Getting assigned to Los Angeles Air Force Base (Downey, Norwalk: RV park, to rent)

[aemedic]

We have never lived in LA...but both of us are from CA. I'm getting assigned to Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB), Can someone please help figure out which area will suit our needs. Of course we need to focus on the commute time from somewhere east or north to LAAFB? Pretty much trying to arrive by 6:30 a.m and departing sometime around 4:00 p.m.

We are a family of three (one infant) and three dogs. We want to split our desire to have an easy commute with the ability to pull our toy hauler out to the desert to ride our ATVs/motorcycles. We need to park our 40 ft toy hauler and all toys at the house. Willing to ride the Metro but not sure how to find a good location. We have about $2800 a month to purchase a home.

Thanks appreciate your help...Any comments would also be appreciated and recommendations would be great.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Is there any chance you could rent space for the toy hauler somewhere? That'll really open up your housing options on your budget. Why do you want to live north or east of the base and not south?

[Mike121]

LAAFB is fairly close to the Green Line light rail train. You might consider living at the east end of the Green Line in Norwalk. Norwalk has some decent suburban-style housing with longish driveways, and it isn't too expensive. Housing there is about $350k-$400k, so $2800 would be fine.

The single-family housing near LAAFB is fairly expensive, unfortunately, so probably out of reach.

[aemedic]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Is there any chance you could rent space for the toy hauler somewhere? That'll really open up your housing options on your budget. Why do you want to live north or east of the base and not south?

Ther isn't any chance that I will rent a storage lot for the TH, that is one of my MUST-haves. My thoughts on north or east makes getting out of the city to potential riding areas easier, I could be wrong...

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by aemedic

Ther isn't any chance that I will rent a storage lot for the TH, that is one of my MUST-haves. My thoughts on north or east makes getting out of the city to potential riding areas easier, I could be wrong...

Unless you want to live 50+ miles away from work, the direction really won't matter much in terms of getting out of the city.

[bhcompy]

The general thing people do these days is rent space for toy haulers. Most suburban cities ban commercial vehicles and recreational vehicles from overnight parking in the street and many HOAs in newer neighborhoods don't allow you to store them on the property. Basically, if you want to live in a good area you will need to look for a specific house with the capability of RV storage or you'll have to rent a storage space for it.

As far as Metro. The Green Line rail takes you right by the LAAFB if I recall and that gives you access to some good cities to the east. In particular, Lakewood, Downey, and Cerritos are at the east end of it and are cities with good families communities and close to the 91 fwy to get access to the High Desert/Mojave or to Lake Elsinore for watersports.

Cerritos is the most upscale, but also the most difficult to work your RV, toys, and even the number of animals in to as they're fairly strict with neighborhood regulation(can't even park your car on the street overnight unless you have a permit). Your budget is on the low end in Cerritos.

Lakewood will fit your budget and probably fits your demographic quite well. Stay east of Lakewood Blvd and west of the 605 fwy/Studebaker Rd. Lakewood permits you to park your RV on your property if it fits, but only on the street with 3 day permits.

Downey also has nice areas similar to Lakewood, but I'm not sure about RV parking. There are some areas to avoid as well.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Unless you want to live 50+ miles away from work, the direction really won't matter much in terms of getting out of the city.

Granted living in the South Bay will make it worse

Mike121 suggests Norwalk, which has some decent areas, but be wary as there are some very bad areas as well. Norwalk has a lot of long, thin lots with long driveways where RV parking is capable.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Granted living in the South Bay will make it worse

Yeah but I'd rather be closer to the place I go 5x a week than the place I go once a month.

[aemedic]

Lets say I chose to live in Norwalk, not that I am; how long does a ride on the metro take? Is it a safe form of transportation...

[aemedic]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Unless you want to live 50+ miles away from work, the direction really won't matter much in terms of getting out of the city.

I would rather ride the train for an hour one way and have room for my stuff, if possible.