Relocation Santa Monica vs Long Beach (Los Angeles, Huntington Beach: apartment, home, neighborhoods)

[solarlunartide]

I'm from out of state and coming in for the long haul. Moving to either Santa Monica or Long Beach as a tech professional. I will be working from home and do not have to worry about any commutes im just curious on what area would be the best fit. It's looking like either Santa Monica or Long Beach area near Bellmot Shores/Alamitos beach. I'm single in my late twenties and curious about what spot would be great to make new friends and have a successful dating life along with doing a some outdoorsy things such as swimming, cycling, etc. I was leaning a bit more on long beach originally until I discovered the water isn't as swimmable as I'd like.

When I was in town I noticed Santa Monica to be very touristy while Long Beach to be a bit more laid back but also a central spot to hit other places within the area. How do you all think they fair against one another? Ideally i'm looking for a good spot that is cycle friendly, easy to meet people for friends and dating, enjoying a night out every now and then (not a hard core partier) but also not get stuck into just touristy attractions.

[Tops1234]

Lived in both places so I think I can provide a good comparison. Ultimately, I think it will come down to budget and what type of "scene" you are looking for. LBC is more reasonably priced and if you don't care about the West Side LA "scene" and the prestige of that area, then I'd go LBC. My wife on the other hand, greatly preferred SM. Different strokes for different folks!

SM - Touristy is correct, especially near the pier and 3rd street. Very expensive area across the board. Nice long bike bath at the beach and no shortage of things to do. Good location to get to the entire West side + LAX. Commute to places like DTLA and Hollywood can be 20 minutes or 1 hour, depending on traffic. Not too many people swim here, but there is plenty of surfing here and in Venice.

LBC- Much cheaper, although not cheap anymore. More diversity in terms of the neighborhoods, some really nice ones (Belmont Shore and Bixby Knolls, but also some really nasty ones. Great regional airport that even has direct flights to NYC. Also has a bike path along the beach, but its not as long. Wouldn't swim there and no surfing, but you aren't far from Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.

[Cloudwalker]

What about somewhere in between the two like Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey or even Manhattan Beach? Easy access to the coast (beach, bike path, etc). Still pricey, but not as much as SM. Part of the Silicon Beach area so high concentration of tech professionals (which may or may not be a good thing, from your point of view). Much less touristy. Close enough to easily get to SM or Venice, but not right in the thick of it.

I've never lived in Long Beach, but it would not be my first pick. I also wouldn't consider it to be central to places in Los Angeles County, much closer to Orange County.

[eureka1]

SM has a lot more class.

[HB2HSV]

Belmont Shore area has a high concentration of gay population. It's a "hip" area though.

If you're single, consider the Huntington Beach area. It's bigger and not far from Belmont Shore.

[5pyg1a55]

Long Beach is way out of the way to most things in LA, although it is not as expensive as the Westside.
Looking at Culver City/ "silicon beach' areas is a great idea, or even mid-city/ West LA.

My first apartment was in Santa Monica years ago in the Montana neighborhood- it was beautiful, but very yuppy'ish, and I never really left SM or went east of the 405. And most people I knew there didn't either. It was really insular. Now it's simply astronomically expensive and crowded.

All the best <3

[vincenze]

Originally Posted by solarlunartide

Ideally i'm looking for a good spot that is cycle friendly, easy to meet people for friends and dating, enjoying a night out every now and then.

Do you think you'll find many young ladies who can afford to pay $3k in Santa Monica without help of sugardaddies?
Or young students who can be your friends?

Why wouldn't you explore areas where students of UCLA and USC live?

I would recommend the areas near Wilshire/La Brea, 3rd/Fairfax, West Hollywood.

[TimTheEnchanter]

I'd choose Long Beach in a heart beat. Belmont Shore or along Ocean Ave. The water is quite swimmable actually. I've swam quite a few open water swims there and a few tri's. Seal Beach, just over the OC county line is nice too.

[teeej]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Belmont Shore area has a high concentration of gay population. It's a "hip" area though.

If you're single, consider the Huntington Beach area. It's bigger and not far from Belmont Shore.

How rough would a HB to LB commute be?

[Tops1234]

Originally Posted by teeej

How rough would a HB to LB commute be?

Not bad at all, under 30 minutes, depending on exactly where in both places you are going