2 New Doctors moving to S. California...any area suggestions (Long Beach: rent, affordable house)

[Pegasus]

Hey,
My Fiance and I are both finishing residency, in our late 20's and looking to start a new life in S Cali. We are looking at Santa Monica to LA to Orange County, no further South than Laguna (b/c of job location).

We are inerviewing now for jobs in Belflower and Riverside, but I dont think we want to live in either of those areas. We are not sure yet where we will take the job, but maybe your feedback can be helpful.

My fiance just wants to get back to S. Cali, I have never lived there and I at least want to be driving distance to the beach (walking would be better but dont think we can afford that)

We are both doctors, but I will be working part time after kids in a few years, so we only want our affordable house to be that way after I go part time.

I also REALLY want an area where there are others my age....this is a HUGE importance to me, but I also dont want to live right outside a college campus in an appt...we do want to buy something.

Places we are looking at: Santa Monica (but I think the drive will be WAY too long), Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa....

.....I am open to any and all suggestions for a professional couple starting out....

Thanks

Pegasus

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Well if you live in the OC and work in the IE (inland empire), you will at least be going opposite of traffic, although there is still traffic, it won't be near as bad.
Housing slump right now to, so it is a buyers market.

[naners22]

If you're working in Bellflower, Long Beach is a fairly reasonable commute. Try the Belmont Shores, Belmont Heights, Naples, or Penninsula areas of Long Beach. These are all near the ocean or marina. Lots of shops, restaurants, and beaches nearby. Also, these are decent neighborhoods to raise a family. Be careful to stay out of the ghettos and sketchy areas, as like any big city, there is a lot of variety in Long Beach. The areas near Cal State Long Beach are nice too, but farther from the beach. Don't worry, it is largely a commuter school, so it does not have a "party town" atmosphere. The beach areas can be pricey, but should be doable on 2 doctor's salaries, assuming you have some savings for a reasonable down payment. Seal Beach is also nice, but a bit farther for a commute to Bellflower. Santa Monica is much more expensive than Long Beach, and yes, the commute will be horrible from anywhere in L.A. If you're working in Riverside and want to be near the beach, try Laguna Beach (a few blocks in from PCH), Laguna Niguel, or Dana Point. Its not cheap, but its not Newport Beach expensive. The 133 to the 241 toll roads will get you over the hill to Corona (the edge of Riverside County) while avoiding the 5 and 55. Yes, you are going against traffic, but its getting worse. I have commuted from south Orange County to Riverside about twice per month for the past 10 years, and the traffic has gone from none at all to moderate. Once you get on the 91 and get into Riverside, there is traffic heading in, though not nearly as bad as the other way. You did not indicate where you're from, so I don't know what kind of commute time you think is reasonable. From the Laguna area to Riverside is about 90 minutes. I haven't lived in Long Beach for 15 years, so I can't really speak to the traffic there now. Don't rule out the newer areas of South Orange County, like Foothill Ranch, the most inland parts of Irvine and Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Ladera Ranch. These are all right off the 241 toll road, which is convenient for a commute to Riverside. They are not real close to the beach, but if a half hour or slightly less drive to the beach doesn't bother you, these are beautiful new suburb communities with reasonably priced homes and good public schools. If you must settle on an area quickly, you should come out for a week and drive around. You can always rent for a year first, so you can take the time to get to know the area you may want to settle in. That's what I would recommend.

[Cali-girl]

Originally Posted by Pegasus

Hey,
My Fiance and I are both finishing residency, in our late 20's and looking to start a new life in S Cali. We are looking at Santa Monica to LA to Orange County, no further South than Laguna (b/c of job location).

We are inerviewing now for jobs in Belflower and Riverside, but I dont think we want to live in either of those areas. We are not sure yet where we will take the job, but maybe your feedback can be helpful.

My fiance just wants to get back to S. Cali, I have never lived there and I at least want to be driving distance to the beach (walking would be better but dont think we can afford that)

We are both doctors, but I will be working part time after kids in a few years, so we only want our affordable house to be that way after I go part time.

I also REALLY want an area where there are others my age....this is a HUGE importance to me, but I also dont want to live right outside a college campus in an appt...we do want to buy something.

Places we are looking at: Santa Monica (but I think the drive will be WAY too long), Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa....

.....I am open to any and all suggestions for a professional couple starting out....

Thanks
Pegasus

Hello:

My brother is a doc (nuclear medicine) He lived in Manhattan Beach (other docs live there too.)

Another friend is a dentist. He commutes from Redlands to Irvine. Takes the 91 fwy but uses the Fastrak transponder. When he first moved out to CA, he lived in Lake Arrowhead and commuted to Loma Linda where he rented chairs from another dentist. Then, he started his own practice in Irvine. So, for him it was a *process* of getting to where he wanted to be professionally and residentially.

If you have to commute to Riverside, I recommend a Fastrak transponder which enables you to use the special lanes to cut down your commute time (tho there are backups/accidents even on the Express lanes).

http://www.91expresslanes.com/generalinfo/commonquestions.asp (broken link)

~Cali-girl

[Pegasus]

Hey guys, thanks alot for the reponses.

Just to let you know, I am in Chicago and drive 45mins to work each day, depending on which hospital I am at.

Thanks