How far from LA? (Long Beach, Huntington Beach: apartment, rental, mover)

[veghead13]

Hello everyone. I have been reading the forums about East coasters moving to the West. I am also going to be moving from the East, New Hampshire to be exact, to somewhere close to LA. I was wondering how far away are most cities to downtown LA? I was looking into Oxnard, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Agoura Hills...etc., but will need to be fairly close to LA for work reasons. I do want to be close to the beach, not extremely expensive, but I will be with friends so we can afford a bigger place. Do any of the cities around LA meet my criteria? Also wondering what advice anyone has about shipping my stuff (bed, clothes, other crap) from NH to LA...or if it might be cheaper to drive a Uhaul there??? I have always wanted to drive through the states, so it could be fun, but with gas so expensive??? Any advice would be much appreciated!

[sneezecake]

Are you asking about downtown because you have a job lined up there, or because that's where you think that you'll get a job?

Commute times for each of the places you named would be at minimum 1 hour each way.

There is no convenient beach-town to downtown except for maybe Long Beach or North Redondo beach if you take the trains (which I have never done)

I recently moved from LA to NC and it was almost the same price to have a reputable moving company do the work as it was for me to UHaul it plus gas. If you want to make the cross-country drive, do it in your car and ship your stuff.

[bhcompy]

huntington would be easily more than an hour. you'd have to leave real early to get their any earlier i would say.

long beach would be your best bet. seal beach isnt too far for access to a real beach, there are trains you can commute on to downtown LA, and rent isnt as high as marina del ray, santa monica, etc closer to LA.

maybe el segundo though? not as expensive an area i believe as some surrounding areas and not TOO far from downtown

[dbaMommy]

Sounds from your post that you are fairly young and might like a city which offers outdoor and nightlife activity. Long Beach would fit the bill and is a doable commute to LA.

I live just over the bridge from Long Beach and my cousin lives there in a rather nice apartment with roommates. They are young, single and enjoy the area very much.

LA is a straight shot north on the 110 Harbor Freeway to downtown LA.

If you're the adventurous type go for the road trip! Nothing like taking in the beauty and diversity of our country on a road trip AND you may never have the opportunity again until much later in life (if my presumption of your youth is correct). You can always split the cost of gas with your friends too! If you're not into adventure then call it a day and hire a mover.

Just my .02. Hope it helps.

Oh and in my opinion a commute from Oxnard (and to some degree Agoura Hills) by car would be total self inflicted punishment. The train may be an option BUT I'd pass why move out that far from LA if you don't have to. Personally I'd rather spend my time more meaningfully than using it on commuting. Huntington is doable as well but of the cities you mentioned I think Long Beach is the most viable based on proximity to downtown.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by dbaMommy

LA is a straight shot north on the 110 Harbor Freeway to downtown LA.

But how long does it take? I've never been able to get into downtown (even on a Sunday night) without bumper to bumper traffic and I don't even go there during peak AM rush hours. I shudder to think how far south the 110 backs up at 8am on a Monday.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by veghead13

I was wondering how far away are most cities to downtown LA? I was looking into Oxnard, ... Agoura Hills...etc., but will need to be fairly close to LA for work reasons. I do want to be close to the beach, not extremely expensive, but I will be with friends so we can afford a bigger place.

I can give you some thoughts on this part of your post. First, when you say your job is in L.A. Can you be more precise? Downtown L.A.?

Oxnard to downtown L.A. is around 65 miles one way. I commuted to Vernon from Ventura (around 75 miles one way) at one point around 20 years ago, and wouldn't repeat the experience. Some days it took three hours to drive home. Of course this was a time before the commuter trains. I'd only attempt it again if I could commute by train, Metrolink :: Ventura County Line. The up-side is that Oxnard's beach community is not as expensive as L.A. area beach towns. But again, it's a haul of a commute.

Agoura is around 30 miles closer to downtown than Oxnard, but the commute options are basically one: your car and a clogged U.S. 101. Agoura is not on the beach and somewhat expensive. Hope this info helps.

[katenik]

if you are asking about downtown because you think that is the center of activity in LA as it is in most cities, you're barking up the wrong tree. despite a lot of new (very expensive) residential development, downtown is still mostly a commercial center. unless you work or have regular business there, there is almost no reason to factor it in to your choice of community. what, exactly, are you looking for? none of the places you named are really close enough to LA to drive here every day and be happy about it.

[dbaMommy]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

But how long does it take? I've never been able to get into downtown (even on a Sunday night) without bumper to bumper traffic and I don't even go there during peak AM rush hours. I shudder to think how far south the 110 backs up at 8am on a Monday.

My B-I-L drives this daily. 110 to Grand Ave. He leaves around 6:30-7:00am and is there in 40 minutes or so. Just got off the phone with him.

Hope that helps.

[ewvdt]

If you don't really have to be living at the beach you might want to take a look at the San Gabriel Valley s.a. Pasadena, Altadena.
Altadena is in a beautiful location in the foothills with many hiking trails and relatively close to the "Gold Line", light rail, which quickly brings you into downtown L.A. This way you don't have to fight the traffic. Pasadena has many attractions including the "old town" which is very popular.
Hope this helps broaden your search.

[motoman]

You'll need to define first what you will accept as a one-way commute time, as well as your rental budget.

To stay within an hour commute one-way, on average, you'll need to be no further than about 15-20 miles from downtown. That will get you to most of the popular beach communities.

The rent rates vary greatly depending on how close you want to be to the beach and what type of place you are looking for. What is your rental budget?

I am assuming you'll want a three bedroom or something based on your post. You could probably find something in the $2,500-$3,000 range relatively close to the beach. But again, the rates vary greatly. You can probably find something cheaper, and certainly much more expensive.