Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I've lived in various parts of LA for many years. There are many people who do not work for the entertainment industry; LA is vast.
To make a few sweeping generalizations..."The Westside"...some towns in the Westside include Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, probably Malibu, also Venice, Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey...I'm not sure of the cutoffs of the westside area but you can figure this out...are heavy with people in "the industry" because these neighborhoods are close to the beach, and enjoy better weather than other areas of Los Angeles. The home prices are much higher, and industry people can afford them.
Not sure if this area is still considered the Westside, but in any event, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Hancock Park too. Celebrities tend to live in Bel Air or Malibu--I believe this has to do with that you can get privacy there--high hedges for Bel Air; lots of land on mountain tops for Malibu. But celebrities are just one part of the industry; there are many many people who the public doesn't recognize. For instance, our friend has won a few Oscars now for music in certain movies; you'd not recognize him.
Anyways, my brother lives in the Pasadena area. Altadena, La Canada (with ~ on the "n"), Flintridge, San Marino. Whenever I'm out there, I'm struck with how different the population is. Seems like there are lots of scientist-types, probably due to JPL nearby. (Jet Propulsion Labs). My brother is in Altadena and I've never met anyone from there who works from the industry (not that they aren't there, but seems like per-square-inch, it's a different crowd. A lot less plastic surgery and high-end clothing than where I live, near Malibu)
And back on the Westside, you're going to get the UCLA profs and students around the Westwood area.
The best way we can help you, OP, is if you tell us what area your work is located in. That really should determine where you should live. The traffic here can be unbelievable. I've managed to create a life where I have most of what I need to do close to home. A few years ago, when my DH was switching law firms, he chose his law firm in part by location. He has never regretted that decision, because when he was located in downtown LA, he could never leave the office before 7pm, because even if he had a light day, he'd just be stuck in traffic.
So tell us what neighborhood or give us cross streets and we can really help you.
Thanks for all the helpful responses. PP, the office is in West Hollywood off Santa Monica and La Brea. I am really committed to living within a 30 minute commute radius as I’m currently in NYC burbs with about an hour and a half, and it’s killing me. DH’s office will be downtown around city hall, but he will only go in 2-3 days per week, so he can handle a slightly longer commute. From what I can gather online, the public schools are pretty terrible in that area so I’m curious about private school costs or if there are any specific elementary schools I should look around.
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