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Possibly moving to LA...need advice!
I currently live in Milwaukee, WI & work for a large bank - there's a good possibility I could transfer to LA by next year (their office is in Glendora). I've only been to LA briefly - I'm more fond of northern CA - but in general I love CA - it's where I've always wanted to live. BUT - the cost of living is a lot higher than here & we have no friends or family there. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me more about LA - how it is to live there, how the people are, culture, etc. What do you love and hate about it?
Dh & I are kind of at a turning point: either buy a house, start a family, settle down - or move! We're both pretty comfortable in our jobs so there's a lot of things to consider. The only thing is if we were to move to LA I don't think we would be able to afford a house..!
I aprpeciate any advice/tips!
Re: Possibly moving to LA...need advice!
Hi there. LA is a great place to live if you are in a decent area. While the cost of living is definately high, pay tends to be higher than other metro cities as well. The are lots of areas that are affordable depending on what you want. You can find all neighborhoods whether you are looking for something with young people, Los Feliz and Silverlake, or more family friendly, like Pasadena. Glendora is in the San Gabriel Valley which has good schools and would be a nice place to raise a family. It's about 20 miles from downtown LA, which means you could have a decent commute if you do your research. People and culture really depend on the neighborhood. LA has people from all over the country and the world really. That has pros and cons though. Are you the type of people who don't mind going out and meeting new people or do you prefer staying home which would make it much harder to meet new people? There's tons to do here and ample opportunities to meet new people. I love living here, you can find most anything you need and want at any time of the day. The beaches are beautiful, you can go camping any time of year, and the weather can't be beat. What I hate is the traffic and commuting. Public transportation is slowly improving but not great. Buying a house in LA isn't cheap, but because of the downturn you could find something affordable. (for LA anyway)
I think more than anything you have to ask yourselves whether you would be happy away from family and friends in a new place. Good luck, HTH!
Thanks for the advice Star - I really appreciate it. This would be a very big decision for us - one big factor being Dh's job - he has a state job with great benefits - & he's a bit concerned about finding something out there. but he works in IT/computers so I don't know how hard it would be..
I've just been getting very tired of living in Milw & have wanted to move for a very long time - it would be so wonderful to live somewhere warm - we love to enjoy the outdoors (hiking, snowboarding, etc) & love the mtns & beach - and CA has it all. We are definitely an outgoing couple so I'm not really concerned about meeting people - just wondering if the stereotype you always hear about people in LA being somewhat superficial is really true.. of course I know you have different people everywhere you go..
One of my biggest concerns is the increase in cost of living - here we could definitely buy a house with at least 25% downpmt by next year - I dont' think that would happen for quite some time in LA.. That, and starting a family being alone out there - I have family in Las Vegas, but it's still a 3 hour drive.. Lots of things to consider!
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HEY GIRL
MY NAME IS SHELLY AND I'M NEW TO THE NEST. I HAVE LIVED IN CALI ALL MY LIFE. I HAVE LIVED IN OTHER STATES FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME BUT ALWAYS COME BACK. GLENDORA IS A NICE AREA. YES THE COST OF LIVING IS HIGH HERE BUT THE PRICES ARE LOW RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF THE ECO. TO AWNSER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT LIVING HERE. WELL IF YOU LOVE THE SUNNY DAYS ITS GREAT! BUT I TRULY BELIEVE IT DEEPENDS ON WHERE YOU LIVE. PEOPLE IN CALI ARE KINDA DIFFERENT IN THE AREA YOU LIVE IN. FOR EX. IF YOU LIVE IN A NICER AREA THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE MORE RESPECTFUL AND SOME WHAT FRIENDLIER VERSUS LIVING IN A NOT SO NICE AREA WHERE THERE CULTURE WASN'T RAISED WITH MORAL OR RESPECT LOL IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! I CAN SAY WE ARE A FAST PASSED SECTION OF THE STATE LOTS OF TRAFFIC. WHICH IN TURN MEANS PEOPLE ARE A BIT MORE STRESSED THAT NORTHERN CALI AREA. BUT WE HAVE GREAT BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO VISIT ALOT OF ENTERTAINMENT TO CHOOSE FROM.
TO TOUCH BASE ON WHAT I LOVE AND HATE I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THE TRAFFIC AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE. BEING A MAKE-UP ARTIST I TRAVEL ALOT AND MEET ALOT OF PEOPLE. THATS WHY I CAN SAY THERE ARE DIFERENT PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. LOL WE ARE A MELTING POT OF DIFFERENT RACES AND RELIGION. TRAFFIC IS ANOTHER STORY!!!!!!! BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE THE FREEWAYS ARE PACKED! THE THINGS I LOVE WOULD THE BEACHES, GREAT SHOPPING AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE LOTS OF ENTERTIANING THINGS TO DO! WHAT EVER YOU WANT TO DO WE HAVE IT FROM THE MOUTAINS TO THE DESERT TO THE OCEAN.
WELL I HOPE YOUR MOVE IS A NICE ONE IF YOU COME OUT! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS:D
GOD BLESS SHELLY
Congrats on the possible move! I'm sure your favorite change will be in the weather -- no snow here but beautiful sunny days. Though there isn't really a "Fall Season" like back east to see the leaves change vivid colors.
We have been here for 4 years & are ready to leave. The cost of living is so expensive compared to other states. Our first condo we bought was $440 per sq foot! We hate the traffic, everywhere you go there is traffic, you really need to even plan your weekend activities around it. I would highly recommend living with a short and I mean short commute to work unless you want to spend upwards of 1.5 hrs in a car each way. It's just miserable.
I wouldn't move here unless your company gave you a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) it's a federally mandated valuation based on your new salary and we received one when we moved and it definitely helped out a lot. Both DH and I make well over 6 figures each & we still feel poor. The good news for us is we are getting out of here and moving to Switzerland -- an even higher cost of living but much, much, much better quality of life in my opinion.
I love No Cal more than So Cal, the two don't even compare in my opinion - it's like they could be different states.
Anyways, I would visit here before you decide to see if this is what you really want. It's a BIG change from WI and you could love it or hate it. Good luck!!
Personally, I would NOT buy a place when you first get here. Rent for a year, see what areas you like/dislike first. Once you buy, it could be tough to sell if you decide to leave. LA is a melting pot and you could see a beautiful home and then 6 houses down the street a crap house and I would never want to live in a neighborhood like that.
You also have to factor in the higher cost for property insurance and property taxes. I think CA has one of the highest property taxes in the US and we paid something like $12 or 13k in property tax annually on our condo since it's all based on purchase price and some cities also have added "melaroos" (additional tax percent) But since there have been soooo many forclosures and people leaving the state, the state isn't getting their money in property taxes and that's one of the reasons we (CA State) are so broke and in dire sh&t in my opinion.
I really appreciate all the tips. We would definitely NOT buy a house right away - I just wonder with the prices if we would EVER be able to buy a house in the LA area!
Good to know about the Cost of Living Adj - I'm still in talks with my managers about this & I'll mention that..
It would be so great to get away from WI - enjoy the SUN, mountains, beaches, etc. but the traffic does sound horrible - I can't even stand the traffic when I go to Chicago & I can just imagine how LA is. We'll be visiting family in Las Vegas over Thanksigving & I think we're going to head to LA for a day or so to check out the area.
It's a huge decision for us b/c we could easily buy a house with at least 25% downpmt here in WI next year, have a super cheap mortgage & maintain a really good lifestyle (travel int'l, etc) whereas in LA we wouldn't be able to do that & probably wouldn't be able to save as much $$ either.. I'll have to see what type of salary they could offer me.
Can anyone give me any input on the job market there? Is it pretty bad, or getting better? Dh is kind of concerned about finding a job - he's worried it may take him over 6 months.
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Definitely visit LA if you can. Even though it's only for a day, it might make you think twice about whether or not it's somewhere you want to be permanently. Also while the traffic can be terrible, it can also be non existent depending where you are commuting to and from.
The job market pretty much sucks everywhere right now, LA included. It all depends whether they are hiring in your field, and your background, education and sometimes a bit of luck. Things seem to be getting better, but in some regards, seem to be getting worse.
I haven't seen any signs of the job market getting better here at this time. There are a lot of people out of work. I would definitely not move until both of you have a job in your new location. All the things you stated above about travel, buying a home, etc in WI probably wouldn't continue in the same fashion in LA just due to the sheer cost of living increase unless your salary will be doubled.
Income tax in CA is one of the highest, I think it's 9.3% and CA does not differentiate if you are coming or going to the state. So, if you move to LA in May from WI, you would be taxed on any income earned in WI from Jan-May -- it sucks big time but that is there only way of getting taxes from everyone. I moved to CA in Sept and had to pay income tax on all my income earned the entire year out of state. You should make sure your co has some type of tax help to make you whole when you move here.
I just spoke to the manager at our office there & he couldn't really comment if there would be cost of living adjustment - he would have to talk to my current managers about that if I decided I wanted to transfer. I wish he could've been more specific to either say yes or now b/c that is one of the major factors in all this & basically he couldn't tell me anything! (except that the COL is really high)
Switzerland - thanks so much for all the tips - esp. on the tax part - that is very good to know.. CA is so beautiful, I love it - but it just seems so expensive. The manager I spoke with also mentioned how bad the job market is now - I think he said unemployment is like 12.4%. He also said Dh should make sure he could find a job. We wouldn't want to move & have him out of work for over 6 months..
Our lifestyle would definitely change -probably not as much shopping or traveling, and not much $$ leftover to save. Lots to consider! The easy answer is to say forget it, b/c financially we're in a better spot here - & who knows where life will take us & we could have an opportunity to move again in the future when the market is better. OR - we just risk it & see what happens...!
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I would never do that in this kind of economy unless you have a significant amount of cash in savings. Typically a COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) is given when someone is asked to move to a higher cost area. If you are requesting a transfer you may get nothing, not even a salary bump.
I know with my company (very large, Fortune 10) a request to transfer you get nothing - no relocation package, no COLA, no salary increase, ect. It's only when you are promoted or asked to move to a different area for business needs do they offer the above since it is very expensive to the company. Good luck in your decision!
Switzerland - good point - I would be requesting the transfer - not being asked to move. After discussing with Dh I dont' think it would be the best move for us now - mainly due to the eocnomy and COL increase - we would probably get ourselves in a hole where here we're doing pretty good.
Thanks so much for your advice & tips on this!!
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