Hey so I live in Chicago and I m 20 years old. I am thinking of moving to la in about a year if I have a job and get into a good school and plus find an apartment. So what is it like plus living there. Like the weather, schools, food, housing, and things to do. I also want to know what are the best places to live. I am going to rent or buy a loft so I want to know a good modern place and location.
While California was once where the jobs were that no longer is the case. Unemployment is about the highest in the country. Michigan is the only state worse off. Jobs of any kind are almost non existent. You would have extreme difficulty finding work.Los Angeles is one of the most expensive cities to live in. Prices of everything will be close to those in Chicago, but still a littler more. A small apartment will start in the $1100 - $1200 range, and three times that to move in (first, last, and security). Part of California s problems revolve around the failure in the home mortgage / banking industry. Getting a loan to buy is extremely difficult.If you also are considering going to college here you will be shocked at how much the non resident tuition is. California is broke, and the colleges have suffered with budget cuts, and reduced enrollment. getting in will be difficult. Bring your winter clothing if you do come. We do have a Winter season where overnight lows can get into the low 40 s, however it rarely snows because of the low elevation. If you are determined to come here at least wait a couple years to see if the economy recovers. You re still very young so there s no rush. There is a reason most people are trying to persuade you not to move here.
Well life in Los Angels is not easy, there are lots of earthquakes each year, more than 10,000 a year! Really, but don t worry you ll get use to them. There many good places to live, such as koreatown, miracle mile, hancock park, beverly hills, century city, Santa Monica beach if you like the beach, wilhsire park, live on the west side or central of los angeles, trust do not live in east la, south la, or north of la, pure gangs only, the best side is central la or west la. There are many restaurants in LA such as Denny s, Hometown buffet, mcdonalds, etc. Weather is like other cities, it gets to be hot around mid may to september and october. it rains here in october- may or its really cold.There are really nice house here but no too expensive, there are very cheap houses but on ugly places where all the gangs. There are lots to do in LA. Go to beverly center mall, universal studoi studios, downtown, hollywood beachse the airport, metro train, etc. hope i helped
hey so thankyou to everyone that answered my question for me. Ok so I want to clear this upfor everyone. For the first answer no I don t want to be an actor or singer. I am actally getting my masters for a clinical pharmacist and bachelors in business for event planning. I have about$ 100,000 saved up so far and I do understand the pricing of stuff it s not that far off from chicago prices. I also realize school fees and I also have scholarship money too. Next I am not a immigrant I was born and raised in Chicago my whole life. I understand that I do need a job lined up and I am thinking about this dcision very carefully. A year is a long time for me so many things can change. It was only yesterday I changed my minor from interior designer to event planner. I may sound naive but I will succeed at anything that I put 100% in. Amos not to be rude or anything but the answer from puddle person about me bringing my winter clothes because it gets 40 degrees cracked me up. I live in Chicago where we get 30 below for months at a time. Trust me 40 degree weather is me wearing a sweater in fall that is not even cold at all. Thanks again
Well the good news is you have lots of time to study up on and visit the place, plus it sounds like you have very realistic goals, so that is great and sets you way apart from the I want to become a movie star- How do I do it crowd...I think you would be a great addition to LA....Your question is too broad to answer but there are a ton of web sites you can go to on each of these subjects..It would be like me asking you Tell me everything you know about pharmacy .....See what I mean.....Good Hunting...
I lived in LA 35 yrs and now moved. The above answer is pretty much right on the money.LA is the 2nd most expensive city to live in, and there are people with VERY large amts of moneythere, then there are the rest of the people. In a sense, there is no middle ground.Things to do are limitless. Weather is great. LA metro is about 80 square miles. Everything is expensive. Car insurance = Rents= Food Buying a house is nearly out of the question for one person. Even renting an apartment alone is barely do-able. You spend an incredible amount of time driving. Barely anyone speaks English. Its a melting pot of immigrants mostly. Hardly anyone is from there. Its an experience ! But costly. Jobs are scarce everywhere so have one before you go. This is the LA you dont see on TV. http://i45.tinypic.com/29n6mis.jpg My advice to you, is research this move very carefully. Dont just dream and go.
probably a terrible idea. you will spend about $20,000 of that money in one year on rent. and if you dont want to be an actor why on earth would you need to come here. . and if you are from chicago you would probably keel over from culture shock.. even NYC would be a better idea for you.
There are no jobs here right now. Umemployment is over 12% here, the second worst in the country. An apartment will cost over $1000 a month to rent, a loft quite a bit more.Do NOT move to LA unless you have a job already lined up!
I recommend you come visit first before you decided to move to LA. You shouldn t plan to move anywhere unless you been there before and seen what s its like.
Most people who ask this question are unprepared, unrealistic, with no money, no experience, no skills, (no visa), and no plan.If you are outside the United States, you will need a visa. The nice folks in the immigration forum can help you with that.Next, you need a plan: First item on the agenda is rent. A decent 1BR apartment in LA currently goes for $1200, give or take. Nicer areas and areas closer to the beach are much higher. Don t expect to move to Santa Monica and get an apartment on the beach for that much. Or Toluca Lake, or Beverly Hills. Next, you will need a car. Los Angeles is VERY spread out, and train service is extremely limited. If you don t have a car, you will have to take a bus, which takes 3 times longer to get anywhere than a car. All told, it generally takes about $3,000 per month to live here. If you don t have a job that pays that much or skills that can get you that kind of job, stay where you are. If you are unskilled and work for minimum wage (or for tips like bartending or waiting tables), you ll only make about $1200 per month. And speaking of jobs, they are rather hard to come by now. College grads seeking employment are having a very tough time of it right now, since the job market is flooded with experienced people who were laid off. Unemployment is over 12% right now. Not exactly the kind of job market you want to move into.Finally, you will need money. Landlords want first month s rent and a security deposit up front. You ll need money for food, transportation, utilities, etc. The consensus in this forum is that you need about $7500 to start out.So there s your plan. And please don t tell us that you have dreams of being an actor or singer. That sets off another alarm. We already have a million (literally) wannabe actors in this town. Don��t even get me started.Unlike other cities, downtown is not a great place to live. Yet. If you want to see all the safe places to live, go to lalife.com and click on safety . The best place to live is close to your job, because everyone needs a car here, and the commutes are the worst thing about living here.