Boston guy moving to L.A. (Los Angeles, Long Beach: rentals, crime rates, neighborhoods)

[BudmanBC]

Hello,

I'm a 23 year old recent graduate from Boston College who will be moving out to the L.A. area in a month or so to start working in Fullerton, CA. I know next to nothing about the area, as I have only been there once before. I was wondering if anyone could advise me with some or all of the following questions:

-Which areas of L.A. are popular (in terms of housing) for the "young professional" crowd of post-graduate ages 21-30something?
-How long is the commute from L.A. to Fullerton?
-Are there any neighborhoods or sections of L.A. that predominantly contain people of Irish decent?
-Where are "bad" areas (dangerous, high crime rates) of L.A. where I would most likely want to avoid living?
-Is there any cheap housing near the beach, or does it get more expensive closer to the water?
-I'm a Bank of America member. Are there many Bank of America ATMs out there? If not, which is the most popular bank?

Any and all advice will be much appreciated, thank you.

[jessemh431]

1. Young people live in all beach cities, Westwood, Hollywood, Burbank, Pasadena, and Studio City.
2. Depends where in LA. Could be 10 minutes, could be 2+ hours.
3. Don't think so.
4. You've probably heard of South Central LA. Compton, Watts, El Sereno, Inglewood, Hawthorne, parts of Venice, parts of Culver City, parts of Long Beach, San Pedro, Lennox, Wilmington, Huntington Park. Generally areas east of the 405, south of the 10, and all the way east/southeast until you reach OC and the mountains. Now, that's just the basin. In the San Fernando Valley, you have Panorama City, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, part of Sherman Oaks, parts of Chatsworth, parts of Northridge, and generally the central and northern areas of the valley. Closer to Fullerton, stay away from most of Anaheim and Santa Ana.
5. The most expensive areas of LA are beach cities, but Long Beach's Belmont Shore area is the only exception. It is a fantastic area though. I'm actually not even sure why it's so much cheaper than other beach cities.
6. BofA's are very popular out here. I'd say they are one of the most used, along with WaMu.

To better help you out, what's your price range? Oh yeah, and I'd stick with areas in OC if you'll be working in Fullerton. Hollywood is where all the fun is, but way too far to live. It would be better to visit it on weekends.

[BudmanBC]

Awesome, thanks so much for the info. I still am negotiating my salary for this job, but most likely I would not be able to afford much more than $1500 a month. Ideally I'd like something under $1000/month, but I'm willing to pay more for a better location (i.e. closer to the beach).

[TheRealAngelion]

Fullerton is in north Orange County. You might consider Huntington Beach to live, which is also in north Orange County and is very popular among professional singles and families alike.

[CESpeed]

If you want to drive two hours each way going 15 - 20 miles per hour, by all means live in L.A. and work in Fullerton. Personally, I think Fullerton is a nice area. It's better to live there and drive to the beach on weekends.

[jessemh431]

Yeah. I would suggest Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, or Costa Mesa.

[BudmanBC]

yes, i've been hearing this from other people i've talked to as well. the commute from L.A. would be horrendous. beach areas south of the city sound like a good time. i'm just under the impression that there will be less night-life down there and it might be harder to meet people because of that. any thoughts?

[jessemh431]

Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach I think are the nightlife hotspots of OC. It's easy to meet people in any of our beach cities since that's where most young people live. Hollywood would be better for weekends...like a Friday or Saturday night. It will not be too far, and it's better to have a long drive once in a while to go party than have a long drive every day to work.

[BudmanBC]

"it's better to have a long drive once in a while to go party than have a long drive every day to work."

couldn't agree more. thanks so much for all the advice. now i just need to find a place i can actually afford down there...

[CESpeed]

Check out losangeles.craigslist.org or Free Los Angeles and Orange County Classifieds - Recycler. They will have the most affordable places. If you don't mind paying $60. for a list, try Westside Rentals.