HELP needed for relocation to California from UK!!! (Los Angeles, San Diego: rental, houses) - (CA) - City-Data Forum

English Rob · 10-04-2007, 10:57 AM

Hi all; I was wondering if you could help me by making some suggestions where to relocate to...

My company will be reloating to California within the next 6 months. I will be supplying an American engineering component to the oil & gas industry, chemical plants and other associted industries over the whole State - I will need to be commuting to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Bakerfield.

My wife and I are into our thirties with two boys aged 6 & 3 who only speak english. A good school is essential.
We are gregarious people who love to meet new friends and get involved with the community. We love the outdoors and are very much looking forward to the move.

We would initially be looking to rent a property until we settled in.

Any suggestions will at least help me narrow down my search within your beautiful State. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Rob & Family

Charles · 10-04-2007, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by English Rob

Hi all; I was wondering if you could help me by making some suggestions where to relocate to...

My company will be reloating to California within the next 6 months. I will be supplying an American engineering component to the oil & gas industry, chemical plants and other associted industries over the whole State - I will need to be commuting to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Bakerfield.

My wife and I are into our thirties with two boys aged 6 & 3 who only speak english. A good school is essential.
We are gregarious people who love to meet new friends and get involved with the community. We love the outdoors and are very much looking forward to the move.

We would initially be looking to rent a property until we settled in.

Any suggestions will at least help me narrow down my search within your beautiful State. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Rob & Family

What is your monthly budget for renting?
What might your housing price range be when you buy a house?

Are you writing that the three choices are only LA, SF or Bakersfield area? Meaning, you would spend most of your time there so it would make sense to relocate to one of these three regions? Would it make no sense to chose San Diego or Sacramento for example?

You expect to rent for around six months then purchase in the same general location? Or possibly a different place?

English Rob · 10-04-2007, 01:06 PM

Thanks for the reply; right, the monthly budget would be in the region of $1,500 to $2,000 per month. Price range of $750,000 to $850,000.
To be honest I think that the majority of my future business is in the South of the State. Yes I suspect that 6 months will allow us to weigh other choises up. However we want the kids to settle into a good school and if that is the case and the schools are better in a certain region then we would want to move to that area first and buy a property on the back of that.
I will be spending alot of time in the car so to a certain extent it won't matter where we move to...hope you understand.
Thanks Rob

SMCS · 10-04-2007, 02:05 PM

Check out greatschools.net for comparing schools in the States. The schools here range greatly depending on where you live in a city. I'd recommend Bakersfield because its only 2 hours from L.A., you can afford a really nice rental in a great part of town (stick to the West and the SW) with really good schools, and for the most part people are friendly. I think Bakersfield is really family oriented. San Francisco has good schools but for what you are going to pay for rent, you won't get much. SF does have more cultural things though. But if you are going to be doing a lot of business in the south part of the state, you'll be having a long commute when you go home if you live in San Fran.

English Rob · 10-04-2007, 02:24 PM

Thanks SMCS I appreciate your response. Rob

Wanda Johnston · 10-05-2007, 06:36 AM

I would suggest the beach areas of So Cal, or Palos Verdes, also So Cal, Bakersfield is much cheaper, but a bit red-neckie, I'm not saying that's bad, just a bit of a culture schock. Closer to San Diego there are many nice little beach towns and in No Cal you might try Walnut Creek, it's very nice.

Axiom · 10-05-2007, 10:07 AM

It's tough to be too specific since your paramaters are pretty wide.

I think Ventura County would be worth taking a look at, especially if most of your business will be concentrated in So Cal

ericaME · 10-05-2007, 10:41 AM

Hi English Rob!
i personally think you're insane for moving TO California, especially from somewhere so great as the UK!.......Anyhow if you are going to have to commute between LA, Bakersfield AND San Francisco, with a price range like that your best bet would probably to look for places in the Lower range of the Central Valley. Try cities like Merced, Fresno, Visalia. These are pretty quiet country-like-suburbs and yet you are as close , commuting wise to each direction you need to go, as possible. Hope that this helps! Good Luck.

eddierosenthal · 10-05-2007, 08:45 PM

I personally think you should give up the idea of a car commute to LA but stick to air and rent-a-car when you get there. One advantage of doing that is you have a better chance of finding a suitable place to rent in the NORTH BAY
and better schools. I think you'd like Marin or Mill Valley and San Rafael to live and commute from. It's a very easy commute from there to SF, and you'd appreciate the air and the culture more than any other area in Ca.
living in visalia, or some quaint town is nice for while, but i dont think you'd last long when you crave culture and accompaniment to your gregarious and sophisticated nature. The value of homes is depreciating even in that area, and expect in months you'd be able to buy a home for 600K that went for 700K today.

Westward · 10-05-2007, 10:49 PM

You really need to figure out exactly where you will spend the most time. California is too large a state to simply name one spot over the other.

If you are going to be in S.CA much more than Bakersfied and SF, then live in S.CA, in a location central to business. If you are going to be in Bakersfield much more, live there.
Bakersfield is much cheaper than most areas around LA. It's a dry agricultural area (besides the oil), and rather hot. But no humidity whatsoever. There's lots of new housing there, with thousands more planned, I hear. You'll probably easily find a very nice new 3000' home for 5-700k.

It's a hot 2-3 hour drive from Bakersfield to LA, depending on where you're going. It would be nicer to live near LA and make an occasional drive to Bakersfield, than to live in Bakersfield and make many trips to LA. Although I know people living in Bakersfield who can't wait to get home from LA's traffic whenever they go down.

Bakersfield doesn't have a lot of inspiration. It's a dull town that has improved greatly in recent years. There are new shopping centers and all the conveniences, etc, but you won't find anywhere near as many activities in Bakersfield as you would closer to LA. It's much quieter though. And lots of LA is old and decrepit.

If you decide to live between LA and Bakersfield, a nice spot is Santa Clarita Valley. Anywhere in there will fit your price range, and you couldn't ask for a nicer, self-contained bustling place to live outside of LA. It's very separate from LA, but closer to LA than Bakersfield.

A person really needs to see it all before deciding. Houses usually lease for 12 mos at a time, not 6 mos, so make a good choice first time around.