Where to live if I work in Long Beach? (Los Angeles: houses, neighborhoods)

[jorge112597]

seal beach or huntington

[scubacat]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

Cypress, Lakewood, Cerritos, Torrance, etc.

Do not live in:

Seal Beach
Huntington Beach
Garden Grove
Stanton
Westminster
Anaheim

You don't want to live in any city that will require you to pass the CA-22 construction where it's combined with I-405, it'll make your commute (and life) unnecessarily stressful.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.
Are there any inland cities that I should consider? I don't need to pay the premium to live right near the beach in Belmont Shores.
Is the construction where the 22 and 405 intersect?
How far into Orange County can I get before the commute would be unreasonable (I will be going in at 7 am and leaving at 7 pm)? Would Irvine be too far?

[NaplesRes]

Originally Posted by scubacat

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.
Are there any inland cities that I should consider? I don't need to pay the premium to live right near the beach in Belmont Shores.
Is the construction where the 22 and 405 intersect?
How far into Orange County can I get before the commute would be unreasonable (I will be going in at 7 am and leaving at 7 pm)? Would Irvine be too far?

Look at Bixby Knolls. It meets your requirements well. Very nice, safe, close to the hospital, and has a nice strip of stuff to do.

[robbybee]

I would say that Irvine is too far - or at least would be for me.

Several inland cities have been mentioned and all are pretty decent. Cypress, Los Alamitos, Cerritos, Lakewood among them. Is there a reason that you are reluctant to consider Long Beach?

[scubacat]

Originally Posted by robbybee

I would say that Irvine is too far - or at least would be for me.


Several inland cities have been mentioned and all are pretty decent. Cypress, Los Alamitos, Cerritos, Lakewood among them. Is there a reason that you are reluctant to consider Long Beach?

Robbybee,
Sorry, I didn't see your post from yesterday that mentioned the inland cities. There is no reason I can't live in Long Beach--it's just that I've looked into Belmont Shores and the rentals seem pretty expensive, so I thought it might be less expensive if I go inland. If I remember correctly, East Long Beach is the better part of town, correct? Can you give me more specifics about what streets border the safe area?

I am from Arizona so I am not used to the high prices of California and don't know what I should be expecting to pay for a 2 BR townhouse or condo. Robbybee, you mentioned some newer townhome developments--can I get a 2 BR in one of those neighborhoods for under $2000? What part of town are those developments you mentioned, or do you know any specific names of the communities?

Thanks!

[NaplesRes]

Originally Posted by scubacat

Robbybee,
Sorry, I didn't see your post from yesterday that mentioned the inland cities. There is no reason I can't live in Long Beach--it's just that I've looked into Belmont Shores and the rentals seem pretty expensive, so I thought it might be less expensive if I go inland. If I remember correctly, East Long Beach is the better part of town, correct? Can you give me more specifics about what streets border the safe area?

I am from Arizona so I am not used to the high prices of California and don't know what I should be expecting to pay for a 2 BR townhouse or condo. Robbybee, you mentioned some newer townhome developments--can I get a 2 BR in one of those neighborhoods for under $2000? What part of town are those developments you mentioned, or do you know any specific names of the communities?

Thanks!

While it is true that all of East Long Beach is nice, there are nice parts in other areas of the city. Since you asked for some culture, things to do, etc and it's close to the hospital, I recommend the Bixby Knolls section of Long Beach. It's a very nice neigbhorhood. You may know it if you've seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It was filmed there. If you want to be on the east side of the city but pay less than Belmont Shore, check out the Los Altos area of Long Beach. Major cross streets are Bellflower and Stearns. Nice shopping center there, very safe, upper middle class neighborhood. Still only 15 min from the hospital.

[shecali]

I also recommend the Bixby Knolls area, or Cal Heights. These two areas are very close to the hospital and are pretty safe. You won't have to drive far to get all your errands done and there are some good restaurant options on Atlantic Ave.
Good Luck!

[Dennis P]

Belmont Heights, Bixby Knolls, east area of Long Beach (90815, 90808) including around Cal State Long Beach.

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

interesting story about the traffic circle. It was built for the 1932 Olympic Rowing Event at the Marine Stadium. Local organizers wanted create a European experience for visitors.

I have no problem with the circle now, but I will admit it was a bit challenging the first time I drove through it.

It takes a while to learn to negotiate driving through the Traffic Circle, but once you get it, it's a breeze.

[Newfies]

I agree with the other posts. Try to avoid the 405/22 fwy expansion. The same people that worked on the 5 fwy widening are working on that one and look how long that took. As far as commuting on PCH everyone else will be doing the same to avoid the fwy mess. You will be hitting the morning rush hour but at night it shouldn't be too bad.

Love Lakewood... just be careful of getting too close to Hawaiian Gardens. Another nice area not mentioned is Fountain Valley just inland from Huntington Beach. It's a nice area but it will put you into driving past the construction zone. Best of luck and congrat's on the new job!