Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 07-10-2012, 04:51 PM
 
76 posts, read 104,754 times
Reputation: 30

Advertisements

Considering a a job offer that would be based out of Redondo Beach, CA. Housing budget up to 1.5mill. Salary will be $375k to start, but will increase after 2 years. Can put $500k down on the house.

What's important to us:
1. Family of 4: myself, my husband & two children: 13yo & 9yo. So family oriented area that is safe & has good public schools & sports/activities for kids.
2. We like the outdoors (safe, low crime area)
3. Like the beach
4. Not city people
5. Office is in Redondo Beach, so prefer staying off major highways to commute to work

Questions:
1. Are Redondo Beach public schools any good? I read on GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community that they rate good. BUT, my neighbor here said she lived there 4 years ago & felt the public schools were no good. Actually she stated they are terrible despite great schools ratings.(her son attend Redondo Beach USD for Kindergarten) She said she would not go back unless she sent her kids to private school. She has friends that live in Redondo that all send their kids to private school?? Help! I've also heard that LA County schools overall are terrible? Was really hoping to live & work in the same town ideally. (heard traffic there is far from ideal...)
2. Is Redondo Beach a good area to raise kids on this budget? Is it safe? How about crime?
3. Any good competitive sports teams for either soccer or basketball for a 9yo boy? (year round program)
Thanks....very, very overwhelmed on this one.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-10-2012, 05:00 PM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,964,234 times
Reputation: 42988
We lived in Manhattan Beach for 2 decades and had 4 kids there. I thought it was a fantastic place to raise kids. That was ten years ago, but I tend to think it's still the same great place I remember. LAUSD schools in general have some issues--with your salary you could easily afford a private school and it might be worthwhile. If you're catholic I highly recommend American Martyrs school in Manhattan Beach.

If the job is in Redondo, by all mean buy a place in the south bay. It is absolutely worthwhile to live near your job, especially when it's in a great area like the south bay.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-10-2012, 05:02 PM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,106,899 times
Reputation: 3626
if you want to be away from the madness a bit then i would look at the palos verdes communities. you can afford to live in these communities and they are fairly secluded (at least in LA terms) with great schools and decent proximity to redondo. the beach communities are all quite crowded, while there are actually horse properties on certain parts of PV.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-10-2012, 06:10 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
13,520 posts, read 22,009,600 times
Reputation: 20234
Quote:
Originally Posted by BRinSM View Post
if you want to be away from the madness a bit then i would look at the palos verdes communities. you can afford to live in these communities and they are fairly secluded (at least in LA terms) with great schools and decent proximity to redondo. the beach communities are all quite crowded, while there are actually horse properties on certain parts of PV.

I second this recommendation for Palos Verdes.
Can you adopt me?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-10-2012, 06:37 PM
 
1,786 posts, read 6,878,727 times
Reputation: 1755
PV is a good option, but it will add quite a bit to your commute as there are only a few accesses roads. Depending on where you go, Rancho Palos Verdes or Palos Verdes Estates, it can take as much as 1/2 just to get off The Hill. But you also can't do any better school-wise.

Redondo Union High School has had some problems over the past few years, but it is still a very good school. West Torrance High School is also very well rated. Manhattan Beach is in your budget and is close behind Palos Verdes as far as scholastics is concerned. Finally, you have El Segundo which is right up there with Manhattan Beach in terms of schools.

So, I'll summarize my opinion.

Scholastic: 1. Palos Verdes, 2. Manhattan Beach, 3. El Segundo 4. Torrance and Redondo.
Athletics: 1. Palos Verdes and Manhattan Beach 2. The other cities
Housing MEDIAN Cost: 1. Manhattan Beach approx $1.5M+ 2. Palos Verdes Peninsula $1M+ 3. El Segundo and some parts of the other cities $850+.

For the most part, you can't go wrong with the schools. Yes, there are some, mostly, minor problems. But overall they're all good school districts. And there are some private schools as well. I would second AMS in Manhattan. Both of my kids went through there. It may all come down to how much bang you can get for the buck in housing.

PM me if you have any specific questions about the South Bay.

I should also add that, in my opinion, Torrance and Redondo are very much alike for the most part. The rest of the cities are very, very different from one another.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-10-2012, 07:50 PM
 
21 posts, read 61,698 times
Reputation: 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jennymovingaroundusa View Post
Considering a a job offer that would be based out of Redondo Beach, CA. Housing budget up to 1.5mill. Salary will be $375k to start, but will increase after 2 years. Can put $500k down on the house.

What's important to us:
1. Family of 4: myself, my husband & two children: 13yo & 9yo. So family oriented area that is safe & has good public schools & sports/activities for kids.
2. We like the outdoors (safe, low crime area)
3. Like the beach
4. Not city people
5. Office is in Redondo Beach, so prefer staying off major highways to commute to work

Questions:
1. Are Redondo Beach public schools any good? I read on GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community that they rate good. BUT, my neighbor here said she lived there 4 years ago & felt the public schools were no good. Actually she stated they are terrible despite great schools ratings.(her son attend Redondo Beach USD for Kindergarten) She said she would not go back unless she sent her kids to private school. She has friends that live in Redondo that all send their kids to private school?? Help! I've also heard that LA County schools overall are terrible? Was really hoping to live & work in the same town ideally. (heard traffic there is far from ideal...)
2. Is Redondo Beach a good area to raise kids on this budget? Is it safe? How about crime?
3. Any good competitive sports teams for either soccer or basketball for a 9yo boy? (year round program)
Thanks....very, very overwhelmed on this one.

1. Obviously the quality of the schools are subjective. As far as API rates it 1. MB 2. PV 3. RB Of course there's a lot more to a high school than just a test score. I think any of the 3 are going to be one of the best in SoCal and fine for any student.
2. Given your budget, and affinity to the outdoors/beaches I think you'd be happy in S. Redondo, especially the Riveria. Also look at Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. All of above would be excellent to raise kids, and have low rates of crime since they're all affluent. Commute from MB/HB to anywhere in Redondo should be less than 15min, no freeways needed.
3. Yes. You'll find that athletics aren't a problem in the area. In fact you'll find many many pro athletes calling MB, HB, RB home.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-11-2012, 07:16 AM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,964,234 times
Reputation: 42988
Quote:
Originally Posted by 987s View Post
3. Yes. You'll find that athletics aren't a problem in the area. In fact you'll find many many pro athletes calling MB, HB, RB home.
As an interesting side point, a surprisingly high number of Olympic athletes come from the south bay. Also, Mira Costa and PV regularly have kids who win top awards in things like national science competitions.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-13-2012, 04:58 PM
 
491 posts, read 2,284,259 times
Reputation: 541
If you like the beach, PV may not be ideal. South Torrance in the "Hollywood Riviera" area is walking distance to the beach, hilly (views), very safe, and South Torrance schools are rated highly.

Redondo Beach is like two different towns - north Redondo is densely-packed due to the zoning allowing narrow two-and-three-on-a-lot homes and narrow streets. South Redondo is a much nicer, beautiful oceanside community.

Hermosa Beach is tiny, doesn't have its own high school, and is very singles-oriented. I used to live there when it was sleepy hippie beach town. Teeny homes on teeny lots for lots of dough. Lots of twenty-somethings living in roommate-land.

Manhattan Beach - I like to call it Beverly-Hills-by-the-sea. It has become quite crowded and there are a lot of entertainment-industry commuters, which contributes in making the feel of the place very "affluenza". Some folks like that and aspire to that but I find it way too much Keeping up with the Jones' - only in this case the Jones' drive Ferraris. Very expensive houses on tiny lots. You get a lot more bang for your buck on housing in PV, Torrance and South Redondo. With the largest homes and lots in PV.

All in all, you can't go wrong in PV, South Torrance, South Redondo and to a lot of folks - Manhattan Beach. The entire area is a beach paradise. With a house budget of $1.5 mil, you won't get much in Manhattan, but will be able to get a nice home in the other areas.

You may also contact me if you wish - I've lived in the beautiful South Bay all my adult life (a long time).

Last edited by PureHapa; 07-13-2012 at 05:02 PM.. Reason: typo
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-13-2012, 06:02 PM
 
1,963 posts, read 5,596,473 times
Reputation: 1648
Live in PV and send your kids to Chadwick if you're pulling down that kind of money. Don't skimp on your children's education because unless they're highly gifted & self-motivated it can mean the difference between a top-tier college vs. a cal state.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top