Reply With QuoteIMHO, that is a rough area to live...which means commute.
Traffic? you bet. Patience is a virtue.
Don't forget the higher cost of living in your new compensation package.
A firm in LA is interested in chatting with me about a possible move. What is the traffic really like? The firm is located in the 11000 block of Olympic Blvd. If this pans out, where would be the best “affordable” living locations, considering boating is a priority.It appears salt water is right there but fresh water ????
It would be a big move from the Midwest. In addition finding the wife employment. Just thought IÂ’d ask and get some real info. Head hunters always give you the good info but not the bad.
IMHO, that is a rough area to live...which means commute.
Traffic? you bet. Patience is a virtue.
Don't forget the higher cost of living in your new compensation package.
Depending on what time you plan on commuting depends on the traffic. I have a rough commute as well from Huntington Beach to LA, roughly 32 miles. I leave at 5:45 am and it takes me 1/2 hour. I leave to go home between 2:30 and 3:30 and it takes about 1 hour. If you can live with that, then you should be fine, depending on where you want to live.
before you make your final decision, have your company spring for a trip out here to check it out, and keep in mind, that homes are at an all time high if your are thinking about buying.
THOR:
Depending on what time you plan on commuting depends on the traffic. I have a rough commute as well from Huntington Beach to LA, roughly 32 miles. I leave at 5:45 am and it takes me 1/2 hour. I leave to go home between 2:30 and 3:30 and it takes about 1 hour. If you can live with that, then you should be fine, depending on where you want to live. Thor ... the address he gave is West LA. Almost Santa Monica. My wife worked out there and it added 1/2 to 1 hour each way. The traffic is very bad and there is no place to park. I work in Downtown L.A. and the commute to and from, is not too bad because there are so many ways in and out. If you're on the Westside on a Friday and it starts to rain, you can plan on a 3 hour drive home. If it's Friday before Memorial Day just find a hotel.
First, come out here during the week and check out the traffic for yourself. Everyone can tell you what it's like, but you really should experience for yourself, afterall, you may be in it everyday. Also, ask the new company if they have any vanpool options. I don't know how big the company is, but the large firms in Southern California are MANDATED to offer vanpooling to reduce the smog and the number of cars on the road.
Thanks all!! I will definitely have the firm fly me out and check the traffic situation. This firm has over 130 employees. The address is 11500. We are still in the talking stages and presently the wife isnÂ’t ready to move. SheÂ’s a VP/CFO of a consulting firm and has it pretty good. Will take quite a bit for her to change her mind. She was calculating I would need a hefty increase in salary just to break even due to housing. And then she would need to find work. Number of things to ponder, pluses and minus. IÂ’ll keep you posted if we get to a negotiating phase in the process.
My personal opinion is California is great, but based on what your situation is, it might not be the right move for you. Your wife is doing quite well, and I am assuming you are too with the opportunities cropping up in other states. I work in SoCal just outside the Los Angeles County line, and I would not want to work on the West side. The West Side and South Bay are nice places to visit, but crowded and expensive. So what if you have the beach there..In St. Louis you have lakes. You would would have to have some hefty comp unlift and your wife find another job to make the coin to afford house for house what you can probably get in your neck of the woods. Its good advice to come here and see it, but if I were somewhere else doing good, I would question moving here.
Also, the local lakes in this area are marginal...it is rare I go anywhere other than the river to do my boating...Cops are too strict, no space to run fast, and its like amature hour out there on some weekends.
[ January 03, 2003, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: mbrown2 ]
You don't need to live in west L.A. Its way too expensive for so little. You can move to the San Fernando Valley where it is way cheaper, just make sure you look in the west SFV (West side of 405 fwy). The drive isnt far , but traffic is aweful. As far as fresh water it depends on what you have . You have PYRAMID, CASTAIC and PIRU
I know that area well, it is right off of the I-405 freeway. The 405 is a real mess all day long. I use to work in that area and commuted from Castaic, approximately 35 miles away. On some days it would take 2 hours to get home. There is no place near there that I would like to live in and could afford. As far as boating is concerned, you can live in the SCV and boat at Castaic lake or Pyramid, but as I said, the commute down the 405 is a bear. Good luck with your decision.
oh ya, houses start at 300-400K around here.
[ January 03, 2003, 11:03 AM: Message edited by: dankirk ]
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