Relocating from nyc to la for a job with the LAPD? What are affordable/safe burbs for a young family? (Glendale: top neighborhood, for rent)

[Yankeedad]

Hello,
We are a young family with 2 children ages 3 yrs old & 10 mths.We currently live in staten island,ny (outside of manhattan). I have been offered a job with the LAPD and have accepted the position. Now my wife is a stay at home mom/part time student so we will be working with one income for the time being. we were hoping to find a decent suburb not to far out from the vicinity of LA as I will be commuting. Our budget would be $2000 max and we were hoping for atleast 2 bedrooms preferably 3 (maybe not realisitic) house or townhouse in a safe area of course . Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You in advance.

[NaplesRes]

Moderator cut: Rude & off topic

check out the southbay.

[bhcompy]

2k for a house is tough in a good area close to LA, but Lakewood may work. The good areas of Lakewood(most of Lakewood) should have rents in that neighborhood for a small ranch style house and is actually a community loaded with cops and firemen for the most part

[nmnita]

Try areas like Eagle Rock and north. I do not know what you can get, but that is one area close to Downtown but very nice. Where will your wife be going to school part time or do you know? Pasa is another thought or Alhambra. I do not know if you can get much for $2000 in any of those areas. Good luck, as much as I do not like Craigslist (I think it is more scam than anything) at least give it a try for ideas.

Nita

[timelesschild]

Where will your wife be attending school?
Are you looking for good school districts?

[uptown_urbanist]

I know I plug it all the time, but South Pasadena is great for families, and directly adjacent to LA; while a 3-BR for $2,000 is going to be tough, it's definitely possible to get a 2-BR house in that price, although you will have to act fast. Eagle Rock is nice, too, and Alhambra and Pasadena are also a good suggestion. (Eagle Rock is technically part of LA; the other cities are independent) The LAPD Museum isn't far away from those areas, either, just as a random aside - I think it's technically in Highland Park, which is near South Pas and Eagle Rock. Alhambra and parts of Pasadena will probably have more affordable places than will South Pasadena. For Pasadena I really like the area around PCC (Pasadena City College) along Colorado Blvd.; it's decent neighborhood, has many houses for rent, and has a good mix of ages. Lots of kids live there, as did my fabulous former daycare provider. You should be able to rent a house, possibly 3-BR, there for your budget. I'm not as familiar with Burbank, but know families with young children who rent relatively affordable houses there. Parts of Glendale could go on the list, too.

Throw your assumptions of suburb versus city out the window when approaching LA: the more traditional models don't work here.

ALthough, as Nita asked, your wife's school should be an issue, too. You'll want to be near there, if at all possible, as to avoid the potentially very long commutes that can come with life in the LA region.

South Pasadena, though, is wonderful for families, is safe, and, speaking from the point-of-view of someone who worked part-time and stayed at home the rest of the time with a young child, it's great for anyone staying home with kids. There's a really nice playground at Garfield Park (always lots of kids there at all times of day, so good place to meet other parents), a soda fountain (on Route 66, no less!), a nice library with a story hour, a fabulous farmer's market (stroller central), a toy store, ice cream shops, bakeries, basics like grocery stores, etc., and even flocks of wild parrots (I'm not a native Californian, so wild parrots still really impress me!).

[BRinSM]

i would look into the santa clarita area. it's definitely a bit of a hike from central LA, but it is safe and clean and much more affordable than the city proper.

[uptown_urbanist]

Whatever top neighborhood/city you put on your top possibility list, do try to figure out how long the commute is in terms of time, not just miles - you can't really directly translate distance into time around LA. Also, I don't know how it works in LAPD, but the city itself is really huge, so if you have a specific location/area where you'll be working people can give you some better, or at least more targeted, suggestions closer to your work.

[missionhome]

Do you know where in L.A. you are working or assigned with the police department? Are you working downtown? The city itself is enormous in size and neighborhoods within the city limits can be hours apart in traffic. If you are assigned to a station in San Pedro (an L.A. city neighborhood) but live in Santa Clarita, you are SO far away from work (like several hours). If you are assigned to a police station in Sylmar (an L.A. city neighborhood), but live in Lakewood, you are again really far from work. The list goes on...... It really is important to know WHERE in L.A. you are working.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

My brother in law is part of LAPD and he like many officers lives in Simi Valley. Now he grew up in Simi so that was the choice for them anyway. Simi is always in the top 10 for safest cities in the United States. Many years it has been #1 nation wide. Simi is a family community and also has many stay at home moms. Chances are their will be many opportunities for activies with other moms and young kids in Simi. That being said, Simi is in Ventura County and for some may be too much of a drive. For those of us in the area, the drive from Simi to work in LA is not the hardest thing to do in the world. You may want to talk to those in the department to see what they think.