Need advice on moving to California.

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Moving/ Relocating

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Yulka

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 10:32 pm

My husband and I are thinking on moving to California for many reasons.
We live in Baltimore now.
Here are the things that are important to us:
Mid-sized to large frum community.
Having access to
chabad shuls,
chabad schools
mikvas,
kosher markets, restaurants,
jobs (IT field)

That's all I can think of right now.

TIA

amother

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 10:38 pm

Do you have jobs there yet? Just a thought... the cost of living in LA, as well as other parts of CA, is very high, so don't move there unless you have established jobs. And you're coming from Baltimore where the cost of living is relatively low, so be prepared for a big shock.
The weather is nice though.
This from a former Californian now living in Maryland, who loves to vacation there but would never move back.
(amother so that I'm not immediately identified)

Mitzvahmom

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 10:40 pm

California is a HUGE community

Not sure how well you will do with jobs, jobs are difficult to come by anywhere.. It's very expensive to live here, rentals are not cheap and housing has not dropped much.

Schools, there are a couple of good schools. The thing is you have to get a good class of kids for the school year to go well.

My boys, my youngest has a good class so he loves school. My oldest, unfortunately, ended up with a very difficult class and he's struggling.

There are a ton of shuls to choose from... Three different areas in LA, hatzlocha on your quest

Yulka

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 10:54 pm

Thank you for your responses.
My husband doesn't have a job yet, and we won't move until he does. First we want to find a good community, and then we could look at the jobs nearby.
We're set on moving to California. The question is only which part.

Amother, why wouldn't you move back there?

Mitzvahmom

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 10:55 pm

you have to figure out where you fit in, best thing is to visit and spend shabbos in three areas (Labrea, Pico, valley)

amother

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 11:37 pm

San Diego may be another place you should look at. There are many Chabad shuls - one great Chabad school that goes thru 8th grade. Only a few restaurants and markets - but enough to make keeping kosher in San Diego easy.

Good luck!

Mitzvahmom

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 11:49 pm

San Diego is a smaller community, and I hear a lot more friendly..

#1mommy2000

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 2:57 am

I don't know much about any other city in California than LA. it's a very big and diverse community. and from what it seems, is you're chabad. there is a big chabad community here, a few minyanim a yeshiva... It's all around a wonderful place to live however... parnasa can be a problem, its a very high cost of living. Hatzlocho raba! (btw there's a few areas in la, there's pico... then the valley (which is cheaper) which technically isn't la... about a 30 minute ride from la, depending on traffic)

su7kids

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 2:40 pm

Mitzvahmom wrote:

California is a HUGE community

Just for the record, California and Los Angeles are NOT synonymous. Any more than "East Coast" and "New York" are.

Said from a Californian, who lives in S. Diego.

Mitzvahmom

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 7:30 pm

su7kids wrote:

Mitzvahmom wrote:

California is a HUGE community

Just for the record, California and Los Angeles are NOT synonymous. Any more than "East Coast" and "New York" are.

Said from a Californian, who lives in S. Diego.

duh!

I also wrote

Mitzvahmom wrote:

San Diego is a smaller community, and I hear a lot more friendly..

And I have family in San Francisco.. let's stop being so sensitive...

JollyMommy

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 8:50 pm

I, valleymom and a few other california posters have gone into depth about the different communities.

I have a married brother in baltimore who loves it btw, but wants to move back when he's done with school, so it depends on who you are.

the people who end up unhappy here usually cannot find a decent job and therefore struggle with housing and tuition costs. I honestly remember when we made $100,000 (before taxes) a year we could only afford a 1 bedroom apartment. this was with no kids, no debt and parents who paid our cell phones and part of health insurance. just to give you a real example.

so, if I were you I would FIRST have him, and probably you as well, get a job and THEN check out the communities. the lubavitch communities (and I am lubavitch) that are LARGE/MIDSIZED are:

hancock park/ la brea
pico
north hollywood

all 3 have mikvahs, shuls, etc.. we are planning to move to one of them when our oldest enters 1st grade for cheder and I have VERY strong opinions about which is my favorite and WHY. I have a good feel for all 3 because I worked in 2 of them in Jewish schools and went to school in another and still go quite often. PM me for more..

we currently happen to live in none of the above as we live in a SMALLER lubavitch/mixed community, so I won't bother to go into the pros and cons of the many other communities because they don't apply to you.

I happen to be a big california fan, but a good job will be the key here. because even less expensive places are not cheap. hatzlacha!

amother

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 9:40 pm

things to keep in mind.

for a family of 4 or 5 you need AT LEAST $150,000 before taxes to live an OKAY lifestyle.

there are very few people who can live life with only 1 car in LA

real estate is EXPENSIVE. you can look at realtor.com for examples. the zip codes you would want to check are 90036, 91607 and 90035. for example a fixer upper in the 90036 area which is only a 3 bed maybe 2 bath costs 1 million.

tuition on average for elementary school is $14,000 per child.

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 9:50 pm

LA is very spread out. There are Chabad communities in outlying areas, such as Long Beach, Tarzana, and Agoura. Some of these areas are less expensive. Do you need to live centrally?

brokertov

Tue, Dec 28 2010, 1:38 pm

"the Valley" is also a rather large community, but in sub-sections, Valley Village/North Hollywood (91607 zip) is the most vibrant and has the most to offer. I just sold a 3-bdrm house in Valley Village, albeit a bit of a fixer, for $475,000. A 4-bdrm will start at about 600K. The poster who wrote that real estate is expensive here is correct. While you on the east coast are buried under snow, we are in the park playing tennis and jogging - that is what makes our real estate so expensive and out lifestyle so B"H enjoyable!
Feel free to check in with me once your husband has a job and a move looks more certain. Best of luck to you....

amother

Wed, Dec 29 2010, 1:11 am

hey brokertov, just want to disagree with you that north hollywood has the most to offer. it depends what type of community you want. for chabad communities in the valley, I personally like encino/tarzana 91436, 91316, 91356 a lot better and I am VERY familiar with north hollywood/valley village and find it an undesirable place to live. shaarei tzedek is another story, but she's looking at chabad.

OP spend a shabbos in a few communities before deciding. this is VERY important. meet the shluchim, see who you like.

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