Portland, Oregon to L.A. County? (Los Angeles, Pomona: transplants, for rent, crime)

[ChibiLesley]

Ok, I need some advice about what I think is a unique situation. My husband and I just moved from New York to Portland, Oregon at the end of October and we love it (everything but the dreary, rainy winter). However, I've been feeling pretty isolated out here, since neither of us has family or many friends around. Also, we'd like to start a family of our own pretty soon and I would like to have family around for that. Now, my mom is moving from New York to Glendora in the summer. Part of me thinks we should just abandon Portland and move down to so cal be closer to my mom. But we both love the whole Pacific Northwest lifestyle, the outdoor activities, the green-ness, all the trees, the perfect, walkable size of Portland (without actually living in the heart of the city, we can easily walk downtown or to the large, beautiful Washington Park), the laid-back, liberal culture...I guess my question boils down to this: can we find anything remotely close to what we have up here in Los Angeles County?

[CESpeed]

Yes! West Covina, Covina and San Dimas fit that description and they are all within half hour of Glendora. West Covina is the closest. The CSU Pomona campus is amazing. It used to be the Kellogg Ranch and its maintained most of the agriculture of the ranch as it is still a working ranch. The area of Pomona around the campus is nice but, like L.A., you want to stay away from downtown. Walnut is nice too. In fact that West Covina/Walnut area has a lot of horse-friendly property. I used to live there and loved it. Feel free to DM me.

[lucero32]

The short answer is a resounding No. Your situation in some ways is the exact opposite of mine. My wife and I left L.A. for Portland as we were looking for a better life for our growing family. We left behind our careers, friends, and families with the hope of building a better future for our children. Almost two years later, we love Portland and feel we have absolutely made the right decision.

This is no knock on L.A., as I absolutely love the city (and miss all the great food), but it’s simply nothing like Portland. Just about everything you mentioned is the exact opposite of L.A. Let’s see…

“Green-ness”- L.A. does have it’s moments and lawns and such are usually maintained, but coming from New York, and now Portland, L.A. will seem dry and dusty.

“Walkable”- You’d be hard pressed to find a less walk-able city than L.A. There are pockets of walk-ability, but than you have traffic, grit, and crime to deal with.

“Large Beautiful Parks”-Hmm…There are many stunning parks located throughout greater L.A.., From Lacy Park in San Marino, to Griffith Park. The problem is that getting to one will require a drive and planning in and of itself. If you are used to walking to Washington Park, than no…there is nothing like that.

“Laid-back, liberal culture”- The liberal culture…certainly. Laid-back? Los Angeles has the reputation of being a rather laid-back area, and while it can be, it’s nothing compared to Portland which borders on downright slacker in laidbackness.

I guess it all depends on what you’re looking for and what you can afford. The one city I find most like my current neighborhood of Grant Park in relation to being able to walk to a park, quaint independent neighborhood shops, tree-lined streets filled with architecturally diverse home, and a family vibe, is South Pasadena. If you can drop 800K, you might be able to get a nice 2, maybe 3, bedroom home.

I recommend you visit your mom this summer and see if it’s something you can really do. That being said, if you really like Portland’s laid back culture, than I’m not sure L.A. would really be a good fit. Another major issue would be that you expressed you wanted to start a family. While I can’t think of many cities better to be young and childless in (NYC?), raising a family in L.A. can be tough. Either you need to make a lot of money (not just low six figures…but A LOT of money), or you have to move out to a distant suburb. Not that anything is wrong with L.A.’s suburbs, but if you like walk-able areas, than they certainly would not fit the bill. Where would you walk to…your local strip mall.

If you do decide to stay in Portland and raise a family, I think you’ll find making friends easy. As you probably know, this place is crawling with kids and activities for young families. We’ve made a really good group of friends up here, mainly of fellow transplants from other areas (mainly SF), and we all help each other out. Between visits to the park, activities at the local community centers, and random baby stuff, you’ll find lots of people in a similar situation.

I love L.A. and all that it has to offer...still, I only recently realized I love Portland more and consider myself lucky to be here. Plus, spring is just around the corner..daffodils blooming, tulips rising up, the trees flowering, and soon all of the great farmer's markets.

Either way, good luck on which ever way you decide. If you have any questions about L.A., or questions regarding what it's like raising a family up here just send me a message.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ChibiLesley

we'd like to start a family of our own pretty soon ....

: can we find anything remotely close to what we have up here in Los Angeles County?

Have you ever lived in Southern California?
What line of work are you (is he) in?
What would be your budget for rent or a home purchase? What would you be looking for in terms of size and number of bedrooms?

[Brandon26pdx]

Originally Posted by ChibiLesley

Ok, I need some advice about what I think is a unique situation. My husband and I just moved from New York to Portland, Oregon at the end of October and we love it (everything but the dreary, rainy winter). However, I've been feeling pretty isolated out here, since neither of us has family or many friends around. Also, we'd like to start a family of our own pretty soon and I would like to have family around for that. Now, my mom is moving from New York to Glendora in the summer. Part of me thinks we should just abandon Portland and move down to so cal be closer to my mom. But we both love the whole Pacific Northwest lifestyle, the outdoor activities, the green-ness, all the trees, the perfect, walkable size of Portland (without actually living in the heart of the city, we can easily walk downtown or to the large, beautiful Washington Park), the laid-back, liberal culture...I guess my question boils down to this: can we find anything remotely close to what we have up here in Los Angeles County?

You're better off staying in Portland, what with the young family and everything else being accurate. All sorts of people plop down here on purpose to raise the family and whatnot. Few people would recommend LA for anything other than career chasing and the shenanigans of the young and single.

[straight outta camden]

LA is not a bad place to raise a family if--and this is a big if--you can get into a good school district. It is always sunny so you can shove the kids outside when they drive you nuts. It has a beach. People tend to drive a lot more when they have kids so it makes sense to live in a city designed around the car. And, while not as walkable as Portland, it is more walkable than its reputation. You just have to choose carefully where you live. Also, don't underestimate family help. Lucero is right: you will make friends once you have children. But friends are rather less useful than family when it comes to babysitting, mysterious middle-of-the-night rashes, etc.

[LAPalms]

L.A. is the perfect place to raise a family. I am soooo lucky to have grown up here with all the great culture, the museums (there are actually more museums in LA than any other city in the world), are very educating. You leave the sub-tropical environment and in 1 1/2 hours you can be in magnificent desert, beautiful huge mountains with skiing, boarding, and of course, great beaches that are often super beautiful! All the best of the world, right here!
-Good luck my friend

[suncat]

Have you looked into the South Bay beach cities, like Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach? They're laid back and friendly, by LA standards, offer a variety of houses, and of course, you have the beach at your doorstep. The Manhattan Beach schools have a good reputation, as do the Torrance schools.