Need advice on LA, traffic, distance to UCLA and USC (San Diego: house, safe area)

[asilkman]

Hey everyone,
Hoping some locals can give me some advice. It's premature, but I am planning on attending law school next year at either UCLA or USC. I am not a typical student though in that I finished undergrad about 5 years ago and am going back to being a student as a career change. Getting to the point, I'm familiar with a few areas around LA and San Diego, but I'm looking for advice on finding a safe area where I can find a single family house (with a yard because we have 2 mastiffs that are like our kids to us), within 1-1 1/2 hour commute to either UCLA or USC (having lived in Boston I know full well that just because two areas are close on a map doesn't mean its a short trip to get there). The closer to either school, the better. I'm not really sure on home prices and I'm not looking for anything REALLY nice, but I anticipate I'm going to have to be in the $600,000 area to find something that kind of fits this description (maybe more, I'm not sure). If any of guys could point me in a direction as far as where to start looking I would really appreciate it.

[katenik]

your question can be best answered once you know which school you will attend. they are on opposite ends of town, and there are only a handful of places to live that would provide relatively convenient commutes to both. culver city comes to mind, and you should be able to find something there within your budget as long as a modest 2BR bungalow fits your expectations.

do not seek out a commute of an hour or more. that is not a reasonable undertaking for someone experiencing the pressures of attending a top-tier law school.

btw, if the choice of schools is yours at this point, i strongly recommend USC, despite the additional expense and less attractive surroundings, for a single reason: its outstanding alumni network. your fellow trojans will assist you in your career for the rest of your life wherever in the world you encounter them. no joke!

[asilkman]

Thanks katenik! USC is actually my top choice of the two so I should have mentioned that. I agree with you too about the commute. I would like it to be as little as possible, but to have my wife in a relatively safe neighborhood and as rediculous as it sounds, a yard for my dogs, I would gladly make the longer commute. A 2br bungalow fits my needs just fine at this point though. Just me, my wife and the dogs so a small place with a yard is all I'm looking for for the time being. I'll do a little checking into Culver Ciy though, thanks.