Moving to LA County and looking for recommendations (Long Beach, Oakland: real estate, apartment)

[unmatched_chopsticks]

Hi everyone,

I'm from the East Bay Area (Alameda which is next to Oakland) and I'm currently looking at places in LA County that I could move to

I debated living in Santa Monica since a company I'm applying to is there, but I don't want to live in west LA directly. I would only give Santa Monica an exception since that's where I'm looking to work and I heard it's best to live close to where you work in LA County.

I've considered coastal areas aside from Santa Monica such as Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, or Long Beach.

I also looked at the inland parts such as Pasadena and Glendale. Pasadena would be my first choice because that's where I feel the East Bay Area matches the most in contrast to the coastal areas.

I look forward to hearing from anyone with recommendations. Personal experiences are appreciated especially from anyone who's been to or lived in both the Bay Area and SoCal.

[Leona Valley]

Don’t. Much better elsewhere.

[vincenze]

You can rent a nice studio in Santa Monica for $2,500 to spend hours at the beach. It's a bargain compared to the Bay Area.

Newport Beach and Pasadena are nice too as you're accustomed to long commutes.

[ccm123]

South Pasadena (separate incorporated city from Pasadena) may be worth considering.
I’m familiar with the small town charm of Alameda and the “vibe” of Alameda has some resemblance to South Pasadena. We lived in South Pasadena for years, before moving back to the Bay Area. South Pasadena is safe, has great schools, city services and has an educated demographic. Your commute to Santa Monica will be arduous, though.

For more of a beach like atmosphere similar to Alameda, either Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach would be good choices. Your commute to Santa Monica will be more manageable than from the South Pasadena area. One thing, the real estate is not inexpensive in these areas, but Alameda isn’t inexpensive either.

[huja]

Originally Posted by unmatched_chopsticks

Hi everyone,

I'm from the East Bay Area (Alameda which is next to Oakland) and I'm currently looking at places in LA County that I could move to

I debated living in Santa Monica since a company I'm applying to is there, but I don't want to live in west LA directly. I would only give Santa Monica an exception since that's where I'm looking to work and I heard it's best to live close to where you work in LA County.

I've considered coastal areas aside from Santa Monica such as Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, or Long Beach.

I also looked at the inland parts such as Pasadena and Glendale. Pasadena would be my first choice because that's where I feel the East Bay Area matches the most in contrast to the coastal areas.

I look forward to hearing from anyone with recommendations. Personal experiences are appreciated especially from anyone who's been to or lived in both the Bay Area and SoCal.

I've lived in both the Bay Area and SoCal. What are your criteria? - outside of commute and similarity to the East Bay - and IMO Alameda is kind of it's own thing given it's island remoteness and town-like feel. This could be a very short conversation based simply on budget for example.

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by unmatched_chopsticks

Hi everyone,

I'm from the East Bay Area (Alameda which is next to Oakland) and I'm currently looking at places in LA County that I could move to

I debated living in Santa Monica since a company I'm applying to is there, but I don't want to live in west LA directly.

What is your reasoning for not wanting west LA? It is a highly desirable and safe area with outstanding commute to Santa Monica if that is where you will be working. Is price an issue for you?

Originally Posted by unmatched_chopsticks

I would only give Santa Monica an exception since that's where I'm looking to work and I heard it's best to live close to where you work in LA County.

Absolutely. If you are working in Santa Monica you DO NOT want to be living in Pasadena, Glendale, etc. The daily commute is just not doable.

Originally Posted by unmatched_chopsticks

I've considered coastal areas aside from Santa Monica such as Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, or Long Beach.

Redondo Beach is very nice. Still a good commute to work, very nice area. Lots of restaurants shops, things to do and the beach. Newport is basically O.C. (yuck)! You do not want that unless you are working in O.C. If a company in Santa Monica see that you are living in O.C., they would probably not consider you for employment because they know that drive is not doable. Long Beach is "meh".

Originally Posted by unmatched_chopsticks

I also looked at the inland parts such as Pasadena and Glendale. Pasadena would be my first choice because that's where I feel the East Bay Area matches the most in contrast to the coastal areas.

Again, try to live near to where you work. A Pasadena to Santa Monica daily commute would be killer. Just not at all doable. I have a friend who lives in South Pas and works at an Aerospace company just south of LAX. He tried commuting daily and decided to just get an apt near work and just come home on the weekends or when traffic dies down at 8:00pm or so. Dude earns like $300k plus so for him its okay.

You never mentioned anything about your budget or if you are looking to buy or rent. That would play a huge factor as well in what we can recommend to you.

While many areas and neighborhoods in LA differ and offer different vibes and such, its going to be tough to find an area in your budget that is close to work and the beach that mimics the feel of Alameda. Best thing to do is to 1. Land that job in SM; 2. After gaining employment, find apt. CLOSE to work for a year.; 3. Use that first year of living/working in LA to explore and find areas that have the ideal of what you are looking for.; 4. Move to that area after a year.

There are a LOT of apartment buildings in North Santa Monica near Montana village (I posted about this area recently). Very nice neighborhood vibe with lots of walkable restaurants, shops, bars, etc. I think you'd like it.