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Relo to L.A. - Neighborhood Advise Needed (1 Viewer)

Chemical X

Footballguy
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia

 
Give us the kinds of features of the city/neighborhood you're interested in (or interested in avoiding) and we could give you some better suggestions.

 
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long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
Arcadia is probably the best city around Alhambra with great neighborhoods but expensive. South Pasadena is great and also expensive which is a general theme around LA. North Pasadena is a bit shady but you can find decent places there. I don't recommend being in Pasadena north of Colorado Blvd. though. Alhambra itself is not the same city it has been, but some of the neighborhoods to the Pasadena side are not bad and relatively inexpensive. Brace yourself though, rent in LA county has been going up steadily for years.

 
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
Arcadia is probably the best city around Alhambra with great neighborhoods but expensive. South Pasadena is great and also expensive which is a general theme around LA. North Pasadena is a bit shady but you can find decent places there. I don't recommend being in Pasadena north of Colorado Blvd. though. Alhambra itself is not the same city it has been, but some of the neighborhoods to the Pasadena side are not bad and relatively inexpensive. Brace yourself though, rent in LA county has been going up steadily for years.
Brush up on your Mandarin if you're planning on moving to Arcadia (or El Monte, or San Gabriel, or Baldwin Park, or Alhambra itself). Also there are many nice, not so nice and scary neighborhoods throughout regular Pasadena (as opposed to South Pasadena) - north or south of Colorado Blvd.

 
Pasadena if you can afford it.

If not, maybe Eagle Rock?

PS: say hi to Nipsey and try The Hat.

PPS: Enjoy 10am football.

 
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Give us the kinds of features of the city/neighborhood you're interested in (or interested in avoiding) and we could give you some better suggestions.
no kids, so we don't need the usual kidcrap. decently safe, mostly english speaking. we know rents will be between 1700- & 2400- likely.

 
South Pasadena or maybe La Cañada Flintridge. But be prepared for that commute to be greater than 30 minutes on many days.

 
Some very good suggestions here. Alhambra is sorta ho-hum. It's in the middle of the San Gabriel Valley. Very heavy Asian population, especially in Monterey Park, Arcadia, etc. Know that a majority of the language and signs on buildings will not be in English in several cities. Some great Dim Sum places but I digress. The key is that in this market schools are everything. Certain areas for home prices (and I'm sure rent) are really driven by school districts. Arcadia, San Marino, etc are very pricey. Since schools aren't important to you I'd look outside those cities. Will definitely get better deals.

Actually, depending on what you're into you might dig Eagle Rock. Different vibe. Between Glendale and Pasadena. Some good craft beer is coming from thearea, and they have the Oinkster, one of my favorite places on earth. South Pasadena would be good too.

 
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
Arcadia is probably the best city around Alhambra with great neighborhoods but expensive. South Pasadena is great and also expensive which is a general theme around LA. North Pasadena is a bit shady but you can find decent places there. I don't recommend being in Pasadena north of Colorado Blvd. though. Alhambra itself is not the same city it has been, but some of the neighborhoods to the Pasadena side are not bad and relatively inexpensive. Brace yourself though, rent in LA county has been going up steadily for years.
Brush up on your Mandarin if you're planning on moving to Arcadia (or El Monte, or San Gabriel, or Baldwin Park, or Alhambra itself). Also there are many nice, not so nice and scary neighborhoods throughout regular Pasadena (as opposed to South Pasadena) - north or south of Colorado Blvd.
Cantonese is the dialect you want. And I hope you like Asians.

The good thing is dining out and groceries are both very inexpensive.

If you don't like asians and prefer Persians, try Glendale.

 
well, I grew up in what is now frushing, ny, so the Asian invasion is no biggie. I am hopeful on a reasonable commute. I keep seeing eagle rock here...... thx for the thoughts and prayers.

 
Check out Majestic in the Agrestic Township. Most of the original Agrestic was burnt down, but it was going downhill anyways after the Majestic sewer line was put right through it.

 
If the commute is your main concern, I'd start looking in South Pasadena 1st. Or Alhambra itself if you don't mind being a minority and not being able to read many of the business signs. Eagle Rock is o.k., but it's going to be close to the outer limit of your target commute time range.

La Canada is probably going to be pricey - it's another city with high quality school district premiums when it comes to real estate.

If you wanted a more city oriented environment and were o.k. with apartment living you could probably do downtown L.A. as you'd be commuting opposite of traffic. It'd probably take a full 30 minute commute though. Somewhere close to old-town Pasadena would be a decent option for that kind of thing as well with less commute time, lots of quality restaurant/entertainment/shopping within walking distance in that area.

 
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
Arcadia is probably the best city around Alhambra with great neighborhoods but expensive. South Pasadena is great and also expensive which is a general theme around LA. North Pasadena is a bit shady but you can find decent places there. I don't recommend being in Pasadena north of Colorado Blvd. though. Alhambra itself is not the same city it has been, but some of the neighborhoods to the Pasadena side are not bad and relatively inexpensive. Brace yourself though, rent in LA county has been going up steadily for years.
Brush up on your Mandarin if you're planning on moving to Arcadia (or El Monte, or San Gabriel, or Baldwin Park, or Alhambra itself). Also there are many nice, not so nice and scary neighborhoods throughout regular Pasadena (as opposed to South Pasadena) - north or south of Colorado Blvd.
Cantonese is the dialect you want. And I hope you like Asians.

The good thing is dining out and groceries are both very inexpensive.

If you don't like asians and prefer Persians, try Glendale.
Or compton....

 
yeah, looks like occidental in the area....would this be a good or bad thing?
Definitely good. The campus is beautiful, a real gem of the area. It's a great place to hang out, people watch, hike etc.

The surrounding neighborhood, however, is a little dumpy. Not that it's crime-riddled or anything, just not very pretty.

 
Along the line of Eagle Rock, if you think you want to live in a hipster area with a younger crowd, Montrose and Los Feliz are great rental areas with farmers markets, dog parks, and a lot of younger yuppy types. These will be further from Alhambra than Pasadena or Eagle Rock but not by much but much like Old Town Pasadena that Gr00vus mentioned a lot of quaint neighborhood bars and restaurants to walk to at a much smaller scale than Pasadena.

Do people use the term yuppies anymore?

 
take a look at Westsiderentals, probably the most popular rental site out here. "Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley" will include all of the cities already mentioned, you can also try the "Studio City" area and the Downtown LA area. It's subscription based, but can use it for free to at least get an idea of the rental prices before committing to it.

 
By all means, Pasadena if you can afford it.

Eagle Rock if you are into the hipster scene. Its turning into the next Silver Lake.

Alta Dena is the place to go. The real estate hasn't boomed yet (its going to) and your commute to Alhambra won't be bad.

I'm actively looking at investment real estate properties in Alta Dena.

 
If you really want something quiet and away from the city go east. Look out in San Dimas (of Bill and Ted fame) or Glendora. Also LaVerne. Very quiet, very stable. Also, there are spots in Covina Hills and South Hills that are very quiet. Chino Hills is nice, also. My ex owns a house in LaVerne and I own a business in Chino Hills and live in Covin Hills. If you have any specific questions or concerns, Pm me.

 
By all means, Pasadena if you can afford it.

Eagle Rock if you are into the hipster scene. Its turning into the next Silver Lake.

Alta Dena is the place to go. The real estate hasn't boomed yet (its going to) and your commute to Alhambra won't be bad.

I'm actively looking at investment real estate properties in Alta Dena.
buy something nice for me and i will rent it.

 
If you really want something quiet and away from the city go east. Look out in San Dimas (of Bill and Ted fame) or Glendora. Also LaVerne. Very quiet, very stable. Also, there are spots in Covina Hills and South Hills that are very quiet. Chino Hills is nice, also. My ex owns a house in LaVerne and I own a business in Chino Hills and live in Covin Hills. If you have any specific questions or concerns, Pm me.
I think most of that would be more than a 30 minute commute to Alhambra (unless he's working funky hours). San Dimas/Glendora would probably be the limit and I think even that would be pushing it.

 
Pigskin Fanatic said:
Along the line of Eagle Rock, if you think you want to live in a hipster area with a younger crowd, Montrose and Los Feliz are great rental areas with farmers markets, dog parks, and a lot of younger yuppy types. These will be further from Alhambra than Pasadena or Eagle Rock but not by much but much like Old Town Pasadena that Gr00vus mentioned a lot of quaint neighborhood bars and restaurants to walk to at a much smaller scale than Pasadena.

Do people use the term yuppies anymore?
Los Feliz was my recommendation. It's also closer to things to do around LA. The drive from Pasadena to the beach isn't too bad with no traffic/accidents but if either of those happen on the 110 or 134 it can ruin your day. At least from Los Feliz you make your way through side streets and not take too much longer.

 
Chemical X said:
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
If you're looking for a fantasy baseball league, I've got 2 local ones you can join... ;)

 
Chemical X said:
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
If you're looking for a fantasy baseball league, I've got 2 local ones you can join... ;)
this will likely happen.

 
Is your wife's office located near transit? I believe there's a commuter stop in Alhambra and, if so, that may allow you more geographic freedom. For example, if you don't mind being a bit further out, Claremont is a great little village type community. But I'd only do that if train worked to get your wife to work.

By transit you may also be able to go further West.

 
Chemical X said:
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
I live in Alhambra so feel free to PM me with any questions. Where exactly in Alhambra?

Alhambra, North San Gabriel, Temple City and Arcadia will me more Asian/Chinese but there are nice areas. I suggest (at a minimum) staying north of Mission Street and better yet north of Main/Las Tunas street. Stay away from the I-10 and Valley Blvd area and also avoid Monterey Park and Rosemead. If more "whiter" areas appeal to you (for various restaurants, bars, nightlife, shopping, etc) then South Pasadena, and pockets of Pasadena are best.

If you're ok with being a little further out in the suburbs, you can look at Altadena, Monrovia and Sierra Madre. There's good and bad pockets in each city. As someone suggested, westsiderentals.com is a good resource to check out rental prices.

 
By all means, Pasadena if you can afford it.

Eagle Rock if you are into the hipster scene. Its turning into the next Silver Lake.

Alta Dena is the place to go. The real estate hasn't boomed yet (its going to) and your commute to Alhambra won't be bad.

I'm actively looking at investment real estate properties in Alta Dena.
great comments. I had a friend who lived in Alta Dena for awhile and loved it. Unique community. Also Sierra Madre. Used to hang out with the Santa Anita jockeys drinking at the Buccaneer.
 
Chemical X said:
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
I live in Alhambra so feel free to PM me with any questions. Where exactly in Alhambra?

Alhambra, North San Gabriel, Temple City and Arcadia will me more Asian/Chinese but there are nice areas. I suggest (at a minimum) staying north of Mission Street and better yet north of Main/Las Tunas street. Stay away from the I-10 and Valley Blvd area and also avoid Monterey Park and Rosemead. If more "whiter" areas appeal to you (for various restaurants, bars, nightlife, shopping, etc) then South Pasadena, and pockets of Pasadena are best.

If you're ok with being a little further out in the suburbs, you can look at Altadena, Monrovia and Sierra Madre. There's good and bad pockets in each city. As someone suggested, westsiderentals.com is a good resource to check out rental prices.
i may lean on you for advise as we go forward. she'll likely be in the area where 710 goes to die, near valley.

 
Is your wife's office located near transit? I believe there's a commuter stop in Alhambra and, if so, that may allow you more geographic freedom. For example, if you don't mind being a bit further out, Claremont is a great little village type community. But I'd only do that if train worked to get your wife to work.

By transit you may also be able to go further West.
transit not an option for her.

 
By all means, Pasadena if you can afford it.Eagle Rock if you are into the hipster scene. Its turning into the next Silver Lake.Alta Dena is the place to go. The real estate hasn't boomed yet (its going to) and your commute to Alhambra won't be bad. I'm actively looking at investment real estate properties in Alta Dena.
great comments. I had a friend who lived in Alta Dena for awhile and loved it. Unique community. Also Sierra Madre. Used to hang out with the Santa Anita jockeys drinking at the Buccaneer.
Altadena doesn't look commutable from its location....am I missing something?

 
Chemical X said:
long story short, wife offered a great opportunity in the Alhambra area of CA. we have 9-12 months to get out there, but have no idea of the area, we are east coasters. looking to rent an independent property In a good neighborhood. schools not a concern. I assume we should stay north of LA proper? taking advise on neighborhoods that would keep the commute to a 1/2 hour max.

tia
Arcadia is probably the best city around Alhambra with great neighborhoods but expensive. South Pasadena is great and also expensive which is a general theme around LA. North Pasadena is a bit shady but you can find decent places there. I don't recommend being in Pasadena north of Colorado Blvd. though. Alhambra itself is not the same city it has been, but some of the neighborhoods to the Pasadena side are not bad and relatively inexpensive. Brace yourself though, rent in LA county has been going up steadily for years.
Brush up ron your Mandarin if you're plarring on movring to Arcadia (or Er Monte, or San Gabriel, or Baldwin Park, or Alhambra itself). Also there are many rice, not so rice and scary neighborhoods throughout regular Pasadena.
Fixed.

 
By all means, Pasadena if you can afford it.Eagle Rock if you are into the hipster scene. Its turning into the next Silver Lake.Alta Dena is the place to go. The real estate hasn't boomed yet (its going to) and your commute to Alhambra won't be bad. I'm actively looking at investment real estate properties in Alta Dena.
great comments. I had a friend who lived in Alta Dena for awhile and loved it. Unique community. Also Sierra Madre. Used to hang out with the Santa Anita jockeys drinking at the Buccaneer.
Altadena doesn't look commutable from its location....am I missing something?
altadena is just north of pasadena, it's well within a commute range and probably less than 10 miles.

 
By all means, Pasadena if you can afford it.Eagle Rock if you are into the hipster scene. Its turning into the next Silver Lake.Alta Dena is the place to go. The real estate hasn't boomed yet (its going to) and your commute to Alhambra won't be bad. I'm actively looking at investment real estate properties in Alta Dena.
great comments. I had a friend who lived in Alta Dena for awhile and loved it. Unique community. Also Sierra Madre. Used to hang out with the Santa Anita jockeys drinking at the Buccaneer.
Altadena doesn't look commutable from its location....am I missing something?
altadena is just north of pasadena, it's well within a commute range and probably less than 10 miles.
10 miles maybe but still a 30 minute commute. Depends on what you like to do but Altadena is a long haul if you want to go to the beach.

 
step 2.

big ask here, but any insight on the roads during rush hour. i know the stories, but what do you avoid daily? is there a reverse? is light rail usable?

 
step 2.

big ask here, but any insight on the roads during rush hour. i know the stories, but what do you avoid daily? is there a reverse? is light rail usable?
Depends on where you are and where you're going. In the morning: if you're going away from downtown L.A. things are reasonable. If you're going towards downtown you're ####ed. In the evening, the opposite.

If you land in some spot in the San Gabriel valley, you'll be taking surface streets to Alhambra so it'll be fine. Say you landed in Altadena (which does have some nice areas that are affordable), you'd be looking at somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes one way to Alhambra. Pasadena would be 15 to 25 minutes. Similarly for Arcadia. South Pasadena 5 to 15 minutes, similarly for San Marino, El Monte, San Gabriel. Eagle Rock, Glendale, Montrose, La Canada will probably involve a bit of freeway driving, I'd figure your commute there would be around 30 minutes. Similarly for farther east like Glendora or San Dimas. Like I said before, you could probably pull off living in downtown L.A. itself and have a 30 minute commute 1 way. Chinatown (right next to downtown) is sort of an up and coming hipster destination right now and would be a similar commute.

Avoid East L.A. and Monterrey Park - not so great areas I don't think.

If the commute is your main concern Los Feliz and Silverlake are a bad idea. It's not that far a way in miles, but the routes that are available are less than ideal and would put you up against some of the downtown L.A. traffic.

Light rail in Los Angeles is laughable. You'll need to combine it with bus rides to get anywhere besides downtown and select points in Pasadena. The area your wife will be working in doesn't have a train stop close by I don't think.

If you want to guarantee a 15 minute or less commute, stick with Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, San Gabriel.

 

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