Los Angeles or Austin (Santa Monica, Brea: houses, buy, closing)

[SiddharthaGautama]

Are there any people from Austin who moved to LA or vice versa? If so can you compare the two? I know its comparing a mid size town to a large alpha city but try. What were you experiences in either city like and the people? If comparing LA please list the specific area.

[Lake Conroe resident]

LA is a big city...What part would you be moving too? Either way you can expect a few things for certain and they are better weather and a lot more people pushing and shoving trying to get "ahead"...

[motoman]

The two aren't even remotely comparable. The "LA area" is over 20 times the size of Austin. 15,000,000 people versus 710,000 in Austin.

Austin is very laid back and a pretty cool place. But you aren't going to find the diversity of people and things to do like you would in LA. It really just depends on what you are looking for.

[cleolicious]

LA is bigger which means it has more *******s. People in Austin are generally happier people. The major label industry is over anyway so who cares? Start your own damn label. Austin is the new music capitol of the world. There's plenty of diversity there. SXSW is there for a reason. LA is spread out. You have to drive everywhere. You're lucky if you can make it to 2 bars in one night. In Austin you can bar hop and walk around all night long. You can buy a nice house in Austin for super cheap. A one room studio in LA is $1500 month. Parking is $20, if you can even find it. Everywhere you go in LA you are getting ****ed financially by someone. Breakfast at some trendy place on Melrose will cost you $80. Living in LA also means you will have a revolving door of so-called "friendships" aka "what-can-you-do-for-me people". People are flakes in LA. That's no myth. LA has great weather and the girls all have big ****. After a while it gets old because in the end you realize that you are basically surrounded by soul-less, blood sucking scumbags. Unless you area screen actor, you don't need LA for anything. Those days are over. Remember: Ani DiFranco is the most successful indie artist of all time and she's from Buffalo, NY and still lives there. If you want to be successful in music today I suggest you pick a nice home base like Austin to live and then get your ass out on the road. Just start making it happen for yourself rather than moving near "industry" losers who just don't have the clout they used to.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by cleolicious

LA is bigger which means it has more *******s. People in Austin are generally happier people. The major label industry is over anyway so who cares? Start your own damn label. Austin is the new music capitol of the world. There's plenty of diversity there. SXSW is there for a reason. LA is spread out. You have to drive everywhere. You're lucky if you can make it to 2 bars in one night. In Austin you can bar hop and walk around all night long. You can buy a nice house in Austin for super cheap. A one room studio in LA is $1500 month. Parking is $20, if you can even find it. Everywhere you go in LA you are getting ****ed financially by someone. Breakfast at some trendy place on Melrose will cost you $80. Living in LA also means you will have a revolving door of so-called "friendships" aka "what-can-you-do-for-me people". People are flakes in LA. That's no myth. LA has great weather and the girls all have big ****. After a while it gets old because in the end you realize that you are basically surrounded by soul-less, blood sucking scumbags. Unless you area screen actor, you don't need LA for anything. Those days are over. Remember: Ani DiFranco is the most successful indie artist of all time and she's from Buffalo, NY and still lives there. If you want to be successful in music today I suggest you pick a nice home base like Austin to live and then get your ass out on the road. Just start making it happen for yourself rather than moving near "industry" losers who just don't have the clout they used to.

That's a very narrow view of LA. You're only talking about the so called Hollywood lifestyle. It sounds like you came to LA in search of big dreams and got burned.

Not everyone is going to live in WeHo or Santa Monica or Brentwood (where studios are 1500 a month). Nor going to the trendy Hollywood and Vine club where parking is $20 and cover can be several times more. You can live in a studio for 800-900 in a nice place like culver city and walk to local bars and never pay parking or cover.

There are plenty of areas where you can barhop and walk only a couple blocks... Main Street in santa monica, wilshire bars in SM, santa monica blvd in weho (both gay and straight parts), sunset blvd by vine/la brea, 3rd street, downtown, culver, the list goes on

You won't be spending anywhere near $80 for breakfast (assuming this is for two people) unless you're splurging on alcoholic beverages. Even at a "trendy" melrose place. Try eating at norms or dennys instead and paying under 10 per person

Soul-less bloodsucking scumbags... well, that may be true in if you're an okie from muskogee expecting your good looks to make you the next tom cruise here. But for decent people who have no interest in hollywood, absolutely not true. there are all kinds of people in LA and most who are not involved with the "industry" are pretty down to earth and normal. btw, 80% of the people who are involved in the "industry" really arent

[DowntownVentura]

Originally Posted by cleolicious

LA is bigger which means it has more *******s. People in Austin are generally happier people. The major label industry is over anyway so who cares? Start your own damn label. Austin is the new music capitol of the world. There's plenty of diversity there. SXSW is there for a reason. LA is spread out. You have to drive everywhere. You're lucky if you can make it to 2 bars in one night. In Austin you can bar hop and walk around all night long. You can buy a nice house in Austin for super cheap. A one room studio in LA is $1500 month. Parking is $20, if you can even find it. Everywhere you go in LA you are getting ****ed financially by someone. Breakfast at some trendy place on Melrose will cost you $80. Living in LA also means you will have a revolving door of so-called "friendships" aka "what-can-you-do-for-me people". People are flakes in LA. That's no myth. LA has great weather and the girls all have big ****. After a while it gets old because in the end you realize that you are basically surrounded by soul-less, blood sucking scumbags. Unless you area screen actor, you don't need LA for anything. Those days are over. Remember: Ani DiFranco is the most successful indie artist of all time and she's from Buffalo, NY and still lives there. If you want to be successful in music today I suggest you pick a nice home base like Austin to live and then get your ass out on the road. Just start making it happen for yourself rather than moving near "industry" losers who just don't have the clout they used to.

Have you considered joining the The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau ?

[readymade]

I know this thread is old, but just in case anyone's interested...

I moved from LA to Austin a couple of years ago. I wanted to afford a nice house, plus I'm in a band and Austin is the "Music Capital Of The World."

Yes, the houses there are less expensive. Sure, you can bar hop. I maybe would have loved it in my 20s. But, to me, it felt small. You can drive though the downtown in about 5 minutes or so. You're landlocked. And the mosquitos were HORRIBLE! It may seem like a small thing, but when you're constantly covered with itchy welts, it really makes for a quality of life issue. The music scene was disappointing. More and more clubs are closing due to noise ordinance laws. Almost everyone in Austin is a musician. Musicians to Austin is like actors to LA. There was no real variety of music. It was mostly pop/rock and singer/songwriter. I wouldn't move to Austin to "make it" in the music industry, however, even though the OP didn't mention it at all. The summers there are horrendous. Truly unbearable. I probably didn't spend more than an hour or so outside for about 3 months. And (this bothered me a LOT... maybe more than anything else) everyone blasts the air conditioning inside. So, you'd be outside where it's over 100 degrees every day all summer and go to a movie or out to eat and I swear to god they would have the temp set to 45 degrees. I couldn't wear skirts or shorts at all. Ever. And I had to carry around 2 sweaters usually. The driving is pretty awful. In some ways worse than LA. I'm not sure what it is about Austin drivers, but I was TERRIFIED to drive there. I saw more accidents and near misses in Austin than anyplace else I've ever lived. Usually 1 or 2 really bad ones (people being carried away on stretchers) a week. Austin is in the south and people there tend to be more religious or possibly just more open to expressing their religion. Lots of bible thumpers coming to my door, people asking me what church I belong to, and being told to have a blessed day.

That being said, the people there were absolutely wonderful. VERY friendly, open, and warm. We were offered gigs almost immediately by various people who just liked us and wanted to help out. That was the best part about Austin... the people.

Unfortunately, the people didn't really make up for the rest of it. Now we're back in LA, and I love it here. I don't know what the above poster meant about a revolving door of so-called friendships. The friends I've made here have been life-long. There's a lot more to do here. You have the ocean, mountains, woods, all nearby. The people here, while not as friendly as Austin, are VERY friendly. The weather is amazing.

I've definitely encountered some flakiness. Mostly in the form of people/businesses not calling me back. But, to me that's a small price to pay. You see some "plastic people" here and there, sure. And, well, it's funny! But by NO means is everyone here like that, though.

It's definitely more expensive here. So... there's that.

[jdevelop2]

Originally Posted by motoman

The two aren't even remotely comparable. The "LA area" is over 20 times the size of Austin. 15,000,000 people versus 710,000 in Austin.

Austin is very laid back and a pretty cool place. But you aren't going to find the diversity of people and things to do like you would in LA. It really just depends on what you are looking for.

This is just an ignorant post. IF we are comparing "areas" then the Austin "area" or MSA is 1.75 million.

[readymade]

Originally Posted by jdevelop2

This is just an ignorant post. IF we are comparing "areas" then the Austin "area" or MSA is 1.75 million.

It's not an ignorant post. Austin is a lot LOT smaller than Los Angeles. That's the truth. I think I mentioned above that one can drive through downtown Austin (end to end) in about 5 minutes without traffic.

Depending on who you are... this could be a good thing or a bad thing.

[nowincal11]

Originally Posted by jdevelop2

This is just an ignorant post. IF we are comparing "areas" then the Austin "area" or MSA is 1.75 million.

Big deal. They are cities of 2 completely different dimensions.