Commuting from TO to Beverly Hills (Pasadena, Thousand Oaks: apartments, homes, neighborhoods) - Los Angeles - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

Rlodge328 · 10-01-2014, 10:47 AM

Is there anyone that could give me some advice on commuting from Thosand Oaks to Beverly Hills? I'm may be getting relocated to LA from Wahsington. I have 2 kids one in high school and 1 in elementary. We are looking for something with not too long of a commute with good schools. We have done a lot of looking online and really like the TO area. But from everything I have read that would be a aweful commute. Is this true? Any insight would be great!

jamills21 · 10-01-2014, 11:10 AM

Yes, unless you left at like 6 in the morning

BRinSM · 10-01-2014, 12:05 PM

I know a guy who commuted from oak park (near TO) to BH and he mentioned it was about 90 minutes each way. Unfortunately, there aren't any similar neighborhoods closer to BH with comparably priced homes. Woodland hills would save you 20-30 minutes, but that's not that much.

Rlodge328 · 10-01-2014, 02:39 PM

All this insight is great! I was really hoping it would be about a hour. The good thing is I get to set my own schedule. Kinda bummed though really can find some nice places that are not too expensive. If anyone has suggestions on areas I'm all ears.

BRinSM · 10-01-2014, 03:05 PM

Culver city might be a better option. Homes there are smaller and older, but schools are supposed to be good.

palisades310 · 10-01-2014, 11:37 PM

The traffic on the 101 starts backing up even all the way out to Thousand Oaks by 6:30am. It would take an hour if you left at that time, and up to 90 minutes if there's an accident or three (which, honestly, there usually are). I would at least move to westlake village if I were you, it's a little closer and has more of a neighborhood feel. Thousand Oaks hardly has any street lights even so it's really dead at night. Westlake is a little better in that respect, and there's just a little more to do in general. It's also closer by 10 or 15 minutes depending on where you live. Schools between Calabasas and Newbury Park are all about the same - and they're good schools.

creativekristy · 10-03-2014, 11:24 AM

La Canada has the best schools in the area, and the commute from there to Beverly Hills would be a little better than from Thousand Oaks, plus you'd be near Pasadena, and closer to LA.

The Mid-Wilshire area/Hancock Park has decent schools and is right near Beverly Hills. Not sure if that's in your price range.

Also I agree with the poster that suggested Culver City - very nice and the downtown Culver City area is fun and lively. Pockets of it can be a little rough, but with the new arts district, it's a good bet for appreciation of home values. The schools there would be more diverse.

Even Santa Monica/Brentwood would have great schools, and your commute would only be about 30-40 minutes, if you took the streets instead of the 10. I would even consider Westwood, which is right where UCLA is. Your commute could be as short as 20 minutes.

Anything in the valley is going to be a brutal commute and will really drain you, especially on days where there's an event - Emmys, Getty events, any awards show or movie premiere, POTUS in town, etc. An accident could add another hour to your commute since the roads in and out of the valley to LA are few and far between. I would strongly advise you to consider location, location, location as your top priority if you value your quality of life.

nightlysparrow · 10-03-2014, 11:35 AM

Calabasas is another option with great schools and 14 miles closer to BH. Also look at Beverly Glen and Coldwater (the canyons) as potential routes between the 101 and BH.

majoun · 10-03-2014, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Calabasas is another option with great schools and 14 miles closer to BH. Also look at Beverly Glen and Coldwater (the canyons) as potential routes between the 101 and BH.

Calabasas is way too far away for BH. I wouldn't even consider west of the 405 on the westside for someone working in BH, let alone west of the 405 on the other side of the hill. The only Valley areas which would be great for BH are Studio City, Sherman Oaks, and Valley Village - while those are nice areas schools are problematic.

Culver City's probably the best option. The schools are IMO decent, not great, but they're much better than the horrendous options of LAUSD. The main problem with CC is that aren't a lot of apartments (although there are some) compared to other west side areas.

Cream1 · 10-03-2014, 08:00 PM

I do Agoura Hills to Chinatown and it averages 40 minutes in the morning. Granted, I leave at 6 AM to avoid traffic.

Your best bet would be to leave at 6 AM (or earlier, as T.O. is even further than Agoura Hills) and take Coldwater or Laurel Canyon to Beverly Hills. The 101 to 405 S interchange is already jammed at 6:15 AM so you'll want to avoid that. I see it first hand every day. Good luck.