Moving to LA - recommendations on places to live? (Glendale: apartment, for rent)

[carrboroite]

Hello!

My boyfriend and I are moving to LA in March. He's found a job in Santa Clarita, which apparently is close to nothing. All of my job prospects are out towards the IE - like Colton, Covina, San Dimas, and the closest - Arcadia. Is there somewhere we can live that is nice that would be somewhat of an equal commute time for both of us? Or at least under an hour commute for me? We were initially thinking of living in Pasadena - may be a bit far for Colton... Any suggestions? We're looking for a safe place to live, and willing to spend up to 2500/mos for rent.

[CBaillo]

well the good thing is that if you live somewhere in the middle traffic shouldnt be an issue, because you'll be going opposite every morning/afternoon from everybody else.

[TonyT]

Hi Carrboroite:

If you don't have to go to work in Colton, you should probably scratch that off your list. It would not be a pleasant drive from say, Pasadena, and I doubt that you could do it under an hour. Commuting to Arcadia would be a snap since it is virtually next door to Pasadena. Covina and San Dimas would work out well also.

Pasadena is certainly a nice place to live and I would think you could find something for rent in your price range. It's relatively safe, though like most places it has it's good an bad areas. You might try Glendale also. I grew up there, and though it has gotten too big and crowded for me to ever want to move back to it, I think it too would suit your needs.

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by carrboroite

Hello!
My boyfriend and I are moving to LA in March. He's found a job in Santa Clarita, which apparently is close to nothing. All of my job prospects are out towards the IE - like Colton, Covina, San Dimas, and the closest - Arcadia. Is there somewhere we can live that is nice that would be somewhat of an equal commute time for both of us? Or at least under an hour commute for me? We were initially thinking of living in Pasadena - may be a bit far for Colton... Any suggestions? We're looking for a safe place to live, and willing to spend up to 2500/mos for rent.

Yeah, Santa Clarita to the Inland Empire would be too far. If you were to stay in Pasadena, your commute to Colton would be about 50 minutes to an hour, because you are heading east rather than west. The places you located in the Inland Empire are very west of the region, which saves about 20 to 30 minutes due to East I.E areas because of the terrifying 91 freeway. All the Cities you mentioned are quite closer than Colton, resulting in less traffic time. I'd say Arcadia is definently the closest, with Covina and then San Dimas behind. Arcadia 15-20 minutes, Covina 25-30 minutes, and San Dimas 40-45 minutes. You could afford an apartment in Pasadena easy for 2500 a month, in a decent neighborhood. Burbank is a great city as well, and is Pasadena's neighbor. South Pasadena is a great place to live. Glendale is a wonderful location. All these places are very safe. For your husband, these cities are very close to the Santa Clarita Valley, and would probably result in 25-30 minute traffic. Hope this helps friend, where you guys coming from?

[carrboroite]

Thanks for the advice! Is there a city closer to the IE than Pasadena that is a good place to live? For instance, is Arcadia a nice area?

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by carrboroite

Thanks for the advice! Is there a city closer to the IE than Pasadena that is a good place to live? For instance, is Arcadia a nice area?

Hey Carr, Pasadena and Arcadia are sister cities. This is probably as middle ground between your husband heading to Santa Clarita and you to the Inland Empire. Both are very nice areas, with great schools. You could look into South Pasadena as well. An average Arcadia household is about $17,000above the median income per family in the U.S., with Pasadena being $6,000 above. Pasadena is extremely diverse, and Arcadia has a huge asian population. Arcadia is about 3 times smaller than Pasadena. Pasadena does have a few rough areas, but you will easily notice by the run-down exterior of homes and landscape. Anymore questions?! Hope that helps!

[TonyT]

Arcadia is great but I doesn't really get you much closer to the Inland Empire. If your boyfriend is willing to drive a little further to make things easier for you then Glendora, San Dimas, Claremont are nice places. I would avoid Montclair and Pomona. You might also try La Verne and Rancho Cucamonga. Beyond that I wouldn't say you have a whole lot of options.

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

Is there any way you could get a job closer to Santa Clarita, or could he look near where you are looking? Otherwise, here come two more cars commuting hundreds of hours a week.

[jayolm]

Anywhere farther East than Arcadia would probably be too far for your boyfriend to commute to Santa Clarita, so cities like San Dimas, Glendora, Montclair, etc., while nice places to live, would be too far for him. The part of Pasadena south of the 210 freeway, Arcadia, and South Pasadena are all very nice areas to live in. "Old Town" Pasadena will give you more entertainment and nightlife, while South Pasadena and Arcadia will give you a more quiet, somewhat nicer neighborhood with good schools. Although the city of South Pasadena is very close to Old Town Pasadena, so perhaps that's the best of both worlds.

The cities of La Canada and Montrose are also nice, and would be closer to Santa Clarita, yet still not too far from Arcadia. But they'd probably be too far for you to commute to San Dimas or Covina, although you'd be going against traffic. Colton is way out there, too far from anything!

[carrboroite]

Thanks for all the replies - the information is really helpful! As to finding jobs closer to one another - um yeah, obviously that would be fabulous, but unfortunately that hasn't been a possibility so far.