long beach life (Huntington Beach, Lakewood, Beverly Hills: home, transfer, neighborhoods)

[aujax]

Hi,

I'm a new york city firefighter and just came across an ad for a transfer opportunity with the long beach fire dept. I have wanted to move to california for a long time and am working toward my paramedic to make me more desirable to employers out there. However, the LA area seems to have a lot of downsides - congestion, crime, pollution - that I hate about NYC.

I was just wondering, is it feasable to commute to long beach from a nice area with a small-town feel or am I just dreaming? Would it be a two-hour or more commute? I am thinking of somewhere like temecula or riverside.

Thanks,
aujax

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by aujax

Hi,

Would it be a two-hour or more commute?

Yes.

[allenk893]

Originally Posted by aujax

Hi,

I'm a new york city firefighter and just came across an ad for a transfer opportunity with the long beach fire dept. I have wanted to move to california for a long time and am working toward my paramedic to make me more desirable to employers out there. However, the LA area seems to have a lot of downsides - congestion, crime, pollution - that I hate about NYC.

I was just wondering, is it feasable to commute to long beach from a nice area with a small-town feel or am I just dreaming? Would it be a two-hour or more commute? I am thinking of somewhere like temecula or riverside.

Thanks,
aujax

Why?! Just live in Long Beach! Have you seen the Long Beach picture thread? It's freaking nice man! Your missing out on one the best spots of LA if your trying to commute elsewhere. Long Beach is really nice. Check out the pictures and please reconsider!

[ablickle]

Another vote for living in Long Beach. Geographically Long Beach covers a very large and diverse area. There are ugly parts like any city but you never have to go there. On the other hand, there are a lot of areas that have a real small town feel. The closer you stay to the water, the nicer it is. As allenk893 said, check out the picture thread!

[detractor]

There should be a requirement for public safety workers to live in the areas they work in. I don't think it is fair for us residents to have to pay for the large compensation packages and pensions to people who don't want to live in the same city.

I also think living in the city they've sworn to protect gives public safety workers more motivation to keep things safe knowing they're families will have to deal with the same problems if they're not fixed. How about a 5% compensation difference for public safety workers that live in the same city they work in and those that do not?

[Iceman82]

There are some very nice areas in Long beach, like east Long Beach or Lakewood village. there is also nice areas in the downtown area, you would have to look around. If you don't like the diversity of L.B. you can always move to an area like Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, etc. The commute is minimal- 10 minutes to 1 hour depending on what station you are employed at.

[gypsystar]

If you want a small town feel, you won't like Long Beach. We lived there for about 6 months and I hated it. The traffic in Belmont Shores (the shopping/restaurant area near the water) is unbelievably horrible. The area, just like most areas in L.A., is way too crowded. The air quality was awful - I dusted a black layer of soot off of everything in my home daily. I have had to do that everywhere I lived in L.A., but it was the worst in Long Beach. Maybe because of the port?

[NaplesRes]

Originally Posted by gypsystar

If you want a small town feel, you won't like Long Beach. We lived there for about 6 months and I hated it. The traffic in Belmont Shores (the shopping/restaurant area near the water) is unbelievably horrible. The area, just like most areas in L.A., is way too crowded.

Depends how you define small town feel. Many people like Long Beach because while it is a large city, it is divided up into small neighborhoods which allows for a smaller town feel. Even Belmont Shore, which is croweded like all coastal towns, feels small to many since most people walk everywhere, run into eachother out on 2nd Street, the bay, etc. If you define small town feel like middle America, then yeah, it's not that.

[nickdahammer]

Lots of nice places in Long Beach. They used to call it 'Iowa By the Sea' back in the day. Bixby Knolls is nice, and the eastside is great. Downtown has come along way as well. And I understand the LBFD is one of the best in the country. I lived on Orizaba and 7th and yes, there was soot on the sills that we had to clean. The closer you get to Wilmington/Long Beach Harbor, the worse the air quality.

[GrandviewGloria]

I remember reading in World's Most Dangerous Places, maybe 12 years back, that inland from Long Beach is the scariest part of LA. "Stretching Inland from the Industrial Harbor..." or something like that.

LA has gotten so much worse, in the intervening years, that we will not go there, except to drive in via the Coastal Highway to Malibu. Malibu to Beverly Hills is our comfort zone, with shopping Melrose or venturing as far into town as the Chateau Marmont being things we do only with a guard and a light-armored vehicle. Most people simply avoid LA entirely, now. But I love it, and when we escaped Mississippi, would have bought in Malibu, had the kids not decided upon degree programs here in Portland. To my dying day, I will love LA.

Long Beach has a kind spirit, I've noticed. And the large Gay population keeps the place nice. Generally, things are nice all up and down the coast, and inland for a few blocks. Just be aware that you may be called upon to respond to a situation during the next LA Riots....or pandemonium following The Big One (earthquake), or some other disaster.

200 gangs...12,000 gang members (this is the conservative estimate)...impending major disasters, including fire storms... As a New Yorker, you may not find this recipe scary at all. But just be aware...

And there are nice surprises. Studio City seems to be holding its own, and Hollywood is hot again. So there are still a lot of bright spots.