Top 10 Best Places to Live in LA (Pasadena, Thousand Oaks: top neighborhood, 2010)

[ShariP]

I love Long Beach but not every part of the city would meet your criteria--it's a BIG city. Belmont Heights is fantastic but a little pricey because it's so close to the beach. For the most affordable housing stock plus meeting all your criteria, I would focus on zip codes 90808 and 90815.

[MakingLifeGreener]

1. Santa Monica - Hands down
2. Marina Del Rey
3. Manhatten Beach
4. Topanga
5. Culver City
6. Pasadena
7. Thousand Oaks/Calabasas
8. Mar Vista
9. Malibu/Palisades
10.Brentwood

These places are really chill, Still on point and full of flavor, welcoming and beautiful, progressive and green- bike lanes everywhere in Santa Monica Buses that run on CNG, Amazing Library 100% self sustaining from Solar Power and has an Organic garden with motes and all kinds of wild books and free movies. Ocean Views and cleaner less blown out polluted air, Santa Monica is one of the coolest cities on Earth. We just need to keep cleaning the air up and protecting the waterways which they just installed with the Bay Club and deluxe eco runoff filter b4 Ocean entry.....Sweet Sweet Sweet..... more and more better safer bikes lanes, a light rail or something, and easily one of the greatest cities ever. Funky and Free, wide open and embracing.....Love All

[sh89]

I currently live in Woodland Hills,but I would personally want to raise my future family in Calabasas.

Woodland Hills is safe, but I am a very protective guy, so I want the absolute safety for my (future)significant other.

[CMY]

Just my $0.02-

I grew up in Calabasas and went to Agoura High; best of both worlds in my opinion (but tough to pull off). I love both cities dearly but it is possible to feel like you're living in a "Bubble" after a while.

Pasadena, San Marino and PV are the places I'd like to end up when I'm ready to settle down. I swear my blood pressure drops three notches whenever I enter these areas.

Currently live in South Redondo and am starting to come around- not busy enough to grind on you (Santa Monica can be a bit much in certain areas) and everything I enjoy is within walking distance. It's amazingly peaceful during the weekdays, a bit of a madhouse on the weekends though.

I work in Marina Del Rey and it's great in certain areas, not so wonderful in others. Wouldn't recommend it for families from what I've seen but it has improved quite a bit over the last ten years.

My father currently lives in Westlake Village and while it's a great city it's just a bit too sterile for my taste. Very nice but lacking character- the same can be said of Thousand Oaks.

Malibu is, of course, one of the better places but it gets knocked down on my list because PCH runs right through the middle and there isn't a way to avoid it. You lose that quiet coastal-town feeling as soon as you leave the various neighborhoods (and forget pulling out of your driveway in the morning if you live right on the coast).

The Burbank hills are tranquil and remind me of Pasadena on a smaller scale. The proximity to nearly everything is a huge bonus in my mind but I think we're only beginning to see this city shape up.

Having worked in Hollywood for a couple years I now avoid it like the plague. That being said, it's a spectacular place to be (just don't expect that you can move freely to other areas at any time during the day or night). Absolutely not for families.

[A.Person]

I shouldn't be revealing a wonderful secret, but I'm moving so...one of the best places that is still really affordable is the city of San Fernando. Small community, unincorporated from Los Angeles, nestled under the foothills and freeway close to either downtown LA (20 minutes drive) or Valencia (ten minutes). Houses here are really inexpensive - why I don't know. Check out the MLS's for zip code 91340. There's very little crime, and the hispanics are Californios (old-time Californians - a different breed of cat), not too many illegals. It's a very stable city with few apartment houses. I have lived here since 1992 and have never had a moment's trouble. When I bought my house, there were no comps., meaning no one had moved from my neighborhood since it was built in 1965!! The police report showed virtually no crime whatsoever in or around my area!! I think there was once an abandoned car a few years ago - but that's it that I know about. Hope that helps.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by A.Person

I shouldn't be revealing a wonderful secret, but I'm moving so...one of the best places that is still really affordable is the city of San Fernando. Small community, unincorporated from Los Angeles, nestled under the foothills and freeway close to either downtown LA (20 minutes drive) or Valencia (ten minutes). Houses here are really inexpensive - why I don't know. Check out the MLS's for zip code 91340. There's very little crime, and the hispanics are Californios (old-time Californians - a different breed of cat), not too many illegals. It's a very stable city with few apartment houses. I have lived here since 1992 and have never had a moment's trouble. When I bought my house, there were no comps., meaning no one had moved from my neighborhood since it was built in 1965!! The police report showed virtually no crime whatsoever in or around my area!! I think there was once an abandoned car a few years ago - but that's it that I know about. Hope that helps.

It was nice to hear a refreshingly positive post about San Fernando, however the commute times are certainly not valid for rush hour.

Something I always wondered about San Fernando Mission. It is on the El Camino Real, or sort of. The missions were supposedly separated by a one day horse ride. San Gabriel, San Fernando, San Buenaventura in a line. The thing I never understood is why is SFM so far off the most direct path between the SGM and the SBM? I think the El Camino Real basically followed Ventura Boulevard...UNLESS the path the mission guys used was SGM to SFM and then to SBM via the Santa Clara River Valley (Castaic, Piru, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ventura) and not through Agoura, Thousand Oaks Camarillo, Ventura.

Note the missions are not right on the path.

[bamba_boy]

I'd add Covina. Not quite as nice as neighboring Glendorra, already on the big list, but quite nice and ,unlike most of the rest of the list ... actually affordable for someone not making a large executive salary or having a large inheritance for a house down payment!
Puting Brentwood or Rancho Palos Verdes is just a mirage to 99% of the people of America thinking of moving to LA that haven't made 1MM from real estate appreciation.

[Moving_Mama]

It seems that a number of posters missed the fact that the original list was in alpabetical order? But if were to rank in in order of of top to bottom... I would place La Canada as number 1 overall. We are a bit out of it up here in the hills but have easy access to shopping in Pasadena, Glendale, Los Feliz, Burbank, etc. As well as dining and entertainment. Our location also makes for an easy commute to downtown LA, Pasadena and the studios in Burbank. I also love our proximity to JPL - we have some incredibly smart people living in our community who take the time to volunteer in our schools - it all just trickles down. It is expensive to live here but we love it. Hum, maybe I should keep our town a secret

[rossyem]

Hi everyone,
Can someone tell me where will I find the best areas for Art middle schools (8th grade) in Los Angeles?
I am in Miami and will be moving to LA during the summer. I need to look for a place to live in a good area for a middle schooler and it will be better if it is an art (dance) school.
Thanks.

[jsmithjunior]

Hello -
Would anyone be able to inform me which are the best schools - middle and high schools in Claremont or Santa Clarita? Any which neighborhoods in these areas are the best to look into?
Thank you,