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Old 12-20-2015, 03:49 PM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,110,685 times
Reputation: 3626

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Quote:
Originally Posted by perrrrz View Post
This seems to be one of those "3 requirements, choose 2"scenarios:

1) affordable
2) good commute
3) good schools, sports access

Where's the best trade off though? I'm in the same boat with trying to fulfill #1 & #3, knowing #2 will take a hit. I just accepted a position in Santa Monica and will be starting after new year's. My large family will be joining me after the school year ends. I was considering the same places the OP is looking into, and some others.

Does no one take transit there, or is it all car-centric that the metro lines/regional rail is inefficient? I'm wondering if taking the train makes the commute more manageable.
There are buses and trains, but many areas are not serviced well. Santa Monica has great local bus coverage, but there are no regional commuter buses that serve the city. A rail line will be opening soon to SM, but it doesn't serve many family friendly areas unless you got big bucks.
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Old 12-20-2015, 04:38 PM
 
Location: Phoenix, AZ
2,653 posts, read 3,014,927 times
Reputation: 2866
Quote:
Originally Posted by seain dublin View Post
Your "summers" are 8 months long.

Phoenix is great in the winter. That's about it.

Better enjoy that big huge home, you're stuck inside it most of the year.

Some of us like to be outside, not prisoners of A/C most of the time.
Respectfully in response, it would be more accurate to say 4 months are miserable; 2 months are intermediate; and the other 6 months are perfect.
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Old 12-21-2015, 02:59 PM
 
3 posts, read 1,974 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightlysparrow View Post
Not enough info, like exactly what "affordable" means to YOU, renting or buying and for how much space, and how long a commute you can take


I wasn't really asking for advice, but contributing to the conversation. If you found a place for yourself that fits all 3, good for you. The majority of people on these boards are learning the trade-offs of one "convenience" for another. If you can convince me that you didn't do any trade off exercises in selecting a place to live, congrats! You're one of the few people who have all the time in the world, or all the money you need, or don't worry about the educational/social/recreational needs of your n+1 kids.

But since you're offering free advice, lets say I'm in the exact same boat as the OP. You now have an opportunity to teach me about the real estate market and whether I should buy or lease. Let's assume I've never been to Southern California, so I don't know how much space you think I need for a given area, or how long it takes to get anywhere. for the commute, I come from a place where traffic can be terrible, but you're crazy if you're going to _drive_ 2h one way to work.

Hopefully that clears things up for you.

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Old 12-21-2015, 04:00 PM
 
3 posts, read 1,974 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by BRinSM View Post
There are buses and trains, but many areas are not serviced well. Santa Monica has great local bus coverage, but there are no regional commuter buses that serve the city. A rail line will be opening soon to SM, but it doesn't serve many family friendly areas unless you got big bucks.
Thanks! I did notice the Expo line runs relatively close (walking distance) to the office, so I was hoping there was a way to catch that if I could easily reach a train line.
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Old 02-24-2016, 11:54 AM
 
15 posts, read 20,483 times
Reputation: 13
Resurrecting this thread!

I did read all the replies when I originally wrote this, but was enjoying the drama and arguments too much to reply to each one.

Update:
- I've accepted the fact that I will not accept a position for less than $160k with relo assistance.
- We are flying out there tomorrow morning and are visiting for 5 days. We plan to check out many of the areas suggested here and others we've found from research (thousand oaks, agoura hills, calabasas, sherman oaks, santa monica, simi valley, santa clarita, granada hills, la cresenta, burbank, glendale, torrence, redondo beach, rolling hills, etc).
- My wife has no expectations to be famous movie star
- the $160k is only my income but my wife also plans on working once kids start school, just not sure where so we are trying not to count on that income just yet.
- we've tentatively set a rent budget limit of $3500 assuming $160k. looking at trulia, craigslist, and zillow, we've found a number of 4 bedroom homes in seemingly good areas that could be a good start for us.
- commute: I believe this is going to be the biggest challenge to accept. I'm in web development so it seems like there is tons of jobs in "silicon beach" and I'd likely be commuting there (though I'm still planning to pursue disney in burbank or glendale). We plan on "trying out" the commute a few times from various areas just so I know what I'd be getting myself into.
- we plan on maybe doing one touristy thing for fun like universal or something but most of the trip will just be looking at neighborhoods and schools.

My only question at this point: The oscars are this weekend (we didn't realize that when we booked the trip). Will that have any noticeable effect on traffic outside of the direct area the show is in?

Thanks again for all the replies. I do appreciate the vast ranges of opinions!
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Old 02-24-2016, 01:04 PM
 
Location: TOVCCA
8,452 posts, read 14,962,200 times
Reputation: 12528
Well you chose a great time weather-wise, it will be 80 degrees tomorrow!

If you can, plan at least one day to take the freeways during weekday (not weekend) rush hours. If you're focusing on Silicon Beach area (altho there are many others (socalTECH.com - Southern California's Source For Technology News and Venture Capital, covering Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Santa Barbara, and beyond) for work, concentrate especially on the 405 and the 10. The 118 is the lightest freeway traffic-wise, the 405 probably the heaviest.

Good exploring!
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Old 06-06-2016, 05:22 PM
 
15 posts, read 20,483 times
Reputation: 13
Update posted here for anyone interested: http://www.city-data.com/forum/ventu...-end-june.html
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