Hi there. I am just trying to find out if there are any nice areas that aren't too expensive in the Glendale and Burbank areas? Any other info about living expenses around LA would be great. Thinking about moving to CA!

Are you looking at renting or buying? For renting, Glendale & Burbank start at $800 a month for a functional studio/small 1BR and go up from there. That's average for most residential areas surrounding LA, though upscale places and popular locations get more expensive very quickly. For buying, I saw a small 2-BR in Glendale listed recently for over $600,000! Yikes! That's why people will buy in far flung places such as Santa Clarita and commute every day (in traffic with everyone else - ugh!!). But you can do your own research on prices by using the internet as well!!

Both Glendale and Burbank are pretty safe areas each with their own police departments. While there may be a few blocks here and there that may have more problems (high density low income areas) both cities are generally safe places to live. Montrose is a nice residential area in north Glendale with a rather quaint (for LA) Americana feel to the small shopping district.

Burbank gets lots of aspiring media people since many TV studios are located in that area. But neither city is particularly a destination (though there is a fancy new mall opening in Glendale soon that might become more of draw). For gourmet restaurants, professional theater, trendy clubs, etc you generally have to look elsewhere.

Are you looking at renting or buying? For renting, Glendale & Burbank start at $800 a month for a functional studio/small 1BR and go up from there. That's average for most residential areas surrounding LA, though upscale places and popular locations get more expensive very quickly. For buying, I saw a small 2-BR in Glendale listed recently for over $600,000! Yikes! That's why people will buy in far flung places such as Santa Clarita and commute every day (in traffic with everyone else - ugh!!). But you can do your own research on prices by using the internet as well!!

Both Glendale and Burbank are pretty safe areas each with their own police departments. While there may be a few blocks here and there that may have more problems (high density low income areas) both cities are generally safe places to live. Montrose is a nice residential area in north Glendale with a rather quaint (for LA) Americana feel to the small shopping district.

Burbank gets lots of aspiring media people since many TV studios are located in that area. But neither city is particularly a destination (though there is a fancy new mall opening in Glendale soon that might become more of draw). For gourmet restaurants, professional theater, trendy clubs, etc you generally have to look elsewhere.

Thanks. I'm looking to rent though! LOL, not buying anything for 600,000! Esp not a 2 bedroom! Anyway, could you give me a couple of websites too look at. When I go to apartmentguide.com I always see the more expensive apartments.

Thanks

Craigslist Los Angeles is a great local resource on the net. From there you could also see about purchasing a discounted access fee to Westside Rentals, a good rentals service that now also covers Glendale and Burbank. Craigslist also lists rooms for rent & apartment sharing. It's pretty common for singles to share a two bedroom apartment so as to split rent & utilities. I think Westside Rentals may also have a roommate service as well.

I always use www.rent.com. That will at least give you an idea of what is available in the area that you want.

Get worried with Craig's list if you are not familiar with the area, too many horror stories written about. Safety of you comes first.

You do have to be careful with Craigslist since there's no pre-screening... kinda like on-line dating. Don't bother responding to obnoxious ads. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Get to know someone before moving in and sharing costs, etc. And avoid the personals section completely. Otherwise, it can be a useful resource for used furniture, housing, and more.

Thank you both.