considering moving to Long Beach (San Diego, Pasadena: violent crime, homes, neighborhood)

[movingjubilation]

Hi!
Right now we live in the Bay Area and we want to come back to Southern California. We are considering Long Beach but don't know much about it. We're also considering San Diego, and had also talked about Palos Verdes, Pasadena, and Beverly Hills. our budget is around 1.2-1.7 M so in Long Beach we'd get more for our money.

What's it like living in Long Beach? We have young children.


The things we want are:
-a good public elementary school
-a neighborhood that is on the quiet side, and without a much violent crime
-a neighborhood with a sense of community (a local coffee shop, strip, or restaurant area close--if not walking distance then ~5 min drive)
-interesting architecture (homes that are not all the same time period or style)
-ocean, nature, or a park nearby
-easy access to culture is a plus (museums, concert halls, that kind of thing)

We do not need to be able to get on the freeway easily on a daily basis because both parents work mostly from home, but being able to get to LA without too much trouble would be great for one of our jobs.

Do you think Long Beach would be a good match, and if so, where? We looked at Bixby Knolls and Belmont Shore. What is Rancho Estates like?

Thanks!

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally Posted by movingjubilation

Do you think Long Beach would be a good match, and if so, where?

No, step across the LA/Orange County line from Long Beach into Seal Beach and everything is better.

[robrelo]

Long Beach has some nice parts (near the ocean) but i would never live there. Too much crime. My brother lived there fir years. His car was broken into 12 times, and this was in a secure garage. No thanks.

[socal88]

Forget Long Beach. Even nice parts like Bixby Knolls are close to bad parts of Long Beach. All the other areas you mentioned are better options.

Palos Verdes is a very nice, safe, family-friendly, quiet area with top notch public schools. Only potential downside is that it is a little isolated, so it takes a while to get to the freeway and go to other areas. However, that seclusion can also be a plus, especially because you both mostly work from home. However, Palos Verdes and other nearby South Bay cities such as Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach are nice, especially if you like the coastal, chill vibe.

Pasadena has some very nice pockets with a lot of architectural diversity and is a good location in terms of amenities, parks, and culture/museums (e.g. Huntington Library, Norton Simon, etc. with access to downtown LA and other areas. The major issue is a poor public school system, so you'll need to go private. And being inland, it certainly gets toastier in the summer if that's an issue.

As far as Beverly Hills, I don't think you can even find a home under $2 million. If so, it's probably a tear down, so I'd forget Beverly Hills.

I'd post specifically in the San Diego forum, but my two cents is that San Diego has some great areas and it's definitely more of a chill vibe overall compared to LA. Some nice coastal areas such as Encinitas and Del Mar where you can find homes in your budget plus very good public schools. Also, great place in terms of beach, biking, and other outdoor activities. Only downsides are that you are a little isolated in terms of being far from LA other parts of Socal if that matters and the fact that the airport isn't the greatest in terms of routes, etc. if you plan to travel much.