Where To Live In Los Angeles Just Like Hollywood Stars
Where to live in Los Angeles, believe it or not, your geographical area in LA is often a really big issue. No, not because those will judge you according to your location! (Although some people totally joke about 323 to be a cooler area code than 818.). But because LA is SO spread. You want to live nearby the places you can be frequenting (as if your job). Oh, and also the traffic. Yeah, that is certainly real. Not an exaggeration. Basic general guideline: 8 miles can take you a minimum of 30 minutes. Unless you’re driving at 4am. Let me paint a graphic for you: I’m currently working at Universal Studios. When I leave each day at 7:45am, I can arrive at the studio in 6 minutes. Yes, literally 6 minutes.
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| Where To Live In Los Angeles Just Like Hollywood Stars |
When I drive home at 6:30pm on Friday (the final rush hour), you will need me ALMOST AN HOUR to have home. So, you are able to see that your geographical area will have a large impact on yourself. Can you imagine the length of time it would take me to have home on Friday if I lived not just a few miles away?!
Ideally, you wish to live near to work. But so many of us can't say for sure where we are working, particularly if you’re fresh to LA and don’t have work yet. In that case, you may pick a neighborhood depending on what is often a good fit to suit your needs and your lifestyle, and/or where your pals live. With LA being so pay off, you will never see friends who live in a very neighborhood that is certainly “far” by you (I it is known as "LA far" because "far" features a different meaning in Los Angeles!). People rarely leave their bubbles, even though it can take forever for getting places away from those bubbles.
I be aware of it can be super overwhelming to choose a neighborhood in a very new city in places you hardly know anything or anyone. So I’m about to break down the key neighborhoods to suit your needs here.
CENTRAL (ISH)
- HOLLYWOOD Hollywood is considered the most central location with availability to freeways and a lot of cool bars/restaurants. Tourists, and even more tourists. Clubs. Bragging rights to state you really are in “Hollywood”. Just do a drive-by first because a couple of parts can be a little shady.
- HOLLYWOOD HILLS EAST Hollywood Hills East is quieter than Hollywood. It is mostly residential, but just some blocks from restaurants. Hang out in Franklin Village the place you may run into Kristen Bell or Steven Tyler. Bragging rights to convey you have a home in “The Hills” underneath the Hollywood sign.
- LOS FELIZ Los Feliz is in fact as east as you would like to go. It’s a couple of minutes farther than Hollywood Hills East, more green than most places (you will find the famous Griffith Park and Observatory), and features a really great strip of restaurants. It’s quiet and pretty safe. Can be somewhat pricey.
- SILVERLAKE Ah, Silverlake. Home with the hipsters. Really great houses up inside hills. Awesome bars to hop to. Super all-around Dodger Stadium. Intelligentsia Coffee. It still feels just like it’s “up and coming” though it has already arrived. If you as if your skinny jeans, this can be the neighborhood to suit your needs.
- WEST HOLLYWOOD WeHo, even as we like to it is known as, is LA’s finest gayborhood. No easy freeway access, but if your house is near any with the main streets (Santa Monica Blvd, Melrose Ave, Sunset Blvd), you'll be able to walk to a lot of restaurants and bars. Unfortunately, prices have gone in place in this neighborhood. Just be prepared for higher rent prices here.
- DOWNTOWN Downtown will be the only component of LA that actually looks like a “city”; tall buildings, walkable streets, an abundance of Starbucks. Some parts really are cool with great little restaurants and sidewalk cafes, but other regions are still shady as hell. Downtown is acknowledged for its loft apartments, and it’s where you can the Staples Center and Nokia Live. It’s also the central hub for riding on the bus like the subway.
- MIRACLE MILE / MID WILTSHIRE These tend to be the same if you ask me, vehicles aren’t! Whenever someone mentions one of them areas, I swear they normally use them interchangeably. It’s south, more detailed West LA, at the Grove shopping. It’s pretty central in LA. It’s a good place to reside in, just avoid Park La Brea apartments. So I’ve heard.
- HANCOCK PARK Ugh, Rossmore Avenue. SWOON! Hancock Park is often a super nice area in which the apartments are huge and delightful and very costly. Yu might not be in a position to afford living within your first year in LA, but driving down Rossmore to “ooo” and “ahh” is usually free.
THE VALLEY
In case you're like "Ok, what may be the deal with "the valley"??", permit me to fill you in. The valley is 5-10 degrees hotter than central LA, plus much more suburban, more families, plus more affordable. If you're a 20-30 something, it is still a totally cool destination for a live, so avoid being ashamed whether it's more your speed! --- My first apt. was within the valley and I loved the security and quiet (I know, I'm a classic fart).
- SHERMAN OAKS The good ol’ Sh’oaks. I wouldn’t recommend going any further inside valley than here, at the very least in the beginning. It’s a terrific suburban neighborhood that may be close to Malibu, but it’s about 20+ minutes (40 in traffic) all he Hollywood happenings. More affordable (as would be the Valley, generally speaking). Lots of families.
- STUDIO CITY Studio City should be the hippest part in the valley. If you would like to be from the valley, I would suggest here. It incorporates a younger vibe by incorporating cool restaurants/bars, but nevertheless a suburban feel if your “city” scares you. Because it’s the “cool” part from the valley, it is commonly more expensive.
- NORTH HOLLYWOOD NoHo would be the artsy part from the valley. Many people move to put their to begin with because it is super in close proximity to Hollywood (make certain free Neighborhood Cheat Sheet to view what I’m dealing with), along with the rent is a lot cheaper than alot of hoods. But you would like to do a drive-by. Half of Noho is awesome, nevertheless the other half, you almost certainly shouldn’t walk alone through the night.
- BURBANK Burbank is nearest Hollywood, being the 1st exit off of the 101. It houses big studios like Warner Bros. and Disney (studio map contained in that free Neighborhood Cheat Sheet). It’s family oriented, cheaper rent, and extremely safe. You can even take a look at Porn Star Karaoke on Tuesday nights at Sardo’s. Like real porn stars. Singing karaoke. (I swear will still be a safe area :))
- GLENDALE My first apartment in LA what food was in Glendale. Glendale is an additional suburban part with the valley that's pretty safe. Even though I no longer are now living in Glendale, I still go there at all times for shopping (great mall and free parking), as well as the Americana at Brand (which is really a less touristy version of The Grove—pretty outdoor shopping).
A note around the valley: Many families work inside “city” and are in the valley. So rush hour traffic has everyone driving out with the valley each morning, and in the valley within the evening. Any time amongst is not bad whatsoever, but merely keep that in mind if you’re planning on getting work done in the city.
WEST SIDE
- BEVERLY HILLS Beverly Hills 's what you think it'd be. Gated communities, highly manicured greens, outrageous real-estate. Not the very best spot for a beginning; not just because with the expense, but because on the traffic. Getting in and out on the 90201 might be a nightmare.
- WESTWOOD Westwood is when UCLA lives. The residents are pretty much undergraduate and graduate level pupils. It’s close-isn to your beach, but kind of far from everywhere else. And Diddy Riese can be so delicious! You pick your cookie, you select your frozen goodies, and BAM! You have a sandwich produced in Heaven. Westwood is a very nice destination to live, just bear in mind you might be surrounded by pupils.
- WEST LA West LA is kind of a wierd place because it's between everything without requiring a ton happening right inside. But it has affordable apartments, which is relatively safe. Plus, it's not definately not other neighborhoods where there can be a lot taking, so it is a great destination to live. It's as in close proximity to the beach as you'll receive without actually living at the lake.
- CULVER CITY If you receive a job at Sony Studios (did I mention that free Neighborhood Cheat Sheet includes a map of all of the studios??!), live here! Or if you need to be near to the beach and not actually at the lake. Culver City comes with an awesome “Downtown” area with restaurants and bars plus a movie theater. It’s somewhat rough throughout the edges but it’s up-and-coming. The last time I was there, it had been filled with late 20-somethings, early 30-somethings.
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| Where To Live In Los Angeles |
BEACH 'HOODS
- SANTA MONICA I love Santa Monica. It can be a beautiful beach town. You’ve got the famous Santa Monica Pier as well as the Third Street Promenade. That being said, it might get QUITE congested. Good luck finding parking near to the pier. Tourists flock to Santa Monica, however the locals know where to visit. SM is obviously on the expensive end. Some 1 bedrooms are of up to $3,000.
- VENICE Venice is correct next to Santa Monica, and yet carries a very different feel. It is more relaxed, more artsy (really amazing First Fridays art walk within the first Friday of each month), and sometimes a bit sketchy. Venice makes me consider Muscle Beach and skaters and a number of loose cannons. :-P Silicon Beach is creeping in to Venice now (some tech companies from San Francisco), so some from the apartments are very pricey.
- MANHATTAN BEACH / REDONDO / HERMOSA These 3 beaches are very in close proximity to each other, plus a great destination for a live if you wish to live by the pool. They are casual, beautiful, total beach towns. Full of young, active, 20 to 30-somethings.
Redondo includes a more suburban feel, Hermosa is really a little fratty, and Manhattan is better upper class with young families. There can also be some cougars lurking around Manhattan Beach, so beware. These beaches may also be much further from central LA. If you reside that far down, you won’t leave often.
Wow. I’m poopped. That was a great deal. If you’re reading all the way down here, you deserve a freakin award! Oh, hey, like this free Neighborhood Cheat Sheet :).
I realize it can still feel overwhelming, but remember that the first place doesn’t need to be permanent. Some apartments will permit a 6-month lease. Even if you sign 12 months long lease, you may be surprised at how fast one year passes. Once you are moving into LA, you’ll have a better feel for all on the neighborhoods and you are able to pick a an alternative one that feels right fit you’re not loving the first one.
If you’re seeking a roommate, or friends in LA, come meet up with us in LA Bounders. It's a private social network just for us LA dreamers, plus a great destination for a make connections.
There a few neighborhoods that I left out of this information (like Pasadena, Woodland Hills, etc.) because I don’t recommend them when your very first location. It’s good to get somewhat central a year so that you are able to easily engage in events and meet new people. I hope these info make your best choice on where to live in Los Angeles
