Bad area/good areas of LA- need list please

carol72 · Sep 10, 2006

If, for some reason, you were willing to have a 60 mile commute, Moorpark is a very nice area with no "undesireable" area in the entire city. I have never been to the city of Ventura but friends have been out there & did not come back screaming. Seeking housing in Southern California can be tricky. There is (usually) lots available but the areas can be unpredictable.

Best wishes

LydiaNN · Sep 10, 2006

You will want to keep in mind that the 60 minute commute could translate to 2 hours, given LA area traffic. The closer you can live to work, the better, for the most part, particularly if you'll be traversing the 405. I don't live in LA, so I don't know a whole lot about the good v bad areas, just do know that traffic there usually makes me want to cry, and it isn't like here in San Diego, we have light traffic... It is just soooooo much worse in LA!

pickledpepperRN · Sep 10, 2006

And some commutes have light traffic if you work days, others nights. You can be driving the speed limit while it is stop and go slow in the opposite direction.

I suggest directly calling the unit and shift you are considering on the shft you are considering on a weekend.

Someone will tell you about working conditions and traffic patterns. If they are ALWAYS too busy it may not be a good place to work.

Gosh there are so many sections of this city. . I think parts of Ventura and Oxnard are safe, others not. I don't know of any rental houses that are reasonable to me but the people next door think $3,000.00 a month is worth it to have their dogs.

I agree it is best to live near work.

777RNThatsMe · Sep 10, 2006

You will want to keep in mind that the 60 minute commute could translate to 2 hours, given LA area traffic. The closer you can live to work, the better, for the most part, particularly if you'll be traversing the 405. I don't live in LA, so I don't know a whole lot about the good v bad areas, just do know that traffic there usually makes me want to cry, and it isn't like here in San Diego, we have light traffic... It is just soooooo much worse in LA!

You have "light' traffic in SD?? Since when? LOL.... I lived there a decade ago and let me tell ya.... woo it was anything but light... I had to leave no later than 6am to make it to the Miramar exit from north county area within 2 hours! (By 8)...and same on the way back..man you'd hit the freeway..and crawl for 2 hours (20 miles)

777RNThatsMe · Sep 10, 2006

And some commutes have light traffic if you work days, others nights. You can be driving the speed limit while it is stop and go slow in the opposite direction.
I suggest directly calling the unit and shift you are considering on the shft you are considering on a weekend.
Someone will tell you about working conditions and traffic patterns. If they are ALWAYS too busy it may not be a good place to work.
.

Well that is excellent idea/advice, thanks! I hadn't thought of that. This particular employer is in Bev Hills...i can't live there lol. I was reading about some areas that are about 30 miles northeast...that are supposed to have decent schools and lower crime..etc... but again that is 30 miles. It says 45 minutes on mapquest....but I dont think it takes into consideration traffic!

777RNThatsMe · Sep 10, 2006

Actually I'm finding some 2bed 2ba...and 3 bed 2 ba...for around 1700 month..some even 1400.... so that is why I was asking. about areas. Some were ventura..some were northeast san fernando valley..etc.... ya know what I mean? They seem like in the pics that they are okay but one never knows!!!

LydiaNN · Sep 10, 2006

You have "light' traffic in SD?? Since when? LOL.... I lived there a decade ago and let me tell ya.... woo it was anything but light... I had to leave no later than 6am to make it to the Miramar exit from north county area within 2 hours! (By 8)...and same on the way back..man you'd hit the freeway..and crawl for 2 hours (20 miles)

I said ''it isn't like we have light traffic''. That means that no, we do not have light traffic. Still, in my opinion, having to traverse the route from coastal North County (but pretty far south for being ''north'' if you know what I mean) to Kearny Mesa 5 days a week, LA's traffic is worse. Perhaps it is the routes I travel to LA that cause me such problems, but in my travels to Northridge, the airport area, and Pasadena, I can count on one hand the number of trips that weren't worse than anything I've ever seen here. How far north were you? We have staff from Escondido who take the 15 down and from Vista that have to cross the 78 to get to 15, and it usually takes between 1-1.5 hours, I think. We are off of Kearny Villa Rd on the 52 and between Balboa and Aero on the 15. The 56 is open all the way through to Carmel Valley now, and that has improved the commute on both the 15 and the 5.

LydiaNN · Sep 10, 2006

Well that is excellent idea/advice, thanks! I hadn't thought of that. This particular employer is in Bev Hills...i can't live there lol. I was reading about some areas that are about 30 miles northeast...that are supposed to have decent schools and lower crime..etc... but again that is 30 miles. It says 45 minutes on mapquest....but I dont think it takes into consideration traffic!

I have a friend in Glendale. That's definitely closer than Ventura. She owns her house, but at least when she bought it, the area was still reasonable- she was a single Mom at the time with no child support.

777RNThatsMe · Sep 11, 2006

I have a friend in Glendale. That's definitely closer than Ventura. She owns her house, but at least when she bought it, the area was still reasonable- she was a single Mom at the time with no child support.

Wow...good for her..... and what a blessing for her that she was able to get into her own home before they got too expensive to do so!

777RNThatsMe · Sep 11, 2006

I said ''it isn't like we have light traffic''. That means that no, we do not have light traffic. Still, in my opinion, having to traverse the route from coastal North County (but pretty far south for being ''north'' if you know what I mean) to Kearny Mesa 5 days a week, LA's traffic is worse. Perhaps it is the routes I travel to LA that cause me such problems, but in my travels to Northridge, the airport area, and Pasadena, I can count on one hand the number of trips that weren't worse than anything I've ever seen here. How far north were you? We have staff from Escondido who take the 15 down and from Vista that have to cross the 78 to get to 15, and it usually takes between 1-1.5 hours, I think. We are off of Kearny Villa Rd on the 52 and between Balboa and Aero on the 15. The 56 is open all the way through to Carmel Valley now, and that has improved the commute on both the 15 and the 5.

LOL...oh my gosh I've been gone so long I can hardly remember all the exits..and the new highways... 56... etc...shoot I don't think they were there when I left! It's been about 12 years. I was up in the north county area...had about that drive...same as your employees. It STUNK. Both ways too...comin' and goin'. Yep.... it pays to live close by your work in Cali....sigh.... problem is folks can't always do it.

Anyway I'm not sure if I can even afford to live.... so may not take the LA job...(and that goes for anywhere in calif...)..the pay is 1000/mo more than where I am at but the cost of living is...well..at least that much...which leaves me nothing for before/after school care...I could cover rent but am not sure what i'd do about the kids!

Yeeks. It is so tough being a single parent...sigh.

So - how much worse has the smog gotten in SD and LA over the last 10 years...Im curious to know. I wish I could just take a road trip (or air trip lol)...can't right now though. Just graduated..too broke...my job would not even start till (my choice of ) feb or july 07. so...would have time....

LydiaNN · Sep 11, 2006

LOL...oh my gosh I've been gone so long I can hardly remember all the exits..and the new highways... 56... etc...shoot I don't think they were there when I left! It's been about 12 years. I was up in the north county area...had about that drive...same as your employees. It STUNK. Both ways too...comin' and goin'. Yep.... it pays to live close by your work in Cali....sigh.... problem is folks can't always do it.
Anyway I'm not sure if I can even afford to live.... so may not take the LA job...(and that goes for anywhere in calif...)..the pay is 1000/mo more than where I am at but the cost of living is...well..at least that much...which leaves me nothing for before/after school care...I could cover rent but am not sure what i'd do about the kids!
Yeeks. It is so tough being a single parent...sigh.
So - how much worse has the smog gotten in SD and LA over the last 10 years...Im curious to know. I wish I could just take a road trip (or air trip lol)...can't right now though. Just graduated..too broke...my job would not even start till (my choice of ) feb or july 07. so...would have time....

12 years ago... let's see, ground had probably been recently broken on the 56. I remember when it happened because they had to take over Baker's Square (eminent domain). I still miss that place! Actually, the friend of my old boss' son lost his house to the same acquisition. When our son was 3 or 4, we looked at houses in Poway, believing the estimate that the 56 would be open in a couple of years. What a joke. It has only been in the last year that it finally came through to within a mile of the 5. Zoiks. I'm not convinced that smog is worst now than it used to be, though, so I guess that's a bright spot!