Please advise: Moving to LA with secured job - need small space/studio in safe area (Santa Monica, Pasadena, Ventura?) (Los Angeles: sales)

[ncejg743]

Hello all,

This is my first time posting, so I will try to be as detailed as possible:

I have accepted a job transfer to the LA area and am hoping to move within the next month. I work in sales and will spend much of my time on the road and visiting my different accounts. My territory basically includes everything north of LA (imagine you drew a line horizontally through the city center) so access to Highway 5 is important to me as I will be taking driving trips through NoCal/Nevada/etc. When I am in LA I will be visiting accounts all over the area, or else I will be working from home. I will not have a regular daily commute to any particular place.

I am leaving my significant other, dogs and home back in the midwest to accept this job, so I am not looking for an end-all, be-all house. I basically need a nice, neat studio (ie. glorified hotel room) and would like to spend between $1000 - $1500 per month. I can live in a small space but, I would like to have the following if possible:

- washer dryer in unit
- some kind of parking
- a safe neighborhood or complex

The areas of Pasadena, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Ventura, the SF Valley and the complex Park La Brea have been suggested to me by friends, but I am wondering if you have any other suggestions?

I understand I may be naive about the LA rental market, so if I can't find what I'm looking for in the LA area, can you suggest some other areas in CA that might be worth me looking into?

I am in mid twenties w/o children so family-friendly, schools, etc. are not a concern. I also tend to be more laid back (I am not one for clubs/late night outs/etc) and would like to have access to the outdoors, whether it be hiking trails or the beach. I am also used to the midwest pace of life so extremely congested areas are probably not a good fit for me either.

Thanks in advance for any and all your help!

[ncejg743]

Oh, one more thing: I would like to live in my territory - ie. as close to or north of that imaginary horizontal line drawn through the city center (no Long Beach, Newport, OC, etc.)

[disgruntled la native]

i can tell you that you should probably rule out santa monica and west hollywood.

maybe sherman oaks, studio city, encino. park la brea has a bad reputation and might be too busy for you

[Troof]

South Pas might be an option... easy access to Debs Park, and Rose Bowl trails... not too far from Griffith Park...

Adorable **COTTAGE** in South Pasadena (http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/apa/2234749226.html - broken link)

Though, and I think Disgruntled (based on his recommendations) may be thinking along the same lines... depending on how frequently and how far you will be going north, you may want to look for a spot biased a bit more north of the city... 'cos the 5 sucks serious bawls.

ps. Washer/dryer in unit is gonna be a somewhat rare-find. Not impossible, but far from common.

good luck!

[ncejg743]

Thanks very much for your responses. Yes, I believe that a spot biased bit north of the city is best for me. Of the places recommended thus far - Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encinco, South Pas - are their any specific neighborhoods or street boundaries I should be aware of when looking for a place (for their safety or unsafety)?

Also, just to do my due diligence, is it worth it for me to look into the San Fernando/Santa Clarita area? The location looks good on a map, but I cant get any real sense of either as a neighborhood to live in.

[Cream1]

Originally Posted by ncejg743

Thanks very much for your responses. Yes, I believe that a spot biased bit north of the city is best for me. Of the places recommended thus far - Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encinco, South Pas - are their any specific neighborhoods or street boundaries I should be aware of when looking for a place (for their safety or unsafety)?

Also, just to do my due diligence, is it worth it for me to look into the San Fernando/Santa Clarita area? The location looks good on a map, but I cant get any real sense of either as a neighborhood to live in.

I'd rule out San Fernando and Santa Clarita if I were you. San Fernando is a lower income city and you wont find much to do there (especially if you're from the midwest). And Santa Clarita will give you a terrible commute into Los Angeles. Although most of it is pretty nice. I'd recommend Burbank. It's a central location and right off the 5 FWY. Good access to the grapevine and to the 'city.' It has a pretty cool little downtown too.

[ncejg743]

@howiester Thanks for the advice. I will definitely add Burbank to my list as well.

I am also getting a lot of places in the NoHo arts district turning up in my searches. Any thoughts on how that area holds up to my criteria?