Good City To Live In That Is In Between Los Angeles and Irvine (Long Beach: apartments, rental)

[tuxedoacid]

After visiting Los Angeles I've realized that it is a place that I could really enjoy living in. I'm currently living on the East Coast and though I just moved here a couple of months ago I am already hoping to move. I won't be making this move until the summer of 2011 due to work commitments but am looking into the move now to make sure that I can afford it (or make a good amount of money within this time frame to do so).

I will be working in Irvine but don't want to live in Irvine. Most of my free time will be spent in LA so I was thinking that living somewhere in between would be best.

Anyone have any advice on cities to live in between LA and Irvine? What exactly should I expect for the move, living expenses, gas, etc.?

Any suggestions are helpful!

[OC Investor2]

Quality of life in So Cal is inversely related to the length of your commute. Live closer to your work or you will not like it here. But if you rheart is set on being in LA, you could plan to live near a transit station in LA & take the train to Irvine.

[MtnSurfer]

LA County is the largest county in the nation with ~ 10 million residents. And there are hundreds of different neighborhoods to live in, some great, some terrible and a whole lot in between. So for anyone to even take a guess of a good place for you to live you will first need to say what you are looking for. Otherwise its like throwing darts at a dart board. I mean really. What is it you are looking for besides being closer to LA?

Of course there are many places in the middle. But really what does that buy you? And when you say you will spend your free time in LA, where is that? I mean are you thinking the West Side, Hollywood Strip, Downtown, Magic Mountain, Pasadena, where?

OC Investor makes a good point about commuting and quality of life. Traffic anywhere between LA and OC sucks, especially during rush hour. And its not the distance that gets you but the volume of ppl all on the road at the same time trying to go from point A to point B. So the closer to work the better. I agree 100% on that. Why not simply drive to LA for a show or whatever on the weekend or after rush hour subsides? Living in LA will be a lot less glamorous while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for hours every day, trust me. Your dream will quickly fade into a nightmare.

My 2c,

Derek

[tuxedoacid]

What I'm mostly looking for is something with high-rise apartments (if possible within the $1000-$1300 range) in a safe neighborhood. The thought of having a security guard (or two) is comforting. I see what you both mean about living closer to work.

I'll spend most of my free time in LA (shopping, seeing friends, etc.) and want to be sure I'm close to everything LA offers. I checked the distance from Irvine to LA and the directions showed it took an hour. The distance may be an hour away, but what about the distance plus drive time?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by tuxedoacid

What I'm mostly looking for is something with high-rise apartments (if possible within the $1000-$1300 range) in a safe neighborhood. The thought of having a security guard (or two) is comforting. I see what you both mean about living closer to work.

I'll spend most of my free time in LA (shopping, seeing friends, etc.) and want to be sure I'm close to everything LA offers. I checked the distance from Irvine to LA and the directions showed it took an hour. The distance may be an hour away, but what about the distance plus drive time?

Yeah, if you check google maps for instance it will give you an approximation. For example when I lived in Torrance which is southern LA County it could take anywhere from 45min to 1.5 hours+ to get to Irvine depending on traffic. Google estimates 50 minutes. The distance itself is only 38 miles. So the largest factor in the equation is always traffic. Traffic is something you will always be aware of when living in LA. Knowing it well becomes second nature to surviving life in the LA. It can turn a nice little drive into a horrendous nightmare. And because traffic is the worst during rush hour it will certainly take longer than what google maps estimates. Doubling the time would be closer to reality during rush hour. Then you throw in the constant accidents, road work, events, etc... and you never know when your drive turns into a sea of lights and 5 MPH stop and go. Once you are moving at 5MPH stop and go traffic your commute time changes completely.

I suggest renting somewhere at least half way between LA (which ever part you are thinking of) and work or closer. Then decide later after getting a feel for life in LA if moving in even closer is really what you are looking for. I will bet you will change your mind once here after experiencing the streets of LA yourself on a daily basis.

Derek

[tired of being inside]

You might consider Long Beach (don't laugh). First, the downtown has gone through a great amount of redevelopment in the past five years (Downtown Long Beach - Home). The area around Pine and south of 3rd St has plenty of high rise, mid rise and loft options. There is also the funky East Village Arts District (East Village Association), home to the Art Walk and totally awesome Sound Walk (SoundWalk.org). And there's a great harbor area near the Aquarium of the Pacific (two nice high rise complexes nearby) and the whole area has a decent bar, restaurant and event scene (check out http://www.summerandmusic.com; ; longbeachbikefest.org ), two weekly farmers markets,
plus easy access to the 710, which is just 3 miles to the 405, then a straight shot to Irvine.

Second, there are plenty of other interesting neighborhoods in the LBC and a lot of parks. Along with dowtown, you should check out Belmont Shore (~Explore Belmont Shore~), which is a bit more beachy, a bit less urban but still cool and has relatively easy access to the 405 via CA22 East/I-605 N, but still some (though less) highrises). I'd also give a look at Bluff Park, Belmont Heights and Rose Park South (which features one of the best So Cal coffee houses around, Portfolio and the hip and delightful Retro Row on 4th St, 4th Street Long Beach). Even Bixby Knolls, though slower, more sedate, is kinda fun (Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association Long Beach, CA 90807) and has good access to the 405.

The LBC has had many detractors and parts of it are still awful (just like LA), but since you're looking for a link between LA and Irvine (I work in downtown LA and have no problem getting all over the area), you should check it out. Good luck!

[S.D. Calif]

Newport Beach is nice. So is Mission Viejo.

[recycled]

I agree with the recommendation of Long Beach. Good access to downtown LA area via Harbor Freeway, and good access to Irvine / OC via I 405. Be prepared for bad traffic on either of those routes if you choose to travel during rush hours. Another good place would be Huntington Beach. It's a closer commute to Irvine, but also within reach for visits to LA via I-405 + 110. By the way, your budget for a rental under $1300 is going to be hard to find for something in a "high rise".

BTW, high rise apartment buildings are typically not a good place to be during an earthquake.

[xcalgal]

El Segundo

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by tired of being inside

You might consider Long Beach (don't laugh). First, the downtown has gone through a great amount of redevelopment in the past five years ...

Yeah, I was thinking that as well. Maybe Belmont Shore. That would be the only place in LA that would be close enough to Irvine for the daily 405 grind IMO.

But when the OP said he/she is looking for:

a high-rise apartment (if possible within the $1000-$1300 range) in a safe neighborhood.

I really doubt that is going to happen in that range. It will at least be hard to find in LA. In this range finding a roomate in a nice area is more realistic.

Derek