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I've visited SoCal many times over the years, probably been about 8 or 9 times in the past decade, but never once have I taken public transit. Also have close friends and family residing in the area but they're all out in suburban areas as far as I know (Irvine, Rancho Cucamonga, Pasadena, Walnut, Rowland Heights and Torrance)
So, just wondering what are the good neighborhoods to live in LA for a family with the following priorities (in order):
1) Wants to primarily live carless (owning a single car isn't out of the question). But having all the basic needs of a family within walking, biking or convenient transit.
2) Be able to reasonably access the region's Chinese communities and also great Asian food...again without driving if possible.
3) Decent family-friendly environment (parks/businesses/arts&culture, etc) but schools may not matter so don't weigh that too heavily.
4) If possible, obviously lower COL and real estate/rent would be better than higher.
Doable, but not easy. And 4) contradicts with 1-3)
I'd say LA public transportation is quite decent, so if you can find any cheaper place along the colored lines, you should be good. Forlocal trips around your neighborhood, you could take care with a bike. For longer (such as visiting friends) - renting a car.
For convenience, I'd probably choose West Holliwood and around. For price - anything along "Orange" line. Maybe there are other good areas, IDK... Depending on where your work might be.
The pan-Chinese American communities are focused in the western San Gabriel valley to the north-northeast areas of Los Angeles city.
The wealth of Asian foods area mainly in the central city to Downtown. Koreatown- Korean, Hollywood/Western area Thaitown - Thai, Historic Filipinotown - Filipinio, Chinatown Downtown - Chinese and Vietnamese food, Little Tokyo for Japanese. All these areas are near a MetroRail line or close to Downtown (short bus ride).
I think you should look along the Gold Line. Chinatown/Lincoln Heights have high Chinese populations but usually economically poorer. Highland Park is a good choice with good parks, pool, library, many stores, good community but is gentrifying rapidly. Also look into Garvanza, Mt Washington, Hermon, Montecito Heights as they are somewhat nicer/safer but is mostly just residential with a few shops. Youll need to go to Highland Park for most things like supermarkets, banks, many stores and other things. Gangs and crime happen still, but improving with gentrification. South Pasadena is a nice safe upper middle class suburban area with a Gold Line stop. Very clean, family friendly, and highly desirable. Pasadena is very nice in many areas.
The Gold Line Foothill extension will open in spring-summer 2016 adding 7 new stops I think. Arcadia is another nice suburban area to live but expensive. The bus transit is ok but not as frequent, but hopefully the new train will add better connectivity and grow the commercial center that is mainly focused in the Santa Anita mall.
Alhambra is a good semi-urban area that has lower COL than South Pasadena. Lot of stores, eateries, movie theatres and transit by bus. Getting to Downtown LA or Pasadena by bus in less than 30 minutes.
But overall if you want a more transit area, you should look into being near a train station to enjoy all the cultural/places of interest in LA. In spring 2016, youll be able take the train from Downtown LA to Santa Monica downtown/beach/pier in about 50 minutes.
There are other areas along other metro rail you can look into but not too familiar with them.
Doable, but not easy. And 4) contradicts with 1-3)
Well, I meant if there are multiple options, lower COL would be a tiebreaker. Not that the area needs to be of lower COL than the rest of the metro.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brrabbit
Depending on where your work might be.
Great thing is, I wouldn't really worry about that. It might come into play on some deeper level (for networking, investing, etc) but there wouldn't be a need for a daily commute to any place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saybanana
The pan-Chinese American communities are focused in the western San Gabriel valley to the north-northeast areas of Los Angeles city.
The wealth of Asian foods area mainly in the central city to Downtown. Koreatown- Korean, Hollywood/Western area Thaitown - Thai, Historic Filipinotown - Filipinio, Chinatown Downtown - Chinese and Vietnamese food, Little Tokyo for Japanese. All these areas are near a MetroRail line or close to Downtown (short bus ride).
I think you should look along the Gold Line. Chinatown/Lincoln Heights have high Chinese populations but usually economically poorer. Highland Park is a good choice with good parks, pool, library, many stores, good community but is gentrifying rapidly. Also look into Garvanza, Mt Washington, Hermon, Montecito Heights as they are somewhat nicer/safer but is mostly just residential with a few shops. Youll need to go to Highland Park for most things like supermarkets, banks, many stores and other things. Gangs and crime happen still, but improving with gentrification. South Pasadena is a nice safe upper middle class suburban area with a Gold Line stop. Very clean, family friendly, and highly desirable. Pasadena is very nice in many areas.
The Gold Line Foothill extension will open in spring-summer 2016 adding 7 new stops I think. Arcadia is another nice suburban area to live but expensive. The bus transit is ok but not as frequent, but hopefully the new train will add better connectivity and grow the commercial center that is mainly focused in the Santa Anita mall.
Alhambra is a good semi-urban area that has lower COL than South Pasadena. Lot of stores, eateries, movie theatres and transit by bus. Getting to Downtown LA or Pasadena by bus in less than 30 minutes.
But overall if you want a more transit area, you should look into being near a train station to enjoy all the cultural/places of interest in LA. In spring 2016, youll be able take the train from Downtown LA to Santa Monica downtown/beach/pier in about 50 minutes.
Great! Sounds like you're basically saying it's certainly possible and that there are multiple options. We probably don't mind poorer neighborhoods (although can't say for sure til we try it). 95% likely any move wouldn't happen until 2017 so I guess more options along the Gold Line will be available then.
As most have said, Koreatown (Mid-Wilshire) and Little Tokyo (Downtown) are great places for this. East Hollywood contains Thai Town and is located on the Red Line. Sawtelle (LA's 2nd Japantown) does not have any train access but lots of buses and its pretty walkable - it is a better candidate for a car-lite.
And while Pasadena isn't an ethnic enclave, it does have a high Asian population (it's generally one of the most diverse parts of the city) and is right next to Monterey Park, Alhambra and the other East SGV cities with enormous Asian populations. There are no train connections between Pasadena and those suburban Chinatowns but Atlantic Blvd has a Rapid Bus that goes from Old Town (the street is Fair Oaks in Pas/South Pas) to Valley Blvd (and beyond) that runs fairly frequently.
Just got back from 5 days in LA. Unfortunately this time around we didnt get out to see much. Stayed with my cousin out in Alta Loma and had other relatives/friends come to see us there. Except for one dinner in Artesia and flying out of LAX, we never left the IE.
I do think that we are a little closer to the reality of temporary/part-time living in LA. For one, we've eliminated a few of the other options we were thinking about out west. Secondly, we are a little closer to the financial independence necessary. That said, I still think we're over a year away and it's always hard to say what exactly life is gonna throw our way when you're talking a year or two out.
Alright, all of that off my chest so I don't feel guilty about unwittingly taking up anyone's time, I am reinvigorated about investigating LA. I'd say there's a 75% chance we will spend at least 3 months "living" in LA in the next 5 years. I am looking at the region from Koreatown through Union Station, down to Little Tokyo and up to Chinatown. Also Highland Park. The surprising thing is I feel like there are so many areas that could be equally decent it's hard to really know where to start. Anyway, I'm not necessarily seeking any replies to any of the above...just continuing this thread as I will surely ask more questions here in the future.
I do have one question to ask now though, looking at airbnb it seems like something in the 2500-3500/month range is quite doable. I just want to know if this seems reasonable for a 2 bedroom in a nice location generally in the areas listed above. Airbnb would be the best route for us as everything would be furnished, include utilities/internet/etc, and give us flexibility to stay for just a few months at a time. But if there are alternatives to consider I'm all ears.
It's going to be pretty unrealistic to meet all those criteria especially if you're looking to keep driving to a minimum.
The major Chinese center is the San Gabriel Valley (Alhambra, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City, etc.). FYI, the epicenter of great Chinese food migrated from Chinatown to the San Gabriel Valley years ago.
I know others have suggested areas such as Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Koreatown, and Easy Hollywood. From a family friendly perspective, these areas don't fit that criteria well. Little Tokyo has some great food, but it's right next to Skid Row and there's essentially no green area/parks for kids to play. These areas overall are pretty grungy and are better suited for single folks.
Based on your criteria, your best bet would be Pasadena. It is suburban and family friendly feel, but also has the Gold Line train that drops right into downtown LA in less than 30 minutes. You have a lot of good restaurants and shops in and around Old Town while the best Chinese restaurants (and other good Asian spots) are a stone's throw away in adjacent San Gabriel Valley communities. Pasadena has a lot of good Asian food as well. You will need to do a little driving or get a little crafty with taking the bus. Plus, lots of parks and green areas there. In terms of rent, you can find some good deals if you're willing to live somewhere that's a little older with fewer amenities.
It's going to be pretty unrealistic to meet all those criteria especially if you're looking to keep driving to a minimum.
The major Chinese center is the San Gabriel Valley (Alhambra, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City, etc.). FYI, the epicenter of great Chinese food migrated from Chinatown to the San Gabriel Valley years ago.
I know others have suggested areas such as Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Koreatown, and Easy Hollywood. From a family friendly perspective, these areas don't fit that criteria well. Little Tokyo has some great food, but it's right next to Skid Row and there's essentially no green area/parks for kids to play. These areas overall are pretty grungy and are better suited for single folks.
Based on your criteria, your best bet would be Pasadena. It is suburban and family friendly feel, but also has the Gold Line train that drops right into downtown LA in less than 30 minutes. You have a lot of good restaurants and shops in and around Old Town while the best Chinese restaurants (and other good Asian spots) are a stone's throw away in adjacent San Gabriel Valley communities. Pasadena has a lot of good Asian food as well. You will need to do a little driving or get a little crafty with taking the bus. Plus, lots of parks and green areas there. In terms of rent, you can find some good deals if you're willing to live somewhere that's a little older with fewer amenities.
I appreciate all your comments! I'll adjust then...forget the 3rd and 4th criteria and focus on the top two:
1) carlite
2) access to Asian communities - particularly Chinese
If the priority is the walkability, does this lean away from Pasadena? Also note we aren't seeking the epicenter of all things Chinese...it seems there are clusters of Chinese businesses and people spread throughout much of the metro.
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