Considering a move from Denver to the Los Angeles area...advice? (San Diego: apartments, rent)

[coo77]

Originally Posted by milehighwinters

I'm comfortable with an hour drive in any direction.

I'd like to be within half an hour of a decent beach (as far as it goes for LA anyway) walking distance to shops, bars, and eateries, and a 24 hour fitness. Public transportation isn't a must but it would be nice. I would like a somewhat hip area that is also safe to walk my dogs at night.

An hour drive in any direction in Los Angeles gets you about 6-8 miles during rush hour in areas like West L.A. Seriously, traffic here is nothing like Colorado. If you were to do a commute from San Clemente at the very Southern tip of the metro area to the very northern tip in Lancaster, it could take 4 hours at rush hour!!!

Anywhere within 30 minutes of a beach is going to be pretty expensive, unless you want to live in a rough area like Inglewood. You can probably get a 2 bedroom apartment at your budget.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by coo77

If you were to do a commute from San Clemente at the very Southern tip of the metro area to the very northern tip in Lancaster, it could take 4 hours at rush hour!!!

Way more than that. I've done 405/101 area to Huntington Beach in rush hour a few times and its taken 3 hours. And that's starting at 3pm, well before most cities consider it rush hour.

[UB50]

When I first moved here, I worked 12 miles from home. The first time it rained hard, it took me 3+ hours to drive to work one particular day. (Trees fell over all over the place blocking a lot of streets plus part of a hill fell onto the roadway on another street.) It routinely took me over 2 hours to get home.

Just last Sunday, we were downtown on 12th and Los Angeles Street travelling north. It took us over 45 minutes to get to 7th and Los Angeles Street. Why? All the pedestrians and all the cars. When cars tried to turn right, they had to wait for all the pedestrians crossing one street, then the light would change and they would have to wait for all the pedestrians crossing the other street. There are only two lanes and both lanes had the same problem since you hit a series of one way streets downtown. Cars in the left lane eventually plan to turn left, cars in the right lane usually plan to turn right. Everyone behind them is stuck waiting for them to turn. This means maybe two or three cars get through the green light each time it changes. Traffic creeps forward. Downtown LA has stoplights on every corner.

In some parts of LA, there is a stoplight on every corner. In other parts, you can go two blocks between stoplights. In other parts, it's four or five blocks between lights. Is this bad? Sure it is, but it sure beats sitting on the parking lot they call a freeway.

Any serious accident on the freeways can extend a commute by hours, both on the freeway and on all the alternate routes.

"1/2 an hour drive to the beach" and "hip area" means you need a higher budget for rent. (Be careful of inexpensive places listed near the beaches or with very desireable features on Craigslist. Most of them are scams.)

[Charles]

I hate to write this, but your life will be 69 times less complicated and you'd have 69 times more options if you could get rid of the dogs.

[ebuch]

Originally Posted by milehighwinters

I have commuted from Colorado Springs to Denver daily, again...I am completely A-Okay with traffic. I have also commuted from Arvada to Littleton...both in rush hour. I take it as an opportunity to listen to language CDs. Please, don't assume that I dont understand traffic or mind it. I'm comfortable with an hour drive in any direction.

I'd like to be within half an hour of a decent beach (as far as it goes for LA anyway) walking distance to shops, bars, and eateries, and a 24 hour fitness. Public transportation isn't a must but it would be nice. I would like a somewhat hip area that is also safe to walk my dogs at night.

As for where I will be working, I will be securing a job based on the area that I move to. Neighborhood first, job within an hour next.

I was just out in Los Angeles last week, during rush hour it will take you AT LEAST one hour to commute, that's pretty much the bare minimum. It took me an hour to go from Burbank to Downtown in rush hour and its really about a 10min drive without traffic.

And I don't know about you, but 4hr daily commutes would start affecting my quality of life.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Charles

I hate to write this, but your life will be 69 times less complicated if you could get rid of the dogs.

OTOH, walking the dogs might be a good way to meet people.

But I agree on the commute factor. I drove from Denver to Ft. Collins last year while there for a wedding, and that highway system is entirely different than ours...much less traffic, many more polite drivers, and less distraction while driving (in CO).

[UB50]

Originally Posted by Charles

I hate to write this, but your life will be 69 times less complicated and you'd have 69 times more options if you could get rid of the dogs.

Ouch! No one even mentioned the dogs yet! It's hard to find landlords who will allow dogs and a lot of that is breed-dependent.

[AnUnidentifiedMale]

If both Atlanta and L.A. are truly equal to you, go for Atlanta. Your life will be so much easier.

[uptown_urbanist]

Both of my LA rentals did take dogs. You might also have an easier time now that there are a lot of landlords eager for good tenants. It will be tougher to find a place with dogs than without (especially if they're big dogs), but not impossible. Be prepared to potentially pay a hefty pet deposit, though.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by UB50

It's hard to find landlords who will allow dogs and a lot of that is breed-dependent.

How does a property owner's liability insurance work if he rents to tenants who have pit bulls, german shepards, dobermans etc?

No German Shepherds in a Rental House or on Homeowners Insurance?