husband is working manhattan beach, where can family live? (Long Beach: renting, high crime)

[tamo1962]

My husband is considering working in the Manhattan Beach area. We currently live in Broomfield co, close to Boulder. Where would be a good place to live that is not a terrible commute for him, but a good neighborhood that is safe? We can go over 650000 for a house, and that is pushing it! Any advise?

[BRinSM]

unfortunately you'll be somewhat limited in the south bay communities. however, the inland areas of redondo and torrance will probably have some decent homes in your price range.

[tamo1962]

how would the communte be? do you know much about Hawthorne or Torrance? I don't mind being inland, it is just overwhelming to look at all the different areas and know what is safe with decent schools!

[BRinSM]

hawthorne has some nice areas, but i'm not so sure about the schools. torrance is the southern most south bay city, but it is pretty big. the commute could be anywhere from 15-30 minutes from manhattan beach depending on multiple factors. as long as you're in the south bay, your husband's commute will be pretty short. as far as living inland, the inland areas near manhattan beach are not places that you're going to want your family to live in. as an example, compton is directly east of manhattan beach. long beach might be another option, but the commute is starting to get longer at that point and will probably be 45+ minutes during regular commuting hours.

[tamo1962]

is the commute from north just not do-able? what about santa ana area or calabasas. Would the drive be impossible?

[bhcompy]

Torrance is large, but commute to Manhattan Beach won't be bad. Good schools in Torrance, but use California School Performance Maps to map out the specifics. Santa Ana and Calabasas are way too far. With regular rush hour traffic I would guess it will be like commuting from Highlands Ranch to Fort Collins every day.

If you aren't fond of Torrance, maybe look at Long Beach(East/Park Estates/etc, Naples, Belmont Shore, Bixby Knolls districts) or Lakewood. Fair commute by LA standards(maybe 30-45min?) and different vibe than the South Bay.

Some guidelines I would suggest are not to select areas from too far north of the 10 fwy on the 405N(definitely nothing on the 101) and nothing too far east of the 605 fwy on the 405S.

[nmnita]

Torrance would be my first choice with Long Beach next.

The beach areas, Redondo, Hermosa, etc are really nice but pricey.

Nita

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by tamo1962

My husband is considering working in the Manhattan Beach area. We currently live in Broomfield co, close to Boulder. Where would be a good place to live that is not a terrible commute for him, but a good neighborhood that is safe? We can go over 650000 for a house, and that is pushing it! Any advise?

Broomfield, yeah thats a nice suburb of Denver close to Louisville. We moved back to CA from CO after living in CS for a while. The western Denver burbs are my favorite place especially as you get closer to the Rockies. My wife's sister and her family still live in Denver.

Anyway Manhattan Beach is my hometown, went to Mira Costa HS. And I had lived and worked in that area for many years. IMO I would pick Torrance hands down. Stay west of Western Ave. East of it is not real Torrance but rather Harbor Gateway AKA LA strip.

What your husband doesn't want to is have to drive the 405 FWY during rush hour. Avoid this like the plague. Trust me on this one. I know from many years of experience learning the hard way. One of the secrets to enjoying life in the second largest city and largest county in the nation is to stay of the FWY during rush hour and live as close to work as possible. The traffic is bad and getting worse. Don't do it. Calabasas would be a living nightmare. Think driving from your house through downtown Denver during rush hour every day, but much, much worse. Your husband's stress level will definately effect you.

Seriously the South Bay is a nice area. No need to drive from far away. Just find a place you can afford within it. You didn't mention if you have children. But Torrance schools are good.

Hawthorne schools are not so good and crime is higher there. If you don't have children there are nicer parts of Lomita, Hawthorne and Gardena. But these areas can have gang problems and much higher crime especially on the wrong streets and sub neighborhoods. So it is buyer beware. And the same is true with Long Beach (some good/bad areas). Long Beach would be a stretch in terms of the drive, especially since he would be driving in the wrong direction toward LA in the AM. Although some do it and take surface streets I wouldn't advise it however.

My choices would be Torrance, El Segundo first by a long shot, Lomita second, Gardena and Hawthrone a distant third. Thats after growing up and living in the area for 40 years.

Finally consider renting first before buying so you can really get to know the area better checking out all the sub neighborhoods. LA county is much different than CO. You can have ghetto projects right next to upscale neighborhoods and sometimes all in one city, Long Beach is a good example of this. Driving neighborhoods and learning what you like/dislike is important.

Derek

[tamo1962]

Thanks Derek, you gave me a lot of insight. We have a 14 year old daughter who has grown up here in Broomfield and has led a pretty sheltered life by most standards, so schools are a high concern. It seems hard to believe, but we are not sure a job out there is worth what seems to be the nightmares that come with it. Hubby is going out next week to Santa Barbara area for an interview. Maybe that one will work out. It seems a lot more expensive, but not so much with worries about good/bad neighborhoods and gang problems. I am sure there are some wonderful areas around the Manhattan Beach area etc, but not very affordable or what we are used to here with having a yard, walking safely to school etc.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by tamo1962

Thanks Derek, you gave me a lot of insight. We have a 14 year old daughter who has grown up here in Broomfield and has led a pretty sheltered life by most standards, so schools are a high concern. It seems hard to believe, but we are not sure a job out there is worth what seems to be the nightmares that come with it. Hubby is going out next week to Santa Barbara area for an interview. Maybe that one will work out. It seems a lot more expensive, but not so much with worries about good/bad neighborhoods and gang problems. I am sure there are some wonderful areas around the Manhattan Beach area etc, but not very affordable or what we are used to here with having a yard, walking safely to school etc.

You would be fine if you stay in the right neighborhoods such as in Torrance or El Segundo. No gangs or high crime risks and good schools there too.

Santa Barbara will definately be more expensive than the South Bay. But it is a nice area further removed from the larger cities such as LA. We prefer living away from the larger cities now in Monterey. Although if work ever called me back to SoCal I would look again in the South Bay. Yet we really prefer not to live in LA County again. 40 years was enough for one lifetime I tell my wife. And she agrees.

Derek