Best, safest LA outskirt city for family (Los Angeles, San Diego: middle-class, 2009)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

Actually, Glendale is RIGHT NEXT to Los Angeles. It borders LA on the northeast.

If the OP's husband is going to be working in Glendale or the immediate area a move to Glendora would mean another 45 mins. to 1 hr in rush hour traffic (or more).

I love Glendora, think it is one of the nicest bedroom communities in So Ca, but I agree; it would be a hell of a commute. Actually hubby did it for about 2 years. He was in a car pool from Glendora area to Lockheed (that was a heck of a long time ago) it was brutal...

As for El Monte, sorry, I would never recommend El Monte to my friends.

NIta

[sll3454]

Some people don't like El Monte, maybe because it is not rich and not white. I lived there from 1985 to 2007 and loved it. Glendora is a nice place, too, but outwardly very different from El Monte (smaller, richer, whiter).

Temple City and Alhambra are also closer to Los Angeles than El Monte, and they both have relatively little crime (according to city-data). Temple City schools have a pretty good reputation. I don't know about Alhambra. If your husband works in Los Angeles, those would be close enough, but if he works in Glendale, maybe not.

Pasadena is a good place to live, but the schools aren't considered very good. There are other threads on Pasadena.

[maja]

As someone else mentioned, Santa Clarita is a good place to check out. The schools in Stevenson Ranch and West Ridge are excellent by Southern California standards. The area is extremely safe and clean. With the real estate slump, you may be able to find a 4 br/3 bath in the 400's but probably not the good sized yard - they're pretty hard to come by in L.A.! Good Luck! (Maybe you'll have extra good luck and be able to stay in S.C.!)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by sll3454

Some people don't like El Monte, maybe because it is not rich and not white. I lived there from 1985 to 2007 and loved it. Glendora is a nice place, too, but outwardly very different from El Monte (smaller, richer, whiter).

Temple City and Alhambra are also closer to Los Angeles than El Monte, and they both have relatively little crime (according to city-data). Temple City schools have a pretty good reputation. I don't know about Alhambra. If your husband works in Los Angeles, those would be close enough, but if he works in Glendale, maybe not.

Pasadena is a good place to live, but the schools aren't considered very good. There are other threads on Pasadena.

I don't think the schools in El Monte are very good either, if fact I know they are not. Yes, Temple City is nice...

The scredit here is moving from a small town in S.C. El Monte would eat them alive. This isn't saying El Monte is a good place for many, but not a family from a small town in the south.

NIta

[HarryKerry]

You will get better value for your limited housing expenses if your are open to townhomes rather than a detached house. Also, you will have to compromise space (less sqaure footage) for living in a safer, nicer neighborhood.

Also, LA is all about the drive, meaning where you work is what may determain where you live. You must consider the commute. Please, be more specific where the job is located and I can be of more help. When you say the city of LA, that is way too large of a reference because it is HUGE. If you have to go far out to the distant suburbs (housing costs, in general, decrease the further from central Los Angeles), then you will want to be close enough to a Metrolink commuter train station.

[stuffavail]

Originally Posted by SCtoCA

I'm new to this forum, so I hope I've posted this in the correct place! My husband and I currently live in a small town in South Carolina and are planning to move to the Los Angeles area for work within a year. Since this will, hopefully, be a permanent move, we plan to settle down and start a family shortly thereafter. At the risk of sounding extremely naive, I was wondering if anybody could list a few places in the surrounding LA area that are 1) safe and 2) affordable (housing that is give or take in the 300's). This is probably the best place to find local opinions, and that is what we need -- Honest and straightforward opinions from people who know the area and are willing to dole out a little advice. Thanks in advance!!

----------------------------------------

OK first off, welcome to LA!
I was born and raised here and here I am again. It is a fantastic place. It has everything you can imagine.

Is it is huge metropolitan area with its own set of problems? Yes.
What city doesnt have big challenges?
Does LA have everything in the world you can imagine? Yes.

There has been a resurgence of villages, where locals shop and visit and party. So, unless you are totally in a bedroom community with no there there, there is likely to be in an area where you can be locally involved which helps make the hugeness of the city more palatable.

For example, I wanted to be in the Hollywood Hills which meant we had to totally downsize. But it is a wonderful walking neighborhood. I am supremely well located and there are neighborhood gatherings and things to do that feel good. And my patio is my dining room due to the almost year round good weather.

If your purchase price is only in the $300,000 - 400,000 range, you will pretty much have to be in the suburbs. Which suburb should be determined by where your jobs are, if possible.

Do you know where you will be working?
I ask that because commuting is a deal here. You dont want to work south of town and live north of town if you can help it. There are a few subway lines and a high speed rail so if you can live near one of those that can be helpful.

What some people do is to live modestly so they can be in a certain part of town.

But your price range will likely put you east or north of town. There are modest homes, solidly built in the 40s and 50s, in the San Fernando Valley that are now coming back into your range. Areas vary so you'll need guidance once you come here on a shopping mission.

Way north in the Santa Clarita Valley, Palmdale and Lancaster homes are bigger but the deserty temps and high winds will jack up your electric bills and your savings may evaporate.The commute is a hike if you work in LA.

I could go on and on but nailing down the jobs, or the main job, for your family will impact where you should live....so your life doesnt become all about the commute. It is all workable. Don't worry.

Again, welcome!
:-)

[sll3454]

Here's a new suggestion: Woodland Hills (91367).

[JohnG72]

If the guy is working in Glendale or downtown....lots of people live in Santa Clarita, Valencia, Canyon Country, etc.

Crummy commute(he'll take a train or bus to downtown), but lots of people do it for the schools and safety. You can find a home there for under $300K.

A family of four making $150K a year and with $120K down can buy that $600K house.

I'd ignore that notion at this point. An awful lot of people went broke trying to afford $600K houses that they couldn't actually afford. A TON of people bought them on interest only loans or even much worse Option Arms where the morons actually deferred interest. Thats why you see a TON of foreclosures in So Cal and also a bunch of dummies driving large SUV's that get more beat up looking by the day.

I'll note that smaller houses in Burbank(idyllic area) are now selling(not listing) under $500K. And prices are still falling.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

If the guy is working in Glendale or downtown....lots of people live in Santa Clarita, Valencia, Canyon Country, etc.

Crummy commute(he'll take a train or bus to downtown), but lots of people do it for the schools and safety. You can find a home there for under $300K.

A family of four making $150K a year and with $120K down can buy that $600K house.

I'd ignore that notion at this point. An awful lot of people went broke trying to afford $600K houses that they couldn't actually afford. A TON of people bought them on interest only loans or even much worse Option Arms where the morons actually deferred interest. Thats why you see a TON of foreclosures in So Cal and also a bunch of dummies driving large SUV's that get more beat up looking by the day.

I'll note that smaller houses in Burbank(idyllic area) are now selling(not listing) under $500K. And prices are still falling.

Even 500,000 is more than 300 like op is talking about..

NIta

[treskids4me]

Santa Clarita (Valencia or stevenson ranch), Burbank, or La Canada are all great areas with great schools. Commute might be the only negative part, depending on where you work. Good luck!