You are going to be in a little traffic no matter what, unless you are living in Hollywood. Los Feliz is right around the corner, but not the beach. If you want the beach, Santa Monica(can be pricey), Marina Del Ray, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach and some parts of Pacific Palisades.

The South Bay cities which include Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, Redondo Beach and Torrance are a bit further than Santa Monica but offer better values in housing. The public schools are excellent for your children too. Depending on the time you go to work will determine your drive time. Some of the side streets actually move faster than freeway during rush hour. My website has a search engine which allows you to search the entire South Bay MLS at http://searchthemls.GR8Homes.com . Good luck in your search. Please let me know if I can help.

Hi Barb,

Making a decision on where to live is an important one. It sounds like you are not very familiar with the LA area and my advice to you would be to take a drive around the various neighborhoods so that you not only get a sense of the distance in terms of home to work and vise-versa, but you can get a sense of the location as a whole. You may like Santa Monica better than Marina Del-Rey or Long Beach over Malibu. You can browse through my website and get some statistical data on the various locations that may be of interest to you. I would be more than happy to show you around the various locations if you are not currently working with a Realtor.

http://www.homefindster.com

Depends upon your budget.... We have lived in Santa Monica and Marina del Rey. Brentwood would be an easy commute for you down Sunset Blvd. If you are looking for homes in the $2-3 million range, you can easily find homes that size in Santa Monica, Brentwood (neighborhood), and Marina del Rey, and the neighborhoods are nice. Mar Vista, as mentioned, is a nice family-oriented neighborhood with good schools and more affordable houses (between $1-2 million) but homes are smaller and older.

Just a note, it gets very hot during the summer in the San Fernando Valley so you may not want to live there if that is an issue for you.

Live where I do on the Westside, in particular Mar Vista/Marina del Rey. Year round weather is great, schools are good and prices of single family homes are still reasonable and will appreciate over the years. You may have to buy a smaller, older home that is on a large lot (i.e. 7000 sq ft) that you will be able to expand.

I've heard from friends that just relocated to Seattle, that people there are not used to commuting very far. LA, on the other hand, is a driving city. According to Google Maps, the 14.4 mi drive from the Kodak theater to the Santa Monica pier will take 29 minutes, and up to 70 minutes in traffic (I'd say sometimes longer); that's taking the 10 freeway. And taking the 17.3 mile Sunset Blvd route to the Pacific Coast Highway will take about 42 minutes (no freeway).

Wherever you live, you can split the difference between the beach and work. Santa Monica and the Palisades, directly on the coast, are nice, as are, a little bit inland, Brentwood and Mar Vista. You actually have a lot of options, depending on exactly how close to the beach you are talking about. And of course budget. (I'm wondering if you have a price in mind?)

HI Barb,

I would look at Long Beach if I were you. Its a diverse, family friendly community with great schools & a beach. The commute to LA isn't too bad, and its much more affordable than Santa Monica or the South Bay. Email me at info@justsoldbykaren.com if you would like my help.

Good luck in your new surroundings,

Karen Miller

Hi Barb! Welcome to Los Angeles!
You definitely have a number of options, depending on your price range and how much time you are willing to spend in your car. We live in Laurel Canyon and sell homes throughout the Hollywood Hills. Laurel Canyon and Beachwood Canyon are only minutes from where you will be working and about 30 to 45 minutes from the beach, depending on traffic. Other very nice options closer to the beach would be Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, or Santa Monica. All of them are further from where you will be working but closer to the beach. If you wanted to live in Santa Monica, right next to the beach, your commute would be about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic and when you will be commuting. It could be as much as an hour during rush hour.

Please don't hesitate to give us a call or send an email if you want some help with your search! Our website is below. We would be happy to send you some listings and give you and idea of price ranges in these areas!