Relocation to South Bay - Which city? (Santa Monica, Redondo Beach: apartment, rentals)

[gsimon10]

Hello everyone!

I'm planning on re-locating to the South Bay for work, and I've started doing some research on which city I want to live in. A little about myself and what I'm looking for:

- Office will be in El Segundo (immediately south of LAX)
- 24, single male, young professional with a healthy income
- Intend to live in an apartment with roommates
- Would like to be in a relatively safe area
- Being walking distance from bars/nightlife would be a plus
- I'm not a huge partier, but I enjoy having drinks on the weekends (I typically prefer bars to clubs)
- I don't really want to live in the suburbs

I'm thinking that for traffic reasons, it's probably best to live West of I-405 somewhere between Santa Monica and Redondo Beach. And my initial research has me thinking that Santa Monica/Venice (good nightlife/close to downtown) or Hermosa/Redondo (safe, clean, similar demographic) are probably my best bets?

Thanks for any advice!

[BRinSM]

santa monica is too far north in my opinion, i would focus your search between hermosa beach and marina del rey.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

santa monica is too far north in my opinion, i would focus your search between hermosa beach and marina del rey.

Really depends on commute hours .... I make that commute (work 10/11am to 8-9pm or later) and its not a problem at all. Can be worse if I need to be in at 8 or so.

[steven_h]

If you're working in El Segundo, then why not live there? It has a quaint downtown, it has a bungload of rentals and is cheaper than Manhattan or Hermosa would be. Unless of course you want something more strand'ish for the summer months then by all means shoot for something on the beach and close to a pier. Check around 26th street Manhattan, beachside of Highland, or the five corners section where Hermosa meets Manhattan.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by steven_h

If you're working in El Segundo, then why not live there? It has a quaint downtown, it has a bungload of rentals and is cheaper than Manhattan or Hermosa would be. Unless of course you want something more strand'ish for the summer months then by all means shoot for something on the beach and close to a pier. Check around 26th street Manhattan, beachside of Highland, or the five corners section where Hermosa meets Manhattan.

ES would certainly be a good choice - I've mentioned many times on this forum that I would love to live there if Santa Monica wasn't working for me. Its a terrific little town, which is very secluded from the rest of LA - take that for what you will.

It meets all his requirements, except:
- I don't really want to live in the suburbs
- Being walking distance from bars/nightlife would be a plus

[gsimon10]

My commute will be the regular 8:30ish to 5:30ish hours. Would driving to ES from Santa Monica be a nightmare at that time? Any better from Hermosa?

I hadn't really given much thought to ES... while I've never been, my initial impression is that it's a bit of a sleepy town. I think I'd really prefer something a bit more urban and closer to nightlife (embarrassed to say: yuppie-ish ).

Thank you all!

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by gsimon10

My commute will be the regular 8:30ish to 5:30ish hours. Would driving to ES from Santa Monica be a nightmare at that time? Any better from Hermosa?

I hadn't really given much thought to ES... while I've never been, my initial impression is that it's a bit of a sleepy town. I think I'd really prefer something a bit more urban and closer to nightlife (yuppie-ish).

Thank you all!

No, and No.

I typically commute via surface streets at that time - its about a 20-30 minute drive.

[SomeBodyUK]

I used to work in El Segundo and I lived in Hermosa Beach, not to far from Pier Avenue. If there was no traffic, I could get to work in 7 mins, with heavy traffic, 25 mins.

[987s]

1. Hermosa Beach / West of Sepulveda, near the Pier
2. Manhattan Beach / West of Sepulveda near intersection of Manhattan Beach Blvd and Highland
3. North Manhattan Beach / near intersection of Highland and Rosecrans

All three would result in a short commute to El Segundo, be very safe, and walkable to bars. You could probably park your car on Friday and not drive the entire weekend living in any of those three areas.

[Voyageuse]

Originally Posted by 987s

1. Hermosa Beach / West of Sepulveda, near the Pier
2. Manhattan Beach / West of Sepulveda near intersection of Manhattan Beach Blvd and Highland
3. North Manhattan Beach / near intersection of Highland and Rosecrans

All three would result in a short commute to El Segundo, be very safe, and walkable to bars. You could probably park your car on Friday and not drive the entire weekend living in any of those three areas.

I've lived in El Segundo and Redondo Beach and I wholeheartedly agree with the above recommendations. Though I wouldn't exactly call MB or HB more "urban", they're definitely more fun than any of the other SB cities, which can run the gamut from retired aerospace sleepy to suburban/strip mall bland.