Stay away from Torrance unless you want to get shot. A rule of thumb... most places with Gardens in the name are excellent. Bell Gardens, Hawaiian Gardens, Nickerson Gardens, etc.
23 year old thinking of moving to Southern California
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Stay away from Torrance unless you want to get shot. A rule of thumb... most places with Gardens in the name are excellent. Bell Gardens, Hawaiian Gardens, Nickerson Gardens, etc.
Cal Poly Pomona is an excellent engineering school, maybe one of the best in the nation, and Pomona is only about 30 minutes outside of LA right in the heart of the L.A. Basin. Pomona itself is a hole, but places around it are nice and it's still very easily accessible to downtown, and the city life. Expensive places around there...eh LaVerne, Pasadena, parts of Diamond Bar and San Dimas. You can find affordable places more around Walnut, Chino, Ontario, and Covina. All those places are within about 5-10 minutes from Cal Poly, 20-30 minutes from Downtown and only about 10-15 minutes from Ontario where you can catch a Reign game. Also plenty of rinks around the area. Couple in Ontario, at least one I can think of in Pasadena.
Reaper45
Registered User
Torrance is one of the safest cities in L.A. There's a reason Ice Cube said in one of his songs, "with warrants, don't go to court in Torrance..."
Buddy The Elf
Kings!
Pull up a map of LA and take a highlighter and trace around the 710 freeway at the 91 fwy going north to the 10 fwy, then west to the 405 and then back south to the 91/artesia blvd. That squarish shape are where most of the worst areas in LA are. There are others scattered throughout the Valleys but that is the area to avoid with few exceptions. Don't listen to these other ass holes having fun at your expense. You'll see places like Watts, Compton, Florence and Inglewood in that square.
Compton aint that bad! The hookers are interesting for a chat every now and then. ive walked home from long beach via long beach blvd before and let me say the drunks, crackheads and random people out at 3am were way friendlier then fans at certain games, hell of a lot funnier too...
- Aug 24, 2011
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Lol ideally I'd want to live within 20 minutes of some combination of; a rink, the ocean, a university and/or community college, a restaurant where I can make money, and not get shot walking from my driveway to my place.
DryIslandBartender
KCCO
- Jun 30, 2006
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Rumpelstiltskin
Serial Ruminator
Hmm, maybe a step "down" (subjectively) from what Dingo suggested, but Huntington Beach or Costa Mesa might be cities to consider for the OP...?
- Aug 24, 2011
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There's hockey in San Diego? I'd imagine the cost of living would be A LOT cheaper than LA no?
I don't think the HB would be cheaper than Lakewood.
Costa Mesa is an interesting place. It can be cheap if you want to speak Spanish or crazy expensive if you want to live on the nice side of town
Whiskeypete
Registered User
can do that also down around Costa Mesa - HB area, but you will be further from LA. the cost may be affordable also if you are sharing with a bunch of buddies. hell that is what half of the peninsula in Newport is
OCC is a good comm college, with a ton of talent. near to the beaches in Newport and Huntington. the rinks are all within a freeway in every direction - Lakewood, Westminster, Anaheim, Aliso, etc
Herby
How could Blake have known?
And he would be close enough to Newport and HB that he would be able to get a job at one of the many nice restaurants by the water.
I have spent most of my adult life in the midwest, but was back in Orange County for a little bit between then. It definitely isn't as exciting as LA, but you are still pretty close to LA, and the traffic won't be bad as long as you aren't commuting daily for work (but even then I know plenty of ppl in South OC who do). You still get the benefits of great weather, beaches, mountains, golf whatever.
Whiskeypete
Registered User
ah ****....forgot that point, got distracted. yep Herby is right. there are a lot of nice restaurants in the NB, HB area up and down PCH. you can also include some in the Costa Mesa area and some up and around the South Coast plaza area as well. if you drive a bit further south, there is also the restaurants down in the Laguna area. there are a ton of very nice and expensive restaurants to find jobs at down along the OC coast
BennyAdeline
Registered User
I moved to L.A. from Florida when I was 18. I had a great time and am still here to this day.
$$$: Service industry is huge out here. Can you bartend? If you avoid the chains and find a hip, lively place, you can make 150-300 a night. My wife bartends in Hollywood and cleared over 85k last year working four shifts a week. You just have to find the right place. You also get $8.75 an hour to wait tables here. Which brings me too...
Where to live: Screw the Valley (Reseda, Tarana, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Canoga Park, etc). It is to far from the good stuff. Screw the westside (Santa Monica, Bev, Hills, Westwood), Too expensive. Beach Communities are nice but you might not end up ever leaving them due to traffic. I Like and live in Hollywood (Los Feliz, Echo Park, Atwater Village, Thai Town, etc) Lots of unique spots, great food, smokin hot girls (I'm married so that leaves some for you). There are a million places to wait tables and make sick cheddar, you can get around on a bike and you really get the full experience. Actual hollywood proper sucks, east hollywood is the goods.
Rent: If you have roommates, your personal share should be between 500-800 bucks depending on how swag you want to be. My wife and I have a 1 bedroom with a loft and 30 foot celings in thai town and pay 1350. The more roomates you have, the cheaper it gets. Don't sweat that number though, you can easily make 800+ a week waiting tables.
Hockey and School:
Please have a car. Glendale Community College is nice, has a great campus feel and is very affordable once you get residency. I payed exactly 0 dollars for my A.A there. Lots of finacial aid in CA once you quailfy. You can just take a few classes while you wait. on the way to/from GCC, you can play hockey at Pickwicks in burbank. Lots of games, easy parking and all skill levels available.
pm if you have more ?'s
$$$: Service industry is huge out here. Can you bartend? If you avoid the chains and find a hip, lively place, you can make 150-300 a night. My wife bartends in Hollywood and cleared over 85k last year working four shifts a week. You just have to find the right place. You also get $8.75 an hour to wait tables here. Which brings me too...
Where to live: Screw the Valley (Reseda, Tarana, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Canoga Park, etc). It is to far from the good stuff. Screw the westside (Santa Monica, Bev, Hills, Westwood), Too expensive. Beach Communities are nice but you might not end up ever leaving them due to traffic. I Like and live in Hollywood (Los Feliz, Echo Park, Atwater Village, Thai Town, etc) Lots of unique spots, great food, smokin hot girls (I'm married so that leaves some for you). There are a million places to wait tables and make sick cheddar, you can get around on a bike and you really get the full experience. Actual hollywood proper sucks, east hollywood is the goods.
Rent: If you have roommates, your personal share should be between 500-800 bucks depending on how swag you want to be. My wife and I have a 1 bedroom with a loft and 30 foot celings in thai town and pay 1350. The more roomates you have, the cheaper it gets. Don't sweat that number though, you can easily make 800+ a week waiting tables.
Hockey and School:
Please have a car. Glendale Community College is nice, has a great campus feel and is very affordable once you get residency. I payed exactly 0 dollars for my A.A there. Lots of finacial aid in CA once you quailfy. You can just take a few classes while you wait. on the way to/from GCC, you can play hockey at Pickwicks in burbank. Lots of games, easy parking and all skill levels available.
pm if you have more ?'s
Buddy The Elf
Kings!
If you want to live in hipsterville, move to Long beach around 4th street between redondo and Alamitos ave. There are a ton of affordable apartments in that area. I'd stay as far south of 7th street and as far east of Alamitos you can afford. Tons of art galleries, coffee shops, dive bars etc. Lakewood, westminster, garden grove, fountain valley and cerritos all kinda fit the bill. Some of those cities aren't spectacular but you aren't going to get shot either. There are ice rinks in Lakewood, westminster and cerritos. Anaheim too
- Aug 24, 2011
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I'm soaking up every word of this boys. Really, you're being extremely friendly and helpful with this
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