Young British Family: Is Santa Monica right for us? (Pasadena: best cities, rentals)

[british Mum]

Hiya,

We're moving to LA in the fall and have decided on Santa Monica as it seems a good choice for thirty somethings with young children.

If anyone could help with the following I'd be really grateful.

-Any suggestions for nice areas to live? Ideally we'd like a 3 bed rental near the beach with a pool for $4000 a month. Is this at all possible? I've heard about complexes with pools but I've no idea how much they cost or in what area I'd find one.

-We're looking for a good Montessori nursery/school. So far I've found Santa Monica Montessori and New Path. Does anyone have an experience of these or know of other Montessories not too far from S.M? Do we have any chance of getting in once the academic year has started?

-Finally, how safe is Santa Monica? I lived in London before having kids so Im fairly streetwise but now Im a mum Im anxious about being in too edgy an area. Obviously you have to be careful but it would be nice to feel relaxed especially when out with the little ones.

Thanks again for any tips or info.

[smokingGun]

There are many many British ex-pats living in the SM area. you'll feel right at home. There are even shops in the area that stock foods & teas imported from the UK. Definitely checkout westsiderentals.com for suggestions on homes/condos for rent. At $4k you should have a number of choices as long as you're not looking for high-end luxury units.

And as far as safety, just don't provoke the homeless bums and you'll be fine. SM may not be as immaculate & posh as other glamourous coastal cities like Newport or Laguna but it's still upscale & very safe by LA standards.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by smokingGun

There are many many British ex-pats living in the SM area. you'll feel right at home. There are even shops in the area that stock foods & teas imported from the UK. Definitely checkout westsiderentals.com for suggestions on homes/condos for rent. At $4k you should have a number of choices as long as you're not looking for high-end luxury units.

And as far as safety, just don't provoke the homeless bums and you'll be fine. SM may not be as immaculate & posh as other glamourous coastal cities like Newport or Laguna but it's still upscale & very safe by LA standards.

There's also a good pub there by the beach with excellent fish and chips!

Ye Olde King’s Head British Santa Monica Pub

[drew9000]

Originally Posted by british Mum

Hiya,

We're moving to LA in the fall and have decided on Santa Monica as it seems a good choice for thirty somethings with young children.

If anyone could help with the following I'd be really grateful.

-Any suggestions for nice areas to live? Ideally we'd like a 3 bed rental near the beach with a pool for $4000 a month. Is this at all possible? I've heard about complexes with pools but I've no idea how much they cost or in what area I'd find one.

-We're looking for a good Montessori nursery/school. So far I've found Santa Monica Montessori and New Path. Does anyone have an experience of these or know of other Montessories not too far from S.M? Do we have any chance of getting in once the academic year has started?

-Finally, how safe is Santa Monica? I lived in London before having kids so Im fairly streetwise but now Im a mum Im anxious about being in too edgy an area. Obviously you have to be careful but it would be nice to feel relaxed especially when out with the little ones.

Thanks again for any tips or info.

4k a month? you could live just about anywhere in LA you wanted with that kind of loot.

Santa Monica is very safe and there is a large British community in santa monica

[Chowhound]

4k a month can get you a pretty nice place in a alot of good areas.

I'd personally avoid Santa Monica just because of the crowds and traffic, but if you don't mind that then go for it.

[Phil2]

The Peoples Republic of Santa Monica. No thanks, Too expensive, too much traffic, limited parking, 10,000 parking police and the town is maybe 75% renters. The beach is a big yawn and is for the inner city ghetto folks. Santa Monica Bay is semi polluted, LA sewage plant is just a ways south in El Segundo. Don't ever eat any fish out of the Bay. Way too many street bums. The city feeds and protects them. Way too many dumpster divers. I'm starting to itch now talking about the place.

One redeeming place....Santa Monica Sea Food market. You can keep the rest for free.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Phil2

The Peoples Republic of Santa Monica. No thanks, Too expensive, too much traffic, limited parking, 10,000 parking police and the town is maybe 75% renters.

That also describes Beverly Hills.

The only places on the westside that have a majority of homeowners are Culver City and Westchester. And CC's fanatical about parking tickets, too (and has a police department that's even more heavy handed than SM's).

LA's fanatical about tickets as well. It seems that any neighborhood in LA in which parking enforcement aren't scared to go to is plagued with them.

Way too many street bums.

SM cracked down on the homeless in a big way - which has created problems in Venice.

For me personally, SM's too sterile, although less so down south. But then, with Venice next door, there's always an escape from sterility. SM is definitely safe, and has a large number of Brits.

[drew9000]

Santa Monica is one of the best cities in LA to live in. I don't understand this peoples republic of Santa Monica nonsense. Would you rather live in a community that doesn't invest in it's infrastructure? Santa Monica is a beautiful city. Has one of the best public libraries in all of LA. Has great resteraunts and night life. You have the beaches, the boardwalk, 3rd st. SM is a great place to live.

[sirinyat]

I love living in Santa Monica and for $4,000 you could probably rent a very nice home north of Montana. (I think that makes you VERY lucky.) You'll find that the schools are very good, too.

[buytheredcar]

Santa Monica is a great escape from Pasadena(where I live). It does look crowded in the touristy area, which is the most appealing aspect of SM. The areas more inland doesnt seem that appealing to me though.