Moving from Texas to Southern CA (Seal Beach: home, law school, taxes)

[Gurbie]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

And there aren't 18 million people in LA, there aren't even 18 million people in LA County.

According to the Census Bureau, the Los Angeles CSA (Combined Statistical Area) has 18.5 million people. Maybe that's where the poster got that figure.

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Well when you post on a board like this, that's what you get.

Besides I did suggest two locations.

And if what you just said is true, next time put that information in your original post. That makes more sense than saying "we're moving to CA but have never been there"...sheesh.

It sounds crazy to move somewhere you have never even visited, unless you're military and don't have a choice in the matter.

Which is not your case.

A lot of companies forcefully transfer or lay off employees. Maybe they're not needed where they are. Or a merger happened and the LA office is the only one with a budget to take on this person. It happens. Or some people just hate where they live so much they're willing to go anywhere else and it doesn't matter. You'd be surprised at how many people I've met in LA who never visited. They saw movies and read articles and just hate their small town snowy hometown. They show up in LA thinking it's gonna be 78-85 and sunny every single day, the streets are paved in gold, and celebrities roam the streets of Hollywood.

Back to the OP. Definitely Torrance or LBC. Torrance has the better schools I believe and is great for families. Not too overpriced. Unless you prefer older neighborhoods with character some urbanity. Then I would go for Long Beach. You can get a place in Belmont Shore or Heights or Naples Island and either walk or bike to the beach and tons of restaurants and stores. Torrance is more suburban with large shopping centers and a car is required for everything.

If you're willing to splurge and love the more suburban/rural life, Palos Verdes is great. There's tons of land up there. Very elite and expensive with some of the best schools in the country and very very safe.

[lmd1978]

Thank you very much!

[Cryptic]

Originally Posted by brrabbit

If I were you, I'd probably look to rent an apartment in Long Beach or in Orange County.

I would go for Long Beach over Orange County. Not only is Long Beach far more affordable, but the commute from San Pedro to Orange, Orange County could take 50 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes. Even Irvine could add another 30 minutes or more beyond that.

[jacktravern]

Originally Posted by lmd1978

Hi there,

My husband has accepted a job position in the Wilmington area, which means we will be moving from Texas soon. Neither of us have ever been to California, so we have no idea where to start. I was wondering if anyone could recommend some nice, safe areas around the Wilmington area that would be good for a family of four with 2 elementary aged children? We would prefer for his commute to be less than an hour. Also, would love to hear of any places to avoid as well. ANY information would be greatly appreciated! We are searching blindly and it is so overwhelming! Thank you in advance!

Just on a personal note out of curiosity....why are you accpeting jobs/ moving to a place you have never even visited and don't know anything about in regards to living areas?

[BRinSM]

if OP can afford $4k per month on rent, i can only imagine their family income is north of $150k. while that is not a huge salary for LA, it's certainly more than enough to live comfortably. maybe the OP wants to take advantage of the opportunity to live in southern california. even with the negatives, it's still a fantastic place to live and has way more to offer than most other places in the world if you can afford it.

[jacktravern]

Originally Posted by brrabbit

You can call me crazy I got a job offer and moved to Milwaukee WI with 2 kids. I did not have any friends or relatives there,. Days of slavery are long gone in USA, nowadays most of the jobs you can leave at any time at will.

THis is beyond insane! You've moved into Jefferey Dahmer's building for all you know. Chop Chop

[coldzero]

Stay in Texas.
Are you ready to deal with...
Traffic?
Old, badly maintained streets?
Trash everywhere?
Old tiny houses?
Really high rent?
Insane gas prices?
Bad neighbors?
Overcrowded everything; definitely schools?
Pollution?
... and did I mention traffic?

[drunk on kool aid]

Originally Posted by lmd1978

<snip>

We are able to do $4,000 if need be, so what other locations would you consider if paying that amount?

I don't think the cities of Cerritos and Lakewood have been mentioned yet. They are inland of Long Beach and are safe, suburban and have good schools (but check first).

You may not be here when your kids get older, but Cerritos is home of Whitney High, one of the best in the state.

Long Beach is primarily served by Long Beach Unified but parts are also served by LAUSD, ABC and Paramount districts. Likewise, Cerritos and Lakewood are served by a patchwork of districts.

Cerritos is majority Asian, at least partially due to the excellent academics.

LAUSD gets brutally trashed on this forum but many of its elementary schools are actually good. So, unless you're looking to establish roots, don't blacklist an area just because it's zoned to LAUSD. Many LAUSD HS magnets are very good as well.

Best of luck.

P.S. The areas near the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles as well as the Alameda Corridor are often cited for having worse air quality due to diesel exhaust. Ditto the area near the oil refineries in the South Bay.

[brrabbit]

Best kept secret of LAUSD is "open enrollment". Which means that even if you live in an area served by less desired school, you pretty much can apply to any other and chances are you will "win the lottery". We applied our daughter to a bunch of elementary schools, and she won the lottery in each one where we applied! Our son applied to a very good high school, and even though he had 50-50 chance of winning admission, he got it. And all other kids who we know applied, got into it as well.