As an international college-student, which give the best experience; LA Vs. SD (Los Angeles: apartments)

[Legenda]

Hey City Data,

So im 'bout to move to Southern California in the upcoming summer, where ill be attending a Community College. I'll be moving from an average and irrelevant town in Denmark (- average citities in Denmark are most commonly down under the population of 100K, which means its pretty local/"everbody-knows-about-everybody"-alike). Therefore my daily life and lifestyle is going to have a HUGE upheavel whether i move to 'Diego or L.A, which im looking VERY forward to indeed since i've always admired the "big-city-lifestyle", and i cant wait getting ready to try it out.

I've gotten succesfull admissions to Colleges in both LA and San Diego, but as you can see in my title, i'm having this dilemma what to choose, which i thought some of you "experts" cani help me with .

The thing is i've been visiting LA and 'specially San Diego severeal times (-i got a brother up in Diego and another brother in OC) so im familliar with the basic differences between; SD is generally cleaner than LA, while LA is more international/has more social groups and both rent & crime in LA is higher etc etc..

But here goes for my questions;
1. As an upcoming college student who's wants the MAXIMUM EXPERIENCE out of the "american college-life" which city will then be most ideal? Iam thinking about factors such as nightlife, the youth' general attitude in the citites (where are they typically most easy-going?) etc etc

2. Notoriously LA is not the most crimeless city on earth. But how bad is it? Can I as an unconfrontational student party, study and generally just hang out on the streets of LA without constantly looking over my shoulder? I'm familiar that it (of course) depends on where in LA i choose to hang, but lets say I'm in central LA where all the clubs are, and I'm just hanging out. How much do i have to "watch out"?

3. After i've choosen which city to move to, I'll be searching for a new roommate; Are there any specific areas in SD/LA that would be a BAD idea to move into? And in adverse, are there any areas that just have a bad reputation (Like Compton, Idlewood etc), but are actually a decent place to settle?

4. How is the rent for college apartments/rooms shared with roommate(s) different from each other in SD/LA? My brother told that there are really no difference when you're just looking for college rooms between the cities, is this true?

5. Last but def. not least, which has the BEST beaches?

Maaan, thats an awful bunch of questions! But im very curious since i feel the choice between the two citites are a big decision in my life! I hope you guys can help with this! I would appreciate it alot!

Best wishes!

[simbared]

I've lived both places, and prefer Los Angeles. But there are lots of people who prefer San Diego. I don't think rents are going to be vastly different, unless you want to live in West L.A. or close to the beach. You've mentioned nightlife, clubs, and hanging out in your first two questions, so I would say L.A. may be more suitable for you. Both offer great beaches, so that shouldn't be a deciding factor for you. You should try to live as close to your chosen school as possible. For example, if you're attending Pasadena City College, you don't want to be commuting from Santa Monica. Your brothers should be able to provide a lot of helpful information, since they already live in Southern California. Good luck.

[drunk on kool aid]

I'm in my 50's so I'm not the best one to help but since no one's answering...
Also, I have almost no experience with San Diego.

In general, you should live close to your Community College (CC). Traffic, especially in LA, particularly the westside, brings many people to their knees. LA has better public transportation than SD but neither are at the level of European capitals. However, if there is a train or major bus line near your CC, you can pick somewhere along that line and have a pleasant commute even if it's not nearby.

Note that LA and SD are subject to microclimates - big changes in temperature within short distances. Summer highs can vary by 20 degrees F, even up to 30 degrees between coastal LA and the San Fernando & San Gabriel Valleys (10 to 20 miles away).

The city of Los Angeles alone (not the county or metro) is 469 sq. miles (1,215 sq. km) so it would be very helpful if we knew which CCs you have targeted; it makes no sense to recommend Hermosa Beach if you are going to East LA College.

I'm assuming that since you are Danish and thinking of moving to some of the most expensive regions in the U.S., that cost is not much of an issue. However, closer to the coast is going to be more expensive. If cost is an issue, tell us how much you are willing to pay per month (in USD, not DKK ).

Since you've been to SD multiple times and have a brother there, I'm assuming you have a pretty good grasp of SD but want to compare to LA.

My answers in bold in the body of your post.

Originally Posted by Legenda

Hey City Data,

So im 'bout to move to Southern California in the upcoming summer, where ill be attending a Community College. I'll be moving from an average and irrelevant town in Denmark (- average citities in Denmark are most commonly down under the population of 100K, which means its pretty local/"everbody-knows-about-everybody"-alike). Therefore my daily life and lifestyle is going to have a HUGE upheavel whether i move to 'Diego or L.A, which im looking VERY forward to indeed since i've always admired the "big-city-lifestyle", and i cant wait getting ready to try it out.

I've gotten succesfull admissions to Colleges in both LA and San Diego, but as you can see in my title, i'm having this dilemma what to choose, which i thought some of you "experts" cani help me with .

The thing is i've been visiting LA and 'specially San Diego severeal times (-i got a brother up in Diego and another brother in OC) so im familliar with the basic differences between; SD is generally cleaner than LA, while LA is more international/has more social groups and both rent & crime in LA is higher etc etc..

But here goes for my questions;
1. As an upcoming college student who's wants the MAXIMUM EXPERIENCE out of the "american college-life" which city will then be most ideal? Iam thinking about factors such as nightlife, the youth' general attitude in the citites (where are they typically most easy-going?) etc etc

What do you mean by nightlife? Do you want to go to art galleries, the symphony, opera, ballet? Going to see bands? Dance clubs? Bars and drinking? Theater? Are you a foodie? Legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21. San Diego is known for having one of the best local brew pub (beer) scenes in the country. LA is catching up but SD wins the beer wars. My feeling is that LA wins all the other categories. However, SD is the 2nd largest city in California so it may offer enough stuff for you while LA is overkill. And SD's attractions are arranged more centrally so that might be a big advantage, especially if you will not be driving.

Regarding the people, I think both cities are large enough that you can find anything from too stoned to care to fire-breathing type-A people in either. Remember, LA proper has almost 4 million people; the county has 10 million, and they're from every corner of the planet and exercising every sort of lifestyle, so if you look around, you can find it.

2. Notoriously LA is not the most crimeless city on earth. But how bad is it? Can I as an unconfrontational student party, study and generally just hang out on the streets of LA without constantly looking over my shoulder? I'm familiar that it (of course) depends on where in LA i choose to hang, but lets say I'm in central LA where all the clubs are, and I'm just hanging out. How much do i have to "watch out"?

If you have some street smarts, you should be OK. In the beginning, go out with people who know the area, then, when you get your bearings, go explore on your own. The South Bay beach cities, Westside, Hollywood, Downtown (DTLA), Echo Park/Silverlake are probably where a young person will hang out. I think the most likely problem will be getting in a fight with a drunk person but some parts of DTLA, Echo Park, Hollywood can be gritty and might be scary for someone from a storybook background. Generally, gang-bangers aren't looking to start trouble with strangers.

Combine the American love of guns and violence with economically desperate or mentally ill people, and tragedy can happen anywhere, even in "nice" areas. The level of American crime and violence will probably be uncomfortable for Scandinavians. Ditto the huge income disparity.

3. After i've choosen which city to move to, I'll be searching for a new roommate; Are there any specific areas in SD/LA that would be a BAD idea to move into? And in adverse, are there any areas that just have a bad reputation (Like Compton, Idlewood etc), but are actually a decent place to settle?

I've shopped and eaten in Compton and I think the most shocking part about the city is that it's nowhere as dangerous or intimidating as its reputation. However, there's no reason to live there unless you're going to Compton College (now El Camino College Compton Center). Again, since LA is so large, tell us where you'll be going to school so we can better recommend a place to live.

4. How is the rent for college apartments/rooms shared with roommate(s) different from each other in SD/LA? My brother told that there are really no difference when you're just looking for college rooms between the cities, is this true?

Probably more difference between different areas within each city than between them. Check Craigslist to get an idea of rent for the areas that you want to stay.

5. Last but def. not least, which has the BEST beaches?

I think most would say that SD and south OC has better beaches for surfing. Water temperature in coastal California is probably much colder than you are expecting. SD might be marginally warmer than LA but they're basically the same. If you are interested in fishing, sailing, snorkeling, etc., then, I'm not sure which is better.

Maaan, thats an awful bunch of questions! But im very curious since i feel the choice between the two citites are a big decision in my life! I hope you guys can help with this! I would appreciate it alot!

Both cities have excellent access to mountains for hiking, the desert for exploring, places to rock climb, etc. LA has decent skiing in the local mountains. Not sure about SD. The best skiing is up north at Mammoth or Tahoe, which is a couple hours closer to LA. SD has easy access to Mexico. I think SD is better for MX. SD has Balboa Park. LA is bigger and has more of most things. Both are about the same distance to Las Vegas.

Best wishes!

Good luck.

[just noticed simbared's post after posting mine.]