so the wife may have a job opportunity in LA, and I know the cost of living is brutal...

anyone make the move out there, and how brutal is the cost of living really?

I'm in Orange County and its not that bad.. of course there are pockets but you can navigate around it. Renting is not evil out here, so you have to be open to that as a way of life. Quality of life is strong where I'm at.

Hard to beat the weather and people are friendlier than I thought they would be. There is so much to do all the time and you're not burning up hot doing it. I love it here.

Thanks for the info, the job would be in Torrance. I heard they have good schools but I have no idea about the surrounding areas (Gardena, Lakewood) that have slightly cheaper housing (crimewise or schoolwise).

Tejas, where in OC? Moved to aliso from Houston about 2 months ago. Anywhere ags meet up to watch the games? (fall will get here quickly)

hey man of action... i'm just down the road from you in san clemente.

drive by aliso on 73 everyday to costa mesa where my office is at.

i'm class of 00'. you? how you liking the area?

'07. Loving the weather (running outside all summer is gonna be nice). We've been kinda low-key since we got here, wife had a big exam she'd been studying for. But hibernation is over, so it's time to explore. Planning to go hike in Laguna canyon off 133, and trying to find a good brewpub. Been to o'sheas a few times to get ingredients (homebrewer)

oh man, there are plenty of places for micro brews around here.. my favorite is pizza port in san clemente.. one of the top micr breweries in the country... and great pizza too.

take a day trip to Stone Brewery in San Diego county as well... amazing restaurant, tour and scenery... you can take the train.

there is that little micro brewery stadium in aliso town center too...

tasting room at the bruery in orange that is local micro brew and many more...

Outside of Portland, San Diego County has the most microbreweries in the country... so plenty plenty to enjoy around here.

Wife thinks LA is a bad place to raise kids, is that true?

quote:

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Wife thinks LA is a bad place to raise kids, is that true?

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Absolutely not. I can't think of a better place to raise kids.

I've met a couple of kids (18-21) here in OC theough work. Seemed like good kids. My pre-move assumptions that the kids would be little D-bags have proven false. There are turds everywhere. Seems to me that a kid's character is going to come from home, primarily (don't take my word for it, though, I know how parents respond to advice from non-parents)

you have a TON of options but all we know is the job is in Torrance.

rent or buy
age of kids
budget
etc.

saying LA is a bad place to raise kids is the same as saying Houston is a bad place to raise kids ..





[This message has been edited by beachfront71 (edited 7/2/2012 9:57a).]

rent or buy, but a house not apt.
kids are 4, 8, 10
not sure of the pay yet. but best guess would be 150 ish.

Others will have their own opinions but I would look into Manhatton or Redondo Beach if you are looking to live somewhere that:

1. Is not too far from Torrance
2. Is walkable to restaurants, parks, ocean, family things etc.

These will also be your most expensive areas so start here and work your way inland.

There are areas here that are a bit of a hike from walking to the beach but give you a yard, etc and are still close enough to take advantage of everything..

All depends on the commute.

Regardless of if you can afford it or not, I would rent for a while to make sure you find the area you want to buy in .. unlesess you 2 are coming out early to scout things out.

[This message has been edited by beachfront71 (edited 7/2/2012 9:22p).]

From Torrance, Manhattan, Redondo, RPV, El Segundo. Basically South of The 105 and West of the 405 and West of San Pedro.

LA is a horrible place to raise kids IF you don't want them exposed to dope smokers, single moms, future child stars, etc.

But, if you want them to understand that there are lots of different types of folks in this world and that it doesn't matter if you're Korean, Mexican, Black, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, "Persian", Armenian, White, Jewish, whatever, it's anything goes in LA. People do tend to stick to communities of like ethnicity but, they all coexist in LA. Oh, forgot about the Gays in West Hollywood.

Anyway, as long as you aren't going to miss College Football (that isn't SC or UCLA) and if you can live without the NFL in-person, you'll do OK. Oh yeah, you'll be dying for BBQ and Tex-Mex but other than that, LA is pretty good.

I second the idea of renting first and figure out if and where you want to buy.

California does have some really good reports online about their school system. Obviously stay out of LAUSD. I was pretty happy with a minimal commute and sending my kids to a school that was an 8/10 versus commuting 60-90 minutes each way so my kids could go to a school that was a 10/10.

EDIT: The site you want to check out for the schools is:
California Department of Education Accountability Progress Reporting
Look for the report that gives you the school API score and Growth target, etc. That's your best bet for figuring out if a school is doing well or not.

The ranks 1-10 are legit. If you look hard enough, you can find a school rated a 10 (Irvine) and you can find a school rated a 1 (Compton). Anything near the beach is typically going to be OK

[This message has been edited by HollywoodBQ (edited 7/8/2012 7:12a).]

Great Posts, thanks.

Is the LA area A&M Club doing anything this week?

I'm in town visiting my sister and figured it might be fun to crash one of y'all's events.