work in burbank, live in ??? (Los Angeles, Glendale: rentals, crime, homes)

[KateL]

My husband and I are relocating from downtown Chicago. He will work in Burbank. We are used to walking everywhere and would love to avoid a long commute. We want to rent a 1 or 2 bedroom for about 19-2300/mo. In my research, it seems Studio City or Toluca Lake would be ideal. Do you think we can afford something super safe and decent with nice floors, deck, etc. in either of these towns? We like to ride our bikes, walk to coffee, I've also read "south of the boulevard..." Are these areas south? If anyone could help me by providing info about borders, for example stay west of such and such street and east of whatever, I'd really appreciate it. Any advice is helpful, we've only been to L.A. once, and that was a quick trip years ago. One other thing: is there any sort of public transport to Burbank from these neighboring towns? We know we'll have to get a car, but we hate driving them unless absolutely have to (I know... and you're moving to southern California???) THANKS!!! It's a blizzard of snow here! Kate

[recycled]

Why not Burbank? It's a pretty nice city overall. Plenty of retail + dining. Most neighborhoods are well kept and crime is not a problem.

[jdavid93225]

I think for the price you are looking, you should not have any problem finding a nice place in close vicinity to Burbank, if not in Burbank itself. Toluca Lake is generally a pretty nice area, as is most of Studio City, especially where it borders Toluca Lake. You will probably want to stay away from North Hollywood, for the most part, since it is one of the somewhat less desirable areas, but this, too, depends on which area you are looking into. The area that is considered "south of the Boulevard" refers to Ventura Boulevard, which runs along the base of the Santa Monica mountains. The area to the south is what is considered the "exclusive" or upscale neighborhood.

As for public transportation, the buses that run through Burbank are operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Agency (MTA), which also runs the buses in and around Los Angeles. I have not ridden these buses in many years, so I cannot comment on their schedule, efficiency, or the quality of the experience, although I've noticed some routes through the San Fernando valley tend to be very crowded. You will most likely want to have a car for getting around town after you get here, since the bus routes seem to take much longer to get from place to place. If you only need to take one bus line to get to your destination, and it follows a fairly straight line, the buses seem to get around fairly well.

The only other public transportation in the area, besides taxicabs, is the Metrolink rail service, that offers service between Los Angeles and several surrounding communities, including Burbank. There are only a few stops along the route, spaced about every five to ten miles along most of the route. These trains travel as far out as the Inland Empire, Antelope Valley, San Gabriel Valley, and Ventura County areas, and are intended primarily to provide service into downtown Los Angeles from the distant suburbs.

One last thing to consider is that Burbank is actually pretty large, so where your husband is working may be a consideration for taking public transportation. For example, there is the "Media District," that is adjacent to Toluca Lake on the southwest side of Burbank, there is the area around the airport, in the northeast, and the east side of Burbank that is adjacent to Glendale, as well as the downtown area, that is sort of in the middle. Depending on what part of town your husband is going to be working in, you may want to consider where you would like to live.

[Westward]

There are plenty of buses in Burbank and surrounding areas. The SFValley has pretty decent public transportation. But you will want a car nevertheless. There are so many things to see and do in SoCal that you would be crazy not to have a car. For example, you would never go to the beach on a bus! Or the beautiful mountains. Or Disneyland, or LA Museums, etc.

Burbank is a lovely incorporated city in the generic county of LA. It is much nicer than surrounding areas, and is very safe for walking anywhere (tho not necessarily convenient). Therefore, housing is more expensive, but you should be able to find a rental in Burbank. Don't count on it being near a coffee shop. Also, I'm not sure I'd park a bike anywhere but the library where there is a rack to chain it.

As far as "nice floors, deck, etc." No one in Burbank has a deck. All homes will be single story, with maybe a patio. And small. Rentals will have carpet. There is no humidity, dust or bugs, so this is not a problem. But floors will be the least of your concerns.

Boundaries: Burbank is north of the Ventura Blvd. It's not worth your money to live south of it, especially if you're into biking and walking. The blvd is not a nice area to bike. Unless wonderful changes have occurred since I left. Vineland Ave/Sunland Blvd to the west of Burbank begins N.Hollywood and the rest of "the valley." Ho hum. More affordable but lots of illegals farther in. North of Glenoaks Blvd (in Burbank) is a very nice area. McCambridge Park is nearby for swim, tennis, fireworks. East of Burbank you are getting into Glendale, some of which used to be ok. Studio City is south of N.Hollywood/Burbank. I guess it's had some revival, but in years past, I'd avoid it. Anywhere above Ventura, and east of Vineland you should be able to find something "decent." Hope that helps.

[Valleyboy]

Burbank Itself is actualy pretty safe, and the mall is awsome! Its a great town traffic might be a problem though.

[UB50]

I like the area around the Burbank mall too! There is an indoor mall that they plopped down in the middle of San Fernando Road -- but San Fernando Road on either side is loaded with businesses you can walk to -- coffee shops, bookstores, Ikea, Virgin Records, movie theaters -- there is about a mile or so of good walking spots. About 1/2 a mile from that, on the corner of San Fernando Road and Alameda, there is a big Ralphs grocery store, a Trader Joe's, a grocery store named "Gefer's" that has wonderful fresh produce and meats (but very few canned goods) and two big drugstores plus a Starbucks and a Hollywood video rental store.

I think that would be one of my favorite areas to live if you are looking for things you can walk too!