worki n Norwalk, where to live?.. (Los Angeles, Long Beach: lofts, low crime, townhome)

[radioheadCA]

Hello, I'm likely getting a job offer in Norwalk and I'm not that familiar with the different areas around it. I am hoping to find an area of LA (or OC?) that is not more than a 45 minute commute. Also, I prefer places that are urban or like a village, where there is a lot of art, music, movie theatres (indie/art house ones), liberal residents, diversity - but also safe and not depressing in terms of the way it looks and the overall vibe. I'm used to east coast cities as I've lived in NYC, Boston and DC. I would prefer to move to SF (I'm in Sacramento now) but work will likely bring me down to south LA. Im afraid to live in OC b/c I hear it's republican country and full of yahoos and religious fundamentalists. I would like Santa Monica or Venice but I figure it's way too long of a commute during regular rush hours. I visited Long Beach when I interviewed and was hoping it would be like Sacramento but better and on the water but instead it seemed very dangerous inland at night and boring and ugly near the coast - just looked like any other dull suburb of LA to me. I heard Newport Beach is pretty but very lame in terms of people being overly image-conscious and it is full of conservatives. NOt sure about Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Hungtington Beach or any areas east of Norwalk. Would downtown be alright and, if so, where exactly? I was in Chinatown a few years back and it seemed very sketchy in terms of crime and poverty but others have written that it's changing and up and coming - but I heard that Long Beach is up and coming too but when I visited it seemed dull and was a let down - diverse yes, but doesnt feel like a city or village in and of itself to me. Any parts of OC that are somewhat liberal-friendly, and city like or village like (ie, Berkeley, Santa Cruz). Irvine yuppyish and conservative too? Thanks a lot for any info.

[bhcompy]

there are very few choices for what you are looking for.

i would look first in Belmont Shore/Naples. I would then include downtown Long Beach and the other coastal parts of Long Beach. After that I would say parts of Fullerton.

Huntington Beach would be pushing your travel limits at 45min to an hour at least during rush hour traffic.

The old town/downtown Whittier area may have some appeal as well and will be closer to commute than HB.

Manhattan and Hermosa are over an hour commute.

There is nowhere else I can think of that comes even close to your needs.

The LA basin is a sprawl. You will not find many areas that meet your desires of a "village" and LA, while overall liberal, is not nearly as blatant about it as San Fransisco. It's not a coincidence that the city of LA and the state has had a fair number of Republicans elected in the executive positions as there are a good number of conservatives and, probably more so, a large number of centrist/moderate swing voters. You won't find a Berkeley enclave here.

[mollymonk]

Brea, is right next to Fullerton...Brea is a nice clean small city, it has a low crime rate and it's about 11 miles from Norwalk. Brea and Fullerton are both in Orange County.

Long Beach is huge, it's like many cities in one...It has good area's and it has bad area's...My daughter rents a townhome in a nice area of downtown Long Beach. She lives with in walking distance to the ocean with many restaurants, shopping, art and entertainment...She loves it....Myself I don't care for the traffic down by the ocean.

I'd keep checking out Long Beach. It has lots of zip codes, where rich and poor, liberal and conservatives live...Plus it's about 10 miles from Norwalk.

Stay away from downtown Los Angeles...It's not very nice or safe anymore!

[MisterDuke]

Cultural amenities, safety, and less than 45 minutes from Norwalk? That's a tall order. The difference between LA and the other cities like NY, SF, etc, is that everything in LA is spread out.

I'd say Laguna Beach is by far the most liberal city in Orange County, but they don't have an art scene, unless you're into galleries that offer beach paintings. You won't find anything provocative there. There's only one art house in Orange County, and that's the Bay Theater in Seal Beach. If you're looking for any kind of real cultural scene, you're not going to find it in Orange County. Commuting time is a huge issue in the LA area. I live in Brea. It's convenient for my work, but the area is very deficient in terms of culture. All the art things I want to do are up in LA. That pretty much means I can only do that sort of thing only on weekends. And even then, that's a long haul.

Your best bet is to look at the Metrolink maps and live close to the line. Norwalk has a new station. The train is faster than driving, so that expands how far you can live and still make it to Norwalk in 45 minutes or less. If you are going to drive to work, and you are committed to that time limit, you're going to have to stick pretty close to Norwalk.

You might want to check out the lofts around Union Station. That way you could take Metrolink from downtown to Norwalk, and still get home at a decent time. The cultural things you are looking for are going to be on the westside, and to a lesser extent downtown. Downtown would be a good home base.