Lofts in Downtown LA or Pasadena (Belmont, Lincoln: real estate, rental market, neighborhood)

[EscapingTheBurbs]

I've been working in downtown LA for 4 years and am considering cutting out the long commute and moving here. I'm interested in a 2 BR loft in either downtown or possibly Pasadena, with a budget of up to $3,500-$4,000. I'd be bringing my wife and 15 year old daughter as well.

Can I find something like that for my family in downtown? Or is Pasadena a better option?

[munchitup]

Not really a recommendation, just describing our situation:

My wife works in DTLA and we live in Pasadena, in between Old Town and South Lake. Her commute is about 30 minutes in the morning, 45 in the afternoon - when she takes the Gold Line it is about 45 minutes to the Del Mar station and a 10 minute walk home. Not a bad situation considering when we were slightly closer in Hollywood it was a 45-1 hour commute by car but 30 minutes on the Red Line. There is a large mix of people in my neighborhood, lots of families but also lots of younger single people or childless couples to keep it interesting. My area of Pasadena is incredibly walkable, everything from the gym to Target to Macy's to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, plus tons of restaurants and boutiques along Lake, Green and Colorado - all within about 10-15 minutes.

What school would your daughter go to in DTLA? Schools in Pasadena aren't great but I would imagine any downtown-adjacent high school is poor at best (unless a charter or you are sending to private school).

Budget-wise, you could get a 2 bedroom in Pasadena easily. Not sure about DTLA so I'll leave that to someone else.

[EscapingTheBurbs]

Thanks for the reply Munchitup. We are still thinking about the school thing but I didn't want to complicate my real estate question. We are exploring Private and Charter schools.

I'm getting familiar with the DTLA rental market and like the loft idea, though we're borderline on whether we can get what we want for our budget. We've been out in Ventura County forever and really we would like to try the city for a while. I'm wondering if we can get that city feel in downtown Pasadena. We still need to spend some time there and explore.

[jm1982]

Id day Pasadena pretty family friendly and I don't live there but it does have a city feel .

It's a lot cleaner than Dtla and probably safer too .



I think it would be cool living in downtown la but you'd also be dealing with the reality of dtla , skid row ,etc .

If you are in Pasadena you are able to get on the subway and access dtla pretty easily too .

It seems you would also find more supply and perhaps lower rents in Pasadena too .

Dtla doesn't seem to have too much supply .

[True Freedom]

Originally Posted by EscapingTheBurbs

Thanks for the reply Munchitup. We are still thinking about the school thing but I didn't want to complicate my real estate question. We are exploring Private and Charter schools.

Not sure about DTLA, but Pasadena has a large number of high quality private schools. A significant percentage of school age children here attend private.

[JohnG72]

Your budget is fine for DTLA.

2bd/2ba start at around 2500-2800.

I know for sure there are units in the Gas Company Lofts, The Watermark, SB Tower, and Market Lofts(but privately owned units).

I do not know what's currently available, just some of what exists.

[genjy]

Your daughter could go to Downtown Business Magnet, Bravo Medical Magnet, or the LACES magnet.

Those are all acceptably OK LAUSD schools in/near DTLA. The keyword here is magnet, of course.

Never consider schools like Belmont High and Lincoln High.

[EscapingTheBurbs]

That's the trade off. I would love to have the 10 minute walk to work and I know I can find a nice apt in a good neighborhood - though I do get concerned about safety at night and need to find the right school for my daughter.

[EscapingTheBurbs]

Originally Posted by genjy

Your daughter could go to Downtown Business Magnet, Bravo Medical Magnet, or the LACES magnet.

Those are all acceptably OK LAUSD schools in/near DTLA. The keyword here is magnet, of course.

Never consider schools like Belmont High and Lincoln High.

Thanks I will look into those.

Do you know much about the Ramon Cortines Performing Arts Magnet? How would you rate that?

[genjy]

Originally Posted by EscapingTheBurbs

Thanks I will look into those.

Do you know much about the Ramon Cortines Performing Arts Magnet? How would you rate that?

I don't know... that school is really new, and its API isn't as high as the nearby Downtown Business Magnet's (aka Downtown Magnets High, apparently).