West Side vs South Bay? (Los Angeles, Long Beach: apartment, for rent, school districts)

[Surf_Norway]

Narrowing down my search, slowly.

My son (who will move here next summer) wants to be close to the beach.

I want to be close to a good High School, as well as somewhere where there are clubs, bars, restaurants, museums, culture, things to do, people to meet. We had found that the whole strip between SM and DTLA offers a lot, except for great schools (SM excepted). The better schools seem to be in SM, SB, some close to Long Beach (but that's getting a bit far from the rest of LA and the Valley), as well as a bunch out in Pasadena and east of Pasadena.

For now I've relegated Pasadena, Arcadia and all the great schools and areas out there to the back burner. The Valley has a few good schools, but is very suburban, no real places to go out aside from strip malls, not my idea of going out. I'm not sure how far Agoura Hills or Westlake Village are from the beach, or if there's any cultural activities or places to go out there.

We've visited a few schools in SM and SB, both seem nice. I've started googling a bit for activities, clubs, things to do in both places, and it seems to me that SM has a much younger and active vibe than the SB. SB seems a bit more staid and older in general, but maybe it's just me.

Is my impression correct? Can anyone tell me a bit more about life as a single man (open to meeting a single woman) who likes going to concerts, live music, craft beer bars, good restaurants, museums, exhibitions and the like? Pros and cons of Santa Monica/Venice vs South Bay (Manhattan Beach, Redondo, Hermosa, El Segundo)? I spent a week in Venice and liked the eclectic mix of people there. Been in the Valley (Porter Ranch, Woodland Hills) and Palm Springs this last week, neither place appeals that much. I like real, down to earth people. The less pretentious the better (seen a lot of that here in LA, but it's everywhere).

I'm still in the process of job hunting, but expect to be able to spend between $2-3000/month for rent and utilities. It seems that's the going rate all over LA.

Thanks!

[socal88]

Most of your observations are generally on point.

Based on your preferences, I'd avoid suburban areas such as the Valley. You also mentioned Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, which are nice areas with good schools, and a fairly short drive over the hill to the beach. However, in terms of nightlife, culture, etc., there's very little to do. These are suburban areas for families.

If you're looking for a good high school and want to send your son to a public school (and/or can't afford to send your son to a private school), then I would avoid the city of Los Angeles, which has a less than stellar public school system to put it nicely. The city of Los Angeles includes some of the communities you've mentioned such as Venice and Woodland Hills. The only way is unless you are able to get your son into one of the good charter public schools, which is not always easy.

Santa Monica has good public schools, is right next to the beach, and has more action in terms of bars, restaurants, and activities where you can meet a lot of other single people. Given your budget, you won't be able to get much more than a decent apartment, but if you're fine with that, then I'd recommend Santa Monica. While both are expensive, Santa Monica is nicer and safer than Venice with better schools. Overall, Santa Monica has the best of both worlds in terms of good public schools and proximity to amenities, nightlife, etc.

The South Bay is generally suburban like the Valley, but it just happens to be by the beach. Hermosa Beach is probably the main area in the South Bay for nightlife as it has a lot of restaurants and bars. It's a little bit more of a laid-back, casual vibe compared to Santa Monica. Again, with your budget, you'll be able to get a decent apartment, but nothing big. The South Bay overall has good to great public high schools, so if getting your son into a good high school is a higher priority, then I'd look into the South Bay.

[JustMike77]

The South Bay is very nice ONCE YOU GET THERE. The problem is that after you slog down the 405, you still have 20-30 minutes to get there. Unless you work near the SB, I'd consider Santa Monica.

[Surf_Norway]

Thanks for your comments.

Yeah, SB seems a bit further away from "everything" (meaning friends in the SF Valley as well as activities and culture in DTLA and the whole strip across from there to WH and SM). I might spend a day in the SB and wander around just to get a feel for the place. A friend has also suggested Burbank/Glendale along with the whole hipster area around/between Griffith Park & Dodger Stadium, but the schools there aren't really something I want to put my son into. Beautiful are for hiking though!

Looks like SM is the top of the list, and I'll look into surrounding areas too, like Palms, Culver City, Mar Vista, etc.

As I mentioned in my other thread, the nature of my (hopefully to be) job is such that I just need to be no more than an hour from the airport. Both SM and SB fit that requirement nicely. Looks like I should definitely apply for TSA Precheck too, in order to avoid the lines.

[Stevedore]

Less pretentious people in the South Bay, but barely; all over Los Angeles really. You don't realize how bad it is till you move out of Los Angeles. There's traffic all over Los Angeles, South Bay used to be immune to it mostly, but not now. You can be in bumper to bumper traffic at 1P.M. traveling south on the 110 fwy. @ Carson St. with no accidents; unheard of 7-10 yeas ago. I feel schools are best in the South Bay, Redondo Unified, Torrance, and Palos Verdes school districts are all above average. South Bay has plenty of beautiful women and nightlife for a single guy too, good luck.

[Surf_Norway]

A few of my friends tell me that SM is a horribly place for a teenager (my son will be 15 when he moves here next summer), drugs, gangs, bullying, and that the whole town changes after sundown, while SB is much safer for kids.

Is that true?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Surf_Norway

A few of my friends tell me that SM is a horribly place for a teenager (my son will be 15 when he moves here next summer), drugs, gangs, bullying, and that the whole town changes after sundown, while SB is much safer for kids.

Is that true?

The part about drugs is true, the rest is not any more than the rest of SoCal. However all wealthy communities have major drug issues including SB, including the South Bay, including OC, including the Conejo Valley, etc. Where there is money there are drugs.

What is more of a problem in SM is the homeless invasion and the reluctance of the city to do anything about it, but SB also has this problem.

If you do have a teenager SM is the 2nd best place on the westside next to BH. CC is 3rd. Everything else on the westside is to be avoided

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by Surf_Norway

A few of my friends tell me that SM is a horribly place for a teenager (my son will be 15 when he moves here next summer), drugs, gangs, bullying, and that the whole town changes after sundown, while SB is much safer for kids.

Is that true?

Only the ‘bad’ part of Santa Monica along Pico has a reputation of gang activity and that’s probably exaggerated. There are a lot of homeless people in Santa Monica but they hang out near the touristy areas to panhandle. The South Bay is probably safer in general for a 15 y/o to wander around but Santa Monica isn’t far behind. Where I live in Santa Monica I frequently see young women out alone for an evening walk or run at 9-10pm. I suspect the biggest issue with Santa Monica, and frankly most of LA county, is the quality of the public schools and the behavior of their peers at said schools.

[Surf_Norway]

Would anyone care to comment on the relative merits/differences between the 3-4 SB communities? Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes?

Are the pretty much the same? What kind of people would I meet or would gravitate to each community in general?

Schools seem to be excellent in PV, MB and RB, not sure if HB has their own High school, but will check.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Surf_Norway

Would anyone care to comment on the relative merits/differences between the 3-4 SB communities? Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes?

Are the pretty much the same? What kind of people would I meet or would gravitate to each community in general?

Schools seem to be excellent in PV, MB and RB, not sure if HB has their own High school, but will check.

Hermosa is in the Manhattan school district.

PV is more isolated/secluded than those other communities, and more conservative leaning. The others are more politically moderate.

All of them have problems with conspicuous consumption.

Hermosa and Redondo have more things to do than the others.

Note: "SB" generally refers to Santa Barbara, not the South Bay.