Is Los Angeles Magical? (San Francisco: 2011, mortgage, neighborhood)

[PinkLadyK]

Having spent the first 25 years of my life in Austin, I can guarantee you that you will see more 100+ degree days than you seem to think. One year we had a run of 40-something days in a row where the high topped out at over 100. Summertime temps of 110-112 are not uncommon.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by PinkLadyK

Having spent the first 25 years of my life in Austin, I can guarantee you that you will see more 100+ degree days than you seem to think. One year we had a run of 40-something days in a row where the high topped out at over 100. Summertime temps of 110-112 are not uncommon.

We had the same in Dallas one year, it was awful!!!

Nita

[PaddyMac]

Speaking of climate in LA - I noticed UserDavey mentioned all the places along the coast. These are the most expensive housing wise, and are cooler because they are on the coastal side of the mountains. Once you go inland at all, you are talking 100+ F for many many days in the summer. We lived in Sherman Oaks, surrounded by trees a little up a hillside, but one year we had 15 days continuously of well over 100 degrees (topping out at 115). And it didn't cool down at night like it usually did.

That was when I said, you know, being locked inside in the summer trying to stay cool is just as bad as being locked inside in the winter trying to stay warm, so maybe I could enjoy living somewhere where there are four seasons... It never used to be that bad, but the past 10 years or so the average summer temperatures have been brutal in the valley.

I agree with the comment about the cost of living. We moved to New Mexico last year and housing, utilities, gas, health care, and so on are so much cheaper than LA. (Only phone service on Qwest is a little more - less people so more overhead, they say).

I hear that LA now has sales tax of 9.75% - that's almost 10% on top of everything you buy. Property taxes are way less elsewhere too.

My feeling is that if you need to be in LA - you're an actor, surfer, whatever - then go for it. If you're looking for a nice place to live with nice weather, rent first in a few areas and make sure you carefully weigh all the pros and cons.

And for goodness sake, clean off those rosy colored glasses.

[cabolissa]

Originally Posted by Suburbanite08

We lived in Los Angeles for 27 years and my wife and I, along with our very young children, left California for the reasons you mentioned.

We wouldn't move back to L.A.; specially now. Unemployment is over 10% and the problems have not disappeared.

We moved to Austin, TX and I recommend it. Austin offered a solution to most of our problems. Low cost of living, most online cost of living calculators state that Austin is 30% to 35% cheaper than L.A., also there's light traffic compared to L.A., clean air and water, great music, film and art scene. Forbes.com just ranked Austin as the 2nd most popular city for relocation.
This is what Forbes said of Austin:
No. 2: Austin, Texas

(Austin-Round Rock metro area)
2008 Population: 1,652,602
2007-2008 Change: 3.77%
With one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country--6.4% in January 2009--Austin's popularity streak continues. This has quite a bit to do with the metro area's thriving music, film and fine arts scenes, but it's also about the employers, which include University of Texas, Advanced Micro Devices and Dell.


We sold our tiny 1350 sq. ft. L.A. home, which was in a mediocre neighborhood, for an unbelievable $565k two years ago and we had a 1 hour commute to downtown L.A. with bad traffic which was the norm. In Austin we were able to buy a 3,400 sq. ft. home in a very nice area with excellent schools for our kids for just $300k. Our drive to downtown Austin is only 15 minutes. The city is small so commutes are nothing like L.A. county.


Finally, we like the weather. It not L.A. but we don't freeze in the winter. The lowest temperatures we have experienced were in the mid 20's and the highest in the mid 90's. Spring is beautiful and the average temperature is in the low 70's.

At any rate you read can all about Austin, including climate information, on Wikipedia at the link below.
Austin, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Depth: 10 Cities Where Americans Are Relocating - Forbes.com

I completely agree with you. I moved here almost a month ago, and with a job that pays $1k more a month, and rent that's $300 less, I went from a 980sq ft 2 bedroom condo built in 1987 to a 2350 sq ft 4 bedroom home built in 2006 with a game room, an office and a huge yard! I'm in a North East Austin suburb, and the homes run from $170-230K NEW.

I thought I'd be giving up so much to live in "Texas", or that I'd be in the "deep South" and really was worried about it, but I LOVE it! My neighborhood is more diverse than it ever was in OC, and people live at their means, drive cars which they've paid off, and generally don't give a crap about what you think. But, they're also very friendly in a way that I've only experienced living in Mexico. This girl's sworn of the CA Cool-Aid forever!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/austi...ys-austin.html

[motoman]

This has been an interesting thread. I'll give you my perspective of LA. I grew up in Dallas, lived there for 32 years, moved out to LA about 4 years ago.

When I moved out here I was looking for something different since I had spent my entire life in Dallas. A friend of mine lived in Redondo Beach at the time and I lived with him for a month when I moved out here. He left LA a couple of years ago. His reasons were the high cost of living, the traffic, and the fake people. He moved back to Atlanta, where his family is, bought a nice house for less than he was paying to rent a small house here and now has a child. His brother lived in LA as well and left about a year before he did for the same reasons. The example his brother always gave was the day it took him 45 minutes to get home in Marina del Rey, stuck in traffic just a mile from his apartment. He couldn't take it anymore.

When I first moved to LA I didn't have a job. I was living off of savings. While I was out of work things were great. Because I really had nowhere to go I didn't think much about traffic, and becasue I was living off of savings I wasn't going out and spending a lot of money, so I didn't have any concept of the true cost of living, nor of all the things LA has to offer. I was just relaxing, enjoying my free time with no stress.

I landed a consulting job doing business valuation work, which is what I did in Dallas. I moved out of my friend's place to Gardena and moved into an extended stay hotel. Since my job wasn't permanent I didn't want to lock myself into an apartment and end up having a bad commute.

Gardena was the cheapest extended stay place I could find at $1,400 per month at the time. My consulting job was in Westwood, 20-25 miles from my hotel. Typical commute was an hour to an hour fifteen, so I was averaging no more than 20 mph down 20-25 miles of 65 mph freeway. Of the commute, no more than 2 miles of it was surface streets. Some days, leaving Westwood, it would take 15-20 minutes to travel the mile or so from the office to the 405. This is when I really started noticing the traffic.

After about 6 months I landed a permanent position in downtown LA. I moved out of Gardena and found an apartment in West LA right by the 405/10 intersection. I looked at 30 apartments before I found the one I like, and I had to increase my initial rent budget by 40% to find it. In the 18 months prior to me moving to LA, rents had increased almost 25%. I was paying 60% more for a place that was not even half as nice as the place I lived in Dallas, which was 5 minutes from my downtown Dallas office. It was a total shocker to me how little you got for so much more money.

Now that I had a job and was a little settled, I started doing things, going out at night and on the weekends, seeing the sights, dating, etc. Aside from the cost of the apartment (more on that later), this is when I really started noticing the higher cost of living. A simple date was $100+. A meal at an average casual restaurant was $25+ per person if you had just a beer or two. If you wanted a mixed drink those are $10+ per drink most places. Sure, you can do it cheaper, but why would you ever expect it to cost $100 to have a casual dinner, nothing fancy?

But I was new here and wasn't going to let those things keep me from enjoying myself. I was having a helluva lot of fun, dating a lot, going out a lot, seeing everything that LA has to offer, living up my new single life after my divorce. And all of this was costing me close to $1,000 per month. Figure $100+ a pop any time you go out, particularly on a date. So if you're doing that just two nights a week, that's $800 per month. But I didn't care at the time.

I liked my job in downtown, mostly because it was new, it was stable, and it was something I had never done before. What I didn't like about it is the 45 minutes it took me to drive that 13 miles. Some days were quicker, but door-to-door was about 45 minutes.

I got tired of that and started riding my motorcycle to work. Because of lanesplitting, I was able to almost halve my commute time. Suddenly the commute wasn't so bad. I did this for a while until my girlfriend convinced me to start taking the bus. Because my company reimburses for taking public transportation (they have to meet certain ridership levels), and now by not having to pay for parking, and less gas, I am saving close to $200 per month. Unfortunately, this only covers my rent increases over the last 4 years. Fortunately I live close to a bus stop and it drops me off right at my building downtown. Average day takes 45 minutes to an hour (including the 7 minute walk to the bus stop and usually waiting for a few minutes for the bus), but I don't notice it much because I read.

Having been here 4 years now, and after having blown a helluva lot of money going out when I got here, I don't go out much anymore. It's not that I can't afford to, it just irks me that to do out and doing anything, eat, drink, see a show, a movie, etc., is going to cost $100+ for a couple. So my girlfriend and I (she's even cheaper than I am now), have found less expensive alternatives, like staying at home watching a movie from NetFlix, riding out bicycles on the weekends during the day and then cooking at home at night, drinking at home with friends, etc. We still go out, but maybe only a few times a month versus a few times a week.

To further offset the cost of living, we do most of our shopping online or at discount stores. This saves us enough money so that we can go out and enjoy ourselves when we want to. I am also driving a 10 year old car, that has been paid off for 6 years, so that is a huge cost savings too.

So that's the traffic and the money part. Now on to other things.

What I like about LA nightlife is that you can find so many different things to do, from going to a hole-in-the-wall bar to seeing the symphony at Disney Hall and everything in between. There are also a lot of unique things you can find, like crazy shows or art exhibits, things you just wouldn't find in most other cities. I can't say I would miss these things if I didn't have them, but certainly they are something else to try out.

What I don't like about LA night life is how trendy everything can be. LA was the first place I had ever been where people thought it was cool to wait 2 hours to pay $20 to get into a club 30 minutes before it closed. I also find it strange that the club scene doesn't start until about 11, yet the clubs stop serving alcohol at 1:30 and close at 2. Not to mention the drink prices are outrageous. LA was also the first place I had ever heard of table service. Well, I'll admit, I'm not a big clubber guy, so maybe table service is more popular than I think it is, but nevertheless, paying $300 for a $20 bottle of alcohol just to have a place to sit, and then brag about it, is pretty hilarious to me. I just don't get it. But it's very common in LA.

The food? Yeah, there is a lot of variety, but honestly I haven't found anything particularly special about the food in LA. California cuisine? It's bland and usually just means throwing an avocado on something. You want a California salad? Throw an avocado on it. A California burger? Throw an avocado on it.

I've tried Persian, Indian, Mexico, Italian, Russian, Polish, Korean, Japanese, etc., and maybe I'm just not a big foody, but to me it's all just food. I've never been to a restaurant in LA that someone highly recommended to me and was impressed at all. I've always walked away with the feeling that, ok, the food was good, but it isn't anything better than I could just as easily find in Dallas. And it's a lot more expensive, particularly if you have any alcohol. So more money for the same. I'm not sure where the benefit is.

One thing I do like a great deal is how motorcycle friendly LA is. Lane-splitting, riding the canyons, riding a track day at all of the great tracks around SoCal, even up to Laguna Seca. That certainly isn't something I could find in Dallas or anywhere else that I know of.

The weather, I think it's pretty great. Although if I lived in the valley I might think otherwise. Dallas can freeze in the winter, usually does at some point, and the summers can be brutal. I think the record is over 100 days of 100+ temps. I don't miss that at all.

June gloom? I've never noticed it. I think people become incredibly sensitive to even the slightest change in weather because the weather is so consistently good here. I work with a girl whose friend didn't want to come out with us one night because it was cloudy. WTF?

The beaches? I like them because I like seeing hot women in little bikinis. But other than that I'm not one to go hang out at the beach. Honestly, in the four years I have been here I can count on one hand the number of times I have hung out at the beach. I do ride my bike up and down the bike path pretty regularly, but just hanging out is not something I am good at. I get bored too easily.

I like the people in LA just fine. I think they are just as nice as they are anywhere else. I really enjoy the diversity of the people. I have met people from all over the world, people I never would have had the chance to meet otherwise. Also, I didn't know I had an Asian fetish until I moved to LA. Perhaps it's just because they are different from what I know, but good looking Asian women make me drool uncontrollably, and they are everywhere in LA.

Taxes? They suck. When I moved out here I got a raise, but all of it, and more, was eaten up by the state income tax (no state income tax in Texas) and the higher rent cost.

Architecturally, LA is the most unattractive city I have ever visited. I have never before in my life seen so many square, stucco buildings, absolutely lacking in any character whatsoever. Certainly there is come nice architecture to be found, but on the whole most of LA has no soul when it comes to housing and much of its other architecture. Boring is probably a good word.

An interesting thing happened during the holidays last year. My girlfriend was born and raised in Northridge. I took her home to meet my family, back in Dallas. My mom drove us around so she could see where I grew up, went to high school, the house I remodeled, some of the things to see in Dallas, etc. My girlfriend didn't really say anything to me about what she thought of it all. But I spoke to her mom a few weeks later and her mom said that my girlfriend just went on and on about how nice and clean Dallas is, how all of the houses are so nice, with trees everywhere, and the streets are good, and there is no traffic, and it's so much cheaper, etc. I thought that was funny coming from someone that grew up in the LA area. She has certainly never said that about LA.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by motoman

An interesting thing happened during the holidays last year. My girlfriend was born and raised in Northridge. I took her home to meet my family, back in Dallas. My mom drove us around so she could see where I grew up, went to high school, the house I remodeled, some of the things to see in Dallas, etc. My girlfriend didn't really say anything to me about what she thought of it all. But I spoke to her mom a few weeks later and her mom said that my girlfriend just went on and on about how nice and clean Dallas is, how all of the houses are so nice, with trees everywhere, and the streets are good, and there is no traffic, and it's so much cheaper, etc. I thought that was funny coming from someone that grew up in the LA area. She has certainly never said that about LA.

Native Californian's tend to live in a bubble and think the rest of the country is a wasteland. Your girlfriend probably has some idea that Texas was nothing but cattle herds, tumbleweeds, and outhouses. Then surprise! She gets to Dallas and it's a modern city full of normal people leading normal lives in nice houses they can actually afford.

[SurekRZA]

An interesting thing happened during the holidays last year. My girlfriend was born and raised in Northridge. I took her home to meet my family, back in Dallas. My mom drove us around so she could see where I grew up, went to high school, the house I remodeled, some of the things to see in Dallas, etc. My girlfriend didn't really say anything to me about what she thought of it all. But I spoke to her mom a few weeks later and her mom said that my girlfriend just went on and on about how nice and clean Dallas is, how all of the houses are so nice, with trees everywhere, and the streets are good, and there is no traffic, and it's so much cheaper, etc. I thought that was funny coming from someone that grew up in the LA area. She has certainly never said that about LA.

I didn't know much of L.A. before I actually moved here from San Diego. During the first months I was just so impressed by how much L.A. had to offer and just how diverse the city was. When people spoke highly about San Diego I never thought much of it or never thought it was really that great but now I realize it was because I had spent most of my life there and it was just nothing special to me anymore. L.A. is a city for the rich and young, once you grow into a mature adult you begin to really put priority to what is important and many conclude that L.A. is just not their right home anymore. Right now, L.A. and N.Y.C. are the cities that fascinate me the most because of their diversity and vast amount of things that they offer but I'm sure that can change as the years continue to go by.

[Userdavey]

Originally Posted by SurekRZA

L.A. is a city for the rich and young, once you grow into a mature adult you begin to really put priority to what is important and many conclude that L.A. is just not their right home anymore.

That is what I am concluding. And since I can't get any younger, I guess I better get started on that screenplay.

[pianoman09]

Originally Posted by motoman

An interesting thing happened during the holidays last year. My girlfriend was born and raised in Northridge. I took her home to meet my family, back in Dallas. My mom drove us around so she could see where I grew up, went to high school, the house I remodeled, some of the things to see in Dallas, etc. My girlfriend didn't really say anything to me about what she thought of it all. But I spoke to her mom a few weeks later and her mom said that my girlfriend just went on and on about how nice and clean Dallas is, how all of the houses are so nice, with trees everywhere, and the streets are good, and there is no traffic, and it's so much cheaper, etc. I thought that was funny coming from someone that grew up in the LA area. She has certainly never said that about LA.

LOL. I didn't realize how much I love Tampa until I stayed in LA. I USED to complain about Tampa until I moved to LA and saw what it was really like to live in a city where it takes FOREVER to get anywhere and to rent a small ONE BEDROOM apartment for 1200 a month. I'm paying for a much nicer, much bigger place here in Tampa for only $860. The differences are amazing. I had my good experiences as well, but I'm much happier here. I always wonder how the natives would think of LA if they got out of there every once in a while.

[Userdavey]

Originally Posted by pianoman09

LOL. I didn't realize how much I love Tampa until I stayed in LA. I USED to complain about Tampa until I moved to LA and saw what it was really like to live in a city where it takes FOREVER to get anywhere and to rent a small ONE BEDROOM apartment for 1200 a month. I'm paying for a much nicer, much bigger place here in Tampa for only $860. The differences are amazing. I had my good experiences as well, but I'm much happier here. I always wonder how the natives would think of LA if they got out of there every once in a while.

From what I have read on this thread http://www.city-data.com/forum/los-a...ut-la-now.html, people generally miss LA after moving away. Which supports my theory that there is something pretty magical about the place. I think that it is expensive, but if the six or seven hundred dollars a month more that it takes to live there is going to break the bank, it's probably not for you. It's like my situation now. I live in Colorado Springs, have a 3/2/2 1800 sf home in the suburbs, and between my mortgage and utilities, I pay about $1900 per month. And there is nothing to do here. It's cold a lot, so you are trapped in your home a lot. It gets old. I would rather pay a little more out there, drop the big yard and garage and square footage and have tons of fun things to do and see outside the home.