Is South Pasadena the best place near Downtown for a family? (Los Angeles: apartments, rental homes)

[dawninmiami]

Hi all! My family will be moving to L.A. this summer. We have kids ages 3 and 6, and want them to go to a great public school. My husband will be working at USC in Downtown LA.

We are looking at South Pasadena as a good neighborhood, since it has excellent schools, is very safe and family-friendly, is a short drive to his work, and is relatively affordable.

We are looking to pay around $2,000/month for rent, and there are some apartments in SoPas that we could get for that price. But a small house with a yard seems out of the question.

My question is this: Am I missing another neighborhood with an equally good profile that is nearby? Maybe one a little more affordable? Or does SoPas offer the best quality of life even if we can only get a bare-bones apartment?

[uptown_urbanist]

Keep checking out the rents in SP, just in case - you should be able to find more than a "bare-bones apartment" for your budget. We paid $1,900/month for a 2-BR house with yard, and I know they're out there. It's been a couple of years since we signed our lease, but I've noticed similar rents still available on Craigslist from time to time. You'll need to move fast if you find something, though, as reasonably-priced South Pasadena rentals seem to go (or at least they did) go fast. Still, don't give up on the house yet, as South Pasadena is filled with small rental homes (as well as bungalow court homes) and at least some of them should be in your budget. Craigslist has a lot of them listed, otherwise if you're visiting first take a walk/drive around the city and see if you see signs in the windows; if you're lucky you might be able to find something that way.

I'm biased, but I think South Pasadena is your best bet. It really offers the whole package of things you're looking for. You could also look into neighboring Alhambra; not sure about the schools, and it has a different feel than South Pasadena, but it's generally cheaper and has some pleasant neighborhoods. Good luck finding something!

[timelesschild]

I agree with uptown's whole post.

Concerning Alhambra: the schools are not as good as those in South Pasadena. Alhambra has an excellent high school (Mark Keppel), but this is not relevant to your needs. There are some good elementary schools in northern San Gabriel, and apartments which are districted to them.

I think you can afford to live in South Pasadena on your budget, though. If craigslist isn't working for you as fast as you'd like, check out Los Angeles Apartments, Orange County Apartments, and San Diego Apartments or iTechMLS. You never know where you might find something good!

[MorningCalm]

What abour Burbank, Glendale, Cerritos.?

[bhcompy]

Torrance/South Bay isn't a terrible commute to downtown, though South Pasadena is much closer. There are public transportation options though. The Harbor Transitway drops you off right at USC and the Blue Line(light rail, would allow one to live in Long Beach or Lakewood, both have great family areas with good to great schools) isn't too far from USC.

And when you say 2k/mo for apts for rent, are you looking for 2 or 3bd apts? You can find 2bd for less in Long Beach(and neighboring Los Alamitos, which has one of the best districts in So Cal top to bottom). I pay 1400 for my 2bd in Los Al, and it's a secluded townhouse apt with a garage underneath. A 3bd apt ranges from 1700-2000 in the area.

2000 may also get you into a small house in a better part of Lakewood, but make sure you do your research because Lakewood is very large and does have some bad parts(best parts are west of the 605 fwy and east of Lakewood Blvd)

[dawninmiami]

I am looking for a 2-bedroom. The key is great schools. I hear that Silverlake is nice too, but going to a good school or a not-so-good one depends on what side of the street you live on. I like SoPas because wherever you live, you have a great school. The 3 Elem schools, the Middle and the High school are all rated 10 out of 10 on greatschools.net.

[JohnG72]

Burbank is also nice. Glendale...theres ethnic issues there that aren't really that big a deal, but Burbank(despite having a simillarly large Armenian population) and South Pasadena do not have those issues. Cerritos seems prohibitively far(hour commute in rush hour).

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by dawninmiami

I am looking for a 2-bedroom. The key is great schools. I hear that Silverlake is nice too, but going to a good school or a not-so-good one depends on what side of the street you live on. I like SoPas because wherever you live, you have a great school. The 3 Elem schools, the Middle and the High school are all rated 10 out of 10 on greatschools.net.

Los Alamitos is the same way, and a bit more affordable and family friendly(than Silverlake at least). Accessible to the blue line(or just through the freeway system). You'll be spending a around 1400-1500/mo for a nice apt rather than the 2000 you mentioned for South Pasadena. It's also open enrollment for the most part, so you can pick your school if you live in the district.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Torrance/South Bay isn't a terrible commute to downtown, though South Pasadena is much closer. There are public transportation options though. The Harbor Transitway drops you off right at USC and the Blue Line(light rail, would allow one to live in Long Beach or Lakewood, both have great family areas with good to great schools) isn't too far from USC.

And when you say 2k/mo for apts for rent, are you looking for 2 or 3bd apts? You can find 2bd for less in Long Beach(and neighboring Los Alamitos, which has one of the best districts in So Cal top to bottom). I pay 1400 for my 2bd in Los Al, and it's a secluded townhouse apt with a garage underneath. A 3bd apt ranges from 1700-2000 in the area.

2000 may also get you into a small house in a better part of Lakewood, but make sure you do your research because Lakewood is very large and does have some bad parts(best parts are west of the 605 fwy and east of Lakewood Blvd)

The areas you mention might be a bit more affordable, but SO Pasadena has so much to offer when it comes to great schools. I could be wrong, but as good as the school might be, Idon't think overall, anyone can beat So Pasadena.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by dawninmiami

I am looking for a 2-bedroom. The key is great schools. I hear that Silverlake is nice too, but going to a good school or a not-so-good one depends on what side of the street you live on. I like SoPas because wherever you live, you have a great school. The 3 Elem schools, the Middle and the High school are all rated 10 out of 10 on greatschools.net.

Dawn, you are right about the school ratings, there is no such thing as a questionable school in So Pasadena. So Pasadena has always been considered one of the most outstanding family communities in So California. Glendale is right up there as well, but I don't think the prices would be any less. Sivlerlake is part of the Los Angeles school district, thus you were be facing some possible problems as you know.

Nita