioned there are also pubs in SM tucked away in the neighborhoods outside of the tourist areas, like the **** and Bull on Lincoln.

I think SaMo High is actually pretty good, if you have smart, driven kids. SaMo sends at least a few kids to the Ivies and other excellent colleges every year.

Agreed.
Even the worst schools in Santa Monica are still part of the top 3 percent in the nation.

[John23]

What would bother me if I was raising kids in SM...

-Conspicuous consumption. Montana Ave, promenade, main street. A lot of brands, chain stores. I don't know....there are worst things in the world. Culver City is more down to earth, and other parts of LA are more middle of the road, family oriented. They don't strike me as "label conscious".

-There are a lot of fun things to do. Like the ice rink on arizona. The beach and pier are great. SM has pretty much the best of all of LA, compacted into a relatively small area.

-The tourists can get annoying, lol. A year or two ago, I was at palisades park overlooking the pier and this guy wanted his picture taken. And he wanted it "perfect", lol. It had to show him above the waist, like 6 inches or something, then with the palm trees in the background. It was funny but sort of bizarre, I took it like 3 or 4 or 5 times, lol.

Has anyone else ever run into that? Most tourists are friendly though. Sm is very laid back.

Is anyone else sad to see Hi De ho Comics gone in SM? Across from the library on SM Blvd. That place was like an institution. I drove by there 2 months ago, and the whole block was flat. Just west of 6th, on the north side.

-I use to go trick or treating in the area north of montana, is it still active up there?

[disgruntled la native]

-Conspicuous consumption. Montana Ave, promenade, main street. A lot of brands, chain stores. I don't know....there are worst things in the world. Culver City is more down to earth, and other parts of LA are more middle of the road, family oriented. They don't strike me as "label conscious".

If you wanna talk about consipcious consumption, go to any suburb i.e. Orange County. As wealthy as Santa Monica is, it's nothing compared to the materialism of the suburbs

-There are a lot of fun things to do. Like the ice rink on arizona. The beach and pier are great. SM has pretty much the best of all of LA, compacted into a relatively small area.

Sorta.

-The tourists can get annoying, lol. A year or two ago, I was at palisades park overlooking the pier and this guy wanted his picture taken. And he wanted it "perfect", lol. It had to show him above the waist, like 6 inches or something, then with the palm trees in the background. It was funny but sort of bizarre, I took it like 3 or 4 or 5 times, lol.

Then avoid the tourists, or only go to palisades park north of Montana.

Has anyone else ever run into that? Most tourists are friendly though. Sm is very laid back.

Yes.

Is anyone else sad to see Hi De ho Comics gone in SM? Across from the library on SM Blvd. That place was like an institution. I drove by there 2 months ago, and the whole block was flat. Just west of 6th, on the north side.

I grew up there. This was in the early to mid 90s. So it's no surprise it's gone now. I'm even shocked it was around in recent years.

-I use to go trick or treating in the area north of montana, is it still active up there?

So I hear. People still have kids North of Montana.

[John23]

You don't think SM has the best of LA in a relatively small area?

-Plenty of shopping, restaurants.

-Good parking with the lots on 2nd and 4th street. i.e., much better than westwood, even though downtown SM gets extremely crowded.

-There's the "trendy" factor. I.e., different events on the promenade.

-The infrastructure is really good. I haven't been to the new library, but thats probably one of the best in west la.

-North of montana on halloween use to attract people from all over west la in mid to late 90's. But some places can lose interest in it. I agree orange county is worst for conspicuous consumption.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

Is anyone else sad to see Hi De ho Comics gone in SM? Across from the library on SM Blvd. That place was like an institution. I drove by there 2 months ago, and the whole block was flat. Just west of 6th, on the north side.

I grew up there. This was in the early to mid 90s. So it's no surprise it's gone now. I'm even shocked it was around in recent years.

Looks like it still exists - on Lincoln.

Hi De Ho Comics & Books with Pictures

[Suzus]

Hi... I am still yet to do my research, but I was just reading this forum on raising kids in Santa Monica. I am feeling a little in the dark as to how to go about this.
I currently live in Australia and have a high possible chance to move to Santa Monica for work. I have never been to the US before. I am a single mother with two children, 8 and 10. I am happy to trial the job for 3 months to see how it all works out. But with my children in that time, I understand everyone gets Nanny's over there is that right? Is it odd to send my kids to school for that time if it short? Would they be accepted? Should they be homeschooled by a nanny instead? What pricing is it to send my kids to a public school there? I believe it would be significant as it's only $300 per year here. Also, my kids can get on their bikes and go riding out the front of the house and down the street as it's safe to do that here... could they do that there or is living in an apartment different? Soooooo many questions.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

I grew up in Santa Monica, mostly in the 80s and 90s. North of Montana/Wilshire too.

LA is a terrible place to raise kids. But Santa Monica, particularly North of Montana (but Ocean Park too) are still one of the few decent areas left. I'd say there, the Palisades, and Brentwood are the only decent areas to raise a kid.

Bell Canyon, Benedict Canyon, Granada Hills, Porter Ranch, West Hills, Woodland Hills, Bel Air, Hancock Park, Toluca Lake, Encino, Studio City, Topanga Canyon are terrible places to raise a kid? really????

All of those places are in the City of Los Angeles. And they are great places to raise kids if one can afford to do so. I'm not even counting some of the nicer L.A. suburbs like Valencia, Camarillo, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Calabassas, LaCanada-Flintridge, Montrose, Glendale, Yorba Linda, Rancho Palos Verdes, South O.C., etc.

[Cloudwalker]

Originally Posted by Suzus

Hi... I am still yet to do my research, but I was just reading this forum on raising kids in Santa Monica. I am feeling a little in the dark as to how to go about this.
I currently live in Australia and have a high possible chance to move to Santa Monica for work. I have never been to the US before. I am a single mother with two children, 8 and 10. I am happy to trial the job for 3 months to see how it all works out. But with my children in that time, I understand everyone gets Nanny's over there is that right? Is it odd to send my kids to school for that time if it short? Would they be accepted? Should they be homeschooled by a nanny instead? What pricing is it to send my kids to a public school there? I believe it would be significant as it's only $300 per year here. Also, my kids can get on their bikes and go riding out the front of the house and down the street as it's safe to do that here... could they do that there or is living in an apartment different? Soooooo many questions.

Santa Monica is a lovely place to live and it's a great place for kids, but I would visit first before you think of moving at all, trial or not. We moved from NZ in April last year with 10 and 6 year old boys and taking them out of school to have to fit in somewhere else is hugely disruptive if you are unsure whether to do it in the first place.

I don't think they'd have problems fitting in at school. Santa Monica schools are pretty diverse with kids of all sorts of backgrounds - and the accent will give them novelty appeal as well. Plus I've been pretty impressed with the emphasis in schools on character, respect, etc. There's very little tolerance for a lot of the teasing and meanness that goes unchecked in many NZ schools in the name of "kids need to sort it out themselves". I'm sure it still happens (kids being kids, and all), but much less. My experience has been that generally kids here speak more respectfully to each other and adults than they do in NZ. Unexpected but very pleasant surprise.

Some people have nannies, but many don't. There are good before and after school onsite childcare programs (CREST - look at the SMMUSD website). We pay nothing to go to a public school, but there is a donation drive, as there was in NZ too. Suggested donation this year was $500. Check out the greatschools website for parent reviews on schools you are interested in (there are six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school in the SM public school district).

There are many parts where it's fine for kids to ride their bikes in the street, although as with anywhere, some streets are safer than others trafficwise. My six year old rides his scooter along the footpath in front of our house and I have no qualms about letting him do so (keeping the occasional eye on him, of course). Kids here are probably a little more tightly controlled in terms of what they are allowed to do than is the case in Aus and NZ, but it's a very safe area generally.

SM is not the cheapest place in LA, but I think you'll find the cost of housing comparable to Sydney or Melbourne and the cost of other things such as cars, clothing, etc can be significantly cheaper.

Good luck!