Moving to CA from UK with Wife and 4yr old (Los Angeles: to rent, condo)

[BrightonFamily]

Hello

I am 43yrs and been working in the IT industry for over 20yrs now, have a wife and a 4yr old boy.

I have the opertunity to move the US and continue my job with the same company taking a salary of around $115,000 plus bonus and I'm looking for some ideas of locations that are near or on the coast and are very family friendly with "very good" schools and "lots" of activities for an active boy.

We initially thought about Florida mainly because of the beaches but I prefer California as the temperature & humidity seems more moderate and the School ratings and job prospects seem far better from what I have read.

However, I am still looking for advise on locations in CA.
Excellent schools, near coast, near forests, airport within 1hr drive and good standard of living in a low crime area. Will need to rent a 2/3 bedroom home (maybe condo) in family friendly neighborhood with garden, probably in $2000-$2500 month range. Preferably pedestian friendly and no gangs, drugs - somewhere you can walk safely when the sun goes down.

All advise welcomed!
BTW... any strong recommendations outside CA are also welcomed.

Thanks

[OC Investor2]

Brighton - you are casting a very broad net. But one location I'd throw out to you in Southern cal that you may want to check out is Orange County, California, specifically Irvine or towns to the south. Known locally as "South County", the area is basically one big upper middle class suburb. It is very family oriented and safe. $2k-2.5K will get you a nice 3br home w/in a 20-30 minute drive to the beach. Many of the towns are "masterplanned" and sport tons of parks, playgrounds, pools, etc. for your son. Plus the area is a tourist mecca with tons of child friendly attractions like Disneyland, Lego Land, Seaworld San Diego and the San Diego zoo that people come from all over the world to see. There is skiing and hills/mountains 1 hour to the east and the desert 30 minutes beyond that. Schools are very good, some are excellent. The local airport is John Wayne (SNA) and offers flights nationally. You'd have to go to Los Angeles (LAX) for international direct flights, and it is 45 minutes to 1 hour away. Weather is, of course, outstanding.

Specific towns I'd reccomend include Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Foothill Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Niguel, & Laguna Hills. You may also wish to look into San Diego, particularly the North County area.

Its not all peaches and cream, though. The area is also crowded, traffic is terrible, its expensive (everything), air quality is often poor, there is an increasing socail and economic gap between rich and poor, taxes are high and public services often sub standard, people here can be extremely shallow and flaky, there is terrible materialism - especailly in South OC - and many feel the culture/moral enviroment for raising kids is not the best.

All in all though, the area is very unique and as someone who has 3&5 y/o boys, I can say its a pretty good place for young boys to live as well. OC has its own sub-forum, so if you are interested, come on over & check it out.

[impala666]

Hi Brighton consider somewhere like Thousand Oaks, typical Californian suburbia well away from the madness and not too far from the coast. Good schools and safe.
California has endless things to do but as no doubt others will tell you driving between them is essential so I would budget for two cars.
If you have more specific questions don't hesitate to ask.
Good luck and welcome.

[bhcompy]

You'll have to look up the coast for "forests", or go inland(and forests like San Bernardino and Angeles aren't the dense, deciduous variety). Plenty of nice cities mentioned here already. In Southern California, if pedestrian friendly is key, a town like Seal Beach would be nice, as it meets basically all your standards save the forest(El Dorado Regional Park is the closest thing to a forest within a bike ride's distance).

[JordanJP]

Sounds good, just one question before I dispense any advice?

Why rent a house? for that amount of money you could find a very nice house to buy with this market.

[JP001]

I would also suggest Thousand Oaks. Better yet, Simi Valley. Both located just north/west of the LA county line in Ventura county.
@thread starter, You may want to research these two locations further...

[BrightonFamily]

Thanks guys for all the advise so far, I'll be checking out those recommendations including Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley.

Something coastal would be ideal I think, so that the air is cooler.
Dont really want anywhere that gets way above 80's in the summer or below 50's in the winter.
We seem to be looking in the San Diego area at the moment!

Wife has insisted that the town should not be small because she is interested in things like shopping, theater and Museums (shes Russian). I say that it would be better to move to an area that is better for schools and activities for our boy. Rather than buy two cars, perhaps there is public transport that is accapable, reliable and safe.

I think renting is the best option for us initially (i may be wrong), I have a property in the UK which I will keep for now and rent it out.
If we find a place we really like in a good area then buying will be an option but I suspect I'll need to sell the Brighton seaside home for capital to do so. Anybody wana do a houseswap?
So, I was not expecting that buying would be the best option initially.

I have been told that CA is expensive and Orange County and Santa Barbara areas range from very expensive to silly expensive.
With a $115,000 salary and a wife that doesnt work, plus a 4yo boy can we expect much change after bills are paid?

Are decent schools free or is there payment?
Also, how much are private schools and are private schools a serious consideration for a decent education?
Is it easy to get the child into a prefered school?


Thanks everybody

[impala666]

As you have a couple of years to play around with before your son gets to the age where school selection will be important I would take good advantage of it by renting.
This will give you plenty of time to get the feel of the different areas and make a few friends.
If your wife likes shops and I've never met one that did not, after Brighton LA will be a dream come true. If you are commuting to an office you will need a car and in my opinion for your wife and son to feel relaxed and safe so will your wife.
Unless you are very lucky with property public transport with a youngster can be a hassle.
LA and its environs is huge and while there is no compulsion to investigate all of it to be able to take advantage of all the opportunities a car is essential.
To get into a good public (free) school you will need to live in the catchment area for that school that's why property location is vital.