snih

Hi.

Would like some advice of poss….

Due to work commitments I’ll be relocating to Los Angeles (the office is on Wilshire Boulevard) in around 3-4 mths time. Work, of course, will be sorting out the visa for me and the family etc so that’s no problem.

However, I have no idea on which area is the best place to live for a young family. I will be getting an ‘average’ salary so $14k a month rent will be no good for me, I would suspect around $2-4k would be more in the price range.

I would prefer not to live in Hollywood and around Sunset Boulevard as its very touristy etc. I don’t mind commuting for an hour each way (do that now as it is).

Would much appreciate any info / advice you may have…

Thanks,

s.

PS how much does a small cappuccino cost and a pint of beer!

AmerLisa

Ooooo, I don't know, it might take up most of your "average" salary.

Good luck! I really don't know any good areas around LA....is Pasadena too far away? It stuck me as a really nice place to live, when I got lost there one time.

AmerLisa

Why did you delete it, Poppy? I thought it was funny....

Poppy girl

Cause I read it wrong thought it said he was earniing $14k a month

Sally Redux

How old are your children? We used to live in Park La Brea and loved it, it's rent-controlled too. The Hancock Park Elementary School is great, but school gets trickier as the kids get older.

http://www.parklabrea.com/

MoshiMoshi

Hello, and congratulations on the relocation!

Do you know in which section of Wilshire your office will be? Wilshire is very long (as are many LA streets; ours is more than 50 miles) and passes through various different areas -- Santa Monica, Westwood, Koreatown, the museums etc.

Most of the Westside neighbourhoods are decent. Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills and to some extent West Hollywood are very nice but generally expensive; however, there are plenty of less picturesque but well-located districts mixed in with them. My husband and I live right between Santa Monica and Westwood, a few intersections south of Wilshire, and it costs us about $1400/m for a furnished 1-bedroom flat. We moved to LA four months ago and we really like it.

I'll come back later and write some more -- rather embarrassingly, I'm off to Hollywood Blvd to see Colin Firth get his star on the Walk of Fame... You're right about Hollywood -- I wouldn't want to live there unless I could afford a big gated mansion in the hills. Too many tourists and pseudo-tourists! Now, where's my camera...

Havnfun

I considered going to see Colin Firth today since we were going to be headed that direction as we are going to NBC Studios to watch the taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this afternoon

To the OP: We are located in Orange County and unfortunately do not know the LA area very well but wanted to welcome you to Southern California. We have been here for two years now and LOVE the wonderful weather!

mmhendrie

yep - i think more details - Wilshire runs through some really nice areas, and some not so nice areas - both my wife and I work on Wilshire blvd, but we must be close to 15 miles apart! Also, average salary - average for an exec, average for an admin, average for Sheffield, average for Los Angeles.....a range gives us a good starting point. Here's another way of looking at it, what type budget do you have for rent?

The kids and school requirements are VERY important here.

S Folinsky

As already mentioned, where on Wilshire Blvd? Cross street or ZIP code would be helpful. Also, Sunset Blvd, is even longer than Wilshire and they do not cross.

Also, do not rule out "Hollywood" as "touristy" -- the Hollywood area and environs as quite a bit larger than the part where tourists hang out -- there are some parts that are quite nice. I've lived in the "Los Feliz" area which is considered to be part of Hollywood. It pays to note that the housing can vary incredibly even with a small area. For example, it you are in "mid-Wilshire," the Hancock Park area is quite nice [as is "Larchmont Village."]

What kind of life style do you want? Are you OK with an apartment or condo? [L.A. does not have "flats."] Or do you want a detached house? Is public transit important [it has improved a lot in L.A.]?

Here is a list of various L.A. neighborhoods.

Bob

What visas are you getting? If it's a company transfer, you'll get L1 and the missus can work, so that should help the situation, if not and it's a H1, she won't be able to, so that might also influence where you'll want to live as you'll more than likely need two cars to shunt kids about etc.

city-data.com is another good site to get specifics, especially if looking for school districts.

Welcome to BE and good luck!

And check the wiki, as there's already a lot of decent info to get you started.

aviva

Is Los Feliz really considered part of Hollywood? Not being snarfy, just would never have thought that.

S Folinsky

Personally, I've always considered it to be "Hollywood Adjacent." And "Los Feliz" does have a certain cachet for Real Estate names. Take a look at the Wikipedia link on "Hollywood." Jackie got through an Assembly Bill which actually deliniated official borders for "Hollywood."

For those who do not know, any "900xx" ZIP code will generally be "Los Angeles." Take a look at this map regarding local Trade Joe's stores. The "Silver Lake" one is in 90027 [which BTW is a "Los Feliz" ZIP code], the "Hollywood" store is "Los Angeles 90028" while the West Hollywood store is located in the incorporated City of West Hollywood, so it is "West Hollywood 90046."

Sharp readers will note the 900xx ZIP code -- West Hollywood used to be an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. Postal codes do not necessarily match political boundaries -- a Realtor will refer to "Post Office" when they mean the area of Los Angeles City which lies within the Bevely Hills ZIP code of 90210.

Sally Redux

I wondered why it was referred to in that way.

S Folinsky

Yes, I know this is 28 years old, but I still like it. BTW, Wilshire Blvd. runs between 6th and 7th Streets in L.A.

Also, a famous piece of advice for living in L.A. -- "Take Fountain."

Sally Redux

"How could it hurt you when it looks so good"