Young Couple Moving to L.A. from Wisconsin (Los Angeles, San Diego: spring break, sublets)

[pgrit154]

Hello all!

I've been browsing the forums here for months now and though I have found some helpful things I have never had answered what I really needed answered.. that being said, here is my situation:

I am 21, my girlfriend is 20, and we have been discussing moving to Southern California for the last year. We went there for spring break last year to visit some friends and feel in love with the area. Previous to that She'd only been to Palm Springs and hated it. That being said we stayed in Ventura for some time with a friend of mine and then talked about wanting to move there.

A year later, we have our move date set for June 1st.

We are both college students, yet want to take a year off. This will help us establish not only a sence of community but also residency for tuition purposes.

We have about $5,000 between the two of us saved + $850 dollars a month that I get in a trust around the first of every month. This is all we will have until we leave, however, because I broke my foot and will not be good to go until 2 weeks before our move date.

This being said, where are the best places for a young couple to live?

We would like to live someplace fun, yet inexpensive... with a studio not to exceed that $850 per month. Any suggestions?

Also, what areas in Los Angeles, or even O.C. are good, and what are considered more run down or ghetto.

I come from a town of 8,000 and her about the same so this is going to be quite the culture shock, but I love it, love diversity, and am really looking forward to the new experience!

[pgrit154]

On other question I have is where is the best place for someone our age to live and get a job that pays alright. I've worked as an Apple Campus Rep, Target employee, CopyMax associate, and CNA... my g/f works at a Bank.

Thanks in advance, and this is a great forum!

[artichoke63]

Originally Posted by pgrit154

Hello all!

I've been browsing the forums here for months now and though I have found some helpful things I have never had answered what I really needed answered.. that being said, here is my situation:

I am 21, my girlfriend is 20, and we have been discussing moving to Southern California for the last year. We went there for spring break last year to visit some friends and feel in love with the area. Previous to that She'd only been to Palm Springs and hated it. That being said we stayed in Ventura for some time with a friend of mine and then talked about wanting to move there.

A year later, we have our move date set for June 1st.

We are both college students, yet want to take a year off. This will help us establish not only a sence of community but also residency for tuition purposes.

We have about $5,000 between the two of us saved + $850 dollars a month that I get in a trust around the first of every month. This is all we will have until we leave, however, because I broke my foot and will not be good to go until 2 weeks before our move date.

This being said, where are the best places for a young couple to live?

We would like to live someplace fun, yet inexpensive... with a studio not to exceed that $850 per month. Any suggestions?

Also, what areas in Los Angeles, or even O.C. are good, and what are considered more run down or ghetto.

I come from a town of 8,000 and her about the same so this is going to be quite the culture shock, but I love it, love diversity, and am really looking forward to the new experience!

If you are going to take a year off, why on earth do you want to come to california? Why don't you do something really adventurous. Get a working visa and visit Australia for a year. A working visa allows a young person (student) to come and visit the country and work while you are there, so you can have different jobs and pay your way. You will have a cultural experience -- as opposed to a strictly party experience -- and you can enjoy the beaches there as well. You can travel all over the country. Jobs are easy to come by. Rent is affordable, and they have hostels all over the place. You can stay in Melbourne and Sidney and Perth.

Artie

[pgrit154]

Thanks for the response Artie!

We*actually aren't taking a year off, we want to live there. We feel in love with the place. I'd love to travel, as would my g/f (She just got back from a study abroad) but we'd rather move to L.A.

Any ideas?

[artichoke63]

My idea would be to move to an area where you plan to go to school. You want to establish residency to finish college, right? Then find the college first, and then move to an area nearby. Do you want to go to school in Long Beach or Westwood? Maybe you want to go part time at Santa Monica college and then transfer up? If you are moving from a small town, then look for someplace safe, because this town can eat young people up. Santa Monica is nice. Look for a studio in Santa Monica. Venice is cool too, very artsy, but you have to be careful in some neighborhoods. Ventura is boring as all. Don't go there.

Artie

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

Los Angeles will be a great move for you. It will beat the living daylights out of the Wisconsin nightlife scene. Welcome.

[GreatDeals321]

The nice thing about Ventura is that its 40 minutes from Los Angeles and 40 minutes from Santa Barbara. It is also a large city on its own, conveniently next to the coast and has a lot of shopping areas. Since you guys are pretty young, its convenient b/c you can go to Isla Vista, by UCSB and hang out w/ people your own age. Having gone to UCSB, I think its a great place for young people to socialize. Also, they have SBCC, Santa Barbara community college, there too. A lot of students that have not been accepted to UCSB go there and pretty much live the same lifestyle as though they were UCSB students. I'm not too sure about the rent in Ventura but Santa Barbara would be a bit expensive. It would be difficult for you to get a studio in Santa Barbara for your budget but I'm sure you would find one in Ventura.

If you want to move further south, you can try checking out the San Fernando Valley, like Northridge. They have a couple of community colleges close by, and it is only 15 minutes from Los Angeles. They also have California State Univerisity, Northridge there so there would be people your age.

Regardless of where you live, you're going to need a car. People pretty much commute everywhere in Los Angeles.. literally! So if you need help finding a dealer in Los Angeles, I know a couple that I consider pretty reliable and could probably find you a great deal. Just email me at GoTeamPiink@yahoo.com if you need help getting a car.

Good Luck to you and your girlfriend! You're going to LOVE california!

[pgrit154]

Thanks for the info!

I really liked Ventura when I was there, so maybe I'll check it out. What is the SFV like? I drove around Oxnard and Thousand Oaks a bit and they seemed a bit boring, and I'm hungering for excitement!

As for the car, just got a great deal on a beautiful 2001 Mustang, only $5,500 in Madison, WI. So that should suffice me there. She may need a car on the other hand.

Keep the tips coming and thanks!

Oh, also, where are the best places to search for apartments, or even a few apartments that people have lived at and know are nice?

Also, when is the best time to start looking for the apartment?

[JerZ]

How about Pasadena or Glendale? Not so terribly far from LA proper (or, well, I guess there really isn't an LA proper...LA is soooooooooo sprawling!).

Anyway...don't know if you're currently in a city-ish area, or a more suburban one, or a rural one. Don't know if you're going to have culture shock being in an area that "looks" so different from Wisconsin. That's why I suggested two more middle-of-the-road (slightly less urban, more trees, etc.) towns.

Good luck to you and your girlfriend!

[Christine Joan]

Pasadena also has a good community college and the Gold Line rail system, which will make commuting to a job and school without a car easier on your girlfriend. When I first arrived in San Diego, I rented a room in a house only two blocks away from the beach and paid only $165.00 a month. I don't think there are deals like that around anymore, but if I was young again, I would consider renting a room in a house, townhouse or large apartment building with other young people so that you can live in a much nicer place in a better area of town and still be within your budget. You can start checking Craig's list to get an idea of what housing costs in the different areas of LA, OC and Ventura. They even have sublets and rooms for rent listed. I think there is a magazine called Apartment Finders that lists apartments for rent n various areas of LA, OC and Ventura and they also have online versions. Also, you can probably subscribe to the Sunday edition of the LA Times, even while you are living Wisconsin. Good luck.