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1. You wont find a two bedroom apartment for $1000 so you will have to settle with a one bedroom. Concerning safe areas, thats up to you. Are you looking for trouble? if not, then you shouldn't find it. But do try to avoid places like Watts, Compton, Lincoln Heights, Boyle Heights and South Central just to be safe.
2. If you live and work near the red line(metro) then you wont necessarily need a car. In other parts of Los Angeles, you will need a car to get to work or drive out of the city but generally everthing you need is close to you.
3. Jobs are definitely not hard to come by in Los Angeles. The new L.A. live project in downtown is creating over 3,500 new jobs. You may even end up working in an office or at home if you get to know the right people.
4. The beaches are close to everyone in the greater Los Angeles area but the time getting there depends at what time of day you decide to go. After 7pm or before 4pm would probably be the best times or the weekends. I have never driven to the mountains so that I cannot answer.
Are you comming to Los Angeles by yourself?
Also, every city has its problems and if you like the big city feel with all the positives and negatives that come with it, Los Angeles is definitely for you.
I'm sorry I didn't mean to say 2 bedroom for $1000, you can't even find that here in Chattanooga.
As of right now I have 3 friends being interested in coming with me but I am prepared to go by myself if all fall through (which I why I asked about studio apartments and 2 bedrooms).
Your apartment choices will be limited, to say the least, with that budget. A decent studio will be at least $975+
You will need a car. The public transportation system is not good. The thing is, the "city" is just much too big to be served effectively by the public transportation. I say"city" becuase L.A. is not traditional in terms of being a condensed area. It is spreeeeaaad out. There are pockets of urban city living, but it's just all over the place.
Retail and waiter jobs are everywhere. And you'll hate every minute of those jobs. Maybe not, but you get what I'm saying.
I've traveled a lot and I think one area you might want to consider is Austin, TX. It's not like the rest of Texas (good or bad, that's your call, but it's not), the weather is pretty mild for Texas, and it's fairly inexpensive. The people are mostly nice and I think Austin might be a better option for a guy in your position. Just food for thought.
Hello! I am planning on moving to LA this coming March (although I am getting discouraged by the multitude of negative comments about it around this forum). I am a 19 year old white male who is currently living in Chattanooga, TN. I am no country bumpkin however and have been to many a big city, other countries, and has lived in Orlando, FL so I don't think it will be to big a shock.
Anywho, I have a few questions.
1.) Ideally I want to find an area where I can find a 1 - 2 bedroom for about $1000 a month or maybe a studio for around $800 or less. Where are some good and reasonably safe areas with those type of apartment prices?
2.) I have heard horror stories about the public transit, is it really that bad? What types are there and are there many people who commute in the LA area? I basically was wondering if it was 100% required to have a car at all times.
3.) Are jobs generally hard to come by? I'm talking general jobs like retail and etc?
4.) Now for the fun questions. About how far would I have to travel to get to a good beach where I could surf and how far would I have to travel to find a mountain where I could snowboard?
Since there are so many negative comments about LA, I am open minded if anyone has any other suggestions of places to move. I thought about NY, FL, and NoCA but eventually settled on LA. If you have any other suggestions, I am open.
Thanks for any help and sorry for any mistakes, I wrote this in a rush.
1)$800 might work for a studio in Burbank, Glendale, or Long Beach. $1000 won't get you many places for a 1 bed. Think at least 1200. Hollywood isn't exactly the safest area, but if you can find one near the mountains for that price, it would be okay. Now, if each of you spent 800, you could get a nice 2 bed or 3 bed in a good area. Some that come to mind are Westwood, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Culver City, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Pasadena, and maybe a beach city farther south.
2)The public transpo. isn't that bad. In fact, LA is considered the bus city of america since so many people ride it. Yes, it is mostly mexicans, but you can still take it. Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, and Hollywood all have subway stations. (Not really subways, more like trains. It's called light rail.) It would be nice to have a car, though, maybe just a cheap one
3)There are always jobs available here. With 20 million+ people, there's gotta be.
4)It really depends. Some places could be walking distance to the beach but hours from the mountains or minutes to the mountains, but an hour to the beach. It doesn't really matter though, since both of those activites can be day trips. I have driven from my home by the beach at 6:00am, gotten to Big Bear Mountain (one of our main ski resorts) around 7:30-8:00am, stayed for hours, and then headed back around 5:00pm, got something to eat on the way, and got home by 8:00pm. You should never underestimate snow even in SoCal. It's very dangerous and those mountains are steep, so if snow if falling it may take a long time. I'm pretty sure those are correct times, and it was snowing that day. It's an awesome sight to see LA from the mountains one hour, and the next see the beach.
About the weather, It is sunny in May, then late July through October. In the other months, there is extremely heavy fog that clears up by the afternoon. And I mean heavy fog like you can't imagine. Wear I live by the beach, it's worse than SF and London combined somtimes. Today, I couldn't see across the street. I couldn't see stoplights until i was on top of them, but luckily I know the route by heart that I was taking. It was so thick that if you turned your bright lights on, it made it worse because the lights just reflected off the fog maybe ten feet in front of your car.
The wet season can start in November and continue through April, with some rain continuing into June sometimes, but that's rare. Last year we only had 3 in. of rain which was the driest year ever. A couple years earlier, we set the record for the most rain with 38 in. You can see it is possible that rain amounts vary here, but the average is a little 10 in, which just barely makes us not a desert (10 in or below is a desert). So far, we've actually gotten quite a bit of rain. Two weeks ago we got rain. Last week some areas got over 1 in while at my house we got .5 in from leftovers of a storm that went through Mexico. This weekend, it's supposed to rain Thursday afternoon into Saturday morning, and Thursday night it's supposed to pour. We are also supposed to have rain next weekend as well. Hopefully we can make up for our drought last year.
Tempurtures in LA change everywhere. Beaches are usually in the upper 70's during the summer, with Long Beach being the exception in the 80's. During heat waves, LB can go over 100 while everywhere else is in the 90's. Winter highs are usually in the 60's, but 50's when it rains. Lows go into lower 40's.
Inland areas are in the 80's in the summer and 70's in the winter, with heat waves bringing them over 100.
Valleys are 100+ during the summer and can dip below freezing in the winter for lows.
The Inland Empire is over 110 every summer day, but it can snow there in the winter.
Hello! I am planning on moving to LA this coming March (although I am getting discouraged by the multitude of negative comments about it around this forum). I am a 19 year old white male who is currently living in Chattanooga, TN. I am no country bumpkin however and have been to many a big city, other countries, and has lived in Orlando, FL so I don't think it will be to big a shock.
Anywho, I have a few questions.
1.) Ideally I want to find an area where I can find a 1 - 2 bedroom for about $1000 a month or maybe a studio for around $800 or less. Where are some good and reasonably safe areas with those type of apartment prices?
2.) I have heard horror stories about the public transit, is it really that bad? What types are there and are there many people who commute in the LA area? I basically was wondering if it was 100% required to have a car at all times.
3.) Are jobs generally hard to come by? I'm talking general jobs like retail and etc?
4.) Now for the fun questions. About how far would I have to travel to get to a good beach where I could surf and how far would I have to travel to find a mountain where I could snowboard?
Since there are so many negative comments about LA, I am open minded if anyone has any other suggestions of places to move. I thought about NY, FL, and NoCA but eventually settled on LA. If you have any other suggestions, I am open.
Thanks for any help and sorry for any mistakes, I wrote this in a rush.
This post is hilarious. But I'll try to helpful.
1)By yourself: Try Inglewood, Hawthorne, or Lawndale (don't listen to these other posters, you won't "die"). These are designated bedroom communities (and hidden gems with tons of 1brms in stock), conveniently located between the South Bay, Westside, and beach communities. Try a roommate to live in the "nicer" areas.
2) it's REALLY bad. Lots of people use it because lots of people are POOR. You can physically get most places, it'll just take FOREVER. Unless your life revolves around Downtown LA(which it won't), you'll need a car. The MTA is spending BILLIONS building a WORLD CLASS system that benefits NO ONE. But Seriously, get a map and check out the system. It might be convenient every now and then, but it's no substitute for a car.
3)yes, jobs are hard to find, but they're out there. LA is very "who you know", "how you look", etc. Keep in mind though, there's tons of "cheap labor" out here, and retail is like a CAREER. You'll be competing against swarms of Mexicans(and their networking), High School Kids, College Kids, College Graduates, Grandmas, toddlers....you get the picture. Don't worry, you'll find something...somewhere. The big question is, if you're working RETAIL, how can you afford a $1000/month apartment?
4)The beach? Snowboarding? Where will you get the time to do all that if you're working retail and riding the bus? Let alone the $$.
The weather:
No variety: Sunny, Warm, Dry ALL THE TIME
frequent "heat waves" during summer/fall/winter:
summer: highs up to 100
fall: highs up to 90 (mostly due to Santa Anas)
winter: highs up to 80 (mostly due to Santa Anas)
Santa Ana season:
October - March = warm/dry/breezy
Rainy season:
35 aprx. days of rain December-March
(rainy days are colder, because it's a "storm")
You seem like one of those "dudes" that might find it cool to cram yourself 20 deep in a beach house in Hermosa. Check the ads, and see if anyone needs a roomie. I think you'll do fine in LA. Just be realistic( snowboarding...ha), and most importantly....have fun!
Hello! I am planning on moving to LA this coming March (although I am getting discouraged by the multitude of negative comments about it around this forum). I am a 19 year old white male who is currently living in Chattanooga, TN. I am no country bumpkin however and have been to many a big city, other countries, and has lived in Orlando, FL so I don't think it will be to big a shock.
Anywho, I have a few questions.
1.) Ideally I want to find an area where I can find a 1 - 2 bedroom for about $1000 a month or maybe a studio for around $800 or less. Where are some good and reasonably safe areas with those type of apartment prices?
2.) I have heard horror stories about the public transit, is it really that bad? What types are there and are there many people who commute in the LA area? I basically was wondering if it was 100% required to have a car at all times.
3.) Are jobs generally hard to come by? I'm talking general jobs like retail and etc?
4.) Now for the fun questions. About how far would I have to travel to get to a good beach where I could surf and how far would I have to travel to find a mountain where I could snowboard?
Since there are so many negative comments about LA, I am open minded if anyone has any other suggestions of places to move. I thought about NY, FL, and NoCA but eventually settled on LA. If you have any other suggestions, I am open.
Thanks for any help and sorry for any mistakes, I wrote this in a rush.
1) You won't find an apartment for $1,000 a month in most areas. That will typically only get you a studio apartment, which is a single room, maybe 300-400 sq. ft. It can vary widely by area, but just as an idea, the average rent in the LA area is about $1,600 per month. Look at various websites, like rent.com or westsiderentals.com to get an idea of what the various areas might cost you. Also, if you're going to be working retail, it is going to be very hard for you to afford paying $1,000 per month for a place to live. You would be better off finding a roommate or two and getting a two or three bedroom place.
2) Public transit is only good if you live near the train and/or bus stops. A lot of people take public transportation, but it is still a small percent of total commuters. You can get just about anywhere with public transportation, but you have to set aside the necessary time. It is very time consuming. You won't necessarily need a car at all times, but it is very, very helpful.
3) Those types of jobs are a dime a dozen in LA. Remember that there are about 15 million people in the greater LA area. That means lots of retail stores.
4) It depends on where you end up living. I am currently 4 miles from a beach. But the good surfing beaches are 15-20 miles from me. Depending on the time of day and the time of the year, it could take you anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half to get there from my place. But again, it depends on where you live. There are places to snowboard within about 2 hours of LA. Literally, you could surf in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon.
Each of the other places you mentioned have their own characteristics, so it would be better to find a forum that is specific to those areas. But, both NY and Nor Cal are more expensive than the LA area.
Hello! I am planning on moving to LA this coming March (although I am getting discouraged by the multitude of negative comments about it around this forum). I am a 19 year old white male who is currently living in Chattanooga, TN. I am no country bumpkin however and have been to many a big city, other countries, and has lived in Orlando, FL so I don't think it will be to big a shock.
Anywho, I have a few questions.
1.) Ideally I want to find an area where I can find a 1 - 2 bedroom for about $1000 a month or maybe a studio for around $800 or less. Where are some good and reasonably safe areas with those type of apartment prices?
2.) I have heard horror stories about the public transit, is it really that bad? What types are there and are there many people who commute in the LA area? I basically was wondering if it was 100% required to have a car at all times.
3.) Are jobs generally hard to come by? I'm talking general jobs like retail and etc?
4.) Now for the fun questions. About how far would I have to travel to get to a good beach where I could surf and how far would I have to travel to find a mountain where I could snowboard?
Since there are so many negative comments about LA, I am open minded if anyone has any other suggestions of places to move. I thought about NY, FL, and NoCA but eventually settled on LA. If you have any other suggestions, I am open.
Thanks for any help and sorry for any mistakes, I wrote this in a rush.
1. Cheaper apartments are available in the valley, like Van Nuys and North Hollywood (the northern part), etc. You might be able to get a share in a decent neighborhood for $1k. But, given your age, I do not recommend 'slumming' it. Its way too dangerous.
2. Buses here are awful! They take ages and are crowded. You will need a car and a good car at that.
3. The better retail jobs where you make commission are hard to get. They depend on looks, experience, and who you know. The nicer the area, the higher all those factors rate, even on the no-commission retail jobs.
4. If you live in Santa Monica, the beach is 5 min away depending where you are in the city. From the valley, expect a min of 30 minutes.
Hello! I am planning on moving to LA this coming March (although I am getting discouraged by the multitude of negative comments about it around this forum). I am a 19 year old white male who is currently living in Chattanooga, TN. I am no country bumpkin however and have been to many a big city, other countries, and has lived in Orlando, FL so I don't think it will be to big a shock.
Anywho, I have a few questions.
1.) Ideally I want to find an area where I can find a 1 - 2 bedroom for about $1000 a month or maybe a studio for around $800 or less. Where are some good and reasonably safe areas with those type of apartment prices?
2.) I have heard horror stories about the public transit, is it really that bad? What types are there and are there many people who commute in the LA area? I basically was wondering if it was 100% required to have a car at all times.
3.) Are jobs generally hard to come by? I'm talking general jobs like retail and etc?
4.) Now for the fun questions. About how far would I have to travel to get to a good beach where I could surf and how far would I have to travel to find a mountain where I could snowboard?
Since there are so many negative comments about LA, I am open minded if anyone has any other suggestions of places to move. I thought about NY, FL, and NoCA but eventually settled on LA. If you have any other suggestions, I am open.
Thanks for any help and sorry for any mistakes, I wrote this in a rush.
What are your longer term goals, 5-10 years out?
There's a huge trade off in So Cal, with the weather, the beach, snowboarding, vs quality of life. With a retail job, you're going to tread water (and that's being optimistic) with rent and cost of living even with a bunch of roommates.
In 3-5 years, you'll be right back where you started. Vs living somewhere else and saving for a downpayment on a house or something.
Public transportation won't get you very far, you definitely have to have a car if you're going to be here for awhile. Look at a map of LA on google map (and how spread out it is) and look at a map of the metro rail (our subway), it hardly goes anywhere. And the buses do take forever.
Move to a location where there a lots of Big fancy hotels like the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood Fl, there is a Crown Plaza and Ramada beach resort nearby. They are always hiring. Retail jobs may pay about $8.00 an hr here so if you are going to be on your feet allday be a front desk agent(check/chk out in hotel guests. and make $10.00 or $11.00 an hour. Bellman make tips but when its slow they cut the bellmans hrs. You can rent apartments for you price range in the area and be close to the beach. The traffic is heavy though. Aventura FL is not too far from Hollywood and you may be able to get good rentals there.
tcar509
Ideally I want to find an area where I can find a 1 - 2 bedroom for about $1000 a month or maybe a studio for around $800 or less. Where are some good and reasonably safe areas with those type of apartment prices?
Are you coming with a roomate? $1000 for a 1 bedroom will not get you in a great area.
2.) I have heard horror stories about the public transit, is it really that bad? What types are there and are there many people who commute in the LA area? I basically was wondering if it was 100% required to have a car at all times.
We have busses where you can get anywhere,but like others have said will take you forever.The rail system is generally not much help unless you are going downtown or it's vicinity.
3.) Are jobs generally hard to come by? I'm talking general jobs like retail and etc?
I don't think it's hard to get retail jobs.But how are you going to pay your $1000 rent working retail ? Do you have any experience serving ?If so I would go with that field instead or try to get some experience before you come.
4.) Now for the fun questions. About how far would I have to travel to get to a good beach where I could surf and how far would I have to travel to find a mountain where I could snowboard?
All depends on where you live.
Since there are so many negative comments about LA, I am open minded if anyone has any other suggestions of places to move. I thought about NY, FL, and NoCA but eventually settled on LA. If you have any other suggestions, I am open.
Well if you want to come to L.A. and you are young without any commitments that you should go for it.However have a plan,come with someone you can room with. Get some job experience in serving where you will be able to afford to do some of the great activites that are here.What are your long term goals(College or Career) ? Have that in order first.Good Luck
You can find a small 1BR apartment in a decent neighborhood for what you're hoping to spend. Not a GREAT neighborhood, maybe a little gritty. You won't have a lot to choose from, or much in the way of extras, but they exist. Check craigslist.org.
I've used the bus/train to get downtown and it's a breeze. I forgot to check the immigration status of my fellow riders.
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