Family- friendly & safe City/neighborhood near Cedars Sinai Hospital? (Los Angeles: apartments, rentals)

[francois321]

Hi everyone: there's a possibility we will be relocating jobs in Los Angeles, specifically at Cedars Sinai Hospital. We are looking for a safe, family friendly area near the hospital to live in. We have a 3 year old so a good public school system would be a plus. We would prob rent an apt or house at first & can afford up to $3000max. I know the hospital isn't too close to many major freeways, but an area that is around 20-30 min commute to the hospital would work for us. Is a home with a nice-sized yard even possible to get with our budget & criteria? Thanks for any responses!!

[BRinSM]

you could probably rent a small-ish house in culver city for $3000/month.

[JohnG72]

Culver City. Keep in mind the public schools are not the best, but they are a lot better than the LAUSD schools which cover most of the nearby area.

If you are ok with a small home, you should be able to get a 2bd/1ba home with a yard in the low 2000's/mo, 3bd/1ba in the high 2000's/mo.

Rush hour commute may be up to 40 minutes though...its not far, but traffic in that area is horrible and its all surface street driving.

Theres areas closer where you can get an apartment such as Hancock Park, Park La Brea, Rancho Park.....but the schools will be lacking most likely.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

Culver City. Keep in mind the public schools are not the best, but they are a lot better than the LAUSD schools which cover most of the nearby area.

If you are ok with a small home, you should be able to get a 2bd/1ba home with a yard in the low 2000's/mo, 3bd/1ba in the high 2000's/mo.

Rush hour commute may be up to 40 minutes though...its not far, but traffic in that area is horrible and its all surface street driving.

Theres areas closer where you can get an apartment such as Hancock Park, Park La Brea, Rancho Park.....but the schools will be lacking most likely.

I agree with this except I'm not so sure about Rancho Park being closer to Cedars than Culver City. Depends what part of Culver City you're comparing Rancho Park to.

[francois321]

Thanks for all your inputs! I'll look into Culver City. I also found Mar Vista...can anyone tell me about this neighborhood? Thanks again!

[majoun]

Originally Posted by francois321

Thanks for all your inputs! I'll look into Culver City. I also found Mar Vista...can anyone tell me about this neighborhood? Thanks again!

Similar to Rancho Park and West LA. The schools are LAUSD and not very good. It's also farther from Cedars than Culver City and Rancho Park are. If you're working at Cedars you'll find yourself crossing the 405 if you live in Mar Vista - not a good idea because of horrendous traffic. Don't consider anything west of the 405 for this reason.

[nmnita]

you might have trouble finding any area with decent schools and close to work, but you are talking renting for the time being and your child is only 3. Why not rent in Mar Vista or Culver City for a year and get a feel for the commuity and the surrounding communities?

Nita

[majoun]

Originally Posted by nmnita

you might have trouble finding any area with decent schools and close to work, but you are talking renting for the time being and your child is only 3. Why not rent in Mar Vista or Culver City for a year and get a feel for the commuity and the surrounding communities?

Nita

The schools in Culver City are much better than the schools in Westside LAUSD areas such as Mar Vista or Rancho Park, although not up to the level of Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. Then again it's less expensive than BH or SM (and SM would not be practical for working at Cedars - too far away). There are some 2 bedroom apartments in Beverly Hills going for about $1700-1800 a month according to Westside Rentals, although most likely they're rundown. It'll be more than Culver City but its schools are even better and it'll be much closer to Cedars.

[lesallimc]

If you're willing to rent, you could probably get a decent apartment in Beverly Hills with little to no commute and a top notch school system. I hate commuting, so if it were me, I would give up a little space for more time at home and a better school system in a second.

[MattJones]

I would definately look at Park la Brea, Hancock Park, Miracle Mile, and Carthay Circle. There are excellent Public Schools (Hancock Park Elementary and Third St Elementary as well as others). You'll be much closer to work and the neighborhoods are great. $3k will get you a 2 or 3 bedroom townhouse/house.