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I've found that LA is surprisingly tough to get a handle on as a newcomer or outsider. It helps to think of it as a conglomeration of many small towns which hav

I've found that LA is surprisingly tough to get a handle on as a newcomer or outsider. It helps to think of it as a conglomeration of many small towns which have grown together over time, resulting in a situation where there is a "downtown" practically every few miles in most areas of the city. Of course, depending on what part of LA you're in, these former downtown areas may not be in the greatest shape, but they're there. Additionally, there are always the "name brand" areas where lots of people live, but one of the best things about living in LA is exploring everything else, because there is a really mind-boggling amount of everything else out there in LA.

mturmon 11y ago
...there is a really mind-boggling amount of everything else out there in LA... So true. I live in a pretty ordinary SFR (that's what I wanted), but it's a trip to go to friends' houses and see what other people have been able to do. Horse properties where you stable your horse in your back yard and go riding into the mountains that rim the city. Totally unique view houses clinging to hillsides in Hollywood. Converted warehouses with 10K SF in Frogtown by the LA River (perfect for a sculptor or a tinkerer). Properties on National Forest Service land in the forested valleys in the San Gabriels. Freaky old cabins built in the 1920s right on the edge of Elysian Park or the Arroyo Seco. It's not the luxury or the money (I did not mention any beach houses). It's the uniqueness. If you have your nose to the ground and care about such things, you can still score one of these places on a middle-class income.