Santa Clarita vs. Beverly Hills (Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks: condo, how much, custom home) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

newyorker19 · 03-11-2011, 10:21 AM

If you had a choice to live in one of these two places, which one would you pick and why?
My family and I are going to be moving to the Los Angeles area in the next year. I know that a common question is "Where will you be working?" We're fortunate enough to have jobs that only requires us to go to the office several times a month, so I can take the dreadful commute.

We're having a hard time picking, though. We like the suburban feel and nature along with the sense of community in Santa Clarita, but we also like how close Beverly Hills is to everything and the prestige behind it. So, it's a tough choice.
But, if you had to pick, which and why?
Thanks!

BRinSM · 03-11-2011, 10:34 AM

to get into beverly hills your budget must be $1.5M at the very minimum (assuming you want a house and not a condo). if i had that kind of money i would certainly live in the city and not way out in santa clarita, but that is just me. if you want to be closer in to the city with some prestige but still be in the 'burbs, maybe check out hidden hills, calabasas, or even out towards thousand oaks.

newyorker19 · 03-11-2011, 10:40 AM

I was under the impression that places like Calabasas and Thousand Oaks are the same driving time away from the city. All roughly 40 minutes, but I know that's being generous with traffic.
Money isn't really much of an object. We can't afford some ritzy mansion, but we can afford a 3,000 square foot house in Beverly Hills and much more in Santa Clarita.

BRinSM · 03-11-2011, 11:03 AM

calabasas and hidden hills are at least 5 miles closer to beverly hills which can mean a substantial amount of time in LA traffic. these are very upscale suburban neighborhoods with excellent public schools as well, probably much better than santa clarita (which are also good).

newyorker19 · 03-11-2011, 11:09 AM

Those neighborhoods appear to be older, many houses being built in the '80s and earlier. Are there any new developments in Calabasas? It seems like Hidden Hills is all grown out, so nothing new, really.

BRinSM · 03-11-2011, 11:27 AM

i'm not too familiar with hidden hills other than i know it's a very exclusive and gated community in the western san fernando valley. calabasas is on the southern side of the 101 across from hidden hills and is larger and not gated. the housing stock there is a mix of custom homes up in the hills towards malibu along with tracts of developed homes. there are plenty of newer homes off of parkway calabasas. i don't think anything is brand new (you have to go way outside of LA to get brand new), but relatively new nonetheless.

newyorker19 · 03-11-2011, 11:46 AM

I thought Calabasas is almost completely gated.
But what about the communities? Things to do, stores, the attitudes of people.

BRinSM · 03-11-2011, 11:56 AM

regarding the people, it's a mix. for example, the kardashians live(d) in calabasas. but i've also worked with other completely normal folk who live there. my wife's grandmother lives back in a canyon off mulholland and it's a very nice and scenic area. anyways, there's plenty to do in the area. the closer you live to the 101, the closer you'll be to shops and restaurants. calabasas is very upscale and the retail/dining options will reflect this. it's not beverly hills, but it's definitely very nice. all in all, calabasas is a very desirable city to live. i'm not trying oversell it calabasas either, i don't live there nor want to (too far from work). however, with your obviously high budget for housing i think you'd be much happier there than in santa clarita (i mean no disrespect to santa clarita either, it's nice, just not upscale). good luck in your search!

newyorker19 · 03-11-2011, 12:02 PM

Thank you for all your help!

Jebby · 03-11-2011, 12:38 PM

I lived in Santa Clarita Valley for 15 years and found it to be really nice, but if your pockets are deep enough to be considering Beverly Hills you have a lot of options. I guess it depends what kind of things you like to do with your spare time and how much space your family desires. My only complaints about SCV is that it is freakin' hot in the summer and the summers can drag out. The surrounding hills are brown for 3 of the 4 seasons, but in the spring when they turn green and bloom wildflowers it's absolutely beautiful (and you commonly have snow-capped mountains in the far background). Most of the neighborhoods are tree'd in pretty well though.

Beverly Hills is also really nice (in a different way), but there are a lot of people who are trying to get a piece of that "prestige". The congestion; especially on Wilshire, has to be the worst in LA.

Calabasas is a good suggestion. Driving into the city is a little shorter from Calabasas than SCV. But probably not by much since that portion of the 101 tends to be more congested than the 5/405 (north of Sepulveda pass). Calabasas summers are cooler than Santa Clarita, but still hot. Thousand Oaks is further than Santa Clarita in both time and distance, but summers are milder than Calabasas I believe.

With your budget, you may also want to check out the Pacific Palisades or Topanga. Closer to the action but also offer nature and outdoor recreation.