Quite a mix of opinions about this place... (Los Angeles, Pasadena: homes, closing)

[thebordella]

I would also propose a theory that the LA haters are disproportionately represented online. Although also new to LA, I am finding a real contrast between the opinions online versus people I am getting to know in real life. In sum, people vent online and complain, complain, complain. Many of the people I've met here in LA so far seem to really like LA. I guess they're not online posting about it. There are a few Eeyores out there I know of but they are a small proportion.

Anyone can sit down and bang out positives and negatives about LA just like anywhere else. They're all well known at this point. From my point of view, the key factor that tips the balance in favor of LA is this: the best things about LA are unique and hard to find anywhere else; the worst things about LA are problems common to many large cities and easy to find somewhere else.

[HaemophilusAphrophilus]

Originally Posted by thebordella

Anyone can sit down and bang out positives and negatives about LA just like anywhere else. They're all well known at this point. From my point of view, the key factor that tips the balance in favor of LA is this: the best things about LA are unique and hard to find anywhere else; the worst things about LA are problems common to many large cities and easy to find somewhere else.

Agreed.

However, I see what the OP is saying. Im not sure if LA has MORE "haters" but a lot of people who hate it seem to be more passionate about it than those who really hate SF, Chicago, NYC, Boston, etc etc (generalizing). I think its partially due to the so-called Hollywood stereotype and also due to the fact that its spread-out nature makes it difficult for a tourist or someone new. IMO its a tough place to really get to know, and its flaws are more obvious and its gems are more hidden on average than other larger cities. For me, once I really got to know it, it "clicked" and I went from being unsure what existed outside of a few areas to never wanting to leave and always missing it if I do. Its not like other big cities dont have a wide variety of hidden gems and diamonds in the rough but for those places it seems to be more of the icing on the cake

[jacktravern]

To the OP, the people who complain about LA are people who have never lived in NYC. Now that will give you something to complain about. Or they're from the Midwest and complain about the price of housing and rents out here, again, not taking in the fact that there is clearly more to do and see in LA than anywhere in the Midwest.

And for the poster who said LA was dense, double check that. LA (the city) has 7900 people per square miles, La COunty as a whole has 2600. By comparison, look at NYC which has a whopping 26,000 per square mile. Now that place is tight

[SomewhereInTheSun]

That makes total sense, guys. People who love LA are out enjoying it, and the ones who hate it are sitting inside on their computer complaining about it. Maybe some of them wouldn't hate it so much if they found some of the gems that you guys are referring to?

Oh, and the southern hospitality thing... I've spent several days in Nashville, different areas of Georgia, and South Carolina. Southern hospitality is alive and well in Tennessee and Georgia, in particular. But in Florida, it pretty much stops at about Jacksonville. The rest of Florida is just like visiting New York or California. The southern accent pretty much stops somewhere around there, too. Most of the people are friendly, of course, just not the same friendliness found in other areas of the south.

The small town in which I live says it has about 1,313 people per square mile. Total land area is 3.1 sq. miles, and total population is 3,800. So LA county has about twice as many people per square mile as my small town? That honestly doesn't really sound that bad...

[PDF]

LA is just not on par with other big cities. But it's really something you have to check out for yourself.

[thebordella]

Originally Posted by PDF

LA is just not on par with other big cities. But it's really something you have to check out for yourself.

I don't know how to parse "on par with". LA is a city with a large population. It is not like other cities with similarly large populations. Some people might consider this a disadvantage -- e.g. "not on par with" -- but to some (including myself) this is a distinct plus.

I like the amenities afforded by a large population. The diversity, the endless activities, the range of food, and all that. I do not like living like a sardine in a stack of cans. If I wanted to live in NYC or Chicago, I wouldn't live in LA, because they already made cities like that -- in NYC and Chicago (and so on).

In my view, what makes LA appealing (obviously subjective) is that it offers the amenities of those "other" big cities without feeling like them.

Another theory on the widespread love/hate opinions about LA -- Los Angeles is easily the most overexposed city in the world. For the simple reason of Hollywood. People say that LA is a sprawling city, but beyond the physical city, it actually sprawls...across the globe. Everyone thinks they know LA, whether they have been here for 24 years, 24 hours, or never. The illusion is understandable since everyone sees some part of LA every day -- on screens big and small. In every gossip magazine. Everywhere there is media, there is a sliver of LA. There is no other city this can be said about, with NYC probably being second in this regard.

There is a fun rant song by the Chicago band Local H called "California Songs". The premise is simply that "we're all so sick of California songs". As the singer shouts in the chorus, "We know you love LA but there's nothing left to say". The song perfectly captures this overexposure and its backlash. It's funny and it's true, but...none of this has anything to do with living a real life in the real city of Los Angeles.

So, on the one hand, LA is a virtually global city that everyone thinks they know and therefore has an opinion about; but on the other hand, is a real city that actual people live in, which most people not in LA do not actually know.

[MrsMadtux]

Originally Posted by jacktravern

To the OP, the people who complain about LA are people who have never lived in NYC. Now that will give you something to complain about. Or they're from the Midwest and complain about the price of housing and rents out here, again, not taking in the fact that there is clearly more to do and see in LA than anywhere in the Midwest.

And for the poster who said LA was dense, double check that. LA (the city) has 7900 people per square miles, La COunty as a whole has 2600. By comparison, look at NYC which has a whopping 26,000 per square mile. Now that place is tight

That's true! I wasn't comparing it to other big cities--just others in California and throughout the West. I guess every city has it's own drawbacks. I grew up in Idaho and I HATED it, so boring and nothing exciting ever happens. A lot of people move to Idaho to get away from the hustle & bustle of a big city. I love living in a busy, loud, walkable city. I guess that's why it's so great that our country has every type of area for just about anyone.

I also agree that the number of people complaining online is disproportionately higher. Plus, I attended a workshop once on customer service that said, "A happy customer tells one person; an unhappy customer tells ten."

[moonsparkle]

Celebrity culture is part of it. These people are in the same city as you, but they live a completely different lifestyle than you. Basically, one that regular people can only dream of. It's a city that can make you feel unimportant and small. At the same time, it's also the most dynamic, evolving, interesting city in the world.

Barcelonafan always has good explanations of this, but hasn't been posting lately.

[SomewhereInTheSun]

Originally Posted by MrsMadtux

I guess every city has it's own drawbacks. I grew up in Idaho and I HATED it, so boring and nothing exciting ever happens. A lot of people move to Idaho to get away from the hustle & bustle of a big city. I love living in a busy, loud, walkable city. I guess that's why it's so great that our country has every type of area for just about anyone.

I can totally relate to that... the biggest event around here is the county fair. Next biggest are the high school football games. Then there's the bluegrass festival.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by jacktravern

To the OP, the people who complain about LA are people who have never lived in NYC. Now that will give you something to complain about. Or they're from the Midwest and complain about the price of housing and rents out here, again, not taking in the fact that there is clearly more to do and see in LA than anywhere in the Midwest.

And for the poster who said LA was dense, double check that. LA (the city) has 7900 people per square miles, La COunty as a whole has 2600. By comparison, look at NYC which has a whopping 26,000 per square mile. Now that place is tight

Actually, LA metro area is the #1 most dense metro area in the U.S. by its strict definition of population per square mile.

Los Angeles Beats New York in Urban Density - Los Angeles - News - The Informer

However, by weighted density LA metro is only #3

The 50 densest American metropolitan areas, by weighted density - Austin Contrarian