Talk to me about California please! (Los Angeles, Long Beach: 2013, apartment, rentals)

[Katie71275]

Im new here. Let me give some background on me. My husband and I currently live in Louisiana. We own our own home, and have 4 children. Im a Post Bach student who majored in Sociology and then worked for Child Protection for 5 years before going back to school to become an RN(ADN program). Ill eventually do my BSN online. I graduate May 2013.

I am thinking to work here in Louisiana for a year in the Emergency Room to get some good experience and then would like to move out of state. My main passion is to work L&D and/or NICU. I would like to work at a teaching hospital and have been considering UCLA. Does anyone know if it is hard to get hired on there as a Nurse? Would we be able to live in this area on my salary?
My husband is a mechanic, and Im not sure what kind of job outlook there would be for him there as well.

Our kids are 9, 7, 5, and 2, although once we move they will be about 3 years older. My oldest is in gifted classes, so we would also need a school system that can accommodate that as well as the others(who are also above average intelligence but not yet been tested for gifted). We want a family friendly neighborhood that is affordable, pet friendly(we breed English Bulldogs) and nearby to UCLA(if I was to go work there).

**Also we want to rent a house at first b/c we want to get used to the area before we buy in one particular area. But we do not want to rent an apartment, we want to rent a house.
Ive seen they have a New Grad program, but not sure if we would have the funds to move out of state right away and not sure if that is only for CA licensed nurses only...Anyone know? I know this is a bit scattered, but I don't know a whole lot about CA, never been there! but it's one of the top areas I am considering(along with Duke in NC).

[SloRoller]

You're on the right site to gather some information. City-Data has a lot of statistics on several California cities.

The cost of living in California is absolutely astronomical compared to Louisiana. Working at UCLA most likely will mean living in the Los Angeles area. If you're not used to bad traffic, crowded conditions, and dealing with people from various cultures and countries, you will experience culture shock, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It just depends on what you are used to.

As far as schools go, good luck. There are a few good ones depending on what school district and neighborhood you move to. Any nice neighborhood "near" UCLA is going to cost. Check housing / rentals in Westwood, Santa Monica, Brentwood, the west side. I don't know what you would consider "near". You will definitely need a car, with 4 kids in L.A.

I'm sure there are others on this site that can share their "living in L.A." experiences with you.

Good luck, and bring lots of money.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by Katie71275

Im new here. Let me give some background on me. My husband and I currently live in Louisiana. We own our own home, and have 4 children. Im a Post Bach student who majored in Sociology and then worked for Child Protection for 5 years before going back to school to become an RN(ADN program). Ill eventually do my BSN online. I graduate May 2013.

I am thinking to work here in Louisiana for a year in the Emergency Room to get some good experience and then would like to move out of state. My main passion is to work L&D and/or NICU. I would like to work at a teaching hospital and have been considering UCLA. Does anyone know if it is hard to get hired on there as a Nurse? Would we be able to live in this area on my salary?
My husband is a mechanic, and Im not sure what kind of job outlook there would be for him there as well.

Our kids are 9, 7, 5, and 2, although once we move they will be about 3 years older. My oldest is in gifted classes, so we would also need a school system that can accommodate that as well as the others(who are also above average intelligence but not yet been tested for gifted). We want a family friendly neighborhood that is affordable, pet friendly(we breed English Bulldogs) and nearby to UCLA(if I was to go work there).

**Also we want to rent a house at first b/c we want to get used to the area before we buy in one particular area. But we do not want to rent an apartment, we want to rent a house.
Ive seen they have a New Grad program, but not sure if we would have the funds to move out of state right away and not sure if that is only for CA licensed nurses only...Anyone know? I know this is a bit scattered, but I don't know a whole lot about CA, never been there! but it's one of the top areas I am considering(along with Duke in NC).

The data broken down:

4 kids, 2 adults.

One adult hoping to be a nurse...LA salary around $70-90K depending on the hospital and OT. FWIW, UCLA medical is in Harbor City I believe, not Westwood where the main campus is. I could have this incorrect, but I'll give advice about both.

One adult is a mechanic. I believe that would pay in the $40-50K range, but I may be incorrect. I think I'm in the ballpark.

Requirements: SFR, above average schools, presumably safe neighborhood also.

The answer:

If you are talking about UCLA campus in Westwood, what you are searching for does not exist. Rather you will live in Woodland Hills, Simi Valley, or Santa Clarita and you will commute. In any area within 30 minute rush hour drive of UCLA campus, rents will be $3000+ for a 4 bd/2ba house, and you would not qualify for ANY loan on a house. Even if you put say $250K down, you would not qualify for a loan on a house in Culver City, El Segundo, Santa Monica, etc. And none of the other surrounding areas have good schools at all except very very wealthy areas like Pacific Palisades which you also can't afford. I say this not to be mean, but things are what they are. People on CD try to give advice that is positive, but in this case, Westside overall is just too expensive for most people.

IF you are talking about UCLA medical, you still cannot afford to buy in the very close areas. You might be able to rent though in Torrance, which is nice and has very good schools. Also, your rent money will go further in Lakewood and Long Beach. It will be about a 30-45 minute rush hour drive from there, but you can probably get 4 bd/2ba home for under $3K per month, and eventually if fully employed you can for certain afford to buy a home. For Lakewood, just be certain you live in an area covered by LB or Bellflower school districts. For Long Beach, just be sure you are living south of Lakewood Bl.

If you rent in Lakewood, this is what a typical rental might look like(and in the correct area):

Spacious 4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bathroom Single Family Home (http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/apa/2812514598.html - broken link)

in Long Beach...sorry, not such an attractive looking place, but its in the best area of Long Beach...really nice actually...you would have good schools for your kids, and with some TLC......

2 full bath, custom colors, hardwood, yard, W/D hookups, garage (http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/apa/2816368392.html - broken link)

This might be typical of a home you could afford to purchase in the area:

6939 East KEYNOTE St, Long Beach, CA 90808 | MLS# P799820