Tell me about life in/around LA, please

[iaam]

I have an offer from a great company a few miles north of LA. From a role/company perspective, it's pretty exciting. I am now waiting for the actual 'package' and also starting to think about whether we want to move to LA for me to take this job. I have so many questions...

I have always lived on the east coast (Maryland to Vermont, currently in New Jersey - think Hoboken area, right outside NYC). I don't know LA at all and that scares me. Any insights into life in/around LA would be very helpful, e.g., what areas to consider living in, what kinds of schools to check out (currently both kids go to private Catholic school; education is a big priority for us), what should we know about driving/traffic (notoriously bad), etc.? Basically, what should we expect in relation to NJ - what should we be excited as well as forewarned about?

Edited to incorporate information touched on byposters below (thanks, guys - you've already given me some great advice): the company is in Thousand Oaks. Catholic school isn't a necessity (we aren't Catholic), just a good school. Easy access to work is important but I am OK with a commute (45 min is totally fine) for a better/more diverse cultural experience. Also, DH will likely be traveling for work quite a bit, so reasonable access to LAX would be a plus.

I will post separately about my job/package questions.

Thanks so very much in advance!

[westwoodmom04]

I've spent nearly all my life in the Northeast/mid Atlantic and lived for several years in LA. It definitely is my favorite place to live --loved the weather, the diversity, proximity to the beach, great restaurants, etc. . . Cost of living will generally be the same with a big exception -- housing is significantly more expensive than even NJ's fairly high prices. Public Schools will generally not be as good but not horrible depending on where you wind up -- there will be plenty of private and parochial options.

Traffic in LA is really bad, but it is also bad in NJ so you should be use to that--not worse than Turnpike or route 1 traffic. You will want to live close to where you work, maybe the Valley or Pasadena depending on where your job is north of the city. Feel free to pm if you have specific questions, but generally life in California is not that different from life on the east coast, but better weather and happier people (weather again, plus more emphasis on having some work/life balance).

[TwinFoxes]

I love LA! Pretty much for all of the reasons WWM mentions, plus, I'm a Californian, it's home for me. You will suffer culture shock. My advice is to live as close as possible to where you work. Try to find a neighborhood with a lot of stuff nearby/walking (they exist!) Take your time to explore, and really get to know the place. There are tons of great, quirky, stores, restaurants and random places, in addition to the big names.

When you say "few miles north of LA" what are you talking? LA is so spread out, I'm just trying to figure out if you mean Pacific Palisades, or Burbank, or somewhere else.

[Tenasparkl]

I love LA! Pretty much for all of the reasons WWM mentions, plus, I'm a Californian, it's home for me. You will suffer culture shock. My advice is to live as close as possible to where you work. Try to find a neighborhood with a lot of stuff nearby/walking (they exist!) Take your time to explore, and really get to know the place. There are tons of great, quirky, stores, restaurants and random places, in addition to the big names.

When you say "few miles north of LA" what are you talking? LA is so spread out, I'm just trying to figure out if you mean Pacific Palisades, or Burbank, or somewhere else.

I agree on living as close to work as possible. We moved to our current area for the combo of good schools and being close to my work. Having a ten minute commute instead of 35-40 has completely changed my life. I can go over to my daughter's school to volunteer during my lunch hour and can run home if I forget something. That's such a different LA living experience than so many people have, but it is possible.

I was kind of obsessed with looking into schools, so if we know a little more about what area you're looking at I'm sure I can help. I'm from the northeast and run into people all the time that grew up or went to college where I did. There are lots of us here : )

[AnnieW625]

.......I don't know LA at all and that scares me. Any insights into life in/around LA would be very helpful, e.g., what areas to consider living in, what kinds of schools to check out (currently both kids go to private Catholic school; education is a big priority for us), what should we know about driving/traffic (notoriously bad), etc.? Basically, what should we expect in relation to NJ - what should we be excited as well as forewarned about?

Thanks so very much in advance!

1. Can't answer where to live without more specifics of the location of the job. North of LA could mean about 4 or 5 distinct areas: San Gabriel Valley to the NE, Santa Clarita Valley (almost due north of downtown, along I-5), the San Fernando Valley (aka "The Valley"), the West Hills/Agoura (west of The Valley), and even further NW like Pacific Palisades, or Malibu areas. In general though the Agoura/West Hills/Calabasas areas have great schools, and I think parts of the Valley like Encino, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, and even Burbank have good public schools; even some are affiliated with LA Unified and parents are happy with the education. Same general happiness from the Santa Clarita Valley, I believe that Newhall and Canyon Country are more upscale and older, but Stevenson Ranch I believe is newer, but still more upscale than other parts of the Santa Clarita Valley. Catholic education wise I can help out a bit there because I have family members, co workers or friends who have attended a variety of Catholic high schools (and Catholic elementary schools in the Pasadena area) in the general LA basin area from Sherman Oaks to Long Beach).

2. Traffic. It really does depend on the area. I live in southern LA county just about 4 miles north of the border with the western most part of Orange County. On a week day if I were to try to go to say Burbank it might take me about 90 minutes to get there, but in the middle of the day (between 10 and 2) even on a week day it probably takes about half of the time. The worst traffic that I have witnessed has either been during rush hour on the 10E or 10W through the mid wilshire/La Brea/110 areas and then on either the 405 North or South going through the Sepulveda Pass on the Westside (near UCLA) and traffic going north actually gets bad around LAX, eases up a bit after the 90, and is just plain bad from Santa Monica Blvd. through the pass. So my best advice is that if the job is in Sherman Oaks don't plan on living on the westside of LA or Santa Monica, it will take you forever to get to and from work.

This sounds silly, but the Wikipedia page for LA has a great run down of neighborhoods.

Feel free to PM me as well.

[TwinFoxes]

2.405 North or South going through the Sepulveda Pass on the Westside (near UCLA) and traffic going north actually gets bad around LAX, eases up a bit after the 90, and is just plain bad from Santa Monica Blvd. through the pass. So my best advice is that if the job is in Sherman Oaks don't plan on living on the westside of LA or Santa Monica, it will take you forever to get to and from work.



I could not agree more. I haven't lived there since they redid that area, but I understand it's still bad. The Sepulveda Pass is a frickin' nightmare. The 110 is also bad. (Something to get used to...if you live in LA you add "the" to all of the freeways. Also, it's always a freeway...not a highway, beltway, turnpike, it's the freeway). :)

[kaitlyns.mom]

Public transportation is not great, so pay close attention to mileage to/from work and school. What seems like a "doable" drive could be significantly longer. Just reiterating what these smart ladies have already said. :)

[AnnieW625]

I could not agree more. I haven't lived there since they redid that area, but I understand it's still bad. The Sepulveda Pass is a frickin' nightmare. The 110 is also bad. (Something to get used to...if you live in LA you add "the" to all of the freeways. Also, it's always a freeway...not a highway, beltway, turnpike, it's the freeway). :)

I don't believe the construction on the 405 is done yet. I honestly don't think it will ever be done. Last time we drove through was a Sunday AM in December and it was okay, but I still believe it is parking lot city during the rest of the work week.

The 110 Toll lanes are supposedly helping a bit from what I understand. Yes, people pick up that I am not from here when I still call I-5, I-5, not "The 5," (I grew up close to I-5 in nor cal) I call every other freeway "the___", but not I-5. I call the 10 most times either 10 East or 10 West, not the 10. If you ever venture to South Orange County then there are few freeways, which they call The Toll Roads, but they are still freeways even though they aren't free.

[bisous]

Thousand Oaks is an awesome place to live! Schools are considered good by California standards. You should be able to find housing close enough that should make for a very decent commute! It is one of the safest cities in the country and it is beautiful! You'll be relatively close to LA but it doesn't have the vibe of a big city. I love TO.

[westwoodmom04]

I'd look close to TO. I agree with others that you don't want the sepulveda pass to be part of your daily commute and it would be if you live in the city. Airport isn't super close but if you are near airport, you'd have more than a 45 minute commute, probably significantly more. Most of la area is diverse, not just the city proper.

[AustenFan]

I live in Thousand Oaks and know many people who work at the company I think you're talking about. Thousand Oaks is not LA, at all. It is very suburban. There is a bit more traffic on the 101 freeway at rush hour times, but our pediatrician's office is just around the corner from that company (the biggest employer in the area), and I can still get there in under 10 minutes. I can get most all local places in under 20 minutes. It is very easy to get into LA from here (an hour not in rush hour) and do all the cultural stuff--taking the kids to museums, DH and I just went to a red carpet premiere in Hollywood, etc--but you don't have to deal with big city traffic on a daily basis. DH travels frequently for work, and LAX is 1 hour from our house if you avoid rush hour.

I can't speak to the schools, since we homeschool, but I know that my friends with kids in public are happy about it. There are also many other schooling options. Honestly, we picked TO just because of the cost/commute tradeoff with DH's job (he works in Malibu), but we really lucked out. It is a great place to raise kids. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about the area--doctors, neighborhoods, etc. Honestly, if you are working in TO, I would recommend living in TO (if your husband's job allows).

Speaking in huge generalities, I would say that Californians are superficially friendlier than East Coasters. They will smile and talk to you more but not invite you over. As a Midwesterner, I really struggled with culture shock when we moved out here because I'm used to "We should get together!" meaning "Let's get together! When are you free?" in the Midwest, whereas out here it means, "I like you. You're nice. I'll enjoy talking to you the next time we randomly run into each other." But of course there are exceptions to every stereotype, and we're not all looking for the same type of community or friendship. One of our good friends is from NH and LOVED that aspect of the culture out here--and his wife is from my hometown and commiserated with me the whole time they lived out here.

[queenmama]

As a Midwesterner, I really struggled with culture shock when we moved out here because I'm used to "We should get together!" meaning "Let's get together! When are you free?" in the Midwest, whereas out here it means, "I like you. You're nice. I'll enjoy talking to you the next time we randomly run into each other."

I am cracking up so hard! As a Californian living in the Midwest, I can say to this generality without question: Nailed it.

Lara

[mom2binsd]

I agree with others, I lived in San Diego for five years, love the climate, people are nice, but as a non native making real friends was hard... I grew up in Canada, now live on Midwest and don't miss the constant crowds, there are so many people everywhere, no space, I visited and kept feeling cramped, the darn parking spots are so small..... You will have to get used to all the superficial stuff too, so much more emphasis on showing skin, and looking good... Not everyone, but much more than in other parts of the country. I do think if avoid LA proper you will avoid some of the traffic.... Of course you can't beat the weather, as long as you don't miss the four seasons.

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[TwinFoxes]

I've only visited Thousand Oaks. It's not really LA. It's a separate county. It's lovely though, I've never heard bad things. Instead of LAX, your DH should try to book out of Burbank.

[bigsis]

You have not mentioned what company, but I'm pretty sure I know which company in TO you're going ;) I have a friend who works there.

A 45-minute commute means you 10-15 mins away on rush hour here. TO is very nice, you can live anywhere in that area and you will be good to go---schools, neighborhood, etc.

[georgiegirl]

I grew up in westlake village/Thousand Oaks, and my family still lives in the area. It's a great place to raise kids. Back when I was a kid, there was one catholic high school for girls called La Reina. The Conejo valley school district is very good. Some of my friends kids go there. Climate is pretty much perfect. Look into Moorpark. It's a little cheaper than TO and has good schools too. Lots of people who work for Amgen live there (just guessing.). The entire area has similar amenities to NJ but with way better weather. I'd move there in a minute. Feel free to PM me with any questions. I still have some friends from high school who live in the area.

For flying: it's much easier to fly out of Burbank, even though it's more expensive.

If he's working in TO, stay nearby because traffic on the 101 sucks. Westlake village, newberry park, and Moorpark are other the adjacent communities. Newberry park and Moorpark will be a little cheaper. All have better than average schools.

[AnnieW625]

I would definitely look in the Thousand Oaks area or just a little bit east in Agoura or Calabasas although Calabasas is more expensive. I like that area though so I think you have a better advantage of living closer to work. Westlake Village is a close option as well, but rather expensive iirc.

[georgiegirl]

Calabasas is really expensive. My dad lives there. It's over the hill and the drive from to can have traffic. I'd stay in Ventura county if possible v, la county.

[iaam]

All: thank you SO much, this is really helpful and gives me a decent starting point. We will be doing some more research in the coming days and after that, I will definitely PM those of you who have offered, for more information/specific thoughts. In the meantime, please know that I am reading all responses and taking lots of notes, so please keep the input coming if you are so inclined!

[twowhat?]

Both of the families I know who work at this company that I think you're talking about live in Thousand Oaks (they don't have kids though) and absolutely love it. I really just wanted to say congratulations, it's a big deal to get a job at this company! I interviewed once and it was a disaster.