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Ok, time for my ramble about how I want to move to L.A. from NJ.
I feel like I've lived in New Jersey way too long and I need a drastic change in my life. I've made it a goal for 2015 to move out of New Jersey and move to the Los Angeles area. I haven't been to Los Angeles since 2005 but I enjoyed my time out there. I also enjoyed my time in San Francisco and San Diego as well. All three trips were vacations of course but I could clearly see that I was infinitely happier in California than in NJ.
Currently, I have about an hour and a half travel time on average to both Philadelphia and to New York City, so I have access to two excellent cities. I'm not a fan of the weather here at all to begin with. Hurricane Irene in 2011, Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and brutal snow in 2013 should have signaled me to get out of here earlier. Philly and NYC are fun when its warm out which is rare. I get jealous checking the Weather app on my iPhone and seeing that it's usually 25 degrees warmer and sunny out in Los Angeles. I've decided on the Los Angeles area because I feel it will have the most things to do. It looks like it is a warmer, hybrid of Philadelphia and NYC.
I'm stumped as to what needs to be done to move all the way from New Jersey to Los Angeles. I have an advantage that I have my own online businesses so I don't really need to look for a job out there. The disadvantage of having my own businesses is that my income can be very unstable at times and I would have to do hundreds of address changes and reincorporate in California.
As for demographics and budget, I'm going out there as a single, straight, Caucasian male with no kids in his early 30s making $100,000 per year. My credit score is rated excellent and I have a decent savings. I'm just looking for a starter place in a good neighborhood. A one bedroom, one bathroom apartment that's 600 square feet and has an assigned parking space would do just fine for me for my first year out there. I do not want any roommates. I know the label "luxury" is thrown on just about everything now, so I'm not sure what to look for without getting deceived. Swimming pools, jacuzzis, gyms, a balcony, central air and all that stuff would be nice.
I am concerned about rent hikes. I do not know if there is rent control like there is in certain areas of the northeast. For example, my friend was paying $2,500 a month for rent in Manhattan in 2013 and his landlord hiked it to $4,500 a month in 2014 which forced him to have to move out. A lot of places in NJ and even more so in Philly and Manhattan are now requiring 2 year leases instead of month to month, 6 month or 1 year leases. I would never take on a 2 year lease.
Without going too much further into detail, what do you think about my current situation? Do you think I'd be able to move to the Los Angeles area from New Jersey by myself on just $100,000 a year? I keep using the word "area" because I don't fully understand the structure of L.A. In NJ, there aren't any huge cities, so if you say you are from Hoboken for example, that's where you're from. In New York City, they break it down into 5 boroughs and Manhattan is the place to be (and that's broken down further into places like the East Village etc.) but it is out of my price range unless I want to live with 3 roommates in a studio apartment with a toilet in the center of the kitchen.
Any suggestions on what I need to do to accomplish my goal of getting the heck out of New Jersey and moving to Los Angeles would be greatly appreciated.
I think a single person with an annual income of $100K could comfortably live in LA. If you can fork over 2-2.5K/month, you could get a single apartment virtually anywhere in the metro. Of course, most of the rental housing in LA is older and may not have a fridge or other amenities. On the hand, new rental properties have been mushrooming and they will probably have the amenities you are seeking, albeit at a higher price point.
I'm not sure but rent control exists in some cities in the county and I think it applies only to structures built before 1978 or something like that. However, I've never heard of a $2,500 to $4,500 increase, even for market rate housing. Is that even legal?
Isn't the Tri-State area continuously developed, with New Jersey having some of the densest neighborhoods in the country? LA county is essentially fully built out with the development extending out to Orange and Ventura Counties. LA, the city proper is 3.8 million folks in just under 500 square miles. LA county is around 10 million people in 4000 square miles and is comprised of 88 cities and dozens of unincorporated areas.
The city of LA includes neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Venice, Northridge, Encino, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, San Pedro, Echo Park, Watts, Koreatown, etc. East Hollywood and North Hollywood are also neighborhoods of LA, although NoHo is in the San Fernando Valley ("The Valley") by virtue of the Santa Monica Mountains which bisect the city. West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica are independent cities although they are located within the city limits of LA. Weird, I know. Other, well-known cities in the county include, Pasadena, Compton, Long Beach, Burbank, Glendale, Manhattan Beach, etc. Nevertheless, if someone drives around the county, they'll never really notice where one city ends and another begins. There's as much difference between neighborhoods within the city of LA as between any two areas within the county.
Despite the allure of nice weather, I think the LA metro will appeal to only a small sliver of the American population. It seems to be one of the most polarizing in the nation. To many people from other parts of the country, LA doesn't look like what they are accustomed to and they never settle in. So many people hate the indigenous architecture, the lack of four distinct seasons or they get ground down by the traffic or pollution.
LA is subject to microclimates, meaning that summer highs can be in the 70s right at the coast but 20 or more degrees warmer inland and in the Valleys. Winter temps are more uniform throughout the metro unless you go up in the mountains.
I'm not sure how extensive your vacation time in California was but a short visit may not give you an accurate feel for the area, especially when you're talking about uprooting a business. If you're just moving with a suitcase and a laptop, you could just move to a reasonable central area and spend time exploring, looking for your perfect neighborhood.
If the primary driver is to escape the cold, why not a city in the South, Southwest or Western US?
I guess the short answer is that you can easily live here on 100K but make sure you are coming for the real LA and not the fantasy one.
As an easterner (also from Jersey) who's been to L. A. several times I can't complain about the winter climate either, and for a time considered moving out there. But the reality is that my roots are back east. Sure, I can easily adapt to Southern California but I also know that eventually I'll get homesick and miss my longtime friends in Jersey. As far as family, my parents are both gone and it's just my brother, my sister, and me now. So even if I relocated, my gut feeling is that I'd eventually return to Jersey.
I'm not sure but rent control exists in some cities in the county and I think it applies only to structures built before 1978 or something like that. However, I've never heard of a $2,500 to $4,500 increase, even for market rate housing. Is that even legal?
Best of luck.
Yes, that describes the city of Los Angeles Rent Control Law which only applies to rental housing built before 1979. But the LA rent control law only applies as long as the tenant continues to live in the unit. Once he/she moves out the landlord/owner is allowed to increase the rent to whatever the market will accept. But while one is a tenant rent increases are capped near inflation (if one lives in a building built before 1979.
West Hollywood and Santa Monica also have their own version of rent control but I don't recall the specifics.
Los Angeles is not a cheap city but it is certainly much cheaper than NYC (thankfully). Yes, with your income you could easily afford to live in LA and live in some of the nicer areas for sure.
I would forget about the NYC/Philly hybrid. Yes, you live near some big cities which will prepare you more than Billy Bob from bum f*&k Arkansas. But LA is very different in layout than Philadelphia and NYC.
LA was founded in 1781. Philadelphia was founded in the late 1600's and had a population of over 40,000 residents by 1800. By contrast, LA by 1850 had a population of just 1,600. Basically, Philadelphia grew up on the horse and buggy and by necessity was a walking city. LA's population took off in the late 1800's and grew up on street car lines which helped disburse the population. This trend was "accelerated" in the 1920's by the automobile. So expect to spend more time in your car here. Though, I'd draw your attention to our growing mass transit and you might look for housing near by if you want that amenity and are lucky enough to find a job near a mass transit line.
With your income I would not worry too much about rent control. The rental market here is cheaper than NYC by a long shot. You already live in NJ which is not a cheap place.
The weather will be an upgrade and I mean even the summers here beat New Jersey. Unless you like muggy, sticky summers.
I think a single person with an annual income of $100K could comfortably live in LA. If you can fork over 2-2.5K/month, you could get a single apartment virtually anywhere in the metro. Of course, most of the rental housing in LA is older and may not have a fridge or other amenities. On the hand, new rental properties have been mushrooming and they will probably have the amenities you are seeking, albeit at a higher price point.
I'm not sure but rent control exists in some cities in the county and I think it applies only to structures built before 1978 or something like that. However, I've never heard of a $2,500 to $4,500 increase, even for market rate housing. Is that even legal?
Isn't the Tri-State area continuously developed, with New Jersey having some of the densest neighborhoods in the country? LA county is essentially fully built out with the development extending out to Orange and Ventura Counties. LA, the city proper is 3.8 million folks in just under 500 square miles. LA county is around 10 million people in 4000 square miles and is comprised of 88 cities and dozens of unincorporated areas.
The city of LA includes neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Venice, Northridge, Encino, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, San Pedro, Echo Park, Watts, Koreatown, etc. East Hollywood and North Hollywood are also neighborhoods of LA, although NoHo is in the San Fernando Valley ("The Valley") by virtue of the Santa Monica Mountains which bisect the city. West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica are independent cities although they are located within the city limits of LA. Weird, I know. Other, well-known cities in the county include, Pasadena, Compton, Long Beach, Burbank, Glendale, Manhattan Beach, etc. Nevertheless, if someone drives around the county, they'll never really notice where one city ends and another begins. There's as much difference between neighborhoods within the city of LA as between any two areas within the county.
Despite the allure of nice weather, I think the LA metro will appeal to only a small sliver of the American population. It seems to be one of the most polarizing in the nation. To many people from other parts of the country, LA doesn't look like what they are accustomed to and they never settle in. So many people hate the indigenous architecture, the lack of four distinct seasons or they get ground down by the traffic or pollution.
LA is subject to microclimates, meaning that summer highs can be in the 70s right at the coast but 20 or more degrees warmer inland and in the Valleys. Winter temps are more uniform throughout the metro unless you go up in the mountains.
I'm not sure how extensive your vacation time in California was but a short visit may not give you an accurate feel for the area, especially when you're talking about uprooting a business. If you're just moving with a suitcase and a laptop, you could just move to a reasonable central area and spend time exploring, looking for your perfect neighborhood.
If the primary driver is to escape the cold, why not a city in the South, Southwest or Western US?
I guess the short answer is that you can easily live here on 100K but make sure you are coming for the real LA and not the fantasy one.
Best of luck.
NJ tries its best to continuously develop but its deterioration is faster than its rebuilding, especially since the last hurricane. After living here for most of my life, I really have nothing but a long list of complaints about the state at this point. We are basically a wannabe sixth borough of New York City at this point. However, a lot of things that were once nice to visit like the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Atlantic City are rapidly reaching their demise. The pharmaceutical industry once dominated here but many companies are being forced to downsize. Those companies are my backups in case my business fails. NJ is the most densely populated state with 9 million people smashed into 8,722 square miles and its just one small town after another with strip malls that are losing business to online merchants. It costs $25 just to do a round trip in your car into Brooklyn and back to central NJ. We have Newark and Camden which are the murder capitals of the USA. We have to pay to get on beaches that a lot have broken glass and Snooki diseases. Bruce Springsteen sure isn't "the boss" to me. I can go on and on.
I see California as an amazing place in general with a lot more opportunity. If my business fails for some reason, I can get a job at one of the many tech companies out there whether it be as a programmer or in marketing. I have no issues with high temperatures, only cold temperatures. I lived in the Orlando, FL area for several years and loved every minute of it. We have plenty of traffic and pollution in NJ as well. After checking out a bunch of apartments in the neighborhoods you mentioned, it seems like I'd be paying just about the same out there and getting a better experience. I prefer the indigenous architecture you mentioned to the cheap aluminum siding and ancient brick buildings that are around here in even the best neighborhoods.
My business can be run from a laptop from anywhere in the world but I cannot stay in that part of the world for more than one month without having to check back in at some sort of central location. Also, I will need to move quite a lot of things with me which is something I haven't done before more than a distance of about 30 miles. I suppose I can sell some things off that I can buy again while out in California like my TV and furniture. However, I have a lot of video games/DVDs/collectibles/memorabilia that I refuse to part with.
Better weather is definitely one of my top factors but I don't see any of the other cities as having that excitement factor as Los Angeles. I've lived in New Orleans for about 2 months last year and I just felt like I couldn't connect with the city. Orlando would be nice but it's kinda like "been there, done that." The only city on the east coast that would be acceptable would be Miami. I love Miami but I still would rather get as far away from NJ as possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ItsRick24
As an easterner (also from Jersey) who's been to L. A. several times I can't complain about the winter climate either, and for a time considered moving out there. But the reality is that my roots are back east. Sure, I can easily adapt to Southern California but I also know that eventually I'll get homesick and miss my longtime friends in Jersey. As far as family, my parents are both gone and it's just my brother, my sister, and me now. So even if I relocated, my gut feeling is that I'd eventually return to Jersey.
Garden State to Golden State - and back again!
It sounds like you have a good relationship with your family, which I am envious of. I'm at the stage of my life where all of my friends have just gotten married and had their first child. Thus, they have settled down. I am the odd man out since I do not plan on getting married and having kids until I have amassed a fortune first. Also, these "friends" weren't exactly supportive when I took a huge risk and started my own business. I don't need their negative energy trying to halt my dreams. I don't really have a large family either and while they are in NJ too, they are not supportive. I'm really looking to burn bridges here in NJ and start a new life on the other side of the country where I can attain the kind of success I want and just be like "See, I told you I'd make it."
Quote:
Originally Posted by StreetLegal
Yes, that describes the city of Los Angeles Rent Control Law which only applies to rental housing built before 1979. But the LA rent control law only applies as long as the tenant continues to live in the unit. Once he/she moves out the landlord/owner is allowed to increase the rent to whatever the market will accept. But while one is a tenant rent increases are capped near inflation (if one lives in a building built before 1979.
West Hollywood and Santa Monica also have their own version of rent control but I don't recall the specifics.
This is something I'm going to have to look into for sure. I don't want to end up having some sort of ridiculous rent hike and wind up living on the streets!
Quote:
Originally Posted by StreetLegal
Los Angeles is not a cheap city but it is certainly much cheaper than NYC (thankfully). Yes, with your income you could easily afford to live in LA and live in some of the nicer areas for sure.
I would forget about the NYC/Philly hybrid. Yes, you live near some big cities which will prepare you more than Billy Bob from bum f*&k Arkansas. But LA is very different in layout than Philadelphia and NYC.
LA was founded in 1781. Philadelphia was founded in the late 1600's and had a population of over 40,000 residents by 1800. By contrast, LA by 1850 had a population of just 1,600. Basically, Philadelphia grew up on the horse and buggy and by necessity was a walking city. LA's population took off in the late 1800's and grew up on street car lines which helped disburse the population. This trend was "accelerated" in the 1920's by the automobile. So expect to spend more time in your car here. Though, I'd draw your attention to our growing mass transit and you might look for housing near by if you want that amenity and are lucky enough to find a job near a mass transit line.
With your income I would not worry too much about rent control. The rental market here is cheaper than NYC by a long shot. You already live in NJ which is not a cheap place.
The weather will be an upgrade and I mean even the summers here beat New Jersey. Unless you like muggy, sticky summers.
It is hard for me to imagine traffic being worse than it is here in New Jersey, especially when travelling to Philadelphia or New York City. I've got a working car although I'll probably have to upgrade to a more luxurious ride. I'm also a bit of a night owl, hanging out in Philly and NYC until 4 AM before heading back to NJ. I would imagine that driving later at night in the L.A. area would be easy if I wanted some late night food, visiting someone or just sight seeing. The NYC mass transit system has always been somewhat confusing. I usually walk or take a taxi to wherever I can. However, I don't think this is an option in L.A. Are there any walking parts of the city? I believe that when I was in L.A. 10 years ago, I stayed in Los Feliz or Los Feliz Village and I think a lot of it was walkable.
Also, the one thing that scares me is earthquakes since I've never been in one before. But, the thing is I was walking to work in an office building a few streets away from the World Trade Center when it was destroyed on September 11th. I don't know if the attempts of terrorism here in the tri-state area are the proper preparation for an earthquake.
Going back to the positive things for moving to Los Angeles from where I am in New Jersey, I've calculated the distances from where I could be in L.A. and N.J. to where I could be. Look at this list:
The driving times from my place to Philly and New York City are about the same to allow me to get from one side of L.A. to the other.
A 2.5 hour drive right now gets me from my place in NJ to Atlantic City. A 2.5 hour drive gets me from L.A. to San Diego.
A 4.5 hour drive right now gets me from my place in NJ to Boston. A 4.5 hour drive gets me from L.A. to Las Vegas.
A 6 hour drive right now gets me from my place in NJ to Washington, D.C. A 6 hour drive gets me from L.A. to San Francisco.
A 5.5 hour flight right now gets me from my place in NJ to L.A. (luckily). A 5.5 hour flight from L.A. gets me to Hawaii.
Thank you all for your replies. There is still so much for me to think about. I have to take action sooner than later. October 2015 would probably have to be the latest time to have everything ready, otherwise, I'll have to wait until April 2016 due to weather. But, I'm determined to start a new life away from NJ, so I'm going to work as hard as I can to get out to Los Angeles.
Last edited by KingHippo; 01-29-2015 at 01:19 AM..
I'm also a Jersey native planning the big move to LA hopefully in March.
Your salary works great for that area. I've been apt searching and Venice, Santa Monica & Studio City seem to have the most expensive rents for a nice 1 bedroom, but still cheaper than NYC prices.
The places that I had interest in that were cheaper was North Hollywood & Valley Village. I'm sure the locals can chime in
I'm also a Jersey native planning the big move to LA hopefully in March.
Your salary works great for that area. I've been apt searching and Venice, Santa Monica & Studio City seem to have the most expensive rents for a nice 1 bedroom, but still cheaper than NYC prices.
The places that I had interest in that were cheaper was North Hollywood & Valley Village. I'm sure the locals can chime in
I'm also a Jersey native planning the big move to LA hopefully in March.
Your salary works great for that area. I've been apt searching and Venice, Santa Monica & Studio City seem to have the most expensive rents for a nice 1 bedroom, but still cheaper than NYC prices.
The places that I had interest in that were cheaper was North Hollywood & Valley Village. I'm sure the locals can chime in
I'll be apt searching there next week
Congrats! I'd certainly like to get out of NJ and out there in as quickly as March. Venice, Santa Monica and Studio City all look great. For me, the prices do seem pretty high for even a 1 bedroom especially in Venice and Santa Monica though. Studio City looks like it would be more in my price range.
What's your plan for doing the actual in-person searching for apartments? Do you have family and/or friends out there already that you are planning to stay with or are you going to stay in different hotels? How long do you plan on staying out there searching before making a final decision?
I lived in San Diego for 7 years, and have a lot of family in LA, so I was always up there. We're doing the East Coast thing (AGAIN!--were in Portsmouth, VA for 6 months and DC Area for 3 years) now in Philly. Although I like many things about Philly, the weather certainly isn't one of them, so I can totally understand why you want to go to LA!
Your salary will allow you to live in LA rather comfortably. Just know, it's different from the East Coast. Laid-back, but not as laid-back as you'd expect, since it's a big city. The beaches are great, and certainly swimmable in the summer, but the ocean isn't all that warm. The winters also aren't like they are in South Florida or Hawaii, though certainly nicer than NJ. And the summers are delightful, but the nights cool down (they aren't warm like they are out East), it's rarely ever humid or thunderstorm-y, and unless you're living inland, it won't be really hot most of the time. In winter, inland areas do see nighttime lows in the 30sF with frost on the grass sometimes. And the layout of the city is more spread-out, so while there are walkable neighborhoods and public transit (and all of that is improving with time), it's not to the same level as Philly or NYC. Most people drive, which makes for terrible traffic and smog. And then there's the drought...
Now for the positives. I think once you hear of the negatives, you'll know what to expect, and decide if you want to really make the move. Sure, LA is cheaper than NYC, but it is still quite pricey. But like I said, you'll be able to afford it, provided that you're not going to spend a ton of money or try living on the beach. Since you said you like walkable areas, I'd recommend Downtown--it's not as expensive as other neighborhoods in LA, but it is growing and becoming more gentrified and popular, and soon it will be pricey. Get it now while it's still relatively affordable. Beautiful views of the skyline and mountains, access to restaurants, nightclubs, and Little Tokyo, very walkable, and a transit hub. There are also nice areas in the Valley that are quite affordable, but these are very suburban in nature. And then there's Long Beach, which is quite gentrified and becoming much cooler than it used to be. LA is amazing--it has more museums than any other city in the nation, a lot of festivals, concerts, symphony and opera, theatre, nightlife, sporting events...but really, it's about the outdoors lifestyle. With such great weather, everyone's either working out, doing yoga, hiking, or going to the beach. If you DO miss snow or cooler weather, head into the mountains for skiing. LA is also, according to some reports, the most diverse city in the country. The food, while cheap, is fantastic. The food truck scene is well-known, but Japanese (particularly ramen and sushi, like Sushi Row in the San Fernando Valley), Chinese (San Gabriel Valley), Thai, Armenian, Persian (the Valley), Cuban (Versailles), Mexican, Vietnamese, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Korean food are all SO good!! There's also a number of Jewish delis, European, seafood, and fine dining restaurants that are good too. But really, it's the more exotic-type cuisines, vegan joints, or trendy-new-diet kind of restaurants that seem to be most popular out there.
Regarding the people--the stereotype is that everyone in LA is fake. There are some fake people out there, but many down-to-earth, friendly, "real types" as well. Most of the fake stereotypical kinds of people are transplants who have this idea of "what it means to be an Angeleno", and so they will try to act like that. Like any city, there will be rude people, but most tend to be friendly and relaxed in nature. It's a liberal city, but not overly so like San Francisco.
In terms of what's nearby, a lot of East Coast people like to tout that they're not far from places like Florida & the Caribbean for a winter vacation, close to Europe to spend the summers, and there are some natural areas nearby (Poconos, Catskills, etc) for quiet getaways, while having so many cool cities in close proximity--generally-speaking, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston, though Baltimore, Annapolis, Atlantic City, Salem, and all those are also included. In LA, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco are kind of far, and you'd be better off flying there. In winter, Hawaii isn't that far away, and neither is Mexico (Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Ixtapa) for a warm-weather getaway. But seeing as the West Coast is more naturally-beautiful generally that out East, and the nice weather/healthy lifestyle means people are always outside, we tend to pride ourselves on being nearby to nature and small towns/small cities--Palm Springs, OC, San Diego, Ventura, Ojai, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Catalina/Channel Islands, Big Sur, Sacramento, Wine Country & Monterrey are a few hours north drive, Las Vegas and Phoenix are a few hours east, as are all the beautiful desert parks near them. Being in nature is really fun for outdoors enthusiasts (desert biking, hiking, those who simply love photography, skiers in the mountains, etc) and just gives you time to take a break from it all. The microclimates sometimes will give you a little bit of variety in weather as you go East (or West), whereas if you take a nature trip in the East Coast, the weather isn't going to vary as much.
I hope that this post gives you a bit more information about LA--both negative and positive--and remember, if you don't like it, you can always go back to NJ, or elsewhere. But life is so short, and we should take risks sometimes to better out standard of living and try out new places. Good luck.
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