Moving to LA with 5 kids (Riverside, Santa Clarita: for sale, apartments, renting)

[Sorcerer68]

Originally Posted by Kashmir

Don't lie to her. It is EXACTLY what it is. Yes, porn and prostitutes are everywhere. I am telling her the degree to which she IS going to see it there. I have lived there my entired life I KNOW! This is not someone with a chip on the shoulder, looking through negitive eyes, speaking.
CCPatt if you want the web sites that will tell you about all the pron stars, human trafficing, prostitution, etc., that going on there, I will send it to you.
And the San Fernando Valley IS UGLY! Go to Catalina Island and you will not be able to see where the shore line is ONLY because of the thick brown that covers it with smog. No kidding we couldn't see the land, only smog.
To the post above, do your research and join some of the organizations to help these girls out. But STOP lying to yourself and take the rose-colored glasses off. With all due respect.

It's amazing what someone's perception can be when obsessed with an issue or two. No, there aren't tons of people in porn although there's a good deal being made. I've had a few friends with careers in porn, you'd never know if you met them on the street. The SFV isn't my favorite part of Southern California but I have to say that this is a gross misrepresentation. What does smog and Catalina have to do with the valley and gangs? I'll say it again...people who don't like living in a megapolitan would probably be much happier living in a small town. The few Megapolitans we have in the USA all have the same problems.

[goodgirl49]

I have lived in Chatsworth since 1978, and I can honestly admit that the porn industry is very low key here and you really don't notice it. Like previous posters, porn is all over the world now, and you can find it anywhere. Overall, Chatsworth is a pretty quiet place and isn't that bad for raising a family. My main complaint is that real estate is so overpriced. Schools I would rate as fair to good. If you can afford it, private school is a better option. Even though I'm aware of the gang problem, I've never felt that unsafe living here.

[PureHapa]

The south bay (Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance) are expensive but better schools and better for family. Avoid LAUSD and city of L.A. at all costs. Burbank and Glendale are also good ideas.

[tozzy21]

My family is also relocating to LA. I am wondering what kind of commute is involved from Westlake to El Segundo. Thanks for your help with this.

[fastfilm]

The horror, the horror. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Or at least be very prepared for an extremely long commute from Westlake Village (is that what you meant, or the street downtown?) along the congested 101, over the congested Mulholland pass, along the congested 405, only barely avoiding LAX traffic. If it's during normal business hour commuting (6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7:30 p.m.) I would anticipate at least 90 minutes each way. If there's Sigalerts (accidents that make traffic stop dead still for at least a half hour, broadcast as such on the radio) these stoppages further clog and delay commutes. You're a brave soul. Good luck.

[Keithns]

Originally Posted by Lisa from Philly

Hi there. I'm also moving to LA from the east coast in the summer with two kids. Schools and neighborhood are also most important to us as well. So far I've determined that the LAUSD is not that good (look on Greatschools.net) BUT that you can always find a few schools that have good ratings and a diverse student body. Are you going out to look around before you decide on a place? We're going in a few weeks with the family for a week; I can let you know more when we come back. People are helpful on this board to help you with the neighborhoods that sound right for you.

Spoke to a teacher this evening and he said that LAUSD is a big time no no. Every teacher I've ever known has said the same thing.

[Keithns]

Originally Posted by Kashmir

Don't lie to her. It is EXACTLY what it is. Yes, porn and prostitutes are everywhere. I am telling her the degree to which she IS going to see it there. I have lived there my entired life I KNOW! This is not someone with a chip on the shoulder, looking through negitive eyes, speaking.
CCPatt if you want the web sites that will tell you about all the pron stars, human trafficing, prostitution, etc., that going on there, I will send it to you.
And the San Fernando Valley IS UGLY! Go to Catalina Island and you will not be able to see where the shore line is ONLY because of the thick brown that covers it with smog. No kidding we couldn't see the land, only smog.
To the post above, do your research and join some of the organizations to help these girls out. But STOP lying to yourself and take the rose-colored glasses off. With all due respect.

If you're going to post here, you ought to get real with your statements to be fair to those who don't know the area. Obviously, you're unhappy about something else and taking it out on L.A. Your statements are mostly wildly wrong. I've lived in and around L.A. for 58 years and sure, it has some ugly parts, but it has other parts that make life real all around pleasant. For me, I like the beach cities, except for Venice, where the debris meets the sea.

[tozzy21]

I have received several different responses regarding the commute from Westlake Village to El Segundo. I have heard expect 45 minutes to 1hour. I have also heard at least 1.5 hours each way. We have been following Sigalerts during rush hour traffic times. Is this pretty accurate? We used to live in Northern California and are familiar w/Bay area & Sacramento traffic. We are used to 1hour commute living.

Can anyone recommend nice areas w/good schools closer to El Segundo that arent quite as expensive as Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, etc...?? Thanks for the help.

[buyacargetacheck]

Originally Posted by ccpatt

Please help if you can. My family has decided to relocate to LA from Florida. My husband is dying to move there so I am trying to be positive and supportive. He lived there in the 90's and loved it. Of course that was when he was living single so you don't need the same things when you are a family. I have never been to California. I have looked all through the web to find out where to live that is safe, reasonably priced with good schools. The rent doesn't seem that far off. We are coming from Naples where the housing pricing is crazy. We want to find a nice place to rent that is safe with good schools. One site says no LAUSD others say not too bad. I don't know where to move to. We want to live where the commute to North LA is not bad. Our kids education is of upmost importance to us. We were looking for something renting for under $3000 but with good schools and parks for the kids plus safe. We really want to make the decision so we can move over the summer. Can anyone PLEASW help me with some ideas? Our family would really appreciate it.

We moved from Florida a couple of years ago to the San Fernando Valley (THE Valley). If you are looking for the LA version of Naples, FL, i.e. white and fairly affluent, for $3000/mo and lower then the Valencia, Saugus, Stevenson Ranch or Castaic areas of the City of Santa Clarita north of the SF Valley are where you should look. However, as one poster mentioned the traffic on I-5 into Santa Clarita can be brutal. The schools there are as good as what you are used to and maybe better. The parks are awesome especially the "paseo" trails that line the city. www.screm.com or craigslist.com are good places to look for house rentals.

If you homeschool, are attacted to a more urban environment and don't mind a heavy low-income Hispanic feel mixed in with Russian, Iranian, Armenian and a dozen other interesting ethnic influences then the San Fernando Valley may be attractive to you. Most of the SFV is actually in the City of LA. Keep in mind that the SFV can seem very different from one neighborhood to the next. For example, although Encino has a much more upscale reputation than Reseda does (mainly because it borders the Santa Monica Mountains) there are neighborhoods in Reseda that are just as nice (almost a Leave it to Beaver feel with white picket fences and manicured lawns) if not nicer than some neighborhoods in Encino. Despite that, pound-for-pound you'll pay more for rent in Encino. Coming from Naples you may not be comfortable having your children in the LAUSD schools as the test scores aren't that great and they will be in the racial minority.

By the way, the whole discussion here on SFV porn is hilarious. The porn industry is very low key - don't worry about peering into your neighbor's yard and seeing filming of the dirty deed. Unfortunately, this has been a disappointment for me

Also, the gang problem is overstated. Yes, it's big here but aside from the graffitti it's likely you'll never encounter it. Why? Because most of the the violence is between gang members. LA has many mechanisms to quickly clean up graffitti. And there are plenty of people who care what their city looks like. I've been impressed.

All in all LA is a fun, young place - warts and all. Good luck!

[FROMCATOGA]

[quote=buyacargetacheck;656786]LA has many mechanisms to quickly clean up graffitti. And there are plenty of people who care what their city looks like. I've been impressed.[quote]

I just wish they would clean the graffiti off of the areas by the freeways... I am tired of driving and seeing the unreadable squiggley lines.