Lakewood/Long Beach area relocation (Los Angeles, Belmont: apartment complex, rentals, houses)

[munneytawks]

i plan on moving to the Lakewood area and attending school at Cal State Long Beach (in January). The switchboard female at Cal State Long Beach told me i could get a nice studio apartment for around $600.00 in Lakewood. If anyone can verify this, or if i need to go to a different city forum, please let me know. any feedback is appreciated. i need apartment complex names to start with. and, was she correct when she said Lakewood is a better area than Long Beach? I'm from Iowa and i have a lot of work to get done prior to moving. thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by munneytawks

i plan on moving to the Lakewood area and attending school at Cal State Long Beach (in January). The switchboard female at Cal State Long Beach told me i could get a nice studio apartment for around $600.00 in Lakewood. If anyone can verify this, or if i need to go to a different city forum, please let me know. any feedback is appreciated. i need apartment complex names to start with. and, was she correct when she said Lakewood is a better area than Long Beach? I'm from Iowa and i have a lot of work to get done prior to moving. thanks in advance for any feedback.

I just saw a studio for $675 in the Long Beach area;

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/apa/948276308.html

from

This is Google Maps mashed with Craigslist apartment listings. Excellent tool.

Work this:

MapsKrieg - Apartments & Housing For Rent in Los Angeles, CA

[EscapeCalifornia]

Long Beach and Lakewood are in Los Angeles county. $600 sounds pretty cheap. I'd be afraid of what kind of neighborhood it would be in for that price. Long Beach and Lakewood both have good and bad parts. Look in the Los Angeles section of Craig's List for rentals. Whatever you do, don't rent anything from Iowa. Check out the neighborhoods in person.

[NaplesRes]

Originally Posted by munneytawks

i plan on moving to the Lakewood area and attending school at Cal State Long Beach (in January). The switchboard female at Cal State Long Beach told me i could get a nice studio apartment for around $600.00 in Lakewood. If anyone can verify this, or if i need to go to a different city forum, please let me know. any feedback is appreciated. i need apartment complex names to start with. and, was she correct when she said Lakewood is a better area than Long Beach? I'm from Iowa and i have a lot of work to get done prior to moving. thanks in advance for any feedback.

Comparing lakewood to Long Beach is not possible. Long Beach is huge and has very expensive neighborhoods and some low end neighborhoods and everything in between. It has coastal, suburban, and urban. Many parts of LB are among the nicest in southern california. You really should visit.

As for 600 bucks for a studio it sounds cheap even in Lakewood.

Most CSULB students live by the school or a couple miles away in Belmont Shore. Both areas are very nice but 600 bucks won't be enough I think.

[bhcompy]

Not sure where studios are in Lakewood. Most of it is fairly suburban and the few apartments tend to be the family variety except very near Long Beach City College(Main Campus). If you are finding studios in Lakewood near LBCC for that much, that is a good area.

As far as comparing the two, suburban eastern long beach and the majority of lakewood are of similar age and similar design.

Lakewood has a lot of houses with detached garages and many people turn these into rentals. You may want to do some searching for those as you may find something at your price point in a respectable neighborhood.

[munneytawks]

thanks for the inputs. still would like apartment names, if any, to try.

[brianguy]

I personally think $600 for a studio, even in LB/Lakewood (not OC) is not possible. if you're on a tight budget ($600) consider trying to rent a room or finding a roommate who already has an apt. that's the route I looked first and it was work, but to save money you have to do what you can.

I have a buddy at work who has 3... count em 3 roommates, and I don't think he knew any of them beforehand. but the guy saves a bundle

[AKgirlinCA]

Just to let you know, and this may be completely off topic, you are in for a HUGE culture shock moving here from Iowa! I'm sure you know this but I couldn't help throwing this out there....

[AzianCalFullertonStudent]

Originally Posted by AKgirlinCA

Just to let you know, and this may be completely off topic, you are in for a HUGE culture shock moving here from Iowa! I'm sure you know this but I couldn't help throwing this out there....

What do you mean by "culture shock?"

[AKgirlinCA]

If you can't understand the culture shock issue of moving from Iowa to Los Angeles, then I can't explain it to you.