Leaving La / California - Asap (Los Angeles, Lancaster: sex offenders, low crime, job market)

[Cami]

Originally Posted by Ankhharu

You bring up a good point that I wanted to elaborate on. Santa Monica is 16 miles from say Hollywood according to google maps. When I move back, I was considering living in Santa Monica and going to school at the CC in Hollywood. I ran this traffic equation by a relative this morning and did some searching on the boards and the consensus is this commute is brutal and that I could be sitting in traffic for...a whole 1 hour. I had to chuckle a bit as I currently work in Downtown Dallas, and live in North Dallas, approximately 18 miles away. My 18 mile commute in the morning barring no accidents or lane stoppages takes just under an hour to get to work.
Don't get me wrong, I know for a fact having temporarily lived in southern Cali and with my extended stays every year that LA traffic is worse than Dallas. But I get the impression that certain aspects of it are exaggerated.

Ah Ankhharu,

Take heed my friend! The traffic is not exaggerated by any stretch of imagination. I think this is what I hate about Los Angeles as a whole. That terrible a** traffic. Good Luck. I certainly hope you know what you are getting yourself into, - it's not pretty

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Cami

I currently live in the Inland Empire and my children have never been exposed to gangs.

>Not YET.....

I have when growing up in L.A. I made my mind up that I would not raise a family in L.A. I love the Inland Empire, however it has it's own set of problems like the influx of illegal immigrants coming out here. We have a rash of break-ins, car thefts etc. The minority groups in some areas don't get along at various high schools. (

According to the Quitno Press, San Bernardino is the 18th most dangerous city in the USA: http://www.morganquitno.com/cit06pop.htm#25 - one of only four California cities amongst the 25 most dangerous in the country (the others are Richmond at #11, Compton at #15, and Oakland at #21).
If it's more dangerous than Oakland (and Dallas, and Newark, NJ) then it doesn't seem to safe to me.

At this point in time, the only thing that could realistically drive me out of the LA area is gentrification - which I can only see driving prices up even higher. The way things are going in LA, I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years it becomes the world's most expensive city, or at least catches up with NYC and London into the top 10 most expensive.

[Candid Canuck]

Originally Posted by UB50

Driving is important in Los Angeles. Driving 15 miles can seem like driving 60 miles somewhere else because of the time spent doing it. There are all kinds of things to do in LA, but they are not all located in one place.

why don't people use the public transit?? why all the drivers in LA????

[Cami]

Originally Posted by majoun

According to the Quitno Press, San Bernardino is the 18th most dangerous city in the USA: http://www.morganquitno.com/cit06pop.htm#25 - one of only four California cities amongst the 25 most dangerous in the country (the others are Richmond at #11, Compton at #15, and Oakland at #21).
If it's more dangerous than Oakland (and Dallas, and Newark, NJ) then it doesn't seem to safe to me.

At this point in time, the only thing that could realistically drive me out of the LA area is gentrification - which I can only see driving prices up even higher. The way things are going in LA, I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years it becomes the world's most expensive city, or at least catches up with NYC and London into the top 10 most expensive.

Well Majoun,

While you are absolutely right, I live no where near San Bernardino. Thank goodness!

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Candid Canuck

why don't people use the public transit?? why all the drivers in LA????

Because the public transport network is very limited, the result of LA city and county sitting on their asses for a long time. The only city that took longer to build a metro than LA was Warsaw, and they had the excuse of complete destruction in WW2 followed by 45 years of Communism.

Taking the Metro Rail is only convenient if you live AND work near it (it goes from downtown to North Hollywood, passing through mid-Wilshire, Silver Lake, Hollywood, and Universal City). For better or worse, not enough of us do. There is NO rail on the West Side (although the light rail Expo Line linking downtown to Culver City will open in a few years, it'll be MANY years until it reaches Santa Monica, and there probably won't be a Metro Rail going down Wilshire for many years).

The problem with buses is that they go through the same congested traffic that cars do, also many MTA bus lines are often unsafe at night.

[kram]

Originally Posted by fairweathergolfer

fastfilm wrote:

You bring up some excellent points here and as usual articulate them with great intelligence and wisdom . One of the things you mentioned which I think is critical is the lack of a unifying language and also the disrespect for picking up on the mores etc of a new nation when living there.

The lack of connection that begins from not being able to converse with the people in one's life in a variety of settings here for me, shatters connections, the building of relationship and decimates a spirit of connectedness. People then creep into or continue living in separate worlds and eventually disregard one another because they know they can't communicate or in the case of many illegals they don't even care to communicate for a variety of reasons. This gives people a sort of dehumanizing reaction to one another as you mentioned above, (in my opinion and experience) unfortunately. In and of itself this reality encourages a sort of racism, a hatred (if not hate then strong resentments and a whole lot of paranoia).

Combine that with a gang culture, attacking African America folks because they are in a gang member's boundary (not American at all), taking over the focus, time, money and resources of the already strained school system made for the betterment of all citizens (instead it becomes the betterment of a bunch of illegal aliens, if you can get them to learn English), paying for the college tuition of illegals, whereas middle class/lower middle class citizenry has to suffer quite a bit to pay their own way if they can get in because their seat is filled with someone who came here illegally and ironically their own tax dollars are paying for this Mexico citizen's high education and at the American's loss and expense!. . . I could go on and on.

It is difficult for Los Angeles to deal with the basic problems of our very large city (Safety and protection, homelessness, services for the poor and mentally ill, integration of races and nationalities, available opportunities for the betterment of all the citizenry if they are so inclined, creating and maintaining business friendly environments, clean air, etc) AND the arrogant disregarding invasion of Mexico that strains many of our resources. If there was a respect for our countries mores and laws and a serious commitment by this large influx of newcomers, it could be enriching, but instead it puts us at a huge disadvantage compared to other American cities.

Florida (the major cities that deal with the regular and large influx of one specific immigrant population) is different in that it isn't dealing with a subtle take over and arrogance that those new citizens own the place and refuse to mix into society. The more the numbers increase the larger the arrogance and disrespect too. All I can say is laugh if you will and shrug it off all you want when it comes to talking about LA, but mark my words this thing has the potential to decimate our country. Look at how the two political parties will do anything to please the Latinos. (By the way for the record I really enjoy Latinos/Hispanics who are just trying to learn the language or have really risen up like much of us from being immigrants. This are not the people and population I am speaking of at all.) Take note my friends. Mexico isn't a capitalist, democracy that we are used to. Whatever is being served down there that is chasing people up here to live is all being exported. END RANT and REASON.

We must remember that many of those who come here and refuse to asimilate are not "citizens" at all-they are interlopers committing crimes and fraud.

Kram

[montevista1]

red line is not bad, but they have homeless on the train and people who are sleeping on the train all day etc.

[ncbjab]

I was born and raised in Ventura, CA which is about 50 miles from LA. When I was growing up it was a very beautiful place to live and grow up in. In the last 10-15 years though I have watched this beautiful town turn into a total Dump with a capital D. It makes me very sad to see people of every race treat this place like a large trash can. Drive down the street after gangs have tagged the walls of businesses that have been here forever. A week later you drive down the same street and windows have been broken in dozens of other places because hoodlums have just felt like drivng down the street breaking windows. I always loved this town, while growing up, but now I just want to get me and my kids out of here. It seems that no one respects where they live and that respect isn't instilled in the younger generation anymore. I repeat, it makes me very sad. I am also planning on moving away from here and going to Colorado. I will miss the beach but, not the rude & disrespectful people, the drug infested neighborhhoods, gang activity, poor educational system etc.

As posted before regarding traffic...if people were a little more patient, respectful and not so full of "road rage" it wouldn't be as bad as it is.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by montevista1

red line is not bad, but they have homeless on the train and people who are sleeping on the train all day etc.

Like you won't find that on the NYC subway or the London Tube?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by ncbjab

I am also planning on moving away from here and going to Colorado. I will miss the beach but, not the rude & disrespectful people, the drug infested neighborhhoods, gang activity, poor educational system etc..

You'll find drug infested neighborhoods and gang activity in Colorado as well.

But I have found that LA and SoCal in general do have the rudest people with the worst attitude of anywhere I've been on the planet. Angelenos make Parisians look open and friendly.....