Deciding to Move to Los Angeles from Chicago (Pasadena: area)

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by thelopez2

You might want to consider looking for jobs in the same city. If you want to take advantage of the train system, you should restrict your job search to LA county. Costa Mesa is Orange County and Pasadena is one edge of Los Angeles county. There are trains that run into downtown la from about every direction.

Agreed. Why would your jobs HAVE to be in the cities you mentioned? People change jobs frequently.

[kasuga888]

Even though the OP have decided against moving to SoCal, i also agree that its best to move to one of the locations and just make one person suffer the crappy commute.

[jessemh431]

If you really want to move to LA, it's doable to not have a horrible commute. But getting jobs almost 50 miles apart is a terrible idea in ANY city!! And honestly, commutes around an hour and a half are totally normal here. If you can get a job in downtown LA though, the metro is extremely easy. I'm glad you're reconsidering because it sounds like you were just settling for the first jobs available. Keep looking for jobs.

[california-lover]

Hey Guys ,

Thanks for all the comments. We went back to our potential employers to discuss this issue and my wife will have a chance to wfh which is a big relief for the short term. That has got us back in the game :-)
So in that case we are going to stay around the Pasadena area.

South Pasadena and La Canada are high on the list because of their excellent school district . But we are attracted towards high walkable areas like Old Town Pasadena . That area probably does not have a great school district so we might lean towards a Private School . But I am not sure how safe it is to live with kids out there.

Any recommendations on the Private schools in Pasadena ? We would be open to other areas as well .

[jessemh431]

I'm not sure about the private schools in Pasadena, but I'm sure the public ones can't be that bad. It's still an upper middle class suburban city. San Marina has great schools as well and BEAUTIFUL homes! But it's very expensive. South Pasadena and La Canada are really nice places. I don't know much about schools, but Pasadena, South Pasadena, La Canada, and San Marino are all nice places to look at. You should be happy in any of them.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I'm not sure about the private schools in Pasadena, but I'm sure the public ones can't be that bad. It's still an upper middle class suburban city.

Yeah well you don't know what you're talking about. There's an entire thread discussing the quality of PUSD schools.

OP, what type of questions do you have about private schools in Pasadena? It has dozens. Here's a good website to start.

Pasadena Area Independent Schools

[california-lover]

Thanks HyperionGap . Yes I am aware of that thread and have been following that thread closely but feel there is a lot discussed there but other than saying that the schools are bad I didn't get any sense on which schools were good. I am sure not all private schools are all that hype that are made to be. And with more than dozen schools that's a lot to research . What are the more well known ones ? (and close to Old Town ) . I would just like to narrow down the names to 3-4 and start calling them before we step in Pasadena .

[HyperionGap]

It depends on which age your kids are. Assuming they're in elementary school, the "best" schools within 10 minutes of Old Town would be:

Chandler (k-8 independent)
Polytechnic (k-12 independent, most prestigious HS in the area)
Westridge (K-12, Girls only)
Mayfield (K-12, Catholic, Girls only for HS)


ALL of the schools might not be worth the hype. However, the top ones are worth it and more. If you have the finances to afford it, you shouldn't even think twice about sending your kids to chandler/prep/poly/westridge.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by california-lover

Hey Guys ,

Thanks for all the comments. We went back to our potential employers to discuss this issue and my wife will have a chance to wfh which is a big relief for the short term. That has got us back in the game :-)
So in that case we are going to stay around the Pasadena area.

South Pasadena and La Canada are high on the list because of their excellent school district . But we are attracted towards high walkable areas like Old Town Pasadena . That area probably does not have a great school district so we might lean towards a Private School . But I am not sure how safe it is to live with kids out there.

Any recommendations on the Private schools in Pasadena ? We would be open to other areas as well .

It's very safe, I live about a mile from Old Town near the South Lake / Playhouse District in Pasadena (sort of all little parts of the greater downtown Pasadena area) and there are tons of kids of all ages in the neighborhood, from people like me with a baby to older parents with teens. It is also highly diverse, you see parents and kids of every racial background.

Also, if you are interested in South Pasadena it has a better school district and is just 1-2 stops (depending on what part of Old Town) away from Old Town Pasadena on the Gold Line. Mission Street between the Gold Line station and Fair Oaks Ave is also very attractive and walkable, though I am guessing rents are a premium compared to Pasadena proper (which is surprisingly a good value).

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

Long Beach. Take the 710 to Pasadena and the 405 to costa Mesa. Both are terrible commutes though, you're in a tough spot unless one of you can work from home or work off hours.

Long Beach to Costa Mesa isn't that bad in the morning. Will take about 45 minutes in the evening (I do it almost everyday)
LB to Pasadena will take about 1 hour -1.5 hours either way.

Long Beach / Seal Beach / Los Alamitos would be good bets (Seal Beach has an awesome main street area, and is very friendly - Mayberry by the Sea).