any good urban areas in long beach to live with in? (Los Angeles: rent, insurance)

[the city]

So after going I graduate from California State Univeristy Northridge I plan to move to Long Beach, CA. Since Northridge is suburban, and I have already lived in a rural and ex-urban community I want to try urban. I plan to have one kid one day, so I am hoping for a safe neighborhood. I am probably going to making around $70,000 as a city planner. Also, I plan to keep my future wife at home. And my parents told me that whatever my down payment is that they would be willing to pay that. I am also hoping to find a condo or house I can own in some urban part of Long Beach. Thanks for the help.

[bhcompy]

70000 would be pushing it in the first place. my family makes a little bit more and we're pinching plenty of pennies paying average rent in the area(which will be cheaper than any mortgage after taxes, insurance, and maintenance. hoas on condos in the area are also very expensive generally)

as far as safe urban long beach, downtown, east arts district/bluff park area, naples, and belmont shore/belmont heights are all urban or semi-urban and have housing available

[the city]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

70000 would be pushing it in the first place. my family makes a little bit more and we're pinching plenty of pennies paying average rent in the area(which will be cheaper than any mortgage after taxes, insurance, and maintenance. hoas on condos in the area are also very expensive generally)

as far as safe urban long beach, downtown, east arts district/bluff park area, naples, and belmont shore/belmont heights are all urban or semi-urban and have housing available

so $70,000 is cutting it close? well, then i guess ill be cutting it close.

so how is long beach? the only bad side i see is the normal competive and not-so-friendly tempo from people in the area and the traffic which ill probably get used to. and then of course there r the gangs and poverty, but that can be avoided.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by the city

So after going I graduate from California State Univeristy Northridge I plan to move to Long Beach, CA. Since Northridge is suburban, and I have already lived in a rural and ex-urban community I want to try urban. I plan to have one kid one day, so I am hoping for a safe neighborhood. I am probably going to making around $70,000 as a city planner. Also, I plan to keep my future wife at home. And my parents told me that whatever my down payment is that they would be willing to pay that. I am also hoping to find a condo or house I can own in some urban part of Long Beach. Thanks for the help.

Reality check: City planner? Planning what? Pretty much the entire LA metropolitan area is already built out.

And yesterday you said you wanted suburbia in Agoura Hills. Now you're saying you want urban Long Beach. It's getting hard for us to keep up.

[NaplesRes]

Long Beach has very urban parts and very suburban parts. It's a big city with different feeling neighborhoods. Some are extremely safe and some are not. Whatever you're looking for you'll find in LB however 70k for a family may not be easy in the desirable parts of Long Beach.

[the city]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Reality check: City planner? Planning what? Pretty much the entire LA metropolitan area is already built out.

And yesterday you said you wanted suburbia in Agoura Hills. Now you're saying you want urban Long Beach. It's getting hard for us to keep up.

well, i want to experience living in all the different types of communties. i have lived in an ex-urban community and rural one. i thought northridge would give me a taste of urban living, but it wont. so i want to live in long beach. and yeah, a city planner does more than building. they also fix and keep areas nice, we follow what the community wants. and cities constantly need new ones that know how to develop correctly.

yeah, i dont want my future wife to be working. i plan to get a 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo in a safe urban neighborhood in long beach, ca. my kid will be an interdistrict transfer to a smaller and safer school. and like i said i will be making $70,000 when i become a associate planner (by that time ill have one kid and a wife).

so will it be possible to get into a safe urban neighborhood condo and have a wife not working to stay home with the one kid in long beach, ca?

[NaplesRes]

Originally Posted by the city

well, i want to experience living in all the different types of communties. i have lived in an ex-urban community and rural one. i thought northridge would give me a taste of urban living, but it wont. so i want to live in long beach. and yeah, a city planner does more than building. they also fix and keep areas nice, we follow what the community wants. and cities constantly need new ones that know how to develop correctly.

yeah, i dont want my future wife to be working. i plan to get a 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo in a safe urban neighborhood in long beach, ca. my kid will be an interdistrict transfer to a smaller and safer school. and like i said i will be making $70,000 when i become a associate planner (by that time ill have one kid and a wife).

so will it be possible to get into a safe urban neighborhood condo and have a wife not working to stay home with the one kid in long beach, ca?

Yes. You won't have tons of discretionary income, but you could manage.

[KnoxTown]

Originally Posted by the city

well, i want to experience living in all the different types of communties. i have lived in an ex-urban community and rural one. i thought northridge would give me a taste of urban living, but it wont. so i want to live in long beach. and yeah, a city planner does more than building. they also fix and keep areas nice, we follow what the community wants. and cities constantly need new ones that know how to develop correctly.

yeah, i dont want my future wife to be working. i plan to get a 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo in a safe urban neighborhood in long beach, ca. my kid will be an interdistrict transfer to a smaller and safer school. and like i said i will be making $70,000 when i become a associate planner (by that time ill have one kid and a wife).

so will it be possible to get into a safe urban neighborhood condo and have a wife not working to stay home with the one kid in long beach, ca?

Supporting a family on 70,000 will probably be tough. Why do you have everything so planned out already? How do you know you'll get that job? What if you get sick of Long Beach? Who says you get married by then?

[vegaspilgrim]

If you're interested in living in Long Beach you might as well go to Cal State Long Beach-- home of the Dirtbags. CSULB is a really nice campus and in a nice suburban neighborhood, but not too far from Belmont Shores and downtown LB. I actually have a photo tour of CSULB, haven't posted it yet, maybe if I get around to it.

[the city]

well, here are my choices:

1) Northridge, Los Angeles, Ca (urban-suburban) - Agoura Hills, CA (suburban)
2) Northridge, Los Angeles, Ca (urban-suburban) - Long Beach, CA (urban)
3) Northridge, Los Angeles, Ca (urban-suburban) - Glendale, Ca (suburban-urban)

According to my u.s. history teacher that I had last year, who happens to be from Northridge, she says that in the 50s-70s it used to be a suburb of LA where ppl would commute to downtown LA (urban). and she says that long beach and many of the communites in the area all started as suburbs at one point. she says now northridge is like a little mexico and is suburban-urbanish. she says its not as urban as the downtown, but it is a suburb of the downtown and very urban. so its suburban-urban, but she would say anywhere in that city there's urban even though some parts may be a little more suburban or rural. she suggested to me that i dont live in the area and to go live in ventura area. she thinks the LA county area just looks all the same mushed together and is horrible place to live.