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Old 03-02-2017, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
33 posts, read 72,136 times
Reputation: 26

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Newbie here looking for some advice! We will be moving from Minneapolis to the Los Angeles/Orange County area. But I have some questions about where to live.

My husband's job will be in downtown Orange, CA (this is already confirmed). And I have an interview (DREAM JOB) a few blocks east of The Grove in Los Angeles.

Would this be plausible, given the two jobs would be 40 miles apart?? If so, where would be the best place/town to live between Orange, CA, and The Grove that would offer the two of us the shortest commute....? Or should I just cancel this interview because it's not plausible since we don't want to commute more than an hour each way ?

Musts:

2-bedroom rental for $3,000/month or less
Family-friendly (we have one young child)
Good schools
Safe neighborhood/low crime
Would LOVE to be close-ish to a beach!!

TIA!!
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Old 03-02-2017, 09:41 AM
 
Location: Downtown Los Angeles, CA
1,886 posts, read 2,099,341 times
Reputation: 2255
A general piece of advice locals often make is "live near your work". It carries a lot of weight because although you may be content with your 1hr+ drive for the first few months while you're still romanticizing SoCal, after that, it will become torture. LA traffic is soul-sucking and there's no good reason to voluntarily expose yourself to it.

Having said that, the drive wouldn't be 1hrs for each of you. More like 40min if you lived smack in the middle, and an ~70min if you lived next to your husband's job. Keep in mind if you draw a linear line from Orange to The Grove, you won't be intersecting with a whole lot of "nice" neighborhoods. There are posters with much more exposure to those areas so I'll withhold my suggestions.

So my suggestion is to forget The Grove, find a job in the OC area, and live closer to Huntington or Long Beach for your beach fix. In these areas you can find a town home that meets all your specs including budget.

Last edited by adr3naline; 03-02-2017 at 09:52 AM..
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Old 03-02-2017, 10:00 AM
 
5,681 posts, read 5,159,715 times
Reputation: 5154
Quote:
Originally Posted by spontaneous_traveler View Post
we don't want to commute more than an hour each way ?
Quote:
2-bedroom rental for $3,000/month or less
Quote:
Would LOVE to be close-ish to a beach!!
Long Beach. Not sure about the other requirements, though.
Quote:
So my suggestion is to forget The Grove, find a job in the OC area, and live closer to Huntington or Long Beach for your beach fix. In these areas you can find a town home that meets all your specs including budget.
Or this. What's the dream job, if you don't mind my asking?
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Old 03-02-2017, 10:05 AM
 
Location: Encino, CA
4,565 posts, read 5,419,304 times
Reputation: 8249
Quote:
Originally Posted by highlanderfil View Post
Long Beach. Not sure about the other requirements, though.Or this. What's the dream job, if you don't mind my asking?
That is what I want to know. Is it actually a dream JOB, or is it with a dream COMPANY.

I think a bit more info is needed in order to make the best advice possible. Right now, since she doesnt have the job yet, I say move to OC close to where her husband's employment is.
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Old 03-02-2017, 10:35 AM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
33 posts, read 72,136 times
Reputation: 26
I'd rather not say the company name here, but you can probably figure it out if I say it's a few blocks east of The Grove and it's a huge "digital media company delivering news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people." I'm a writer. And I would say the job for me is probably a long shot, but worth finding out if I could get it. My husband is an architect and has already accepted his position in Orange. Honestly, while this would be a dream COMPANY (you were right, Kings Gambit) I can write anywhere for anyone, really. But to work for this company would be mind-blowing for me, at this point in my career.

I will say we used to live in Phoenix for 6 years, and we each commuted 1-1.5 hours each way. So we are no strangers to that. Although that was before we had kids. Life is different now, and I would not accept over an hour commute.
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Old 03-02-2017, 11:10 AM
 
5,681 posts, read 5,159,715 times
Reputation: 5154
Quote:
Originally Posted by spontaneous_traveler View Post
I'd rather not say the company name here, but you can probably figure it out if I say it's a few blocks east of The Grove and it's a huge "digital media company delivering news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people."
Got it. This kind of job may be much harder to come by in Orange County, so this kind of context definitely helps.
Quote:
I'm a writer. And I would say the job for me is probably a long shot, but worth finding out if I could get it. My husband is an architect and has already accepted his position in Orange. Honestly, while this would be a dream COMPANY (you were right, Kings Gambit) I can write anywhere for anyone, really. But to work for this company would be mind-blowing for me, at this point in my career.
Which is why I wouldn't discourage you from pursuing it. There's something to be said for dream jobs, even if you end up sacrificing a bit of free time to get to them. Hell, I moved to Michigan for mine.

The one caveat, though, is your child. If you end up sacrificing a lot of time spent together, then maybe I'd start thinking it may not be worth it.
Quote:
I will say we used to live in Phoenix for 6 years, and we each commuted 1-1.5 hours each way. So we are no strangers to that. Although that was before we had kids. Life is different now, and I would not accept over an hour commute.
Exactly. And in L.A. it's not always a choice.
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Old 03-02-2017, 11:10 AM
 
Location: Downtown Los Angeles, CA
1,886 posts, read 2,099,341 times
Reputation: 2255
Quote:
Originally Posted by spontaneous_traveler View Post
I'd rather not say the company name here, but you can probably figure it out if I say it's a few blocks east of The Grove and it's a huge "digital media company delivering news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people." I'm a writer. And I would say the job for me is probably a long shot, but worth finding out if I could get it. My husband is an architect and has already accepted his position in Orange. Honestly, while this would be a dream COMPANY (you were right, Kings Gambit) I can write anywhere for anyone, really. But to work for this company would be mind-blowing for me, at this point in my career.

I will say we used to live in Phoenix for 6 years, and we each commuted 1-1.5 hours each way. So we are no strangers to that. Although that was before we had kids. Life is different now, and I would not accept over an hour commute.
I'd see if BuzzFeed allows remote work (it appears they do), so you could avoid a commute for at least part of the week. If they do, then live closer to your husband's position in Orange. Win win.
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Old 03-02-2017, 12:22 PM
 
Location: northern central CA
165 posts, read 150,445 times
Reputation: 405
I've been an L.A. resident since 1997 and am familiar with the city, Orange County, traffic and travel distances. The Grove is located in a central part of Los Angeles, far from Orange County, at least a 1.5-2 hour drive each way there and back. If you don't mind that kind of commute every day, then live in OC and work in L.A.

Personally, I'm not a fan of commuting more than 30 mins to and from work. The first 5 years I lived in L.A., I spent a hour to sometimes 1.5 hours commuting to and from work. I got sick of it very quickly and follow adr3naline's advice above, which is to live near where I work. That can be hard to do in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, but after those 5 years of commuting, I made a concerted effort to only find work near where I live and I've been able to make it happen so far. ...Then again, I'm single, no kids and a renter, so that makes things a little easier for me as far as finding housing. Not by much, but a little.

Hopefully, that helps you in making your decision.
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Old 03-02-2017, 12:35 PM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
33 posts, read 72,136 times
Reputation: 26
Quote:
Originally Posted by adr3naline View Post
I'd see if BuzzFeed allows remote work (it appears they do), so you could avoid a commute for at least part of the week. If they do, then live closer to your husband's position in Orange. Win win.
You read my mind, actually. Even if I had to commute 3 days a week for an hour+ that would be much more doable for me than 5 days!

So, is Long Beach a safe, family-friendly area? If working for BF doesn't work out, I was looking at Newport Beach. Is that a good option with kids? Seems like it would be a pretty short commute to Orange for my husband.

If you had to choose between Long Beach (I've never been) or Newport Beach (I've spend only a few hours), which would you choose?
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Old 03-02-2017, 12:47 PM
 
4,795 posts, read 4,823,491 times
Reputation: 7348
Quote:
Originally Posted by spontaneous_traveler View Post
You read my mind, actually. Even if I had to commute 3 days a week for an hour+ that would be much more doable for me than 5 days!

So, is Long Beach a safe, family-friendly area? If working for BF doesn't work out, I was looking at Newport Beach. Is that a good option with kids? Seems like it would be a pretty short commute to Orange for my husband.

If you had to choose between Long Beach (I've never been) or Newport Beach (I've spend only a few hours), which would you choose?
you'll probably get much better answers here:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/orange-county/
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