Professional couple moving from NYC Neighborhood Guidance (Los Angeles, Long Beach: rooftop, to live in)

[nycdweller1234]

Originally Posted by capoeira

Check out Belmont Shore in Long Beach. This is a pleasant walkable neighborhood close to the ocean. This location is also a short drive to lots of ethnic cuisine. There is the huge Little Saigon in Westminster,the Korean neighborhood in Garden Grove,some authentic Chinese cuisine in Westminster plus more in Cerritos,Little India on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia and the Little Cambodia on Anaheim St. in Long Beach.

Thanks for the suggestion! I did hear about Belmont Shore (one of their properties were featured on Milliondollar Listing LA ). That area is likely out of our price range (ideally we want to be purchasing a home for 600-800k once we are settled in).

[HB2HSV]

Surprised you did not list Irvine as one of possibilities. It checks off many on your list. Needs a car but not too congested if you avoid rush hours. A "city" feels but not a "skyscraper " feel. Lots of Asian restaurants but not "too Asian" like the SGV "Asian". Great access to nearby places like the beaches, malls (South Coast Plaza), San Diego, etc. For your budget It's a good choice.

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally Posted by nycdweller1234

Thanks will look into it. Wouldn't I be going against traffic though?

Ain't no such thing in So Cal anymore.

Irvine/Newport Beach would be my pick. They are much nicer areas than Torrance and Redondo. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach don't really fit the profile you laid out.

[TimTheEnchanter]

PS I would take weather into account too. In Summer the difference in temperature at the coast and inland could be as much 20 degrees. That is why in the "old days" it seemed like every family in Pasadena had a beach house in Newport Beach/Balboa Island.

[Jay100]

Originally Posted by nycdweller1234

Hey everyone,

My girlfriend and are will be moving to the LA/OC area in the next year or two from Queens, NYC. We are in our early 30s, professionals (healthcare). I'm looking for some guidance regarding which neighborhood I should do some more research on. I've already done some research but I think the best info comes from people who have actually lived in those areas or its surrounding areas. As of now, we don't know where we will be working but that will be of course a major deciding factor regarding where we will live but I don't think it hurts to be researching into potential neighborhoods.

Essential requirements
1) Accessible to other areas of LA/OC by car. We don't want to be living in north San Fernando Valley or Mission Viejo which would limit job opportunities due to an extended commute time. Also we have family in Irvine/SGV so it would be nice to visit those areas here and there.
2) Within 45 mins - 1 hour of LAX. We like to travel internationally and have family outside the country that we would like to visit. We also want to make it easier for them to visit us.
3) Safe - no explanation needed.
4) Within our budget, we will likely make a combined income of around 200k, looking for 1BD rents around 1500-3000 a month (of course lower the better).

Ideal requirements
1) Diverse cuisine with an emphasis on Asian food - ideal area would be in or close to an area with Asian culture/food as we are both Asians but diversity would be nice too.
2) Not a "boring" neighborhood. Ideally we would like to live in an area with things to do like shopping/outdoor activities (hiking, beach, biking). Basically not looking for a retirement neighborhood.
3) Having a "city" feel. This is probably unrealistic coming from NYC but the better "city-like" feel the area has, the better.

Things we do not particularly care about
1) Bars and clubs. Neither of use are into these activities and I think its actually worse to have these around for us.
2) Space. We are used to small spaces. Currently we are living in a 1 bedroom 600 sq ft apt, so we are used to it. Of course a larger apt/more space would be nice.
3) Good schools, no kids currently, will not be important for maybe 10 years.

So far my research has lead me to these areas (no particular order)
LA County:
1) Torrance
2) Pasadena
3) Long Beach:was high on my list due to "city-like" vibes but seems like crime is higher than other interested areas (guess that should be expected for a "city-like" area).
4) Hermosa Beach
5) Redondo Beach
6) 626 area: this would probably the easiest area to settle in but concerned that it might be "too Asian" and lack the diversity I'm used to in Queens, NY. Also perhaps a bit far from the beach?

OC: haven't really looked too much into OC yet but my general take away is that it is a much calmer LA county
1) Huntington beach

You're going to need a car and learn to drive, period. You can't walk to the mountains and the beach.
Try Westwood/Brentwood/the Wilshire corridor. Westwood has a Manhattan feel. Lots of smart young UCLA students walking around and it's very diverse. Queens would be more like the Adams District in South LA.

[Angelino19]

For a diverse urban feel and more of a hipster vibe I'd suggest Pasadena, Silverlake (LA City), Los Feliz (LA City). Of course the most diverse and urban neighborhood in LA, outside of downtown, is Korea Town (K-Town). It's a mixed bag of low income apartments and very high end apartments. You'll find plenty of hiking trails close by at Griffith Park. For my taste I find Orange county to be a bit boring and very conservative.

[nycdweller1234]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Surprised you did not list Irvine as one of possibilities. It checks off many on your list. Needs a car but not too congested if you avoid rush hours. A "city" feels but not a "skyscraper " feel. Lots of Asian restaurants but not "too Asian" like the SGV "Asian". Great access to nearby places like the beaches, malls (South Coast Plaza), San Diego, etc. For your budget It's a good choice.

Hey, I initially crossed out Irvine because I kept reading about how "boring" it is and how it was mainly for established families. I think once we start to have a family its definitely an area that we will consider. Also living in Irvine rules out any job opportunities in SFV and west LA, west SGV. It opens up some opportunities in south OC but not as many as it eliminates. I'll consider it if I find an opportunity in OC. Thanks!

[nycdweller1234]

Originally Posted by Jay100

You're going to need a car and learn to drive, period. You can't walk to the mountains and the beach.
Try Westwood/Brentwood/the Wilshire corridor. Westwood has a Manhattan feel. Lots of smart young UCLA students walking around and it's very diverse. Queens would be more like the Adams District in South LA.

Not sure where you get the impression that I don't want a car or can't drive. I am planning to get a car and plan on avoiding the DTLA, west LA areas because of traffic/parking. I'm aware that its terrible in general but it must be worse in the tourist/DT area.

[Meowen]

Personally I think a better strategy would be to figure out where you are going to work first, then decide on an area to live, if at all possible.

If you want both city vibes and asian food LA is your only choice. (ktown, hollywood, west la). My partner and I live in LA, (hollywood) and we love it for the city feel, the central location and easy access to a lot of good asian food (he is Vietnamese).

We are surrounded by Thai Town, Korea Town, little tokyo, and little osaka. Not to mention SVG is a 30 minutes drive and full of the best chinese food in socal. We also frequently drive to Westminster in OC (~1 hour) on the weekends and get vietnamese food.(probably the best in the US).

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by nycdweller1234

Hey, I initially crossed out Irvine because I kept reading about how "boring" it is and how it was mainly for established families. I think once we start to have a family its definitely an area that we will consider. Also living in Irvine rules out any job opportunities in SFV and west LA, west SGV. It opens up some opportunities in south OC but not as many as it eliminates. I'll consider it if I find an opportunity in OC. Thanks!

I agree with Meowen that maybe you should nail down where you'll be working first then figure out where to live. Since you will be renting, finding a 1 bd rm within your budget should not be a problem. If it turns out you don't like the area, picking up & move is easy.

There are lots of choices in the greater LA/ OC area and without an anchor, where you work, it will be difficult to decide.