I currently live in the Antelope Valley/Lancaster area and may be taking a job in El Segundo, near the LAX / 105–405 area.

I’m married with two kids, including a small baby, so I’m trying to look at this from a family perspective and not just commute time.

I’ve been searching around the South Bay and other areas closer to El Segundo, but so far I’m having a hard time finding apartments that meet the combination of things I’m looking for. A lot of the available units are smaller than I would prefer, have limited parking or outdoor space, or are more of a dense building/corridor setup.

What I’m looking for is more of a low-rise/garden-style apartment or townhome community, where you can park close to your unit, walk outside through the property, and have some open space rather than long indoor hallways or a high-rise feel.

Ideally:

- 2 bedrooms, preferably 2 bathrooms

- Around $2,500–$3,200/month

- In-unit washer/dryer

- Dishwasher

- Reliable off-street/assigned parking, preferably two spaces

- Patio or balcony

- Around 900–1,000+ sq ft if possible

- Low-rise/open-air apartment or townhome layout

- Safe enough for my wife to comfortably go outside and walk around with the kids

- Good schools and a good environment for raising children

- Good employment opportunities for the family

- Access to a good community college would be a plus

Another important factor is long-term affordability. I don’t necessarily plan to rent forever. I would prefer to move somewhere where buying a house eventually is still reasonably possible for a middle/upper-middle-income family, even if it takes a few years to get there. I’m trying to avoid moving somewhere where even a normal family home is so expensive that homeownership would realistically remain out of reach.

I currently drive roughly 45 miles by road to work, so I’m not completely against commuting. I understand that 45 miles in LA/Orange County traffic is very different from 45 miles in the Antelope Valley, but I’m willing to accept a longer commute if it means my family gets a safer area, better opportunities, better schools, and housing that better meets what we are looking for.

So I’m deliberately keeping the search area pretty open rather than limiting myself to the South Bay.

If you worked in El Segundo and had a family with young kids, where would you live if you were willing to trade some commute time for better housing, family quality of life, and a realistic chance of buying a home later?

I’m especially interested in cities where I can realistically find a decent apartment or townhome in the $2,700–$3,200 range that meets most of the requirements above.

I’d really appreciate recommendations based on actual experience with the commute, neighborhoods, schools, housing, and overall quality of life. I’m also very interested in places I may not have considered yet.

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UPDATE:

Thanks everyone. I’ve been reading all the responses, and this has been really helpful.

I’m definitely going to take a closer look at the areas people have mentioned closer to El Segundo, including Torrance, Westchester and North Redondo. I also noticed some of you suggested looking farther out, including Cerritos and North Long Beach, which is more along the lines of what I was wondering about when I said I’m willing to commute.

Based on the feedback here, I’m also willing to increase my maximum rent to around $3,500 for the right place.

So let me expand the question a little: if I’m willing to consider cities up to roughly 40–45 road miles from El Segundo, what areas would you recommend based on the family situation and housing preferences I described above?

I’m not saying I want to live 45 miles away just for the sake of it. I just don’t want to limit the search to the immediate South Bay if going farther out could give my family a noticeably better place to live.

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who actually commute into El Segundo or the South Bay from those farther-out areas and can speak to whether the tradeoff is worth it.

Hi everyone! I’m new to LA and recently started as an ICU nurse at UCLA in late Sept. I’m currently subletting in WeHo while figuring out where to settle long-term.

About me: 32, gay, and Latino. I’m very active, love the outdoors. I am an introvert but social. Not much of a partier, but enjoy social outings at divebars, museums, artsy, music events, etc.

My schedule: 12-hour shifts (2–3 days/week, rotating days/nights 7A-730pm or 7p-730am), giving me about 4 days off every week and 1 weekend day off a month.

I’m torn between convenience and community and would love your insights:

• The Commute: For anyone working on the Westside but living further east (Los Feliz / Silver Lake

, etc.

• ), how is the commute actually treating you?
• Prioritizing Vibe over Proximity: Has anyone chosen a neighborhood purely for culture and community over a shorter commute? Is that doable in LA?

I understand WeHo is gay Mecca but it definitely isn’t the place for every gay.

• Santa Monica: What is the general crowd and vibe like? Does it skew heavily toward a younger (early 20s) demographic? Only reason I like the idea is the idea of being close to the beach..

Activities i've done so far: On my days off, I've done run club at griffith park every week since i've arrived and really enjoyed that. I've been to silverlake a few tiimes and liked it.

Any neighborhood recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated!

I’ve seen listings where they say “first 2 weeks free” but they also ask for the first months rent. So what exactly are you getting for free? I’ve seen listings where they say “4 weeks free” which is an understandable month. Help me out

46F living in PA and would like to relocate preferably Southern California.I am a CNA so I’d like to assume I could get a job if I can transfer my cert. I’d love to have a quiet roommate but it would be me as of right now unless I can figure out how to find a roommate . Like at this point in my life I’d like to just get in my car and go

Hi everyone! I’m moving to Los Angeles and recently signed a 6-month lease for a rental in Venice, CA. After a few things came up, I’m getting nervous and would really appreciate help from anyone familiar with LA real estate.

Would a licensed realtor be willing to do me a favor and help me verify whether this property and the person renting it out are legitimate?

I’m trying to confirm that the person actually has the authority to rent the unit, that the listing is legitimate, and that nothing suspicious is going on.
I can provide the property address, listing, and relevant details privately. I’d especially appreciate help from someone familiar with Venice real estate or property records.

I’m not trying to waste anyone’s time or accuse anyone of anything. I just want to make sure everything checks out before I move across the country.
Thank you so much! I’d really appreciate any advice or help. ❤️

Hiya!

I just got a job offer for a major company in the LA area (cypress) for a systems engineer 2 position. Only problem is the initial offer is only 110k a year (salary, exempt). Where I currently live (middle of nowhere new mexico) I make about 75k as an rf engineer. I'm looking for some realism because these rose shaded lenses are making some what I feel might be red flags look like regular flags.

The areas I'm examining for where to live is either temple city or artesia. Artesia is currently winning as it's closer to work, and has a high Philippine, Cambodian, and mainland Chinese population (so I'd feel more at home).

However, I feel like 110k is a bit low as a systems engineer 2 position. And I worry it's below the realistic cost of living in the area.

So, since I'm currently stuck, I was hoping to get some insights from locals.

Am I being lowballed? How much should it really be? How much do I need just for a 1bd 1bth apartment and to maintain the same standard of living i have in new mexico? (Comfortable. But my house is garboleum and I'm wasting money on idiotic tier house repairs and other silly costs such as gas for the 88 mile (total roundtrip) commute.

So please, I beg the kindly locals in LA with a better head on their shoulders than me: what's realistic?

Your answers will inform my decisions...

Edit: Going to toss in that someone rightly pointed out that me saying "only 110K" is actually controversial. And I own that. Like I said, I'm some nobody from nowhere whose only real experience of california is essentially what pop media and news articles say. My mom was born in san fransisco like 50 something years ago. And then her and her parents moved back to the UK for about 10 years before settling in the U.S. (Ohio). So... yeah. I accept that I have been negatively biased because of that.

Evening!

So to summarize it, at some point in the future I may pursue a job out in LA, either for an airline out of LAX or a corporate outfit at likely Van Nuys or less likely at Orange County.

What would be the best areas to live in that don't totally break the bank? Most aviation jobs start/stop outside or regular 9 to 5 hours, so rush hour isn't a super concern. (I could be wrong, and quite frequently am.)

It's not something I'm going to do on a whim, and certainly won't consider for a job that's paying less than 40/hour. Hence why airline work would probably be the driving factor since all of the Majors have maintenance bases in LA.