Opinions wanted: Best place to live in SoCal?

That'd be sweet.. Living in Vegas the right way isn't so bad.

Besides that, Darth and I are only 250 miles away.. Be very afraid.

 

Tube, where abouts in Upland are you? I dated a girl for a long time who lived on 24th between Mountain & San Antonio. Very nice area if you keep life to a dull roar. Nice to see the x-mas star back up as well

I agree North Claremont is a nice area as well, if you go up near Web canyon and the hiking/horse trails you can actually get a nice size property as well. Yes Snoop really lives there, but he's actually a pretty chill guy at home, a good friend lives literally next door to him.

If you want things a little more lively La Verne, San Dimas Canyon, and Glendora are all very nice. More horse property up in the hills and some amazing views if you know where to look. Just watch out for fire season as you may have a good blaze in your backyard.

If your looking down in OC I suggest avoiding the "popular" areas. There are a lot of new communities which are very nice and a mostly younger group. Foothill Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Lake Forest are all kinda suburbs of Irvine/Newport. Close enough you can get just about anywhere in 20min via the toll roads but out of the hussle of the city. Honestly you need to come out for a week and just drive around, scope out some areas, talk to people, and just get a feeling for the area. I'm sure the SoCal guys (myself included) would have no problem showing you around the various areas, hot spots to be, things to do, etc.

 

seems like there are a couple of palos verdes guys here. I myself grew up there and honestly having traveled around the world can confirm one thing: IT IS THE BEST.

Why? Because in the summer rarely does it go into the 90s. Weather is I believe the best in the world. Its secluded from all the hustle so that once you get home, it is truly rest time. No rowdy people here... just old folks with money... truly the crowd that wont be a bothersome neighbor. close to the ocean. close enough to downtown and west side. What can I say. that area is truly paradise. Not to mention it has consistently one of the top schools in the state which is even great for kids.

 

I love the LA area but can't deal with the TRAFFIC. San Diego has been my home for the last 18 years. Wouldn't live anywhere else.

 

I LOVE PV...I just have a few problems with it. First is how far away it is...it seems like it can take long enough to get from Manhattan Beach to downtown or the Westside...the extra 15/20 minutes each way seems like it could get annoying...

Also, I'm not so sure about the weather. Whenever I go to PV (which, when I'm in LA is at least once a week to go to the Beach Club), it seems like its FAR more likely to be foggy and a couple degrees colder than the rest of the South Bay.

These quibbles aside, however, it is hands down the most beautiful place in Los Angeles.

 

ehh you just get used to the traffic, an extra 20min each way isn't the end of the world if you really enjoy the area. Hours would be a bit much tho, so with that avoid Malibu and Pacific Palisades if your going to work in down town. The only way in and out is via PCH and it's a mess during rush hour.

 

I've often wondered about that...Malibu/PP seem like the good alternatives to PV if you want to be closer to the Westside, but EVERY time I go, it seems like it takes forever to get in and out! Realistically, how long do you think it usually takes to get from Malibu to BH area?

 

It really depends on the time of day, I've left PP at 7:30am and had it take almost 2 hours to get downtown, other times its 30 minutes. Your at the mercy of PCH, and with all the construction around there it's hard to say. If you can work a schedule to come in later or work from home then by all means it's an amazing place to live. But if your going to commute it would get old real quick.

 

Santa Babrara and moreover Montecito is amazing. My family has a home there, and I spent much of my childhood there (ya, I know Im only 18 lol). Amazing community, great people, and you will find an incredible # of fellow Ferrari owners to socialize with.

 

PCH OC Beach Cities are the only place for me. As soon as you get to Irvine it starts to get hot, and your AC will be crankin in the summer. The beach cities never get too hot (or EXTREMELY rarely) the ocean breeze is to die for, and honestly if you ask me PCH is a great commute. May not be faster but sure is more pleasent and enjoyable than a freeway. I find it less crowded as well, its only REALLY bad during the summer monthes with all the beach activity. Again though, to me its fun traffic because you are surrounded by unique cars and world class scenery. You can find homes in the beach cities on that salary, just dont expect anything big, new, or super luxurious. In fact the trend in a lot of these beach towns is people are renovating their old condos, cottage homes, and duplexes, to create pretty small homes, but with all the benefits of the modern homes (i.e. recessed lighting, gourment kitchens, bathrooms, and floors). So you can find some small places for under a million with a lot of really nice features. I guess none of this makes any difference though if you are looking for size. To me its worth sacrificing a few things to be so close to the ocean. My ideal place, Newport Coast, preferably Crystal Cove (we all know why haha), I'm in San Clemente now though.

 

pmed you