Moving from Hawaii to LA -- working at USC (San Francisco: apartment, rental)

[itis808pm]

I currently live in Honolulu but just got a job offer to work at USC. I'll be moving to LA sometime at the end of July to look for a place to rent starting August. I realize USC isn't in an ideal neighborhood so I was poking around the forums to get a sense of places to live. I'll most likely have a car and will commute to USC.

I'm not looking to pay more than $700 for rent including utilities and parking space. I'd be open to renting rooms from homes as well. Any suggestions for safe neighborhoods/communities to live in that wouldn't take a whole lot of time commuting (no more than 45 minutes)?

A couple of suggestions I've gotten are: Pasadena, Koreatown, Silver Lake, Downtown, and Echo Park.

Thanks in advance!

[SoCal35]

Those are all good suggestions. Downtown could be a challenge with regards to a parking space....though it is the closest to USC.

At $700 per month....I think your only choice is to rent a room in a house or share an apartment.

[SoCal35]

I would add Culver City to your list. Not TOO far from USC, close to the 10 Freeway, good climate/air quality, nice area to live, and I think you could find a room to rent in a house or condo for around your projected budget.

[vegaspilgrim]

You could find a room rental for that price in the neighborhood just west of the USC campus-- walk right across the street to work-- if you go just 2 blocks west of Vermont. No guarrantees you won't be mugged on your way to/from campus though.

When/if (the way things have been going, may never happen) the Metro Expo line is finished, commuting options to USC will be greatly expanded.

[SoCal35]

The Metro Expo line (Phase ONE) will CERTAINLY be completed....probably sometime in 2011. The second phase to Santa Monica MIGHT not get done...though it MOST likely will get done (when is an open question).

[ladoll]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

You could find a room rental for that price in the neighborhood just west of the USC campus-- walk right across the street to work-- if you go just 2 blocks west of Vermont. No guarrantees you won't be mugged on your way to/from campus though.

When/if (the way things have been going, may never happen) the Metro Expo line is finished, commuting options to USC will be greatly expanded.

You can find rooms to rent below $700 outside of that area. I have found rooms in Manhattan Beach for $625 and I pay $575 for a room with a private entrance and off street parking in a decent area of LA.

[uptown_urbanist]

I'd add Alhambra to the list, too; it's closer than Pasadena, cheaper than some areas but still generally nice, and relatively convenient to USC. You're probably still looking at a room or roommate situation, though.

[BTibbs]

I lived in L.A. for 8 years and toward the end, the only tolerable area (especially for air quality) was the west side. I echo the recommendation of Culver City and would add all adjacent areas like West L.A., Palms, Venice, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, all the south beach cities like Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, etc. If you are not super close to the 10 there are a few road-routes a bit south of it that can take you straight to USC, like Jefferson.

Just my $0.02. I ended up leaving L.A. after getting laid off and a fat severance and moved to Hawaii! It was bliss but now in freezing cold San Francisco. Brrrrrrrr

Good luck!