Moved from East Coast New England suburbs to LA (Glendale: apartments, rentals)

[LA Beginner]

Recently moved from Boston suburbs to LA.

I am looking for a suburb neighborhood near Glendale which has:

> Good schools
> Easy commute to Glendale
> Nice apartments in range of $2000- $2500
> Green and quiet town
> Lots of green parks and fun places for kids

Your help will really contribute in finding right place for my family. Right now I am just so confused

Thanks!

[elhelmete]

Originally Posted by LA Beginner

Recently moved from Boston suburbs to LA.

I am looking for a suburb neighborhood near Glendale which has:

> Good schools
> Easy commute to Glendale
> Nice apartments in range of $2000- $2500
> Green and quiet town
> Lots of green parks and fun places for kids

Your help will really contribute in finding right place for my family. Right now I am just so confused

Thanks!

If you're in LA currently, where are you staying?

I'm Mass. born and raised but have been here for 20 years. Suburbs are very different. "Green" has a whole different meaning. Some parts of Glendale might fit your bill. Also Burbank. I don't know the rental market too well in Sierra Madre but that's relatively close and I find that town charming and somewhat New England-y.

[adr3naline]

I agree that Glendale or Burbank would be an okay fit, but how many bedrooms will you need? These cities could quickly get out of your price range.

[ryanms3030]

I also grew up in the suburbs of Mass and lived there for 28 years before moving here 10+ years ago.

> Good schools: Some parts of Glendale. Burbank. Some parts of Pasadena
> Easy commute to Glendale: See above
> Nice apartments in range of $2000- $2500.: See above. Decent 2 bedrooms are getting closer to the $2500 range in those areas
> Green and quiet town: LA is brown for the most part. We are in an extended drought so don't expect to find much "green". All of the cities listed have plenty of nice parks with some grass and trees. Angeles Forrest is nearby but even there is much different than forrest in the north east. Things were green for about 2 weeks a few months back after we had some rain but back to brown now.
> Lots of green parks and fun places for kids: see above


I lived in Glendale for 5 years. Work in Glendale/Burbank and we just moved up to Santa Clarita now that we have kids. Schools are much better, people are much better in general, very family oriented compared to areas closer to the city. Commute is the main downside but it's been 30-40 min for me. It's also even more brown up there but there is plenty of outdoor space, parks, hiking etc and the most suburban feeling place I've lived in LA.

[LA Beginner]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

If you're in LA currently, where are you staying?

I'm Mass. born and raised but have been here for 20 years. Suburbs are very different. "Green" has a whole different meaning. Some parts of Glendale might fit your bill. Also Burbank. I don't know the rental market too well in Sierra Madre but that's relatively close and I find that town charming and somewhat New England-y.

Thank you for your reply. I am currently staying in a corporate housing in Glendale downtown. Most apartments that we have seen give a town feeling and I just don't want to stay in the uptown area. That's why I am okay if the commute is 30-45 mins from Glendale. I can explore the rental market in Sierra Madre. But does it have good schools?

[LA Beginner]

Originally Posted by adr3naline

I agree that Glendale or Burbank would be an okay fit, but how many bedrooms will you need? These cities could quickly get out of your price range.

I am looking for a 2 bedroom apt. I have heard Burbank is too commercialized. Do you agree?

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by LA Beginner

Thank you for your reply. I am currently staying in a corporate housing in Glendale downtown. Most apartments that we have seen give a town feeling and I just don't want to stay in the uptown area. That's why I am okay if the commute is 30-45 mins from Glendale. I can explore the rental market in Sierra Madre. But does it have good schools?

Sierra Madre is really nice but it's mostly single family homes and not a lot of rentals. You can find some houses for rent but probably out of your price range. If you can do 45 minute commute I would recommend looking in Santa Clarita/Valencia too. Public schools are generally great K-12 there and it's probably closer to community you are looking for if you want something closer to Mass. Suburbs....but everything in LA is going to be very different from Mass

[LA Beginner]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

I also grew up in the suburbs of Mass and lived there for 28 years before moving here 10+ years ago.

> Good schools: Some parts of Glendale. Burbank. Some parts of Pasadena
> Easy commute to Glendale: See above
> Nice apartments in range of $2000- $2500.: See above. Decent 2 bedrooms are getting closer to the $2500 range in those areas
> Green and quiet town: LA is brown for the most part. We are in an extended drought so don't expect to find much "green". All of the cities listed have plenty of nice parks with some grass and trees. Angeles Forrest is nearby but even there is much different than forrest in the north east. Things were green for about 2 weeks a few months back after we had some rain but back to brown now.
> Lots of green parks and fun places for kids: see above


I lived in Glendale for 5 years. Work in Glendale/Burbank and we just moved up to Santa Clarita now that we have kids. Schools are much better, people are much better in general, very family oriented compared to areas closer to the city. Commute is the main downside but it's been 30-40 min for me. It's also even more brown up there but there is plenty of outdoor space, parks, hiking etc and the most suburban feeling place I've lived in LA.

Great! I am also inclined towards Santa Clarita having a 5 year old kid. I am reading good things about that town. Any other things that you feel bad other than commute part? Do you have idea about rental property there? Is it too expensive?

[LA Beginner]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

Sierra Madre is really nice but it's mostly single family homes and not a lot of rentals. You can find some houses for rent but probably out of your price range. If you can do 45 minute commute I would recommend looking in Santa Clarita/Valencia too. Public schools are generally great K-12 there and it's probably closer to community you are looking for if you want something closer to Mass. Suburbs....but everything in LA is going to be very different from Mass

Ok, these towns are on my list for this weekend's explore I understand East Coast is different from here but I am just looking for more open areas and good parks which I haven't seen here so far!!! thanks

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by LA Beginner

I am looking for a 2 bedroom apt. I have heard Burbank is too commercialized. Do you agree?

Commercialized is a subjective term, but I would agree that it is more commercialized that much of LA. Some like it, such as myself. I drive in from Hollywood to hit Ikea & Target all the time. If I could swing $1M for a dinky home, I would probably eye up Burbank. .