Lesbian working in Rancho Cucamonga, where to live? (San Diego, Long Beach: rent, neighborhoods)

[WanderingJ]

Heya,

I am suddenly moving to California and I have about a week to figure out a plan before I get there. Although I frequent San Diego, I've only spent about a weekend in LA, so I'm pretty lost.

I am a 30 year old lesbian, and I own a company that is now based out of Rancho Cucamonga. From what I understand, that means a serious drive to my office each day from just about anywhere. So, I'm trying to get some guidance.

The top 3 factors to consider:

1. I need to live in a neighborhood that is walking-friendly and dog-friendly and safe. I jog daily and have a medium size dog who is my world, so I need to be somewhere that is a good fit for us. I would love somewhere kind of cute - coffee shops, restaurants, parks within walking distance.

2. I'm moving out to Cali from Florida, so I have serious ties to being near the ocean. For the last ten years I've lived within a 20 minute drive to the water, and it's important to me to still be reasonably close to the ocean.

3. I need to keep rent around $1000/month. It will be just myself and my dog, so I don't need a huge amount of space. But, I would prefer to find a place that is nice and updated and larger than a studio.


Beyond that, I know that traffic in the LA area is pretty terrible. Is it crazy to hope for a commute to work that could be kept under an hour's drive each direction?

I am a lesbian and I do enjoy going out, but living right in the super social "gay scene" area isn't a necessity. I'm much more concerned about finding a neighborhood that feels like home.

I'm pretty overwhelmed with how many areas there are to sort through when looking for a place. Are there any neighborhoods that stand out as places to look?

Thank you for any input that you can offer!

[rob3gdd]

well i have been out to the inland empire numerous times but i dont know anything about Rancho. i can tell you that a thousand bucks is very good for that area and it will keep you away from any seedy parts because trust me when i say the inland empire has its seedy parts, atleast when it comes to San Bernardino and Rialto. As far as the beach goes, you are about an hour and 10 minutes from the beach without traffic but with traffic, it takes almost 2 hours just to get into downtown LA alone. the 10 can become a parking lot during rush hours.

[WanderingJ]

I apologize, I should have better explained.

I don't think I actually want to live IN Rancho Cucamonga. Although my office is there, I don't mind commuting from somewhere closer to the beach or LA if it is the right kind of neighborhood. I am coming to Cali from a fairly large metropolitan area in Florida (well, for Florida's standards) and I don't know that being way out in the Suburbs is what I'm going for. Also, the couple of people that I do know in the area are living in Weho and Downtown, so it would be nice to be close enough to get to see them from time to time, as well.

I have read that Pasadena is a cute area, but I don't know much else about it. I have also read something about how the Silver Lake area might be close to what I'm looking for, having kind of a neighborhood feel and being very gay friendly, yet I don't know about how long the commute will be from there.

I have also thought about looking into Long Beach. I don't know much about it outside of it being right on the water and about an hour's drive to Rancho in good traffic. Could it stand as a contender? Or perhaps there are other areas in between that I could be overlooking?

Thanks!

[00molavi]

I will suggest looking in Claremont, College town, safe and a reverse commute to Rancho Cucamonga.

[WanderingJ]

What about anywhere to the East or to the South of LA? Are there any charming/artsy neighborhoods in either of those directions?

[Dunbar42]

You should post this question in the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties forum which is where Rancho Cucamonga is located (the inland empire).

You can forget about living by the beach or downtown, the commute would be awful. Pasadena is probably doable but about 45-60 minutes each way so it would be a big commitment. Rancho Cucamonga is one of the nicest cities in the inland empire but you need to adjust your expectations. Also, rent-wise you will need to spend at least $1200-1300 to get a 1BR in a nice area. Maybe a silly question but if you own the company have you thought about relocating the offices to somewhere more desirable in LA?

[WanderingJ]

Originally Posted by Dunbar42

You should post this question in the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties forum which is where Rancho Cucamonga is located (the inland empire).

You can forget about living by the beach or downtown, the commute would be awful. Pasadena is probably doable but about 45-60 minutes each way so it would be a big commitment. Rancho Cucamonga is one of the nicest cities in the inland empire but you need to adjust your expectations. Also, rent-wise you will need to spend at least $1200-1300 to get a 1BR in a nice area. Maybe a silly question but if you own the company have you thought about relocating the offices to somewhere more desirable in LA?

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback and will definitely post to that forum.

I don't mind a 60 minute commute each way, as that is what I've been doing in Florida and have become accustomed to it. I'm willing to drive up to an hour and a half each way.

And, unfortunately, due to a contracted partnership, my hands are tied on the location for now.

What I would really like is to live in a town/neighborhood between work and the beach or between work and LA, but that's a large area to try to narrow down and pick from.

[Ceece]

You are better off living close to work then driving to wherever you want to go for fun on an as needed basis. Being "in between" does nothing since you are stuck driving 100% of the time instead of just when there's something going on. At least living by your job means you can have a life outside your car when you aren't visiting freinds or taking a trip to the beach..which you won't be doing all the time anyway since the beach is still too far and your friends no doubt have job, lives, and commutes of their own. And your budget isn't likely to put you where you think you want to be anyway.

You won't settle this in a week from across the country I'm afraid. Just get temp housing and go from there.

[mayorhaggar]

Long Beach is pretty cool and has a low-key gay/lesbian scene going on near downtown but if you have to commute to Rancho Cucamonga during rush hour I'd forget it, too far.

[Ulysses61]

How about Lake Arrowhead? That's a 45 min. commute to RC and gay-friendly. I don't think being gay would be a problem in any community near RC. Maybe Loma Linda, but that's about it. Long Beach is WAY too far for you to commute. Don't ever consider it unless you want to live in your car.