Transfer College Student Apartment Tips (Los Angeles, Long Beach: apartments, rental, how much)

[CollegeStudent333]

Hey
I am going to school in LA for the spring semester. I was thinking about coming down to the city this summer so I can get a job and get settled. Could I afford an apartment on my own? I would like to live in a decent part of town. I was wanting to see about North Long Beach. Any suggestions or advice?
Thanks For Your Help

[motoman]

Do a search for something like "long beach apartments". These types of questions get asked and answered on almost a daily basis, so it's likely all the information you need is already available. No need to wait for a reply.

[uptown_urbanist]

Whether or not you can afford your own place is going to be dependent on your own financial situation. Check out Craigslist for apartment listings; you can get a sense of how much apartments in different areas cost. (and what you get for your money)

[KnoxTown]

How much can you afford?

[nori_garsi]

A few more details would be helpful, I agree.

We need an idea of your budget. Also which school are you going to because that will influence what areas you want to look in. You wouldn't want to live in Long Beach if you're going to UCLA and vice versa.

[lordofthecakes]

you don't want to live in "north" long beach. it is basically compton. and unless you are going to school at CSUDH, i don't know why you would live to so far from LA.

[andyourlittledogtoo]

It really does depend on your budget. I'd look for a studio or single apartment to minimize expenses and Long Beach is not a bad choice if your school is in the lower half of the county south of Los Angeles proper. I would not live in any of the cities between Los Angeles and Long Beach and east of the 110 freeway for safety reasons. The downtown Long Beach area has some nice rental areas as does the 90814 area of Long Beach. Bixby Knolls, Belmont Shore too but they are more expensive. The further north you go in Long Beach the dicier the neighborhoods and the gang problems become. There are parts of Long Beach that are dead serious gang territory. If you can afford it go further north and west to Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach etc. You'd need $1000 to $1300 for a studio or one bedroom but it would be worth it if you can swing it.

[CollegeStudent333]

My budget is about 800 - 1000. I have money saved up so I should be ok for the first 3 months. I plan on house to University of Long Beach for my undergrad then I plan on going to UCLA for graduate school. Thats why I chose to live in Long Beach but I am open for any area that might be more in the middle of the two universities or closer to UCLA just because I only have about 3 semester for undergrad. Also I was wondering what are the best areas to avoid living in.

[andyourlittledogtoo]

The commute between Long Beach and UCLA is a long one so you might consider staying close to LB for undergrad and then moving when you go to UCLA and that will give you time to suss out where to live when you go to UCLA also. You may also have met friends you can roomate with by that time. Long Beach has a huge rental inventory and for your budget you should be able to find something in a studio sized apartment or even a one bedroom. Just stay out of areas bordering Compton, Carson, San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City - those are not safe areas. Closer to downtown Long Beach and the water are the areas you want to look in. Check craigslist for samples of rental rates in Long Beach area and look at the maps provided to tell you which areas they are located in in Long Beach. You could also try Lomita area but that is a further commute. Seal Beach to the south (in Orange County) is not a far commute but I'm not sure if that would be too expensive you'd have to check it out. I went to CSULB undergraduate and it's a great school. Good luck!