From MidWest to LA? (Glendale, Pasadena: apartment, rentals, townhome)

[CatholicMOMama]

Hi everyone. I am sure I am going to be redundant, but I would appreciate some guidance. The Mister is considering putting in for a job transfer to DT LA. We are currently in a suburb of STL and we were both born and raised in Wisconsin. We have two daughters, 3 and 18 months, and I currently stay home with them. We are kind of on the granola crunchy side, but are staunch Catholics (I know, what a combination.)

I would love some ideas of places to consider living. Our oldest daughter was born in Chicago (we lived on the North side, if anyone knows Chicago) and I really loved being able to walk where ever I needed to go. Here, we really have to drive... even to the park. Schools are a consideration, but I was a teacher and I could homeschool if needed, but I'd rather not.

This is still REALLY in the beginning stages of anything, we don't know if the company will be offering anything, if they will buy our house here, etc. But as I said, I'd love some insight.

Thank you!

[BRinSM]

housing budget?

[CatholicMOMama]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

housing budget?

good question...

estimate: btw $1500-2000/ mo

(accounting for COL increase/ raise for Mister.)

[BRinSM]

fyi, that's a pretty low budget for a family of 4. if you want a detached house, you're going to need to look pretty far from DTLA to meet your budget. the good news is that there is a commute train that goes downtown from many suburbs (www.metrolinktrains.com). if you can do a 2 or 3 br apartment, you'll be able to live closer to the city.

[CatholicMOMama]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

fyi, that's a pretty low budget for a family of 4. if you want a detached house, you're going to need to look pretty far from DTLA to meet your budget. the good news is that there is a commute train that goes downtown from many suburbs (www.metrolinktrains.com). if you can do a 2 or 3 br apartment, you'll be able to live closer to the city.

that's great to hear about the trains! that's one of the things we do miss from Chicago. voters here in the 'burbs voted down rail proposals because they didn't want "those" people coming from the city.

To be honest, our home right now is about 900 sq ft, much smaller than the norm here, but it suits us. A detached home would be ideal as it would be great not to have to contend with wall/ floor/ ceiling sharing.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by CatholicMOMama

that's great to hear about the trains! that's one of the things we do miss from Chicago. voters here in the 'burbs voted down rail proposals because they didn't want "those" people coming from the city.

To be honest, our home right now is about 900 sq ft, much smaller than the norm here, but it suits us. A detached home would be ideal as it would be great not to have to contend with wall/ floor/ ceiling sharing.

You can afford a small house in a middle class area with OK schools, or a townhome in a bit nicer area. You will need to ensure you are zoned for tge area with the higher rated school. Most will be 45 min-1 hour rush hour drive from downtown LA. You MIGHT be even able to find in an ok area of Burbank or Glendale, which would be nice. Areas where it will be easier to find a house(but again make sure are is zoned for the better schools) are Whittier, Lakewood, La Mirada, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Northridge, Granada Hills(though not at high school level)

[ledabout]

We moved here from the Midwest and love it. I hope you have a good experience. There are tons of crunchy moms on the west side where we live; I know less about other areas of LA. The rent here is higher, but if you can get away with 900sf where you are now, you should be able to find something like that here. There are lots of little cottages tucked away. Craigslist is great; Westside Rentals (you have to pay a fee to use it) is even better. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions. I feel as if I could have written your post, except we're originally from IL, moved here from OH, and we're not Catholic.

[CatholicMOMama]

thank you for all of the help! It really feels overwhelming right now, but a little exciting!

ETA: How are food prices? We are trying to get an idea of the "controllable" expenses. I know that gas prices are running about 35-40 cents more than here in the Midwest. (The Mister and I are trying to figure out financials.) Point of reference: Right now, our monthly grocery budget is about $400/ month and we don't eat much by way of meats or processed foods. So, lots of fruits, veg, dairy, grains, fish.

[ledabout]

Produce is about the only thing out here that is cheaper than in the Midwest. Everything that costs money otherwise is higher here than there. There are lots of free things to do here, though, especially for families. Many of the museums here have programs for free admission, specific days that are free, or are free all of the time. The cost of going to museums and places like that here is overall much lower than what we were used to in the Midwest, so we can go more often here.

[uptown_urbanist]

I like the San Gabriel Valley. We lived in South Pasadena (and walked everywhere), but it might be tough to find a place in your budget. We did, though, so it can definitely be done! (assuming you're okay two bedrooms) Parts of Pasadena are cheaper; I like the area around Pasadena City College because it's relatively affordable, safe, has a nice blend of people. Lots of Catholic churches around, too. Alhambra is just south of South Pasadena and has some very nice neighborhoods and parks. The Pasadena area seemed to have a bit of a "Midwestern" vibe to me, just with the addition of palm trees, fruit trees, and wild parrots!

Check out Altadena, too, which is just north of Pasadena.

Pasadena and South Pasadena are both on the Gold Line (light rail) which goes to downtown, which was a real plus for us. It runs much more frequently than commuter rail, and is cheap.

For us, I think food was actually cheaper in LA than it is in the Midwest. A lot of that is due to the produce. You'll also save money on utilities. No more huge heating bills!

If you want detached walls, check out bungalow courts; we had a bunch of them in and around Pasadena, and I think they're the best of both worlds. Small, detached bungalows clustered around a shared central court. They're tightly packed, but they are separate.