Moving from SF: Manhattan Beach vs. Hermosa vs. Redondo (San Francisco: for sale, real estate)

[joshparker]

Hi-

I live in San Francisco and will be moving to the LA area in the next few months. I have been focused on the Beach Cities and trying to figure out which one is best for my family. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I have a wife and a toddler, and considering another child in the near future. We love SF because its so walkable, the people are friendly, it feels urban, and there are interesting museums close by. Things that are difficult in SF are the weather (cold compared to LA year round) and school system (private schools are expensive and difficult to get into). Our neighborhood in SF is fairly densely populated, but has a good number of single family homes. Many of our neighbors are also young families looking to meet new people, which is great. There is a smallish main street area with shops, restaurants and a few bars that is literally 3 blocks from our house. My new job will be in the Beach Cities, so LA traffic shouldn't be a factor (I think).

Thanks!

[Charles]

Have you visited these cities?

Schools are really good. School Performance Maps
Crowded.
Close to your job.
Expensive. Search Homes for Sale & Find Real Estate Agents Who Put You First | Redfin

[HastingsJD]

Over the past decade I have lived in all three of these cities in the South Bay. Although there are families in Hermosa, I think of it as a 20-something single person community. The pier (the downtown area) is full of bars that are packed on Friday and Saturday nights (and on Saturday and Sunday morning for brunch, watching sports, etc.) Hermosa has an excellent but tiny elementary school district (it feeds into MBUSD or Redondo USD after 8th grade) but there is talk of it merging with MBUSD or Redondo.

Manhattan Beach is probably the most expensive of the cities and I tend to think of it as an older, more family oriented crowd. The downtown area is less focused on the 20-something crowd - when I was single and in my early 30's it's where we went when we were tired of the Hermosa crowd on weekend nights. It's pretty family friendly during the day - at least in my opinion. We take our toddler son there often to get ice cream, go to the beach, etc. It also has an excellent school district. If you're planning to buy here a single family home will start around 1 million.

South Redondo is much more "beachy" than North Redondo. Of the three though Redondo will have more room (many of the homes/buildings in Manhattan and Hermosa are on top of one another - especially near the beach). Places in Redondo have larger yards, more grass, easier parking, etc. Redondo is also the furthest of the three meaning it'll take you longer to get out of the South Bay area (when you need to leave). Redondo schools are good, but I think MBUSD is far superior.

Parts of Torrance may also be a good option - the Torrance Riveria area is nice. If you search some, I'm sure you'll find more discussion of the various parts of Torrance. It's not really beachy (other than perhaps the Riveria part) but it's a nice community in the South Bay.

[joshparker]

Charles- Thanks. I've visited a few times quickly, but I'm spending more time over the coming weeks and am trying to focus my attention on the most likely places that fit for us. I hadn't seen the school performance maps site before - very helpful.

HastingsJD- Thanks, very thoughtful and helpful. On Torrance, I had heard its much more spread out and less walkable than Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo - is that the right was to think about it?

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by joshparker

Charles- Thanks. I've visited a few times quickly, but I'm spending more time over the coming weeks and am trying to focus my attention on the most likely places that fit for us. I hadn't seen the school performance maps site before - very helpful.

HastingsJD- Thanks, very thoughtful and helpful. On Torrance, I had heard its much more spread out and less walkable than Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo - is that the right was to think about it?

remember that this is LA and everything is spread out and not much is walkable. even the other south bay beach cities only have small 'downtown' areas that will require driving unless you live within a half mile or so. the real estate surrounding these areas is quite pricey too, so hopefully you have a large housing budget. if you can afford to live within a half mile of the beach, you'll have some walking options to different shops and restaurants, but a bicycle will be more handy and allow you to get around to more places. however, the geography in the area is quite hilly, so walking/cycling may not always be an option.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

remember that this is LA and everything is spread out and not much is walkable. even the other south bay beach cities only have small 'downtown' areas that will require driving unless you live within a half mile or so. the real estate surrounding these areas is quite pricey too, so hopefully you have a large housing budget. if you can afford to live within a half mile of the beach, you'll have some walking options to different shops and restaurants, but a bicycle will be more handy and allow you to get around to more places. however, the geography in the area is quite hilly, so walking/cycling may not always be an option.

This is very true. Josh, your concept of walkable urban SF is completely different from the South Bay Beach Cities. I grew up there and know all these beaches like the back of my hand. Downtown Hermosa is pretty much college age yuppie town with shops, bars, restauraunts and mucho turisitas. Volleyball is huge as are most outdoors beach sports such as biking, surfing, jogging, sailing, skateboarding, etc... Manhattan is similar though a little more mature croud. Still I don't think of it as a family friendly town - more single yups, wealthy older people, dual income no kid couples, etc... That's not to say there aren't families. But with the cost of housing so high many families and locals have moved out toward Torrance, Redondo, etc...

Redondo has two distinct areas, North and South. North RB is primarily townhomes and apartments all cramed together on narrow streets. It's close to Northrop Grumman or the the old TRW Space Park. So its great for close proximity to work for many. But there is no real downtown. Artesia Blvd. is the main drag for shopping, etc...

South Redondo is a whole different place and probably my favorite area along with South Torrance. They sit right next to each other and have nice homes with decent sized lots, actual yards. Kid friendly streets. Some which are up in the hills a bit have views of the ocean. And I think it along with Torrance are more family friendly. South Redondo has the Redondo Pier with a number of nice restaurants and shops. Its pretty touristy also. West Torrance is very nice as well.

South Torrance has Riviera Village which is a really cool area. definately visit that part of the South Bay. It's a bit more of a hidden gem. But very nice. That's where we enjoy taking our family the most when we visit. Here's the area I'm talking about:





The Manhattan Pier area is good second favorite. I normally wind up seeing a number of my old high school friends hangin' around the beach there.

No matter where you choose think in terms of biking or skateboarding rather than walking. And then things are not that far apart. The bike path or The Strand is one of the best of its kind along the West Coast. It goes for miles and connects are these beach cities and their downtown sections together. So its fun for families and kids. It's very easy if you live in Hermosa to jump on the Strand and be in Manhattan in no time. Crusin' the Strand is a favorite pastime of the locals, especially on the weekends.

Derek

[joshparker]

Thanks! I hadn't noticed Riviera Village. Definitely looks like its worth a look next time I go down south. Fair points on the bikes, although biking sounds better than driving too.

[uptown_urbanist]

Where in San Francisco do you live? We lived in the Richmond and absolutely loved it; it was a great place for kids. That said, I've never lived in the South Bay, although I've visited all of the cities mentioned. For what it's worth, I could not have imagined living in any of them. They felt far too suburban (for lack of better word; that's not really fully accurate, but in any case, just less urban than Hollywood, and less convenient than South Pasadena) for us, not to mention felt far removed from the rest of LA. (we lived in Hollywood and then later South Pasadena) I think the trick will be to go into it expecting a totally different lifestyle. Don't go in expecting city, but perhaps if you move thinking beach town you'll have a great time. They certainly are beautiful, and living by the beach would be very nice.

I don't know that area well, so maybe others will either support or shoot down this suggestion, but what about considering some other areas near there, too, like Long Beach (people keep saying good things about Belmont Heights). I also actually really liked San Pedro, as it did actually feel kind of urban and has some nice museums. It's more "gritty" than the manicured nature of Hermosa, etc.

On the other hand, ideally you'll find something in the neighborhood right around your work. I know how nice it can be to be able to walk to work! Or, at the very least, have a very short commute.

[MtnSurfer]

Yes, it's definately a different lifestyle. So I agree not to expect it to be urban like what you are used to. If you go just look at it as a different kind of beach lifestyle. Of course LA has all kinds of more urban areas to choose from. Though they may not be as appealing as urban SF. The coast is my favorite part of LA for the best weather, least amount of smog, and of course close proximity to the ocean and its unique lifestyle.

As far as San Pedro I don't recommend it. Crime is pretty high and schools are not very good. My wife lived there and went to San Pedro HS and didn't like the area very much. The exception to this are the parts which are closer to Palos Verdes. There are some nice homes in the hills. But the urban part is pretty grundgy. Belmont Shore is alright. But it's a limited nicer coastal area of LB in comparison to the South Bay beach cities such as Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo and Torrance.

Derek

[calcat90066]

Originally Posted by joshparker

There is a smallish main street area with shops, restaurants and a few bars that is literally 3 blocks from our house.

I just moved to South Redondo, close to Riviera Village. This is an awesome little seaside village with eclectic shops, restaurants and bars that is a couple of blocks from my house. So far, I'm pretty happy. I've lived in different places in LA for the past 10 years, and never knew about Riviera Village. But, since you mentioned the area you are coming from, I thought this sounded close to what you were looking for.

It's pretty sweet, and a nice companion to Hermosa and Manhattan. It also reminds me a bit of Union Street in SF. Just a bit.