4 ms·
Ask HN: Where Is the Best Place to Live in SoCal?
SoCal is a must due to family.
I have a small family and our income is between 100k and 150k.
I was thinking about Long Beach. It has a really high walkability score and is relatively affordable.
I work remotely, so the job market isn't particularly important. The main thing is price, decent schools, and a walkable/bikeable/transit oriented environment.
San Diego is great, but I don't think we could afford anything anywhere near the center, so we'd be living in a suburb surrounded by 6 lane roads and would need to drive everywhere.
- bewcin 4y agoMy family had the same mindset when we moved to SoCal in 2011. Unfortunately, you may want to throw dreams of "walkable" out the window. In SoCal you will absolutely need a car. The best schools are usually in the suburbs, but the suburbs are always the least walkable areas. Relevant video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHlpmxLTxpw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHlpmxLTxpw
- Kaibeezy 4y agoNot an uninteresting question. Have a look at the map of LA in the Metropolitan Patterns section of this report, about halfway in. Maybe you can track down more detailed version and/or the underlying data. https://geoffboeing.com/2016/08/craigslist-rental-housing-insights/ https://geoffboeing.com/2016/08/craigslist-rental-housing-in... I'd look at Ventura, maybe. Inland is cheaper, but too hot.
- youniverse 4y agoI don't know what is affordable for you but Simi Valley has nice neighborhoods if you're looking at a $1mm price tag. Upper right side of the city. 1 hour drive to the beach or into LA. It's not in LA County so bit less taxes, different courts and government, insurance rates are generally better to my knowledge. Very efficient highway and roads.
- tesseractFI 4y agoLong Beach is nice. Outside of Santa Barbara is also lovely and affordable if you don't care about proximity to LA.
- gabrielsroka 4y agoI've lived in Long Beach since 1987. It's a large city and very diverse. There are multimillion dollar mansions with ocean front views, and other parts of town which are not so nice. In Southern California, [almost] everybody has a car. I don't know anyone who relies on public transportation. I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm just saying I don't know anyone. My contact info is in my profile. Feel free to reach out and I'll answer any questions.
- idontwantthis 4y agoI anticipate driving, but I’m hoping to not need it for everything, everyday. Thank you for the offer of help.
- keiferski 4y agoThe Claremont area has always seemed interesting to me, especially with the unique college system there. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_Colleges https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_Colleges
- 50 4y agoThe James Turrell Skyspace in Pomona College, and the annual International Festival at Claremont McKenna College are pretty neat.
- egberts1 4y agoBest place to live in SoCal is invariably the closest to your primary employment location and not to commute for more than 15-20 minutes.
- idontwantthis 4y agoI work remotely so that doesn’t matter right now.
- egberts1 4y agoAs long it doesn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to saunter over to work in your bunny flip flop, underwear, dress shirt, and tie, that’s ideal duration time. Oh, and a coffee mug in hand too.
- kurupt213 4y agopacific palisades
- tomcam 4y agoFor those not in the know, this is a bit of a joke. OP has an income of $150,000, and as a point of reference, my friend just sold his house in Pacific Palisades for $14 million.
- digianarchist 4y agoCarlsbad, Oceanside? I'm thinking about moving to LA from San Diego. Rent is extortionate here.