For a few years my LA crew been telling me to move out to LA. I've resisted the temptation but I'm at a cross roads. The art/design scene in Charlotte is BOOOORING.

We have a baby on the way and we are thinking about making the move in the next year or 2.

My concerns.

1) THAT LA RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH.
2) We own a home in Charlotte and the market is still hot here. Do we hire someone to rent it out for us? Mortgage is $850 and we could prolly get $1100 a month for it.
3) Is we trippin? Charlotte ain't the worst but it lacks that big city energy we are used to.
4)Traffic. Is it really that bad?
5) earthquakes, droughts, mudslides..

you can't be a little more specific?

the good, bad, ugly.

coming from a big city, or the Northeast, LA culturally is tough for a lot of transplants,

but you coming from Charlotte, which is I am assuming more suburban in feel (since you said you got a house and all that), I think the pace will suit you fine

Also yes, the traffic is as bad as everyone says it is, but there's now an app called Waze that will give you real-time updates on traffic. My homegirl who lives in DTLA and works in Hollywood (reverse direction for most morning commuters although it's still bad) swears by it.

But where your people in LA live?

You looking for centralized location, peripheral location, suburban location?

They done moved up like the Jefferson's so they may have moved to a better neighborhood. I will be going out there this July for a few days to smell it out.

You're gonna live out your car.

I love going back to visit LA but the tediousness and sheer amount of hours spent in a car always kind of murders my soul

Not saying I couldn't get used to it again, especially because the trains are getting better, but there's traffic for no good reason sometimes

park and ride or have everything in walking distance in decent neighborhoods?

last time I was out there the traffic wasn't THAT bad but I also wasn't pressed to be anywhere.

it, like the Santa Monica Promenade, the Venice Boardwalk, Universal CityWalk, etc.

I think parking and riding is definitely a possibility but have never done it myself, so couldn't tell you

Yeah we were out there a few years ago, staying in downtown, and driving out to the beach at like, I donno 10 - 11am. Some leisurely off-peak shit.

Why the fuck is the 10 jammed up on a weekday at this fuckin time? was what I was thinking

The whole east side is fairly walkable.

K town, Los Feliz, Silverlake/Echo park (not in hills), DTLA, Hollywood, Atwater Village, Highland Park.. Parts of Mid City

Even Lemiert Park is getting more walkable I think

West of the 405.

I used to live right near the Promenade and could walk to everything. Now I live closer to the 405 in Brentwood and I can still walk to a lot of places, but I can definitely bike everywhere I need to go. SaMo is great about creating bike lanes too.

You aren't going to find tons of walkability otherwise, unless you luck out and do something like work *and* live right by a hub with lots of restaurants/grocery stores/shops/etc. I'm sure there are other areas that could be described as walkable, but none as walkable as the Westside imo.

.

don't ever dump passive income.

Interview property managers, find the best one. Dont skimp.

I get what JF is saying, but I had homes in macon, Ga that fucked me up cause I no longer had family or crew out there and what was supposed to be easy passive income became a MAJOR headache. Liek I said if you hire a good prop manager that should be fine --even if you arent turning a profit youll build equity.



If after 18 months its too much, sell that shit

but if his mortgage is $850 and he gets $1100 a month for it, but has to hire someone locally to basically be his landlord...adding in fixing things that go wrong...what does he stand to put in his pocket monthly after paying the mortgage?

Best case, he just pockets that other cash. I've rented from absentee landlords in the past (both of my Boston apartments). When something needed repairs, one would simply call the handyman, plumber, whatever. The other had me schedule and pay for the repairs, and deduct it from the rent.

so my mortgage will go down by $100 or so dollars.

but yeah, I wouldn't pocket that much but as long as I'm not coming up short we are good with it.

One thing I learned tho is don't rent to a single woman. A friend from Pittsburgh who lives in Charlotte had a tenant move out and replaced him with a single woman and she said this woman calls her every other day about some minor bullshit.

I would look for a family with a dude who can at least put a nail in a wall.

nm

Most of the people I know that head west don't return. I did return to the east coast but now I feel like I've been there done that and don't have to wonder what it's like to live there. Whereas my wife has a part of her that wants that LA experience.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson


"One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as 'that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you're

but now that we tried NYC and the south I think she is ready.

Only thing scaring us is that rent.

keep in mind we will be raising a child there and need to keep schools in mind. We will definitely sacrifice some space for a decent school system.

Real talk.

Stay in Charlotte as your quality of life is much greater.

The traffic alone will have you wanting to leave in a week.

Granted SoCal is very exciting and diverse but that won't make a difference because you'll have a kid and that will slow down any fun you're used to have or thought you were gonna have out there.

I was born and raised there...don't plan on goin back. In fact, my mother in law is selling her home right now to move to the A.

Don't do it.

i'm kinda trapped...my daughter is heavily involved in the LA Philharmonic..if not for that..i'd prolly be gone..but soon as she graduate and go to college..i'm gone..prolly wherever she goes to school...but somethin tells me shes gonna be in nyc,,(she wants juliard or columbia) which i wont move to....or LA..,bcz she has a fast track to usc....ugggh..i really wanna move back to the south to somewhere like charlotte tho

to shove getting out of LA....but...i wouldnt mind checking out the carolina area..never been there

and the art scene is booty

Ask ten different people from here, and ten different transplants who live here, and you get 20 different answers. From "Rad!" to "overrated" to "hella crackin" to "fake and superficial."

Because of that, I can't really answer this. I notice that people who move here always have a completely different perspective on it, which is usually worse than ours, but in some cases it can be better because they MIGHT have a fresh view on things.

I just gotta have super specific questions to really answer.

are the best for sure. Baldwin and Ladera are nicer, but much much much much much more expensive. Lafayette Square and those areas are nice as well, but also pretty expensive.

For apartments, there's some in the whole Ladera/Inglewood/Westchester intersection area off of La Tijera that are cool. Also a good amount in Culver City.

are Leimert and Inglewood even affordable? lol Have you peeped what houses are going for in Jefferson Park lately? lol

White folks coming for you son!!

Assuming the couple makes maybe $120,000-$150,000 a year or so. For a single person, yeah it's super tough.

And yeah, even in my area, they're up to $380,000 for a house. SMH!

In the 120k range means in "theory" you can pay up to 3k a month in rent.

I can't see paying 3K in rent and being happy about it.

2k for a 2 bedroom right? It is possible.. You could definitely to that in North Hollywood, Studio City, Toluca, Burbank even Mid City.... possibly K Town..

The closest thing to big city energy you get is gonna be K Town or Downtown though..

rent isn't that expensive unless you're dying to be around flashy shit

1) THAT LA RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH.

Rent is compareable to NY (with better apartment stock). So 1500-1800 might start you into a solid 1 bedroom. You can get cheaper in the Valley (1200).. but it's the valley

2) We own a home in Charlotte and the market is still hot here. Do we hire someone to rent it out for us? Mortgage is $850 and we could prolly get $1100 a month for it.

You are gonna need all the money you can get... so rent it

3) Is we trippin? Charlotte ain't the worst but it lacks that big city energy we are used to.

Depends on what you want outta life. LA isn't big city energy like the northeast is. It's energy is still based on Hollywood. Much of what people love about it is the idea that you can create any kind of life you want here.. down to the boots.

4)Traffic. Is it really that bad?

Traffic aint as crazy if you live smart. (Dont live in long beach and commute to westwood). between Hollywood, Silverlake, DTLA, Pasadena, Atwater Village, NoHo I've rarely spent more than 10 min in traffic. But I don't hit the west side that often and when I do it's in off hours

5) earthquakes, droughts, mudslides..

Drought is real but they havent started rationing in LA yet. Mudslides only matter if you live in the hills.

Re: Schools... as a transplant with heavy North East bias I don't where you will find "decent" schools that aren't in HIGH rent areas. You could live in like Arcadia or Atladena I guess.. but in LA proper you will be competing with upwardly mobile white folks and foreign investment for them good schools in Santa Monica, Silverlake etc...

From my observations as a 2 time transplant I don't know any reason why someone w/o a direct connection to the entertainment industry, sports or start-up world (silicon beach) would move to LA unless you really love the beach, desert and mountains.

But is that a part of your life?

My life is the music industry.. studio, meetings, touring, events etc... all my friends that aren't in it deal with none of that and have very different LA lives..

Earthquakes are common. But significant earthquakes are rare. You might feel the ground shake 5 or 6 times a year. But that last big one was in 1994. Shit I dont even remember the last one that actually knocked something over.

Mudslides well if you live up in the hills or at the bottom of those hills. Then yes mudslides will happen when we get heavy rain.

Drought? It's not like we will be running out of drinking water. If you own a home your lawn will die. If not then keep your usage in check and everything will be the same as it was before the drought.

if your extended family lives anywhere outside the West Coast or the Southwest you may have trouble seeing them. b/c SoCal is FAR AWAY from wherever they live. flights to SoCal from wherever they live are $$. the drive is LONG. if they're like my family they will NOT visit - at least not regularly. they will talk shit about visiting but ultimately they will not follow through. maybe they'll make more effort if you have kids...but not necessarily. you will likely find yourself having to travel to see them.

so it wouldn't be a major problem.

Flights to and from cities like Dallas or Denver can be pretty cheap. My fam flew from Denver for less than 130 roundtrip. If they're on the east coast, it's gonna be loot though.

been here about 3 years

from Philly

no regrets

at all.

yes, the rent is high

YES, the traffic is THAT bad

IRT the earthquakes, wildfires and mudslides

we had an earthquake in Philly about a year before I moved to LA

otherwise, I wouldn't have even equated some of the rumbles I've experienced to date with an earthquake

feels more like a large truck driving down the street

and as strange as it sounds, you get use to it

only time I was shook, literally, was waking up in bed to the house shaking

I feel like the wildfires and mudslides only ever threaten houses in the hills

i.e., why would you build a house there?

I guess folks got $$$ to burn

my momma would call me everytime CNN was running one of those stories

she's chilled out on the OMGs, are you okay

also, LA gets lumped in with all surrounding areas in about a 100 mile radius

i.e., no mom, that's in simi valley about 40 miles away.

for an artists = hell yeah

for parents = pause, I'm not a parent, but I could imagine it being tough

the weather
the beaches
the women
legal weed
entertainment

= no regrets

also, my favorite part of living in LA

is you can get away anytime for a day, or weekend

traveling only about an hour or so

and feel like you're on vacation.

i been here 20 yrs..and ive moved a few times over the years so i havent been absent from the market..but i was recently researching for a friend and got dam...them westside rents tho...i remember in 95 i lived in culver city in a condo by west la college 1bd $750, that same spot is like $1700 now..smh...

i didn't like LA.

now that i'm back on the east coast, i get even more why i didn't like it.

my biggest gripe was the low percentage of black people. its also a place where you can feel kinda suspended in time and i think it's bc of the weather.

on the plus side, it's relatively easy living for a big city, minus the traffic which wasn't an issue for me bc i lived so close to my job. it's also a gorgeous city imo, with lots of good energy, stuff to do, interesting people, and a pretty good art scene. theres a lot of stuff i miss about LA.

>my biggest gripe was the low percentage of black people.

So many people move here and say this, but to me, it isn't an issue, because 5% Black in a city as big as L.A. means we still have more Black people, as a whole, than most cities in America. Especially when you count the bordering cities.

Also, people who move here rarely ever live in the Black areas...so when they come to something at my house, or even go to Ladera Center, it's like "oh wow, is this where the Black people hide?" when it's not at all hiding.

Me and my manager who's from Philly ALWAYS get into it over this, though.

if not maybe you can't appreciate what it's like to live in a place where Black folk aren't such a minority. and you may not be able to appreciate the SHOCK we experience when we move from a place where we have a stronger presence to a place like LA where we may be only 5% of the population.

LA dwarfs those cities...its fkng huge and a whole lotta people...and i'd say sort of segregated...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_large_African-American_populations

By percentage, L.A. is low, BUT by total number, we have the 8th most Blacks within one Metro area. And it is definitely segregated.

I think a lot of it is a class issue. When I do mention these things to folks who move, the response is something like, "but they're all in bad areas!" and "that's all in the hood, nobody wants to live there!" Some folks in my HBCU circles don't realize I'm a native, and they'll say BAD things about natives. One dude was just like "oh yeah, Black people from here? They're fuckin HOOD, usually ghetto and burnt out." And a girl I met two weeks ago from Opalocka told me she has zero desire to even visit the Black areas here.

those large houses in the "hood" and they are perfectly fine with it...i'm in the 30s in the avenues and 3 white families have bought nice large older homes on my street and they love it here...i think South LA has a very bad reputation bcz of gangs and shit, but its really not as bad as some areas of the valley...Now sure there are some hoods i'm just not going to live in...but say the normandie florence area..gets a bad rap..and some parts are perfectly fine..same as over here in the avenues

Hell, even 2004 was still super active.

Chicago, NY, Philly, ATL, DC, all several times.

And the thing is, I have ALWAYS lived in Black neighborhoods in L.A., so it's never at all felt like a minority. I've lived in Inglewood, Gardena, and South Central, each time in areas that were 80% Black. Even when I go to the movies, malls, clubs, all else, most places have a decent amount of Blacks, if not majority.

It's usually all about where you live, where you choose to party, and other issues. I understand that nobody wants to move to L.A. to live in "the hood"...and that most folks who move here are here for Entertainment, and choose to live closer to Hollywood or the Valley. But that's where there's not nearly as many Blacks.

I think the way I see it is completely different....5% sounds super low if you're in a neighborhood that only has 5%...but the city is huge, and the Black areas tend to be 60%-80% Black, with the rest usually being Mexicans. The main issue is that the White and mixed areas are always a whole lot nicer, with more access. It's not many nice grocery stores, shopping areas, corporations, or even night life spots in the majority Black areas.

It's not many nice grocery stores, shopping
>areas, corporations, or even night life spots in the majority
>Black areas.

^^ that.

that's one of my major problems w/the Bay Area. i don't want to have to limit my existence to East Oakland if i want to live in a place where i don't feel like a fucking alien b/c there are so few blacks around.

here in Chicago this issue doesn't really exist for me b/c though i don't live in a majority black nabe, when i travel around in my hood i see plenty black faces. and when i leave my hood and ride the L or go shopping or even drive around i see other blacks around...so i don't get that alien feeling. i don't feel like The Black Guy everywhere i go when i'm here. but out in the Bay i'm The Black Guy EVERYWHERE...unless i'm in certain parts of Oakland.

i might be willing to live that way at some point in the future...but it's a real thing that happens and i won't be making that up. i don't experience that b/c i don't know where to go to find the blacks - i experience it b/c there just aren't as many blacks out there as there are here. and that's w/o regard for percentages.

Even for us, we can go to Torrance, even Manhattan Beach, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Downtown, and surely not be seen as an "Alien" at all. Now, if we're in Monterey Park, or Palos Verdes, or most places in Orange County, then it's extremely rare to see Blacks. But I feel like it's at least a few of us everywhere.

thas all i can say bout that...i can go several days with seein minimal to no white folks if i wanted to

people saying that must've JUST stepped off their tour buses onto Rodeo Drive


and gone nowhere else

yeah, Philly has its 'black' areas

but we still had black neighbors

in LA

I can go entire days without seeing A black person

it's weird to me.

i can stay south of the 10 fwy and east of labrea and not see a white perso unless i'm dropping my daughter off at USC where she practices 4x a week

also, I travel for work

and have been pretty much everywhere in the US

like I said, it's weird

however you want to explain it

it's still a thing

and something that isn't AS noticeable in other major US cities.

i.e., ALL the black people live --> here

if you don't live --> here = no black people

you follow?

since before wayback... and theres waaay more latinos here spread out erywhere..blacks are a teaspoon if u aint isouth...but if u south..u get tired of black folks...i go west and north to get some segregation.. lol

Change is coming.. F A S T

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/firsttimer_homeowners_looking_hard_at_uscadjacent_hoods.php

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/five_great_houses_to_rent_in_and_around_west_adams_right_now.php

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/08/first_fatburger_incorporated_into_new_jefferson_park_housing.php

If you're a hipster or yuppie, you ain't trying to move into Black LA. And the rest of the city isn't integrated enough.

not a yuppie but WTF I look like living in the struggle just to be around my people?

I had a huge BBQ at my spot Saturday...and I'd say a third of the people aren't from L.A. They were all amazed that it was so many Blacks there that were educated n all else, and most of them were even more shocked that it was in "South Central." They really think shit is as bad as the movies show, or like it was in the 90's...but L.A.'s "hoods" really aren't hood anymore. Hell, I wear Red in Crip hoods all the time now, and don't even realize it because no one cares.

there are nice black neighborhoods in LA.

They're far away from the things that bring transplants in.

U don't have a moment like "oh this is where all the Black ppl are" like u do In LA ( and I had the moment my second visit, been to la 4 times now and going again Labor Day)

It's definitely different. And that doesn't take away that LA has a strong Black community and heritage but it's not at all similar to what u would see in DC New York, philly Atl

And that's why it's constantly said

the fucking energy itself is just different.

like in a place like DC or ATL you can have a high-level job and a majority of your coworkers will be black. there are black ppl everywhere here.

before i lived in mid-city i lived super close to inglewood, so its not like i wasn't around black ppl. i feel like I've been all up and through different parts of LA. its not unlike going to a white school even if most of your classes have mostly black students.

I think that's the issue. Everyone here is comparing it to a few cities, mainly the same ATL, DC, I guess NY, Philly.

My main thing is that sure, it's not as Black as those cities, and no one has ever said it was. BUT, that's far from meaning it's nothing Black at all here, and the fact that the Blacks are segregated means that there are a good amount of Black neighborhoods...vs us only being literally 5% throughout the city. That's a huge difference to me.

>My main thing is that sure, it's not as Black as those cities,

...and that's what we're saying too.

> BUT, that's far from meaning
>it's nothing Black at all here,

...yeah. but that's not what's being said.

Black here, even if that's not what you all (on here) mean.

As long as someone moving here realizes that it's not gonna be as Black as those cities, all should be good. I guess I didn't realize that people came from other places expecting it to be THAT level of Black here, and also that they found an issue with it. Like...I'm used to people complaining when they get sent to Portland, Salt Lake City, North Dakota n shit for work, where there's really ZERO Black presence at all.

>As long as someone moving here realizes that it's not gonna be
>as Black as those cities, all should be good. I guess I didn't
>realize that people came from other places expecting it to be
>THAT level of Black here

i dunno about that. but i understand the culture shock some ppl experience moving out there if they came from a more chocolate city.

, and also that they found an issue
>with it. Like...I'm used to people complaining when they get
>sent to Portland, Salt Lake City, North Dakota n shit for
>work, where there's really ZERO Black presence at all.

word.

cities

and that's what stands out to me

you're going to interact with black people in those other cities

whether intentionally or not

whereas in LA

if you don't want to interact with black people AT ALL

it's not hard to do.

if it's just a percentage thing

so be it

it still strikes me as strange in comparison

except the Hood. b/c i wouldn't want to limit my life experience to the Hood just so i can be around my ppl.

if/when i move west i understand i will basically have to give up seeing black folk like i'm used to coming from chocolate cities like Chicago and STL.

That weather/suspended shit is real...

I am feeling that now... permanent vaca feeling. A lot is popping but w/o seasons it can feel like shit is moving too slow or extremely fast. You'll remember some shit and be think it happened like 6 months ago but that was 2 yrs ago.

nm

water. how you run outta water? there was water before there was life, and they wanna run outta the shit. no thank you. that's how horror movies start.
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it's true what they say...people are strange, when you're strangers.

not compassionate....only polite.

I am not like you at all and i cannot pretend.

this is old news

its the entire state thats affected.
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it's true what they say...people are strange, when you're strangers.

not compassionate....only polite.

I am not like you at all and i cannot pretend.

what they get living in a damn desert lol

80% of the water used in Cali is for agriculture

so if you MFers want to eat

yeah, we're gonna need that water.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2013/07/california_grows_all_of_our_fruits_and_vegetables_what_would_we_eat_without.html

that current set up can last forever!

right on. there's no water problem in California at all.

cause i thought i was buggin for a second.
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it's true what they say...people are strange, when you're strangers.

not compassionate....only polite.

I am not like you at all and i cannot pretend.

Otherwise, you'll be driving all the time. When you spend 2-3 hours commuting daily, it makes it hard to really take advantage of all the cool ish going on in the city. So, figure your work situation out first and then look at neighborhoods based on that.

now tho....and so happy with it...that i prolly wont ever seek employment again unless theres some telecommuting involed

which can be weird until one gets used to it.

temps and other weather conditions will change greatly from one neighborhood to the next depending on altitude and proximity to the coast or mountains.

I mean, it gets cold because its still a desert, BUT......

socal weather is super over hyped.

I don't need 85 degrees everyday AND night.

night time temps are often cool enough for a sweater or jacket.

it's not unusual for DAY time temps to be cool enough for a sweater or jacket...even in the summer...especially near the coast.

and its dry so it penetrates like fuck

since you have a family / are married, I would move to Pasadena, Culver or Santa Monica: all 3 are mostly middle to upper middle class and even for being predominately white have a good amount of POC.

Also look into Eagle Rock, but it may be a bit out your price range if you're looking to BUY a house.

and if your boys lived in NoHo years ago, it's even nicer now then it was when they moved there, but if you work anywhere that is not those places YOU WILL BE in traffic

school system is fucked. It's enormous and if you want a good public school you gunna have to be in a middle class area, even though some South LA area schools have been doing some great work to get things turned around in terms of quality of ed and social environment. that, or you are going to the Charters, more than likely Alliance, which cater to many of the non-white working class communities of color

all this talk of how white or black LA is has some merit, but LA is MEXICAN. Not Latino in the central american way as it is on the east or even the Bay, but Mexican. It's def part of the pulse of the city

lastly, the arts and music scene is AWESOME in LA

Ain't Pas also too expensive now?

they should be able to find a house to rent for 2k off the beaten path of Oldtown. Those communities are still pretty working class 1250-1800 a month

not trying to spend all my money on housing. Trying to downsize, spend more time outside, not really concerned with a house that impressed guest.

We will wait until we buy so we need to save money.

Get a mobile home and park next to matthew mcconaughey in Malibu

even long beach...this is strictly to buy

except rich people

my wife is from here, if she was in Rhode Island that's where I would be right now. I get not coming from anything and wanting to see more, but I'd never move here just for big city life (me being from NY could play a part)

Im almost always around natives, so the transplant mentality never affected me much

once I got past the mild shock and disappointment of not being "in LA" all the time (I'm like a 20-30 minute ride from everything), I like it more than Philly (too small) and New York (I hate everywhere except Harlem)

I would honestly say stay where you are and stack money for nice vacations and whatnot, but the weather here is crazy and the "nice" places look great

we have lived in Richmond, Philly and Brooklyn...

we could move to ATL or DC if it was just about being in a big city.