Help- Moving to OC/SoCal, need advice! (Long Beach, Anaheim: sales, apartments)

[dnjagg01]

Hello, I am hoping that some of you good people can help me out with information. I am most likely moving to SoCal soon with a government job in San Pedro and looking for a 1 bedroom apartment. For the first year, salary is not great by California standards, so I am looking to spend 800-1000/month on rent. With that said, I am looking for information on what areas/cities I should look at that would be considered "good neighborhoods" and that wouldn't be too horrible of a commute (again, by SoCal standards). I am a fairly conservative individual from the Midwest and would like find an area with similar individuals, as close to the beach as possible; however, I value an area with minimal gang or crime problems that is still somewhat affordable. I have recently been looking at Anaheim because I have heard that it is a good city. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

Avoid San Pedro -most of it is gang-infested and trashy. I recommend a search starting with Miraleste, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Rolling Hills(anywhere on the Peninsula) on Craigslist.org(talk about a reasonable commute!) But I'd love to have ya in Orange County. So if you visit, http://www.govpro.com/News/Article/31439/ ..you'll see a semi-recent study of America's Most Conservative Cities. (3 in the top 25 are in Orange County.) Although, Garden Grove and the city of Orange rank higher, I prefer Huntington Beach. HB has a lot of "big city"-type amenities without a lot big city problems. The bad news is that the commute to SP will take well over an hour.

Don't overlook, Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills. They are also great though both are very expensive. (I'm not positive that rent below $1,000 is do-able.) To give you an idea- The median income of the peninsula is over $100k/year.

Lastly, Redondo Beach(in LA County) has a great quality of life and offers rentals below $1000. It attracts lots of families and young professionals who seek a low crime rate, decent schools, and a beach-side charm. The pier area offers good restaurants, fishing, and entertainment. The commute to SP will take about 35 minutes.

[kimbree]

Hello, I have lived in Anaheim on the west side for the past 6 years. Anaheim is not bad, but not the best either. It is really nice over by Disney Resort, but the other areas are spotty. You definitely want to stay away from ANY apartments on Dale, mostly gangs and illegals. If you commute to San Pedro depending on the exact location of your apartment, the time you work, etc. you are looking at least one hour commute in the morning and possibly longer in the evening. Again, it depends on your work schedule. I worked in Long Beach and started at 5:30 am and it was just 35 minutes to work with no accidents, got off at 3:30 and it was an hour, but if I worked even 30 minutes over and left at 4, I could add an extra 30 minutes to my drive home. Again, it depends on location of your job and which freeway. The 91 which is the one you would probably use if you lived in Anaheim, is a parking lot at certain hours, after 4:30 pm, I would not even use it. Apartments in Anaheim, again depending on location for a one bedroom will run you anywhere between $950 and $1200. Most of the cheaper ones are where you do not want to live. If you rent in Anaheim, make sure that you have the City of Anaheim utililties, alot of the larger complexes contract their electric out and it is way more expensive than the city's rates. Our police department is good, but the city is changing and it seems more like a suburb of Mexico city at times. Most of our hispanic citizens are good, very hardworking individuals (in fact, if you want a hardworker, get a hispanic to do the job), and are very family oriented, but the bad ones get all the attention. As for SoCal, I have lived here for years, and the decline of the area is very apparent to most long time residents. I myself am leaving the state this summer for good. I live in a 50-60 year old 750 sq ft apartment with a pool being the only amenity and I pay $1100 a month after 3 years here. again, the area is okay, not fancy, but fairly decent. Your registration on your car and your car insurance are going to go up. I have a perfect record (driving for 43 years), no accidents, one ticket and an 8 year old Toyota and I pay $800 a year for full coverage. But again, I am 58 years old and have a great record.

I would suggest Long Beach for you, rents about the same, but closer to San Pedro. Just make sure that you stay over by the University or over by the community college on Carson, or carefully select a place in the rebuilt downtown. Central Long Beach and north LB are really getting bad. Again, be careful, a few blocks here and you can be in an entirely different type area. I wish you much luck and it sounds as if you are just getting started in life and there is much to do here. However, if you want a quiet area and are much of a homebody, this is not the place for you.

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by newportbeachsmostwanted

I prefer Huntington Beach. Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills.
Lastly, Redondo Beach.

Sorry, you will have no chance of living in these cities on your desired payment.

[dusesean1986]

Check out Downey, Whittier, Garden Grove, Long Beach, Lakewood, Cerritos, Artesia, and parts of Norwalk, hope I helped!

[pootie562]

The guy said from 800-1000 dollars per month cerritos is kind of expensive, maybe you can find something in lakewood, but bellflower is a lot cheaper.

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

Originally Posted by dusesean1986

Sorry, you will have no chance of living in these cities on your desired payment.

..without roommates.

[kimbree]

cheaper is that it has gotten awful. More gangs, drugs and crime than it is worth. Lakewood is getting some iffy areas also. I had my first home in Lakewood,(and loved living there, but this was 30 years ago) by what is now the mall and west of the boulevard has gotten bad and the closer to BF that you get, the more crime. But on the rent that he is willing to pay, that limits him to a large extent. Norwalk is getting so bad, I would not send my ex-husband to live there without taking out a large life insurance policy on him LOL. Whittier too is not that great unless you are up towards Colima and the hills above La Puente. A $1000 does not buy much here in SoCa. And La Habra that is next to Whittier is like a second world country unless you live next to Brea. No, he is going to be limited by his budget, not counting all the extras that California costs. State taxes, sales taxes, auto taxes, taxes on all your utilities, etc. Gas is now over $3 a gallon, so I hope that you drive something fuel efficient. Registration is not as bad as it used to be thanks to Governor A, but still high and insurance for a young person with a limited driving record is high. Still, for a young person who wants lots to do, it is here, just expensive. Bar hopping is expensive, movies too, a game or concert will set you back at least $100 at a minimum. Dinner at a good restaurant for two folks and drinks, at least another $100. SoCal is not the place to live on one income at less than $50-60k a year and even that income means that you are not going to be able to do alot of the things that you would like to. My suggestion is to get a two bedroom apt ($1400 for a decent place) and share the rent and costs. Whatever you decide to do, good luck. We will even the population out, you are getting here, and I am getting OUT.

[ferretkona]

That's what I was thinking about in Lakewood, west of the mall has always been rough because of all the apartments there. I grew up over off Clark and South so I had it nice. I own in Bellflower but I am south of Artesia so it almost is Lakewood still, lol.

If I was to work in San Pedro and wanted to keep my driving down I would look in Torrance. There is some really fine homes in great neighborhoods there, at the posters budget he or she will not rent a home but a apartment or duplex could be possible. Torrance to San Pedro is a very short commute, barely jump on the 110.

[kimbree]

Ah, yes Torrance, I was raised in Torrance on Anza avenue. Went to school at St. James and graduated Torrance High. Have not been up that way in years, but I always liked it. Nice, clean, have no idea what rents go for but you have alot to do there. Movied, the pier in Redondo, the marina, the mall, lots of restaurants, etc. Torrance is an excellent suggestion.