El Segundo, CA (relocation)

Zzen

Zzen

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Thinking about a move to sunny CA. I live in the DC suburbs (NoVA represent) and this winter I have realized how much I hate cold weather. Threw my resume at a few spots within my company located in El Segundo and got an offer this week. It's not silly money, it's the same $60K working stiff salary I make now. There is no relocation package, but I would basically buy a plane ticket and go from there.

I have a house to sell that should let me walk with a decent amount of coin ($75Kish). I'm 30 now, no wife/kids (forever alone) and want to try a different area...I think. I also got accepted to grad school here in NoVA for the fall, so obviously I just have no fucking idea what I actually want to do with my life.

I wish the job was in a better spot of CA than LAX's backyard, I can already hear / smell the noise / air pollution. But it is going to above 60 here for the 3rd day this year Monday (spring wru?), it's going to rain, and I'm tired of not being able to play tennis or run outside without being all bundled up for like 5 months of the year.

Feel free to throw out any pros / cons / random things to consider, they would be much appreciated. I know how much the traffic blows, but I think DC beat out LA this year for worst traffic anyways. I need to make a decision this weekend and then I would have a couple of months to make the transition.
 
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Adam12

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I left my wallet there.

Really though, LA can be great if you're an LA type of person. You won't know if you are or not until you've lived there, though. Due to this, it's difficult to try to sway a person either way in regards to the area...you'll either love it or hate it.
 
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mixtilplix

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We already had this same discussion on the old board with Obtenor didn't we? Hit him via a PM or maybe he will come post here. You don't have to live in the area that you work in you know... Plenty of people commute to work although the 405 freeway out by el segundo is a fucking nightmare.
 
Zzen

Zzen

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I think A12 hit the nail on the head that the only answer is try it and see if you like it or don't try it and don't know, pretty much /thread. I do remember a SoCal discussion being on FoH, but I don't remember the details and thanks to the site being nuked from orbit I can't revisit it.

I would probably have a go at renting a place in El Segundo and trade the plane noise for a limited commute. I have done the suburbs thing and wouldn't mind something more metropolitan, plus the 405 as a regular commute does sound scary as shit.
 
Gravel

Gravel

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I'll be in El Segundo for 2 weeks in June. If you aren't making a decision before that, I can maybe let you know how it is.
 
ToeMissile

ToeMissile

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There are people here who are much more familiar with the area than I am, but there are definitely some decent neighborhoods out there. I'll back up the 'traffic on the 405 sucks balls' sentiment. It generally rates as a top 5 worst US hwy iirc.

I wouldn't call El Segundometropolitan, but I'm pretty much with Adam, you do kinda have to give it a shot to see if you like it. Though living in El Segundo != living in LA. I'd make a 'must have/must no have' list, do a little research and see what you can find in the area that interests you.
 
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mixtilplix

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Yeah El Segundo is not quite a suburb anymore but still not LA proper. There is a noticeable difference between them. You just have to live here to figure it out for yourself. Also El Segundo has a noticeable smell due to the sewage treatment plant located within the city. There is a surf break nearby that surfers call shit pipe for good reason hehe. I guess you would get used to it after living there. El Segundo is a little boring and not very walkable just like most of the south bay. You can always try culver city, west la, palms, samo, and venice as an alternative though you would be commuting down the road. When I worked in Culver city I had coworkers who lived in the south bay. They hated the traffic but you can mitigate that somewhat by using surface streets.
 
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Adam12

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Yeah, my post was with the implied assumption that he would be working in El Segundo and living elsewhere.
 
Zzen

Zzen

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Thanks guys, those are the insights I am looking for. I am not looking to live in shit pipe, nor I am looking for the commute from hell. How early do you have to commute to beat traffic in LA? 6AM, 5 AM?

My company also has locations in TX (McKinney, Garland) but I have little desire to move to TX despite the favorable taxes / cost of living. I would almost definitely get shot taunting Cowgirls fans during my first football season there. Feels like it's El Segundo or bust if I want the warmer weather, just trying to do the most thorough pro / con analysis I can.
 
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mixtilplix

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Bob Book_sl said:
Thanks guys, those are the insights I am looking for. I am not looking to live in shit pipe, nor I am looking for the commute from hell. How early do you have to commute to beat traffic in LA? 6AM, 5 AM?
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The commute isn't bad if you live locally however if you decide to live in say Riverside and commute in to El Segundo then expect a commute of a few hours. Yes there are people who do these crazy kinds of commutes. How long your commute take is entirely based on where you will live and the time you have to be in to work.
 
Alex

Alex

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I have a friend who lived in Venice and I like that area very much. It's also very close to El Segundo in LA terms. In fact, if I ever was to relocate to the LA area, Venice is probably where I would settle.
 
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Illuziun

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Really depends how much you're willing to fork out for rent. Everything between the 405 and the beach is livable if you want to stay close to your job in that area, like Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach area, but it all depends on rent and what your primary goal is with location.

Location is a huge deal in LA, you can be in an awesome area, then move one block and be in a shit hole, so it really depends. Then traffic is always an issue, so you don't want long commutes because they will rape you eventually.

My advice is start doing apartment research by location(or house w/e), then build from that.
 
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Obtenor_sl

shitlord
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This is El Segundo from my office:



Air pollution is practically non-existent in El Segundo/Westside/SouthBay thanks to the closeness with the beach, there is really no smell.

LA traffic isn't bad if you live smartly, that is, I work in El Segundo and live in Redondo Beach so traffic is 15 minutes a day, if you decide to live in like Long Beach or up north in say the Valley you're going to have to take the 405 and that means a couple of hours of traffic everyday.

Have you looked at places? looking to rent? SoCal is sunny all year long with some "chilly" temps in january/february (in the 30's *gasp*), I'd suggest you check the following areas for renting if you're going to work in El Segundo: Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Torrance (Western Torrance). Westsiderentals.com is where all the rents are at.

Let me know if you decide to plan or move here man, we can have lunch or something, or let me know if you need any pointers or help around.

Edit: wtf I can't remove the upside down picture?
 
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Prime_sl

shitlord
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Kind of in the same boat. Just got offered a job in North Redondo Beach and will be moving there in a few months. Heard Hermosa Beach is the more younger area, so looking for places around there. Anywhere specific that I should try to be near/away from?

Also, how is 75-80k there as a single guy? I make slightly less than that in upstate new york, so kinda worried that I'll feel some pressure on my wallet.
 
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mixtilplix

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The south bay is pretty homogenous with the exception of Palos Verdes so it really doesn't matter. Hermosa beach is your typical socal beach town. Not too touristy since it is a bit out of the way. One thing about living in Hermosa beach is that you will be a good 15 minute drive from the nearest freeways. Shit grates after a while. You will do more then fine with 75k a year. Also the cops in Torrance are major fucking assholes.
 
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Obtenor_sl

shitlord
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Prime_sl said:
Kind of in the same boat. Just got offered a job in North Redondo Beach and will be moving there in a few months. Heard Hermosa Beach is the more younger area, so looking for places around there. Anywhere specific that I should try to be near/away from?

Also, how is 75-80k there as a single guy? I make slightly less than that in upstate new york, so kinda worried that I'll feel some pressure on my wallet.
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That's where I live. Carnegie Lane and Mcckay. You'll be fine, what are you looking for? I'm in a 1bd/1bath, garage, everything but electricity and I pay 1100$/mo, it can get more expensive the closer to the beach (Hermosa) thankfully North Redondo is fine up until you hit Inglewood Ave, then it starts getting ghetto. Westsiderentals.com is where all the rents are at maybe you and Bob should talk about splitting a subscription to it and share the username/pw, if you need some numbers a lot of places around here are leasing and have leasing signs, I can get you some numbers if you want.
 
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Zajeer

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I live in Hermosa myself and its a bit more expensive. For me personally, I found value living close to the beach and I'm able to enjoy it with walks with my dog in the morning and evening. But yes, it's generally more expensive and smaller in terms of living space the closer you get to the beach. To give you an idea, I pay 1900/mo for my 1ksq ft 1br in a really good location. There's other spots in Hermosa that can be gotten for a bit cheaper, and if you're willing to find a roomate, you can get a great deal on a 2br (like 2200-2400$ range).

Yes, the drive to the freeway each day is a pain in the butt. My commute to North Hollywood right now (Highland/Melrose basically) is roughly an hour in the morning and about 45 minutes in the evening. Thankfully my work office is moving to Culver City in 2 months, which will be great.

A good friend of mine got a 2 bedroom apartment in Lawndale, that is 1400ish sq feet for about 1500/mo. So yeah, the more inland you go, the cheaper you can find things. Personally, if I didn't live near the beach I would definitely get a place in Culver City. The rent is cheaper, a lot of shopping, restaraunts, and events are within walking distance. And their public transportation is good enough that you could potentially not use your car except for commuting to and from work on the weekdays.
 
Aychamo BanBan

Aychamo BanBan

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Zajeer_sl said:
I live in Hermosa myself and its a bit more expensive. For me personally, I found value living close to the beach and I'm able to enjoy it with walks with my dog in the morning and evening. But yes, it's generally more expensive and smaller in terms of living space the closer you get to the beach. To give you an idea, I pay 1900/mo for my 1ksq ft 1br in a really good location. There's other spots in Hermosa that can be gotten for a bit cheaper, and if you're willing to find a roomate, you can get a great deal on a 2br (like 2200-2400$ range).

Yes, the drive to the freeway each day is a pain in the butt. My commute to North Hollywood right now (Highland/Melrose basically) is roughly an hour in the morning and about 45 minutes in the evening. Thankfully my work office is moving to Culver City in 2 months, which will be great.

A good friend of mine got a 2 bedroom apartment in Lawndale, that is 1400ish sq feet for about 1500/mo. So yeah, the more inland you go, the cheaper you can find things. Personally, if I didn't live near the beach I would definitely get a place in Culver City. The rent is cheaper, a lot of shopping, restaraunts, and events are within walking distance. And their public transportation is good enough that you could potentially not use your car except for commuting to and from work on the weekdays.
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God damn, rent is crazy in some places. Where I live, in a reasonable sized city, but obviously its a piece of shit compared to LA/Cali, $1600 gets you a spacious 2600 sq ft, 4 bedroom, high quality house with a huge backyard in a nice neighborhood. For $2400 (what you wrote is a 2 bedroom) youre looking at a McMansion with as many bedrooms and bathroom as you want, a movie theater, backyard, top notch neighbhorhoods, etc. ... (When I lived in Brooklyn, $2400 got you a loft that was probably the size of a 2 bedroom, but just no walls etc, in a building a mile away from the closets subway.)
 
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Obtenor_sl

shitlord
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Yea, but you see Zajeer, in your case you could live closer to your job.

That's the thing that sometimes I wonder, (not saying you) people that complain about traffic in LA are those who want to live in opposite sides of the city "I love the beach but I work in the valley" (or viceversa) yea, that'll be at least an hour minimum. When I moved to LA almost a year ago (from Seattle) everybody was telling me "Omg you'll be stuck in traffic for years" so I looked for a place nearby the office.

If you're going to work in the Westside/Southbay, stick to west of the 405 and you'll be fine, the ghetto is the box that starts east of the 405 and south of the 10 with maaaybe the exception of Culver City.
 
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