Working in Carson: Long Beach vs. Redondo/Hermosa (Torrance, Redondo Beach: real estate, houses)

[NC_Corr]

Hello! I will be moving to California to start a job working in Carson. I have friends who live in LA that recommended living in the Redondo/Hermosa Beach areas. None of my friends are familiar with Long Beach area, which seems more affordable. I'm in my late 20's and enjoy running, yoga, and was looking forward to beach activities (currently living in Houston). How does Long Beach compare to Redondo/Hermosa areas? I like the feel of a large city, do Redondo/Hermosa Beach have small-town feel? I won't know anyone in Southern California other than my friends in LA, is Long Beach an impossible drive from LA when you factor in traffic? Any tips appreciated!

Thank you in advance!!!

[socal88]

I recommend Redondo/Hermosa over Long Beach by a long shot. It's a much nicer and safer area. The name Long Beach is a bit deceiving. There are some cool spots like Belmont Shore but other than that, it's more or less just a city by the ocean with some . Unless you were afford a place in the Belmont Shore area in Long Beach, I would avoid Long Beach especially the southwest and northwest parts of the city with high gang concentrations. It's more affordable for a reason. Hermosa especially is great for young singles if you want to engage beach activities where you can run along the boardwalk and have a lot of bars/restaurants/yoga studios in close proximity.

[Rkstar71]

Long Beach is a ghetto. The nice area of LB is for ultra-wealthy people.

Carson isn't too bad. Although the real estate prices are through the roof for a house so close to your neighbors that you can hear them brush their teeth in the morning.

[thelopez2]

Originally Posted by NC_Corr

Hello! I will be moving to California to start a job working in Carson. I have friends who live in LA that recommended living in the Redondo/Hermosa Beach areas. None of my friends are familiar with Long Beach area, which seems more affordable. I'm in my late 20's and enjoy running, yoga, and was looking forward to beach activities (currently living in Houston). How does Long Beach compare to Redondo/Hermosa areas? I like the feel of a large city, do Redondo/Hermosa Beach have small-town feel? I won't know anyone in Southern California other than my friends in LA, is Long Beach an impossible drive from LA when you factor in traffic? Any tips appreciated!

Thank you in advance!!!

Long Beach covers a large geographic area with a range of neighborhoods. You'll find a wide range of housing cost too. Hermosa Beach is the complete opposite and has a small town feel with housing ranging from expensive to more expensive.

What Hermosa Beach is planning now to curb the late-night party scene. Redondo is in between. The train in Long Beach are more accessible, you can take them to Downtown Long Beach, or Downtown LA and transfer to about anywhere. The train in Redondo terminates at the office, job, locations.

You're looking at least 20 minutes to the edge of Carson from Hermosa/Redondo with traffic. Hard to estimate from Long Beach due to the size.

Where in LA are your friends?

There are ample yoga, running, crossfit, activities, meetups, through LA/Long Beach/ Hermosa Redondo. Meeting people won't be hard.

[Bert_from_back_East]

Originally Posted by Rkstar71

Long Beach is a ghetto. The nice area of LB is for ultra-wealthy people.

Carson isn't too bad. Although the real estate prices are through the roof for a house so close to your neighbors that you can hear them brush their teeth in the morning.

There are many, many neighborhoods of Long Beach that are, by no means, "ghetto."

What I find strange is that you recommend Carson (which is a pit, IMO) over the many safe, upscale, leafy neighborhoods of Long Beach. That's strange.

Honestly, OP, I wouldn't live in Carson rent-free with paid utilities.

Most of Redondo Beach isn't very nice, either, IMO.

I previously worked in the South Bay and would drive through Torrance and Redondo everyday on my way to and from the office. Based on what I've seen, I don't understand the hype - lots of pretty shoddy-looking neighborhoods with tons of transients and other sketchy-looking characters, if you ask me.

The only truly nice South Bay city outside of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is Manhattan Beach. The rest is fairly unforgettable and a little too dense for its own good (i.e., houses on top of one another with dingy alleyways, no landscaping and no accessible or reliable public transportation).

Hermosa is OK, but consistent with the other Beach Cities, it's very densely populated - all of the homes are located on top of one another, very little in the way of yards or landscaping, etc.

Contrast that with the more upscale neighborhoods of Long Beach, which are definitely more aesthetically pleasing. I've yet to see a neighborhood like Bixby Knolls, Park Estates, Bluff Park, Bixby Hill or Alamitos Heights in Hermosa or Redondo.