My roommate and I are planning on moving out to LA this summer and I'm trying to figure out where the best/safest place to live is.
I know apartments are roughly $1000+ a month. $1000 is the floor, and the other poster who mentioned Compton was pulling your leg. I answered your other q, and if you want to be near auditions, you have to be on the west side or Burbank areas. Budget at least $1200 a month to start, and have first and last months' rents ready, plus a security deposit for damage. And... how are you going to line up work right away?
I don't mean to be negative, but it's high pressure here. At least there will be two of you to share.
And I still say go for it. Check craigslist for jobs and apts. I hear compton is real nice. I am sorry to tell you that $1,000 will get you a dump in a not safe area. You will have to plan on $2000 and up for a place like you want. Sorry to pop your bubble but living in Los Angeles is no different than living in San Bernardino, San Diego, Burbank, Santa Monica or Beverly Hills. It's not safe to live in any cities. You can go to a website that can let you know how bad crime is in the area you want to live as well as calling the local law enforcement departments in the Los Angeles area that will let you know which is the safest to live. Los Angeles covers a wide area of living. If you live near Dodgers Stadium it's run down and poverty stricken. If you live near Sunset Blvd near the Kodak Theater it may be expensive. The best thing to do for now is rent a room out until you're financial stable. You can rent a room at some of the local hotels or motels. Living in Los Angeles is expensive. Many have left Los Angeles and moved towards San Bernardino county. Just renting a studio in Los Angeles is about $1,000 a month. Just be prepared that living in Los Angeles isn't easy. I just wanted to pop that bubble of reality and prepare you for California living. It's bad. If you're planning to be an actor good luck thats even worse so it's best to have a job before coming out here. You should find a job for now that can be transferable to Calfornia. For example, work at Target, Wal-Mart, JcPenney's, McDonald's, Burger King, Arby's, Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, etc in your area to be able to transfer to these locations in California. Before you move make sure you have saved up at least $10,000-15,000 for your rent and expenses. Jobs out here are very limited and rental is expensive unless you board with other people. You could try local colleges that have students seeking roommates. These are just feedback for your anticipation for California living. We see this over and over in this forum: Everyone hears about the great weather in SoCal or believes they are the next great actor/model/singer, then starts looking for the "cheap, clean, and safe". It's all about supply and demand: If it's in SoCal, then it's not going to be cheap to begin with. If it's clean and safe, then it's more expensive. If you need good schools, add a couple hundred bucks a month on top of it.
If you want to live here and enjoy the weather, then you have to pay for it. You put up with the smog and the traffic, enjoy the weather and pay your rent or mortgage. My advice is to start checking out craigslist, rent.com, and apartments.com if you are looking to rent. You鈥檒l quickly see that the minimum rent for a non-war zone is about $1,000-$1,200 per month for a studio or 1BR. Really nice areas (like the West LA area) easily run $3,000 or more.
"LA" is such a big place, there are so many neighborhoods/cities where you can live. Of course, even within a city or neighborhood, there are safer sections and less-safe sections.
In Los Angeles, some nice sections are West LA, Brentwood, Westwood, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Eagle Rock, Encino, Tarzana, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Granada Hills, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, West Hills, Chatsworth.
To the east: South Pasadena, parts of Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Glendora, San Dimas, Laverne, Azusa, Rancho Cucamonga.
Along the beach: Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, Palos Verdes, Rancho PV.
In Orange County aka "The OC": Seal Beach , Huntington Beach , Newport Beach , Corona Del Mar , Laguna Beach , Dana Point , Capistrano Beach , San Clemente , Brea, Yorba Linda, Orange, Tustin, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest
To the west: Agoura, Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Simi Valley, Moorpark.
This is not an all-inclusive list, but it's a start. Compton.
Well, I live in Compton.
My area is consider one the good area of Compton.
Compton is not that bad.
I have seen someone gotten rob in Hollywood and not in Compton.
However, there are numerous of ugly places. Places were they have drive-bys and robbery like every once a month.
Compton rents are very affordable.
There is a beautiful house around the corner
3bed 2 bath renting for 2,000 a month. That is cheap.
Well come to Compton and see it for your self.
Other places that I know that good and safe but not cheap is Toluca Lake or Burbank or Glendale.
Here, I couldnt find my neigboords house online;however,
but here is a one in a good area too cheap
http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdet... The person who mentioned Compton has probably never even been there. Even so, there are some decent areas in Compton...but ignorance is bliss for some.
Hip and fun areas in LA would be in Hollywood, near Amoeba Record Store and the LA Film School on Sunset Blvd. It has great nightlife and fun walking experiences in that area. It's crowded, but you'll have great people watching and find book stores and clubs that are open late--which is rare in Los Angeles. Studios in the artsy surrounding area start at about 1000.00. They've also built a few upscale apartments such as the one atop Borders on the corner of Sunset and Vine.
Another area that hot is near the Grove shopping center and Farmer's Market.(Fairfax) Again, another community where walking is great and there are lots of stores and theaters. Rent in that area is a bit higher--so a good place might start at 1300.00 and up. The WGA is near there, some great Kosher restuarants and CBS Studios.
Nearby is the Melrose district. Again, another people watching area. It's where the hip, trendy and sometimes weird make their home. Again, a fun, safe area where purple hair and 15 nose rings wouldn't get a second look. The only crime you could commit there is with the fashion police.
Culver City is simply marvelous. It's quiet, clean and also hip. It's the place where families and mods go.The best area is downtown Culver City...near Sony Studios...in the restored part of Culver City...there you'll find great coffee shops, nice walking, theaters and even a trendy wash house that offers internet connections and organic food...Check out Culver City near Washington Avenue...rent in that area is 1000 and up. It has a very un-LA, community feel.
If you like more of a city life, with up and coming urbanites, Downtown Los Angeles is pretty hot. Lofts near 7th and Flower are fab..including the Gas Company Building, The Reserve and the Lofts...all hipster buildings that were converted to lofts. You'll see lots of folks walking their dogs and hanging out at the new late night Ralphs Supermarket, Ihop and the Standard...many of these buildings (the better ones) have roof top pools, gardens and dog walking areas. The area is a wash with Ranger Rovers, BMWs and bums--so you are scary and the sight of a homeless person makes your hair stand--it might not be the place for you--but it is where the cool venture to go. Walking is fantastic here. You can get a workout going up and down Bunker Hill while watching the suits go to their daily grind during the day--or at night when the theater crowd, hotel tourists and the sports crowd hit the street.
If the beach area is more your speed--check out communities such as Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach. These areas are near the ocean and less pricey than the over-promoted and over-priced Santa Monica and Venice areas. For a price of a shack in Venice, you could live like a semi-queen in Redondo or Manattan Beach. The streets are so clean, you could eat dinner off of them. In terms of safety, you could lay on the sidewalk drunk with a handbag full of money, and no one would bother you. Okay, maybe not with a bag of money....The biggest crime there would be to come outside without flip-flops and a pair of shorts.
Many retreat to the Valley because the prices seem to be somewhat lower there. 10 years ago, you couldn't pay people to live there as the earthquakes hit that area hard--nevertheless...it's where all of the studios are, where the smog settles and where you could fry an egg on the streets during the summer.
The Valley includes areas like Burbank, Sherman Oaks, and Encino..
To me, the best area there is Studio City. Very nice nightlife there. More homes than apartments, but it makes for very nice neighborhoods. It has cooler temperatures, fantastic shops all within walking distance and you can cut through Laurel Canyon and head directly to Sunset Blvd to check out the celebrity parties and hot spots near Bel Air and Westwood.
Burbank is okay...but most residental areas there are not near anything that is in good walking distance--so you will need a car for sure. The summers are very hot in the valley, so be prepared. I keep repeating it..so that's your warning.
Most areas far north of the city are going to provide the best bargains in terms of pricing. It costs to live with the hipsters--but valley areas provide a nice living environment--just less of the flash. After 9PM, everyone is in bed and just about everything is closed.
Another area east of los angeles is Pasadena...it's a lush area full of historical homes and clean streets. Apartment living is fantastic there---and prices are moderate. If it's between the Valley and Pasadena--take Pasadena. Downtown is great there--fab walking life-and a very un-LA place to live.
Finally, Los Felix is a fantastic area. It's in an older section of Los Angeles, near Griffth Park. Lots and Lots of apartments...high up above the city and it's full of long sidewalks and great views. The apartments close to Griffith are the best...and you can travel down Vermont Avenue and hit all the cool ethnic restuarants and Pinkberry's. A great area for dog owners and walkers.
To insure you get a decent place, be prepared to pay at least 1300 and up. You can find studios that are nice for 1000.00. Craiglist is a good place to start, but I've also found that just driving around the neighborhoods I want to live in produce even better results.
If you are on a really tight budget, you can find great apartments in Leimert Park where a one bedroom starts at about 1000.00. Another area is View Park/Windsor Hills near Buckingham Drive and Slauson..all apartments and parks and a very moderately priced area. It is a corridor that extends into Culver City. Most people in Los Angeles don't know about these areas because LA is very segregated and so people in Burbank think anything beyond Santa Monica is a crime zone. That's why driving around is a good idea, in addition to hitting listings on craigslist.
Those are my picks...hope that helps! safe.,damn im white. but it seems to me on here white people are scarred want safe areas..oh my god los angeles is fine most. parts dont got to east la. or south central you should be good you need more money though..
good its not safe. sounds like a little winer. probally never been on the street at like 1:00 in the morning.
are you really scarred for your life look some crime stats up..
damn
im 16 live in texas got family in L.A> some family some live in some suburb. i heard compton has gotten better so sorry... no housing no jobs ... better stay where you are and get a job at the tasty freeze cus there aint no jobs in toss angeles. err check that, if you're a pakistani you are in luck... lots of conveniece stores around looking for the third shift. |
