Moving from Houston to LA?! :D (Los Angeles, Long Beach: sales, apartment, rent)

[Z_x]

Hello everyone. Im very interested in California and would like to make a change. I would like to move somewhere near Los Angeles and would possibly move July or August from Bay area Houston (The Clear Lake area to be more specific) BUTTT, I don't what areas to look at; im interested in Miami as well. I've heard of Orange County, LA County and Long Beach, could someone help me with those areas? I just turned 25, mostly Indian half black (lol) and want to live in a vibrant, diverse urban area in the metro area of LA (or in LA). I would like to live in a 1 or 2 bedroom townhouse, condo, or apartment but I would'nt mind a house. Would $3,000-$4,000 rent a month be enough?

Im worried due to that I may move to LA from Houston! Most people from other states are moving here including Califonians! So I need to know more!

-I have a bachelors degree in Technology, which is big in both Texas and California but, is there anything mostly based on technology thats hiring in the LA metro area?

-What about traffic, is every freeway clogged with traffic? I don't really care though because I like sitting in traffic sometimes lol.

-Do Earthquakes occur often?

-Pollution, I heard that its so polluted in LA that you can't see the Mountains! Is it true?!

Any additional information would be great!


Z_x

[Charles]

I know Clear Lake having worked at Johnson Space Center off and on for a couple years.

Everything will depend on where you get a job. Your budget sounds way more than enough for housing.

Recommend you search the threads typing in key words like you wrote above "single" "vibrant", etc.

Yes, traffic is really bad, that's why we need to know where you will be working.

Do you have a clearance? If so, there are tons of jobs in the El Segundo (near LAX) area (Redondo Beach too) plus there are neat places to live near there. Also, Long Beach and Huntington Beach have jobs and nightlife.

[THERUIZFAMILY]

You may want to do some more research on where to move...There's a reason why Californian's are leaving...I believe by July our sales tax will be at 10.75 % during a 40 something billion dollar budget defecit ..Traffic is pretty bad...Over here travel times are not measured in distance but in time because it takes alot of time to travel that small distance...The only thing good about California at this time the climate.

[uptown_urbanist]

Your rent budget would be more than enough, but right now the job situation is pretty rough in CA. I'm assuming that your housing budget is based on a projected salary? You'll want to have a job lined up in advance, especially if you're leaving a current job behind.

Traffic is really bad. The area you're looking at is huge, so I'd do more general research about target areas to help you target your job search (or else be willing to get the job first and then find the neighborhood).

Depending on exactly what you mean by "vibrant" (i.e. level of safety, access to public transit, how walkable, etc.) you'll be able to narrow down your location better. There are tons of diverse vibrant areas to choose from; I lived in Hollywood for a time, and that certainly fit the bill.

Moderate to big earthquakes don't happen all that much, but the reality is that if you live here long enough you will experience a big one, possibly "The Big One."

I'm not a native Californian, but I've heard that pollution used to be much worse in the past. Usually there's no problem seeing the mountains, although sometimes you can see a haze in the air. It wasn't as bad as what I'd been expecting, I guess, based on what I'd heard before moving to CA.

[KnoxTown]

You like traffic? Not after living here.

[Z_x]

Originally Posted by Charles

I know Clear Lake having worked at Johnson Space Center off and on for a couple years.

Everything will depend on where you get a job. Your budget sounds way more than enough for housing.

Recommend you search the threads typing in key words like you wrote above "single" "vibrant", etc.

Yes, traffic is really bad, that's why we need to know where you will be working.

Do you have a clearance? If so, there are tons of jobs in the El Segundo (near LAX) area (Redondo Beach too) plus there are neat places to live near there. Also, Long Beach and Huntington Beach have jobs and nightlife.

I thought my budget would be low for LA standards.

Yes I do have a Clearance fortunately. Lets say I lived in Long Beach and worked in El Segundo, how long would it take to get from Long Beach to El Segundo? Is there any light rail in Long Beach to or near El Segundo?

I'm doing excess research as well.

Originally Posted by THERUIZFAMILY

You may want to do some more research on where to move...There's a reason why Californian's are leaving...I believe by July our sales tax will be at 10.75 % during a 40 something billion dollar budget defecit ..Traffic is pretty bad...Over here travel times are not measured in distance but in time because it takes alot of time to travel that small distance...The only thing good about California at this time the climate.

40 Billion Defecit?! Is there any silver lining besdies California's Climate?

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

Your rent budget would be more than enough, but right now the job situation is pretty rough in CA. I'm assuming that your housing budget is based on a projected salary? You'll want to have a job lined up in advance, especially if you're leaving a current job behind.

Traffic is really bad. The area you're looking at is huge, so I'd do more general research about target areas to help you target your job search (or else be willing to get the job first and then find the neighborhood).

Depending on exactly what you mean by "vibrant" (i.e. level of safety, access to public transit, how walkable, etc.) you'll be able to narrow down your location better. There are tons of diverse vibrant areas to choose from; I lived in Hollywood for a time, and that certainly fit the bill.

Moderate to big earthquakes don't happen all that much, but the reality is that if you live here long enough you will experience a big one, possibly "The Big One."

I'm not a native Californian, but I've heard that pollution used to be much worse in the past. Usually there's no problem seeing the mountains, although sometimes you can see a haze in the air. It wasn't as bad as what I'd been expecting, I guess, based on what I'd heard before moving to CA.

My housing budget is not based on a projected salary; I know the LA metro area is huge.Thats what I exactly mean by vibrant, not using my vehicle everyday would help.I've also heard about the possiblity of a large (8.0) earthquake.


Thanks Charles, The Ruiz family and uptown_urbanist

Im doing excess research and any additional info would help!

Z_x

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Z_x

Lets say I lived in Long Beach and worked in El Segundo, how long would it take to get from Long Beach to El Segundo? Is there any light rail in Long Beach to or near El Segundo?

There is some sort of train that gets into El Segundo...I've seen it, look it up online, I think Metrolink or something like that.

Look at Sigalert.com - Personalized Traffic Reports during the times you expect to commute. We drove on the 405 a couple weeks ago around 230 or 3 and it was already pretty heavily congested on the 405 southbound from LAX towards Redondo Beach Blvd. So, heading home won't be fun.

[THERUIZFAMILY]

Originally Posted by Charles

There is some sort of train that gets into El Segundo...I've seen it, look it up online, I think Metrolink or something like that.

Look at Sigalert.com - Personalized Traffic Reports during the times you expect to commute. We drove on the 405 a couple weeks ago around 230 or 3 and it was already pretty heavily congested on the 405 southbound from LAX towards Redondo Beach Blvd. So, heading home won't be fun.

Climate is probably the best thing about So. California almost everything else sucks at this time...I haven't had to live anywhere outside of L.A and O.C. I've heard Riverside County can get really hot and smoggy at times. I believe, the MetroRail does go from Norwalk to El Segundo and it is very inexpensive but you must remember that MetroRail tends to have much lower income clientele than the Metrolink. Its essentially like taking the bus except that Metrorail has the occasional pan handler that you need to deal with. Metrolink is almost all business type people commuting but Metrolink is much more expensive than MetroRail. At this point its cheaper to drive into downtown L.A than take the Metrolink. If you decide to come to So California my suggestion would be to move as close to your job as possible.

Oh by the way, after the new tax increasing I believe California is the most taxed state in the USA...There maybe one or two more but I do believe we are # 1 for the most taxed state.