Family man considering a job near LAX (San Diego, Long Beach: rent, houses)

[Freemanfam]

Hey Everyone,

I am considering a job that is located near LAX. My wife and I have two middle school age children so my main consideration is finding an area that would be good to raise/school our kids.

We now live in Rancho Bernardo (San Diego county) and have the kids in the Poway district which is considered one of the better ones in CA. Im looking for input on what areas I can look at that are more family oriented, safe, and have solid middle and high schools. As I said, I would be working near LAX, so I would like to know what areas fit the bill within say an hour commute to LAX. We would be renting at first and be looking in the range of around 3K a month in rent for a 3-4 bed house. I passed Laguna Niguel on the way home from my interview which looked nice, although the traffic was light at the time so am not sure how long it would take at peak hours.

I appreciate any suggestions/insight you can provide. Thanks!

[wsflco]

Lakewood isn't a bad place for families. You want to move into an area where your kids can attend the ABC School District. They have the "school of choice" program which will allow you to place your kids in the better Cerritos schools. The city is at the east end of the I-105 freeway, which feeds right into LAX. Used to take me around 45 minutes drive time from Lakewood to Sony Studios in Culver City.

[BRinSM]

laguna niguel is very, very far from LAX in traffic. think closer to two hours if your commuting during normal rush hour.

[Charles]

There is nothing like Rancho Bernardo, Poway, 4S Ranch, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos, or Black Mountain near LAX. Candidate neighborhoods: Torrance, Los Alamitos and possibly El Segundo itself. Some parts of Laguna Niguel are a little older, closer to the coast, and some have the masterplanned look, closer to the 73.
Farther out Irvine. If you can swing a 6-230 shift you can probably keep your afternoon drive to less than an hour if Irvine. If you are close to LAX and want good schools then most likely it is near the coast so it is extremely expensive and smaller homes, crowded, older homes. East of the 405 is bad schools. North of LAX is the worst traffic and Santa Monica and west LA are also very expensive. I've seen online some slightly more suburban neighborhoods in Torrance. Huntington Beach too.

[Freemanfam]

Thanks BRinSM, I thought that Laguna Niguel may be stretching it a bit.

I will check out the lakewood area, thanks WSFLCO

How about Anaheim Hills? I have read some pretty good things about that area, looks to be about 40 miles or so.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Freemanfam

How about Anaheim Hills? I have read some pretty good things about that area, looks to be about 40 miles or so.

The schools there look really good on first glance but again, it is way out there. Maybe take the 91 to the 5 and cut west to Norwalk and pickup the Green Line light rail to El Segundo. The train ride alone is 30 minutes.

Is 6-230 doable?

[guineapiggie101]

Anaheim Hills is kind FAR from LAX, unless you take the 91 to the 5, but keep in mind the 91 has a tendency to get clogged up around traffic times.

I have close friends that live in Anaheim Hills and they say the 91 is always a pain in the butt. I think Caltrans is doing expansion work on the 91 and traffic has been worse because of that.

Lakewood and parts of Long Beach would be better for you. I have a relative that lives in Lakewood and works near El Segundo and his drive times aren't bad.

[Freemanfam]

A flex work schedule is something that I will check into. I'm sure being on the road at 5:30 vice 7:30 would be a huge difference. I would rather sacrifice commute time over living area though.

[luckodeirish]

Look at Rossmoor, Los Alamitos, Lakewood, Cypress, I would probably skip Long Beach, maybe look at El Segundo, which is a very small town with a small town feel.

[NaplesRes]

the master planned thing isn't really to be found in LA.

East Long Beach would be great for good schools, nice family area Check out Park Estates, Los Altos, etc. closer to LAX is Bixby Knolls and Virginia Country Club area/Los Cerritos. Also in Long Beach. All are great family neighborhoods with wonderful houses with lots of character.

If you wanted to be north of lax then the southbay neighborhoods could work. The closer to the coast the better.

but again for the cookie cutter master planned thing you need to be in inland south oc and that won't be a fun drive to lax.