Looking to move to Los Angeles.. Any Advice?

amother

Impatiens

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 9:28 am

mazeltov613 wrote:

We like living in LA overall. The homeless situation has really gotten bad. The cost of living is expensive.
However I do appreciate the chinuch here tremendously. The schools are phenomenal and I wouldn’t consider moving because of that. Also there are “out of town” values that I’m happy I’m raising my children with. We don’t have the same shopping options as the east coast, which by definition means there’s less to want and need. We make do with what we have and there’s less materialistic pressures.
Happy to answer any more specific questions you may have OP!

I find LA quite materialistic but I guess it's all relative.

mazeltov613

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 9:32 am

I think materialistic pressure depends on what circles you associate with. I think we are way behind the east coast- it takes time for the trends to travel. Unless your on Instagram and then those pressures exist regardless of your location.

amother

Melon

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 10:04 am

We love living in LA. The sense of community is outstanding!! Our family went through something recently and the outpouring of support was unbelievable!! The schools are wonderful. There’s so much to love here BUT it is extremely expensive! We’re looking at a 3 bedroom house now for 2 million that needs to be torn down/completely renovated if that puts things in perspective.

amother

Jasmine

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 10:50 am

amother Impatiens wrote:

I find LA quite materialistic but I guess it's all relative.

Yes, LA is very materialistic in terms of:
shaitels - everyone not in kollel has a lace front, especially the under 40 crowd
cars - most people lease, except for those who drive old clunkers (and you can tell)
cleaning help - everyone has help, even the poorer people
houses - since housing is so crazy expensive, people like to decorate their homes nicely as well.

We are behind in Frum fashion trends from NY and Lakewood; however, a lot of people here shop in non jewish stores and are into designer labels.

OP, if you are still "looking for jobs", it's a HUGE mistake to come here. Don't do it unless your earning potential is really, really high.

I think the reason most people come here is that there's a huge variety of frumkeit levels. You can have your Lakewood kollel types sending to school with families where the moms wear short skirts and no socks/tights. When people decide to be "less frum" with their clothing choices, they come to LA.

Honestly, at this point, I think South Florida would be a much better option.

tichellady

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 11:05 am

amother Jasmine wrote:

I have never heard of anyone moving to LA because they want to be less frum with their clothing choices. I know people who moved because of jobs, family, the weather, nature and the beach etc

amother

Apricot

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 12:33 pm

amother Maize wrote:

I grew up in LA and live in LA and it really depends on your location. What the poster said above is NOT true for all of the neighborhoods, and there are many.

Right, I dont have a lace wig, we dont lease a car, I dont have cleaning help, and my house is fairly simple!

amother

Melon

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 12:39 pm

amother Jasmine wrote:

I live in LA and don’t agree with this at all!

Window

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 1:34 pm

amother Jasmine wrote:

Cars ARE really expensive here because of all the smog rules. So basically, it’s illegal to drive an old clunker. Or you’d spend thousands on mechanics just to be able to legally drive it. That’s why leases are so common here

Amarante

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 2:22 pm

Window wrote:

This really isn't accurate.

After a certain age, cars need to be tested for excess emissions. However, I drove a 15 year old car and it never failed the test. Also you can't be forced to repair if the cost would be above a certain amount - you would get an exemption.

Actually the converse is true unless one is keeping up with Jones since cars last much longer in California than they do back east. There aren't the cold temperatures which are hard on a car and there isn't snow and salt which do a lot of damage as well. There are probably a higher percentage of old cars being driven here because they last longer.

Of course certain aspects of car ownership might be expensive like insurance.

The chief thing driving up costs in Southern California is the extremely expensive housing market. Other than that many costs are lower - utilities can be lower because weather is more temperate; you don't need two different wardrobes because essentially the climate allows for the same clothing to be worn year round (more or less). Produce is less expensive.