California population question... (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco: apartment complex, renting, condo)

[gobucks86]

So, I'm thinking about moving to Southern California in a few months(Yeah, I know, just like everyone else lol), however this is due to a probable job offer. Anyways, I'm a little sketchy about it. I'm from a small town, and the population is high in LA, and the overall population for California is supposed to be 50 Million or so within 10 years.

Anyways, I'll be working in LA,(which is busy, but that's okay if I'm working there) but I want to live in a smaller city like Pasadena or so outside the city. Is the population supposed to grow a whole lot in those surrounding cities, or is it mainly the big cities (LA, San Diego, San Francisco) that are expected to grow tremendously. Basically I'd want my small town to stay small town( I expect it to grow somewhat naturally), but I'm afraid sooner or later it'd get ridiculously crowded as well. However, I may be underestimating the size of California and the amount of land not used in California, so maybe I have nothing to worry about, but I figured I'd ask to see if anyone knew what might happen and can give me an idea of what I should expect before I move there.

Sorry this is so long. Thanks!

[Charles]

Where in LA will you be working?
Buying of renting? What do you expect your housing budget to be?
Married?
Kids? Ages?


If you are from a small town and you move to LA and you aren't overwhelmed by the size and density of LA, then I don't think the gradual increase in population will be noticeable to you. That is, California's future population growth will be number 69 on your list of concerns over the next ten years.

Originally Posted by gobucks86

Is the population supposed to grow a whole lot in those surrounding cities, or is it mainly the big cities (LA, San Diego, San Francisco) that are expected to grow tremendously.

Let me google that for you

[missionhome]

Pasadena isn't really a small town in my opinion. It is a fairly bustling place along Colorado Blvd. and has some crowded areas as well. Some of the residential areas can feel like small town America with their craftsman bungalows I guess though. Everything kind of flows together here from one area to the next and even though a place might not be in L.A. city limits, it can still feel just like your in L.A. Basically Southern California is one big mass of development.

Los Angeles in particular is moving toward a more dense form of development so you might want to avoid that. Some call it the "Manhattinization" of L.A. You will notice a neighborhood of single family homes get leveled for a seven story condo apartment complex or a strip mall replaced by a dense mixed use development, etc....

I have to ask, where in L.A. are you working??? Pasadena isn't a good option for someone in Century City, Westwood, Sherman Oaks, Fairfax, etc... neighborhoods of Los Angeles due to the distance. It is a great one for commuting to downtown though.

I would estimate most of California's population growth will be on fringe areas like the Inland Empire, Palmdale, etc... that have more room to sprawl and you will see some of the already developed areas have building built that are more dense.

Look at this pic: Home to 12 million people or so in that mass of concrete. It goes farther east too into the Inland Empire.

[Steve Bagu]

The only space between LA and other cities is the white stripe down the middle of the street. Thats about close as you can get to a out of town or nearby city to LA proper. Working in LA your SOL on your hopes. Compare it to New York City and the outskirts if you can call them that.

Palmdale...Lancaster are also growing by leaps and bounds...the commute to LA is hectic and a drag.

Metro link has it's good and bad points as to getting to it from your residence being a problem.

If you don't mind a small commute...I would pick the San Gabriel Valley over the San Fernando Valley and it's heat. Arcadia, San Marino, South Pasadena have a better class of people (home price wise). From there you are only 25 miles at the most from downtown LA via the 210 Fwy or the San Bernardino Fwy as they are called.

[uptown_urbanist]

Pasadena is not a small town. It is a city, and it is integrated into the larger LA area (despite having a very strong local identity itself). And yes, the population in Pasadena itself will probably get higher, as new, denser developments fill in spaces along the Gold Line and elsewhere, same as most other areas of LA.

You can find areas inside LA that have a smaller feel to them, but they are not going to feel like a suburb that you'd find elsewhere. You have to go a long, long way out to get that, and those far out areas are filling in fast, too.

Have you visited LA? You should do so, if you haven't, or else be willing to take the risk and realize that you might not like it. We moved to LA sight-unseen and loved it, but then again, I like density and cities.

Depending on where you work somewhere like Pasadena might be fine; we lived for a time in South Pasadena, which does have a small town feel to it, but don't expect that to mean huge sprawling lots. Still, strong historic preservation movements in parts of South Pasadena and Pasadena mean that if you live in a small bungalow in a neighborhood with other small bungalows that it's unlikely that anyone's going to come along and bulldoze your neighbor's place to build a highrise apartment building. The sprawl has LONG, LONG since moved out way beyond the Pasadena area, so most new developments are mostly urban infill projects.

[Jay100]

Originally Posted by gobucks86

So, I'm thinking about moving to Southern California in a few months(Yeah, I know, just like everyone else lol), however this is due to a probable job offer. Anyways, I'm a little sketchy about it. I'm from a small town, and the population is high in LA, and the overall population for California is supposed to be 50 Million or so within 10 years.

Anyways, I'll be working in LA,(which is busy, but that's okay if I'm working there) but I want to live in a smaller city like Pasadena or so outside the city. Is the population supposed to grow a whole lot in those surrounding cities, or is it mainly the big cities (LA, San Diego, San Francisco) that are expected to grow tremendously. Basically I'd want my small town to stay small town( I expect it to grow somewhat naturally), but I'm afraid sooner or later it'd get ridiculously crowded as well. However, I may be underestimating the size of California and the amount of land not used in California, so maybe I have nothing to worry about, but I figured I'd ask to see if anyone knew what might happen and can give me an idea of what I should expect before I move there.

Sorry this is so long. Thanks!

There really aren't any small towns left in the LA area. It's all symbolic nowadays. You could drive 60, 70, 80+ miles, depending on direction and not notice any distinctive differences. There are some enclaves or whatever that still have that feel but they're few and far between. San Dimas has that feel. Diamond Bar/Walnut. Agoura Hills. Simi Valley.

[the one]

there are no small towns in LA>

most of the area is built out. the growth will be seen in some new condo developments, but no mega structures like the ones being built in downtown.

for a small town feel (within the big city) try south pasadena, alhambra, glendale.

you are moving to a BIG metro area. there is all kinds of living here. but small town... not unless you move to the rural areas.

[socal4now]

There is no end to LA. You are in the middle of the city wether you live in LA Pasadena or Mission Viejo. Its all city

[alexanderaf]

My advice would be to live close to where you work. In some parts it can take 5-10 minutes a mile to get around.

[ZenMaster2008]

The closest thing I've seen to a small town feel in LA county is a town called Sierra Madre in the San Gabriel Valley. But you will have to leave the town to go to work so it probably wouldn't work too well (and probably won't anywhere here)