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Old 04-10-2016, 10:50 PM
 
16 posts, read 29,069 times
Reputation: 10

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Moved to CA 1.5 years ago for a job in Chino, and so I decided to live in Brea.

I got a new job in the SE corner of Gardena (intersection of 110 and 405), and looking to move from Brea (my apt is month to month so I can leave anytime) since the 50 min to 1 hr drive is killing me.

About me:
- 28, single, no kids/pets, good paying job

What I'm Looking For:
- shared living (<$1000 with utilities) (checking Craig's List right now for a roommate situation)
- max 30 min drive to work with traffic
- relatively safe area
- area with friendly people, and other young professionals

Locations I'm Thinking About:
- Long Beach
- Torrance
- Redondo Beach
- Hermosa Beach
- Manhattan Beach

Do you recommend any other spots, or know anything about these spots that I should be careful of?
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Old 04-11-2016, 06:36 AM
 
4,538 posts, read 10,629,904 times
Reputation: 4073
Add El Segundo, drop Long Beach(due to length of commute).

Roommates.com is worth a look.

You may want to look at some apartments along Crenshaw between the 405 and Redondo Beach Bl. Its Torrance. The apartments are dated, but many buildings have nice and clean apartments. Rents on a 1 bedroom can be as low as $900-1100, but of course you have utilities, cable, and internet on top of that.
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Old 04-11-2016, 10:58 AM
 
29 posts, read 34,353 times
Reputation: 22
I would leave Long Beach on your list--it's a big city geographically and there are some really fun areas that might fall in your commute parameters. In my opinion, Torrance is a drag for a young single professional--better for families. Hermosa is definitely fun as are the parts of Redondo near the water. Manhattan Beach might be too expensive for you. And I agree, El Segundo has some fun happening too. Good luck!
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Old 04-12-2016, 07:10 PM
 
270 posts, read 274,083 times
Reputation: 225
There's plenty of safe housing that's affordable in Gardena. I rented out a garage converted into an apartment for $750 back in 2009-2010 utilities and direct tv included (had to pay for internet). 10 min from Manhattan and Hermosa, Costco and Trader Joe's as well.

If you can't find a safe place in Gardena, take JohnG72's advice and live in Torrance. It's not like you have to drive that far to go to Hermosa. With Uber, it's not even that expensive to get over there and you save a fortune in rent.
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Old 04-14-2016, 12:56 PM
 
Location: SCW, AZ
8,320 posts, read 13,450,418 times
Reputation: 7987
Quote:
Originally Posted by vzil View Post
Moved to CA 1.5 years ago for a job in Chino, and so I decided to live in Brea.

I got a new job in the SE corner of Gardena (intersection of 110 and 405), and looking to move from Brea (my apt is month to month so I can leave anytime) since the 50 min to 1 hr drive is killing me.

About me:
- 28, single, no kids/pets, good paying job

What I'm Looking For:
- shared living (<$1000 with utilities) (checking Craig's List right now for a roommate situation)
- max 30 min drive to work with traffic
- relatively safe area
- area with friendly people, and other young professionals

Locations I'm Thinking About:
- Long Beach
- Torrance
- Redondo Beach
- Hermosa Beach
- Manhattan Beach

Do you recommend any other spots, or know anything about these spots that I should be careful of?
Here is what I am thinking, based on what you declared, any one of those cities would fit the bill but here is some additional persona input:

Note: Commute times and rent will change based on where you reside in but Torrance is likely to be the closest, however imho, even though it is a nice city and safe, it is also the least exciting to live in. Long Beach is arguably the farthest but again commute distance, work hours and route you take could make that a bigger or less of an issue. Cost of living in LB is likely to be the lowest for a comparable place. LB is also a very diverse and exciting city. Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo are all cool, safe places to live in but more costlier than the other two. I have also wrote them in the order of more expensive to less.

- Long Beach -
Pros: Diverse, fun town with tons of attractions and things to do, place to hang out/shop at. Low housing.
Cons: Possibly longer commute times. There are not-so-safe parts but you are not likely to be renting or hanging out at those -mainly residential- parts so this is not a real "con" to be honest.

- Torrance -
Pros: Possibly the shortest commute times with varies commute route options. Decent and safe-ish city. Decent shopping malls/options.
Cons: Has inexpensive housing options but very limited. Not much in the way of excitement or things to do, especially for an active single person at your age.

- Manhattan/Redondo/Hermosa Beach -
Pros: Fun and safe places to live in, street commute times should be acceptable (under or around 30 mins). Very close to beach, cooler temperature years around than the other two.
Cons: More expensive than the other two.


Fun Place <-------------------------------------> Not-so-much
Long Beach | Redondo | Manhattan | Hermosa | Torrance

Safe Place <------------------------------------> Not-so-much
Manhattan | Hermosa | Redondo | Torrance | Long Beach

Inexpensive <----------------------------------> Not-so-much
Long Beach | Torrance | Redondo | Hermosa | Manhattan

(Possibly) Short Commute <----------------> Not-so-much
Torrance | Hermosa/Manhattan/Redondo | Long Beach

If you don't care to be living by the beach then Torrance might be a good option, since you are really close to all other cities and activities they offer. I think any one of these cities would be a good choice, it all boils down to the choice you will end up with housing.
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Old 05-08-2016, 09:31 PM
 
16 posts, read 29,069 times
Reputation: 10
I've been driving around more and wanted to refine what I'm looking at now:

- west side of Long Beach near 110 (25 min commute)
- Redondo (25 min)
- Hermosa (30-35 min)
- Playa Del Ray (25 min)

On more input on these?

WHat do people do for fun in Redondo/Hermosa? It seems like there is the pier with bars and stuff, but that's it. I like how Long Beach has a bit of a downtown area. Playa seems nice because it has a small town feel but still close to some other larger cities.

Also, I'm looking to only rent a room with other roommmates. I'm not planning on finding a place on my own for < $1K
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Old 05-09-2016, 12:08 AM
 
Location: TOVCCA
8,452 posts, read 15,043,863 times
Reputation: 12532
Try roomster.com, it's more secure than roommates.com:
https://www.roomster.com/Search/Los%...118.1552891--1
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Old 05-13-2016, 11:13 PM
 
16 posts, read 29,069 times
Reputation: 10
Anything else?
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