To which areas of LA should I consider moving (and avoiding)? (Pasadena: real estate, apartment)

[l'actrice]

I am interviewing for a job in LA, and my interviewer wants to know which areas of LA I prefer, as there are several business locations throughout LA. I won't be able to actually visit LA until later this summer, but can you recommend some general areas that I should definitely consider/avoid?

A bit about me...
-I am a young single female, so safety is probably biggest on the list
-I am a marathon runner, so good access to outdoor running is important
-Very interested in film acting, though my job is not-acting related; close proximity to classes & auditions is important to me
-I don't drink, so I don't really care that much about the nightlife
-Quieter areas preferred, but not that big of a deal
-Salary from job (if I get it) is about $100K/year

From what I've read on the boards, Burbank and Santa Monica are both nice areas. Can you recommend any others? Thanks so much for your input!

[BRinSM]

you didn't narrow it down for us very much. with your salary, you could afford to live in a 1br apartment just about anywhere in the city. LA is huge and there are plenty of nice/safe areas for someone like you to live. the weather here is great, so you can run year round just about anywhere. living by the beach might be a good idea though for uninterrupted runs of pretty much any distance your body can take you. i would also consider the south bay if the company you are interviewing with has a location there.

[l'actrice]

Thanks so much for the advice! I know a lot of where I work depends on where they need me, but my preferred areas so far include...

South Bay (Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach)
Brentwood
Santa Monica
Burbank

Anything I should add? Am I correct in thinking that West & North LA are generally the best areas to live, and it's best to avoid South LA, East LA, and downtown LA?

[CMacD]

Not far from Burbank are Toluca Lake, Studio City and Sherman Oaks. They've got comparable safety and quietness levels, and are on average a bit more upscale than Burbank.

Pasadena also has plenty of quiet neighborhoods and it's not that bad of a drive to the "acting" areas. It's got a wide range of neighborhood types. From very safe, upscale and quiet, to the semi-hood. Running is a popular pasttime there, especially around the Rose Bowl area.

Based on the preferences you listed, South LA, East LA, and downtown LA are probably not great choices for you.

[BRinSM]

a lot of people really like central LA (hollywood, miracle mile, west hollywood, etc.) too. there areas will be closer to the "industry" if you are interested in acting.

[polican]

Originally Posted by l'actrice

Thanks so much for the advice! I know a lot of where I work depends on where they need me, but my preferred areas so far include...

South Bay (Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach)
Brentwood
Santa Monica
Burbank

Anything I should add? Am I correct in thinking that West & North LA are generally the best areas to live, and it's best to avoid South LA, East LA, and downtown LA?

Dont forget that South Bay is nice, but can seem like another planet when driving to Hollywood or Downtown for an audition, job, etc. It can take 45 minutes without traffic to drive from Redondo Beach to Hollywood. With traffic (which means any weekday from 8-10am and 2-7pm) can take over 90 minutes each way.

And the beach communities are really nice places to live but they have a separate climate from Hollywood or Burbank. The beaches are much cooler. 70s compared to 90s in Burbank in the summertime is nice, but also the marine layer in the spring can make for dreary days in the low 60s by the beach when its sunny and 80s further inland.

This real estate heat map is a good guide as to find a neighborhood you might like. I my opinion, real estate values are related to higher standards of living with cleaner streets and lower crime (and higher rent of course). Enjoy!
http://www.trulia.com/home_prices/Ca...unty-heat_map/




PS. i live in west hollywood and absolutely love it!

[redturtle]

I'm an actor.

Hollywood, West Hollywood, Burbank and Studio City are where the majority of the casting offices are, as well as the agencies, acting classes/coaches, admin (headshot repros, and so forth) -- and not coincidentally that is where a good chunk of the actors live. A minority of stuff will be scattered on the west side (Santa Monica, Venice has a few casting offices; Sony is in Culver City), and some others closer to Sherman Oaks.

In terms of convenience to the industry stuff and safety, your best bet will probably be West Hollywood, as it's geographically in the middle of all this so even when you're stuck in bad traffic it's still the least inconvenient place. Another place to look at would be mid-Wilshire/miracle mile (which is south of West Hollywood and Hollywood) - which is a little cheaper but a little more low key, and a little further away from where auditions/classes/casting will be.

I would avoid the South Bay simply because it's too far - it's an hour to two hours to get to Burbank, Studio City in traffic, and 45 mins to an hour to Hollywood or WeHo in traffic. Doing that once or twice a week may be tolerable, but going back and forth every day (or twice a day) just isn't manageable.

Santa Monica is also a bit too far as well - if you're going back and forth between auditions, classes, rehearsals (either for class or for projects), etc. its a royal pain in the ass.

Brentwood is a possibility - it's residential, expensive, and OJ Simpson lived there haha. It's suburban. But as it's on the west side, the traffic to get in and out of Brentwood into Hollywood or the valley (Burbank, Studio City, etc) may wear you down.

Burbank is fine - but it's on the eastern most end of where the acting stuff is. If you want to be closer to where the action is, you may want to look at Studio City/Toluca Lake, where it's easier to get into Hollywood/West Hollywood if you need to go there.

Also, it's a matter of your day job as well. Living in West Hollywood gives you more options to commute - whether your job is downtown (25 - 45 minutes), century city (15-30 minutes), santa monica/venice (20-40 minutes), or Burbank/Studio City/Sherman Oaks (20 - 40 minutes). In other words, because you're geographically in the center, you can get to more places in LA in under 45 minutes than maybe other neighborhoods.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by redturtle

I'm an actor.

Hollywood, West Hollywood, Burbank and Studio City are where the majority of the casting offices are, as well as the agencies, acting classes/coaches, admin (headshot repros, and so forth) -- and not coincidentally that is where a good chunk of the actors live. A minority of stuff will be scattered on the west side (Santa Monica, Venice has a few casting offices; Sony is in Culver City), and some others closer to Sherman Oaks.

In terms of convenience to the industry stuff and safety, your best bet will probably be West Hollywood, as it's geographically in the middle of all this so even when you're stuck in bad traffic it's still the least inconvenient place. Another place to look at would be mid-Wilshire/miracle mile (which is south of West Hollywood and Hollywood) - which is a little cheaper but a little more low key, and a little further away from where auditions/classes/casting will be.

I would avoid the South Bay simply because it's too far - it's an hour to two hours to get to Burbank, Studio City in traffic, and 45 mins to an hour to Hollywood or WeHo in traffic. Doing that once or twice a week may be tolerable, but going back and forth every day (or twice a day) just isn't manageable.

Santa Monica is also a bit too far as well - if you're going back and forth between auditions, classes, rehearsals (either for class or for projects), etc. its a royal pain in the ass.

Brentwood is a possibility - it's residential, expensive, and OJ Simpson lived there haha. It's suburban. But as it's on the west side, the traffic to get in and out of Brentwood into Hollywood or the valley (Burbank, Studio City, etc) may wear you down.

Burbank is fine - but it's on the eastern most end of where the acting stuff is. If you want to be closer to where the action is, you may want to look at Studio City/Toluca Lake, where it's easier to get into Hollywood/West Hollywood if you need to go there.

Also, it's a matter of your day job as well. Living in West Hollywood gives you more options to commute - whether your job is downtown (25 - 45 minutes), century city (15-30 minutes), santa monica/venice (20-40 minutes), or Burbank/Studio City/Sherman Oaks (20 - 40 minutes). In other words, because you're geographically in the center, you can get to more places in LA in under 45 minutes than maybe other neighborhoods.

Good info and explanations. A lot of people post often with questions that are answered in this post.

[polican]

Originally Posted by redturtle

I'm an actor.

Hollywood, West Hollywood, Burbank and Studio City are where the majority of the casting offices are, as well as the agencies, acting classes/coaches, admin (headshot repros, and so forth) -- and not coincidentally that is where a good chunk of the actors live. A minority of stuff will be scattered on the west side (Santa Monica, Venice has a few casting offices; Sony is in Culver City), and some others closer to Sherman Oaks.

In terms of convenience to the industry stuff and safety, your best bet will probably be West Hollywood, as it's geographically in the middle of all this so even when you're stuck in bad traffic it's still the least inconvenient place. Another place to look at would be mid-Wilshire/miracle mile (which is south of West Hollywood and Hollywood) - which is a little cheaper but a little more low key, and a little further away from where auditions/classes/casting will be.

I would avoid the South Bay simply because it's too far - it's an hour to two hours to get to Burbank, Studio City in traffic, and 45 mins to an hour to Hollywood or WeHo in traffic. Doing that once or twice a week may be tolerable, but going back and forth every day (or twice a day) just isn't manageable.

Santa Monica is also a bit too far as well - if you're going back and forth between auditions, classes, rehearsals (either for class or for projects), etc. its a royal pain in the ass.

Brentwood is a possibility - it's residential, expensive, and OJ Simpson lived there haha. It's suburban. But as it's on the west side, the traffic to get in and out of Brentwood into Hollywood or the valley (Burbank, Studio City, etc) may wear you down.

Burbank is fine - but it's on the eastern most end of where the acting stuff is. If you want to be closer to where the action is, you may want to look at Studio City/Toluca Lake, where it's easier to get into Hollywood/West Hollywood if you need to go there.

Also, it's a matter of your day job as well. Living in West Hollywood gives you more options to commute - whether your job is downtown (25 - 45 minutes), century city (15-30 minutes), santa monica/venice (20-40 minutes), or Burbank/Studio City/Sherman Oaks (20 - 40 minutes). In other words, because you're geographically in the center, you can get to more places in LA in under 45 minutes than maybe other neighborhoods.

i too agree on this post. I also live in WeHo but im not an actor, and the proximity of my neighborhood to most things in and around LA is just one of the reasons why i love living here.

one thing that wasnt mentioned was the airports. I can make it from Weho to LAX in 25 minutes, and about 20 minutes to Bob Hope airport in burbank.

see my other post with my ramblings on why i love WeHo so much
//www.city-data.com/forum/13950369-post8.html