east coast girls thinking about a west coast move (Los Angeles: apartment, leases)

[victoriak]

Hi...I just have some questions about making a huge and probably life changing move to L.A

My best friend and I are graduating from college in May and our leases end in a few months (mine in July, her's in August) we currently live in a fairly urban city in Virginia, I'm from Washington D.C and she's from a small town in V.A. Anyway, neither of us has anything keeping us in Virginia or making us want to go anywhere else specifically. We're basically in the mind frame that "we might as well do something big, because, hey. you only live one" We're not crazy, or trying to be irresponsible, we just have to start a life somewhere, so why not L.A.

Anyway, to make a long story short, we're thinking about moving across the country to a place neither of us has ever been before. I've been to San Francisco, but she's never even been to the west coast. We don't know anything about L.A, what it's like living there, how two young women in their early 20's would enjoy it, and how easy/hard it will be for us to be successful there. We're both criminal justice majors, so any information anyone has on that job economy would be helpful, and neither of us is interested in any of the Hollywood/model/actress/star-sighting stuff people typically associate with L.A.

Sorry this was so long, but thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any helpful advice!

[uptown_urbanist]

The job market in LA (and CA in general) is bad right now, far worse than it is in DC.

LA is a huge place, filled with every sort of neighborhood. There is something for everyone. Some people love, some hate it. I think most young women in their 20s would love it, but of course that depends on the person.

I have no interested in the movie/film/music/etc. industry and I loved living in LA. We lived for a time in Hollywood, which was one of my all-time favorite neighorhoods (before moving there we had lived in DC).

LA is pretty expensive, although probably about comparable to DC. Not sure which city in VA you live in, but it's probably more expensive in LA than it is there. By far the easiest way to move - and to be able to get an apartment - is to have a job lined up in advance, although that's easier said than done. If you don't have that then wait until you have enough savings to see you through. If you had come a couple of years ago it would have been easier, but right now is not a good time to be on the job market in CA. Maybe the criminal justice field is different, though.

[Charles]

If you can handle DC, you can probably handle LA. Expensive, diverse, traffic, interesting, etc.

Nothing wrong with your idea. Everything depends on cash flow. Either you have a job when you arrive in LA or you start burning savings.

[Coldjensens]

LA is not a very nice city. Look at San Diego and the beach communities between LA and San Diego. Orange County is pretty neat, Laguna Beach is particulalry cool, but pricey and hard to get in and out of. For large city lving, San Diego is far nicer than LA. LA costs more too.

[timelesschild]

I wish I had moved here straight out of college. That is the time to do it!

Do your research - find a job - make your life work for you.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

LA is not a very nice city. Look at San Diego and the beach communities between LA and San Diego. Orange County is pretty neat, Laguna Beach is particulalry cool, but pricey and hard to get in and out of. For large city lving, San Diego is far nicer than LA. LA costs more too.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A "nice" city can mean different things to different people.

I am from LA but lived in Washington, D.C. for several years. Los Angeles is very diverse and has a far wider selection of culture, art, nightlife, and restaurants than San Diego. And this distinction is what makes LA a "nice" city.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

A few more points to add:

San Francisco is probably the closest "cousin" to DC within California (e.g., beautiful architecture, pedestrian-friendly, compact city, etc.).

Los Angeles is the 2nd largest city in the nation and is very exicting and diverse. Of course, it DOES have negatives too. Here's my list of good points and bad ponits for you to think about:

The Good Points:
-Excellent climate with sunshine all year and low humidity (those humid DC summers were hell on earth for me).
-Very diverse ethnic and cultural scenes (art, music, museums, nightlife, etc.).
-Very diverse geography with close proximity to beaches, mountain, and desert landscapes (beats San Fran & San Diego in this department).
-A wide range of eclectic neighborhoods (Downtown LA, Venice Beach, Hollywood, West Hollwyood, Santa Monica, etc).
-A diverse employment base and highly educated workforce which creates opportunities for new college grads.

The Bad Points:
-Traffic is bad and the public transportation is limited (though slowly getting better).
-Air quality (i.e., Smog): we've cleaned up our air considerably in the last 20 years but we still have work to do.
-LA is so big and sprawling it can be overwhelming to a newcomer.
-LA is nowhere CLOSE to San Fransicso in charm and character (too much space and power given to the automobile).
-Very high unemployment right now.....

[graciously]

heard somewhere dc is not as affected by job market like many other cities so might be better place to look for a job other than that la probably has everything to offer you and probably almost different lie another world than where you are.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by graciously

heard somewhere dc is not as affected by job market like many other cities so might be better place to look for a job other than that la probably has everything to offer you and probably almost different lie another world than where you are.

In some ways DC is the LA of the East Coast, as everyone's from somewhere else, there's a large amount of ethnic diversity yet it lacks typical Northeastern white ethnic enclaves, and politics serves the role that the entertainment industry does in L.A.

OTOH DC has one of the best job markets in the US if not the best, so if I lived there I'd be reluctant to move to CA right now.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by victoriak

Anyway, to make a long story short, we're thinking about moving across the country to a place neither of us has ever been before. I've been to San Francisco, but she's never even been to the west coast. We don't know anything about L.A, what it's like living there, how two young women in their early 20's would enjoy it, and how easy/hard it will be for us to be successful there. We're both criminal justice majors, so any information anyone has on that job economy would be helpful, and neither of us is interested in any of the Hollywood/model/actress/star-sighting stuff people typically associate with L.A.

As the Beach Boys sang, "I wish they all could be California girrrrlllls!"

Quite honestly, as one born and raised in Southern California I'd recommend San Diego or one of the other coastal or near-coastal towns rather than L.A. The latter is seedy unless you have a bunch of bucks and could be dangerous for you. Then again, so could a lot of other places but L.A. would certainly not be my first choice.