Working in Hawthorne area - Live in Westside or South Bay?(or elsewhere) (Torrance: renters, home)

[Moop43]

Hi everybody,

I'm going to be moving out here relatively soonish and will be working in the Hawthorne area. I was originally just looking at the South Bay area(Hermosa/North Redondo), but am now also kind of considering Westside and was wondering if I could get some advice comparing the two areas.

A bit about me: I'm 23, single and into biking, running, hiking and rock climbing. I wouldn't say I'm super into the beach lifestyle, but being so close will certainly be nice. I'm looking for decent nightlife and much prefer bars to clubs. Decent ethnic/smaller food options would be nice.

One thing I'm really looking to avoid is an excessive commute. I'm looking at biking to work from South Bay, but that doesn't look reasonable from Westside. For regularish office hours, roughly what would be my commute from say, Santa Monica to 105 and Crenshaw?

Would either area suit me better, commute aside? Is there maybe somewhere else I'm not noticing that might be better?

Thanks!

[ccm123]

Live in the South Bay, close to your work. You'll save time due to a shorter commute.

[thelopez2]

Originally Posted by Moop43

One thing I'm really looking to avoid is an excessive commute. I'm looking at biking to work from South Bay, but that doesn't look reasonable from Westside. For regularish office hours, roughly what would be my commute from say, Santa Monica to 105 and Crenshaw?

Thanks!

It really depends where in Santa Monica. The deeper you get into Santa Monica, the more you'll have to deal with traffic, but you are talking probably a 15 minutes shorter difference driving to Hermosa / N. Redondo versus Santa Monica (20-45 minutes) in traffic. From the Westside to Hawthorne is mostly against the flow of traffic once you get to the 405, the 10E would have traffic. Not that you'd have to take the freeways, but stating it for descriptive purposes.

Commuting to those Hermosa, you'll run into a little southbound traffic, but not terrible.

With traffic lights, I'd estimate 11 mph on a bike.

Living north will probably cost you $2000-3000 more a year to rent versus south and you'll pay a more in gas. North Torrance and Gardena are closer and much cheaper.

There is a rock gym in Hawthorne. People bike from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes and the other way around too.

I think I know what you mean by 'the beach life style', it is lived by very few, but I'd love to hear your description.

[Moop43]

Originally Posted by thelopez2

It really depends where in Santa Monica. The deeper you get into Santa Monica, the more you'll have to deal with traffic, but you are talking probably a 15 minutes shorter difference driving to Hermosa / N. Redondo versus Santa Monica (20-45 minutes) in traffic. From the Westside to Hawthorne is mostly against the flow of traffic once you get to the 405, the 10E would have traffic. Not that you'd have to take the freeways, but stating it for descriptive purposes.

Commuting to those Hermosa, you'll run into a little southbound traffic, but not terrible.

With traffic lights, I'd estimate 11 mph on a bike.

Living north will probably cost you $2000-3000 more a year to rent versus south and you'll pay a more in gas. North Torrance and Gardena are closer and much cheaper.

There is a rock gym in Hawthorne. People bike from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes and the other way around too.

I think I know what you mean by 'the beach life style', it is lived by very few, but I'd love to hear your description.

Sorry, just to clarify, the heavy traffic on the 405 is mostly northbound in the mornings then and it's a lot better going southbound?

Yeah, there are good looking climbing gyms in both Hawthorne and West LA so I'm not really concerned about that.

What I'm mostly wondering is what the differences are between the areas in terms of nightlife, food and people. My impression(coming from mid-sized cities on the east coast - very possibly wrong) is that Westside/Santa Monica would have a wider array of nightlife options(although possibly at the expense of walkability), more diverse food options and be filled more with professionals(like me!). I guess I sort of have it in my head that a lot of people in the beach cities live the beach lifestyle, are really laid back about everything in general and spend a fair bit of time there whether it's surfing or whatever else. This seems really irrational but for some reason I just get this impression.

How do they actually compare?

I'm basically trying to figure out if I'd like living in Westside better and if trading off a bit in terms of commute and rent is worth it.

[thelopez2]

Originally Posted by Moop43

Sorry, just to clarify, the heavy traffic on the 405 is mostly northbound in the mornings then and it's a lot better going southbound?

I'm basically trying to figure out if I'd like living in Westside better and if trading off a bit in terms of commute and rent is worth it.

Yes that is correct about the traffic once you are south of the 10 freeway. The traffic is heading to the 10 Freeway from both directions.

Once you get past the rent, you'll have more places to each out at, probably 5 times as man places if you are willing to drive, uber, etc. There will be countless number of places trying to build the most expensive burger.

Most people don't spend their time at the beach, they just enjoy the weather at home or about.

There is definitely more in the Westside if you want to spend money. There are more professional and an increase in density and population. Will you enjoy it more, no one know, but you will spend a whole lot of money to figure it out and enjoy all it has to offer.

[ColinC02]

I would honestly live in the South Bay. I used to live in the Playa Vista/Marina Del Rey area and had to commute to Santa Monica. With traffic it would normally take anywhere from 30-45 minutes regardless of the route. Without traffic it was 20 minutes usually. Biking was about the same as the commute time with traffic, but much more enjoyable. In LA, you really want to live near where you work.

[ASensiblePerson]

I'm going to be moving out here relatively soonish and will be working in the Hawthorne area. I was originally just looking at the South Bay area(Hermosa/North Redondo), but am now also kind of considering Westside and was wondering if I could get some advice comparing the two areas.

My guess is you'll be happy with your original thought of the South Bay, and will probably find people in your industry or even coworkers around your age.

[thelopez2]

"Westside is the best side"

[goldenglory18]

[Thread Hi-jack]

Funny, I was about to post this exact same thread. I wonder if we are looking at the same company...?

I'm fairly familular with LA but I'm still torn between living in Santa Monica or somewhere South Bay. It's my wife and I, two dogs, one car (for now), and our lifestyle is active casual. I'm a musician, love to fish, and my gym is crossfit. She enjoys hiking, walking the dogs, and small business/boutique shopping. We are definitely past the club thing (both in our early 30's) but enjoy food and like finding new holes-in-the wall to try. Our housing budget for this first year is between 1500 and 1700 depending on utility deals, but if my wife can find good work, it will go up.

Is Westside Rentals still the go-to for out of area lookyloo's? I'm searching CL almost daily and it seems like just about everything in our budget is +/- 5 miles inland, with a few exceptions here and there.

[/Thread Hi-jack]

[ASensiblePerson]

Is Westside Rentals still the go-to for out of area lookyloo's? I'm searching CL almost daily and it seems like just about everything in our budget is +/- 5 miles inland, with a few exceptions here and there.

I think Westside Rentals is a strong resource, especially for those out of town, and there are free apps like padmapper and hotpads you could look at, too. LA is also more of a "drive around and look for a Renters Wanted sign" type of place.

The advice above may factor into your decision:

In LA, you really want to live near where you work.

Short, simple, and true.