Need some insight. Not sure where to move to? (Los Angeles: lease, school)

[Jean2016]

Hello, and thank you in advance. I am currently working on a bachelors degree and have one more year and a half to go. I am currently in northeast Ohio and it just isn't right for me. I am a photographer, equestrian, and skydiver. I want to live in an area fairly close to the mountains (I grew up by Kentucky, in Virginia by the Appalachian mountains and miss the landscape, but want to move somewhere else). I need a place with good land for horse pasture but that isn't too expensive (preferably not more than $3500 an acre). I intend on living 30-40 minutes outside of a city, and would like to be in an area with fairly active filmmaking as I have started to get more involved in it and would like more possibilities (I am primarily a photographer and video editor). My significant other would prefer not to live in California, and I am not interested in the New England states due to their cold winters. My current considerations are near boulder, CO and the Carolinas but I'm open to suggestions. Any input is appreciated.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Jean2016

Hello, and thank you in advance. I am currently working on a bachelors degree and have one more year and a half to go. I am currently in northeast Ohio and it just isn't right for me. I am a photographer, equestrian, and skydiver. I want to live in an area fairly close to the mountains (I grew up by Kentucky, in Virginia by the Appalachian mountains and miss the landscape, but want to move somewhere else). I need a place with good land for horse pasture but that isn't too expensive (preferably not more than $3500 an acre). I intend on living 30-40 minutes outside of a city, and would like to be in an area with fairly active filmmaking as I have started to get more involved in it and would like more possibilities (I am primarily a photographer and video editor). My significant other would prefer not to live in California, and I am not interested in the New England states due to their cold winters. My current considerations are near boulder, CO and the Carolinas but I'm open to suggestions. Any input is appreciated.

Unless you have a source of money and do not need a job in the area to survive, OC does not sound like a fit for you.

[AlongTheI-5]

$3500 an acre? I didn't know flyover territory in the Bible Belt was so cheap.

[lmh182]

If you want to be close to an area with active film-making, I think you'd want to be closer to LA than to OC.

But the one thing I would say is that if you're looking to have your horses on pasture to graze, I dont think there's going to be a lot of grazing going on here. It's generally pretty dry and brown around here. From what I've seen, you're not going to find a nice green grassy pasture for them to graze on. If you just want a pasture for them to live on, then you may be able to find something for that.

Norco, CA might be of interest to you (it's called Horsetown USA), but it's a long commute. Burbank has a lot of film studios, so let's say you were to work there... I think the commute to Norco would be probably 2 hours with traffic.

[NoNansea]

Palos Verdes if you have millions to spend. But you'll have to make sure of the zoning. Only certain areas are zoned for horses. And there is high competition for those properties. It's probably the closest property to Los Angeles. It has outstanding scenery. A photographer's dream. Good luck to you.

[OrgNative]

Hi Jean

Have you considered boarding the horses in say Santiago Canyon or somewhere similar? This is common with horse owners out here due to the high cost of equestrian land. You would also be able to lease out the horse for lessons to a local trainer if that would help with income.

As for the filming part, Chapman University is a great Film School if you are just starting out. Orange County is not that far from LA either. All the best in your search

[OCbuyerAM]

Echoing with others, but going to expand it a bit further - nowhere in socal will you get that kind of land for those prices within "30-40 minutes" of a city. Don't feel dissapointed from people's advice, that is literally just the reality.
You could probably live maybe 2-3 hours away from LA (somewhere up in the high desert - like apple valley area?)...but I don't know if you'll get 3500 an acre.

CO or UTAH might be better for that, and you likely could be within 40 minutes of the city if you wanted.

[Finper]

You could check out Palmdale Lancaster area on the other side of LA. Lots of horse property there but it's the high desert and that's not Kentucky grassland