Moving to Santa Monica from UK with teenage kids (Brentwood: to buy, private schools)

[Cold and forever chilly]

Hello I'm in need of help, my husband is considering a job in Santa Monica, we are both English and have lived here all our lives, we have 3 children 14, 12 and 9. I have been looking at schools close to Santa Monica and to tell the truth what I read fills me with dread, I'm trying to keep an open mind as we both originate from London and some terrible things happen there which don't necessarily effect everyone. The thought of being warm does appeal but obviously the kids come first. We are looking for an area which has small town feel, is there such an area? Please help cos we're going into this blind and to have opinions from locals would benefit us greatly.
Thanks!

[Sorcerer68]

Santa Monica is a very nice place to live. I wouldn't say it's got a small town vibe but the beach cities here tend to move a little slower. The closest place with any vibe like that that I can think of is Brentwood. Pacific Palisades does somewhat but housing is a little more. Santa Monica and Venice have a HUGE amount of tourist traffic as well as the rest of L.A. going to the beach there on the weekends. Go inland just a little and you don't see it. It makes for an interesting mix of people pretty much any time of the year. Weather is nice with the coolest summers in L.A. Being the beach and having a mild climate, lots of homeless people congregate just north of the pier. This is pretty much the one and only reason people ever badmouth Santa Monica.

LOTS of people from England now reside in Santa Monica. It seems to have become the UK mecca. Hopefully someone from your part of the world who relocated there will respond.

[Cold and forever chilly]

Thanks for your quick and friendly reply

[impala666]

Originally Posted by Cold and forever chilly

Hello I'm in need of help, my husband is considering a job in Santa Monica, we are both English and have lived here all our lives, we have 3 children 14, 12 and 9. I have been looking at schools close to Santa Monica and to tell the truth what I read fills me with dread, I'm trying to keep an open mind as we both originate from London and some terrible things happen there which don't necessarily effect everyone. The thought of being warm does appeal but obviously the kids come first. We are looking for an area which has small town feel, is there such an area? Please help cos we're going into this blind and to have opinions from locals would benefit us greatly.
Thanks!

If you need to be near Santa Monica for work I would look at Pacific Palisades.
With three kids schools are a major consideration.
You will hear this a lot so I will be the first to tell you,this place is no different to London in the respect that your quality of life,safety and general happiness will depend on your budget and that will dictate where you live. In my opinion it's not necessary to live in "hot spots" that are buzzing with action 24 hours a day,it can be a liability especially if you have kids.
If you are looking to buy pay attention to the property tax(it's not like the council tax at home)as the price of the property goes up so does the property tax and at 1% of the property value it can soon add up to hefty annual payment.
Also the income tax is more than in the UK when you add the state tax to the federal tax it will be more than the 40% top tax rate in the UK so remember that when negotiating you salary.
Daily stuff is cheap here (even the gas that everyone whines about)when you compare it with the UK.
Have a look at www.vons.com for on line food prices.
When you are advised to learn Spanish this in not a joke.
A skill I picked up almost accidentally in the Costa Del Sol and the Dominican Republic I use everyday here and am very happy about it!!

[CESpeed]

One of the biggest drawbacks to LA living is the intruders who are trying to make English obsolete. It's not as bad in Santa Monica or any area where there are predominately white people. Santa Monica is actually is very lovely area and they take living green very seriously. Good Luck.

[Cold and forever chilly]

Great I'll look at Pacific Palisades, does anyone know what the schools are like there, as this is the main concern that the whole deal hangs on, what are private school fees like?

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by Cold and forever chilly

Great I'll look at Pacific Palisades, does anyone know what the schools are like there, as this is the main concern that the whole deal hangs on, what are private school fees like?

Here's a link on the Great Schools Web site with rankings and information about all public and private schools in Pacific Palisades. You can also look up schools in Santa Monica and in other parts of LA.

Pacific Palisades, California Schools - Best Public Pacific Palisades School Ratings

When it comes to private schools near the Palisades and Westside generally, a few of the best include:

Elementary
St. Matthew's Parish
Village School
John Thomas Dye

Middle and High Schools
Crossroads School
Brentwood School
Harvard-Westlake
Marymount High School

[Dirk Bonner]

Originally Posted by Cold and forever chilly

Great I'll look at Pacific Palisades, does anyone know what the schools are like there, as this is the main concern that the whole deal hangs on, what are private school fees like?

You need not worry about the schools in those areas. They are top notch, and the private schools are among the best there are.

If you are interested in private high schools, I would suggest the Brentwood School. One of the best in the country.

[Cold and forever chilly]

The private sector will be a last resort as I'm not sure we will be able to afford them, that's why I'm interested in finding good state schools. I seem to keep reading very negative stuff about race driven gang wars so obviously I want to avoid this.

[mkdude_08]

While I'd imagine you've already looked into it, have you taken the cost of living into account? I do know that London is very expensive as well (although I've never been there myself).