Made the move many years ago. When I go back for a winter visit, the extra layer of clothing to walk out the door I find annoying. In So-Cal, the car isn't frigid, and no ice on the windshield. No shoveling snow, or walking on ice either. We just don't do well driving on wet freeways. However, it hasn't rained for many months!

Gardyloo: That makes me smile. Long Beach is referred to as "Iowa by the Sea" by people cognizant of LA's "immigrant" history. Between the Naval Station and Douglas Aircraft (then McDonnell-Douglas, now Boeing), it seems you can't swing a corn cob and not hit someone whose family emigrated from Iowa for WWII/Cold War reasons.

Actually, in the summer you still see a lot of cars with Iowa license plates. More than the Florida or New York ones, that's for sure.

I happen to love the Sierra Madre area, and Pasadena is a treasure. A bit hot in summer, but....

Ahhh, outdoor life year-round rules. One year I called people to wish them a Happy New Year from a pool float. I can't say 70F at midnight on December 31 is typical (it's bizarre, actually), but I didn't complain either. Wait until you find yourself pricing convertibles in February...!

Just to update my original post - I have accepted the job in California, sold my business interest, the house goes on the market this week, Saturday we leave for LA, hopefully to find a place to live.

We have decided to rent for the first year at least. This makes the transition a lot easier. We did see a house in Monrovia in December that we would have rented on the spot if the timing would have worked out. We also did look at a guest house (really tiny) in Malibu with a spectacular canyon and ocean view. For much of the afternoon we were temporarily intoxicated with the possiblity. It would add at least 45-60 minutes driving time each way. It was sure fun to think about it however, particularly while sitting at a seaside bar sipping Margaritas for the rest of the afternoon.

I think we are most hopeful of settling in the Sierra Madre/Monrovia area. However I have been intrigued with the Santa Monica area and we intend to do some looking around in that area this week-end.

It's depressing what we will get for our house here compared to housing prices in CA, but we've gotten over it. It is what it is!

California , here we come.

JoeG

I've had some friends who have moved from the midwest (however, I must mention that by 'the midwest' I mean Chicago, so if you are moving from a small town that is probably different) to California and have reported back to me mixed reviews. They love the weather and how casual and friendly everyone is, but are having a hard time connecting, complain about the cost of housing, and joke around that nobody is actually from there and they can't seem to find any actual California natives (and my one buddy joked around about coming back 'home' for a visit because he actually WANTED to ride "el" again and see snow .... hehe).

Relocations are difficult, but with the right attitude I'm sure you'll be fine, besides, there is nothing to prevent you from moving back if you don't like it. I know because I once gave living in a smaller college town a try (as an adult returning college student) and high-tailed it back to the city as soon as I could ;) But it was an experience that I'm grateful I had.

Hey, I'm from there! I'm second generation and my LA-born, Maui-raised husband is third generation Angeleno. By daughter's boyfriend's family is third generation too. Maybe us oldtimers just tend to stick together?

I'm from Pasadena, and as a adult I have lived in both Monrovia and Sierra Madre. I'd definitely choose Sierra Madre over Monrovia, unless $$ is an issue. Sierra Madre is cooler, quieter, has more of a small town feel and is more expensive. A bigger question would be where are you working? You mention both Monrovia and Santa Monica. They are on opposites end of the world during rush hour. I've done that cross-town commute and it gets old pretty quick.

I'm SoCal born and raised and love living at the beach, but if living at the beach added up to two hours of commute time to my day, I'd move. Don't be tempted to live in Santa Monica, Malibu or anywhere else an hour away from your job or you'll hate L.A. Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Arcadia are great places to live.

Ditto to the Pasadena-Sierra Madre recommendations. Add South Pasadena and parts of San Gabriel and Arcadia.

Joe - Congratulations on your move. I think with your sons and other family members here in So. Cal it will feel like home in no time.

I agree about making the commute easy as a long drive in traffic really can wear you down. I think you were looking at the Pasadena/Sierra Madre area because it was fairly close to your new employer. As tempting as the beach is, it won't be worth it and trying to buy a house in the beach areas is out of reach for most of us.

All the suggestions of Arcadia, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena are good but I think Monrovia came up because it is a little cheaper. As I told you before I lived there years ago above Foothill, loved all the old houses. I now live in San Diego County but one of my friends went to a Super Bowl party in Monrovia (again above Foothill). She said the area looked great and I know they have done alot in that area to make it more upscale.

Let us know when you are all settled. I am hoping to plan a So Cal GTG after Easter maybe. We would love it have you join us.

Joe: As a near-native Angelino I can offer the following advice. Even though you already have family and friends in the L.A. area, I'd still recommend getting involved in your local community (wherever that winds up being) as soon as you move. Angelinos in general are not unfriendly people, but they do tend to keep to themselves. The old saying about living next to someone for 20 years and never knowing their name is actually true for the most part in L.A.

Check out nearby attractions, markets, art exhibits etc, and make an effort to develop a circle of local friends. It can make the difference between being happy and being lonely and miserable.

I love all the advice and words of encouragement. The office that I will be working out of is in Santa Fe Springs. However I will be doing outside sales and won't necessarily report to the office every day.

My parents lived in Sierra Madre until 1984. We always loved that area and last year after spending several days looking all over we went back and both said - "This is it!" Monrovia isn't as quaint but since it's housing stock is about 4 times larger there is a better chance of finding a place. Plus there are some really cool spots up in the foothills.
As others have said, Arcadia and Pasadena would be great areas to live in as well.
Thanks for the words of caution and sage advice regarding living near the beach. It's easy to become blinded to the realities of cross town commuting.

It's exhilarating at this stage of our lives to start a new adventure.

JoeG

Joe- you sound like a good candidate for relocation and assimilation! I am a native Californian but we have lived in Ohio (our kids were born there). In our mid-40's I told my husband I had one more big adventure left in me (i.e. relocation) and this is when his company transferred us to Kauai! We stayed ther 6 years , loved it. But the adventure is not over becuase husband was transferred to Washington DC which has to be the polar opposite of sleepy rural Kauai! We love DC, too.

We also have a house in Pasadena CA (my hometown) and spend as much time as possible there. I love the So CAlif beach areas but the prices are sky high and there is the crosstown commute conundrum.

The smaller San Gabriel Valley communities do offer opportunities for community involvement. You may want to also take a peek at La Canada and Montrose, too. San Marino (south of Huntington) still has some affordable homes. There are some craftsmen areas of Monrovia. I do like Pasadena/South Pasadena the best.

vivi,
I thought San Marino would be totally out of reach but I have noticed some small, modest "affordable" homes there. We really don't need a big house anymore.
I suppose that I couldn't convince you to consider renting us your house in Pasadena.
JoeG

Joe,
I live in Manhattan Beach, and our good friend drives to Santa Fe Springs to work (you wouldn't be selling industrial carpet would you?) It's about a 20 mile drive, but he loves living at the beach, and he does not go into the office on a daily basis. The drive on the 105 Freeway is not too bad, because most traffic is coming toward LAX when he goes east.

However, I think the areas you have picked to look for homes, and have experience visiting, will work out fine for you. My aunt & uncle use to live in San Marino, and I loved visiting there.

Best of luck, and welcome to CA!

I found Pasadena to be too expensive, and think the same of South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia and Sierra Madre. I do still own a rental property in Pasadena, but sold my personal home in Pasadena and moved to Azusa in a new gated community in Azusa Canyon, separated from the rest of the city and in its own little valley, surrounded by mountains, with a small river!

I sold my 1,500 sq. ft. house in Pasadena in favor of a 2,700 sq. ft. house with a 20 ft. entry, huge master bedroom, and large common living areas.

I mostly love living where I do, although when I do want to eat out at nice places, I find myself in Pasadena, or at least in Monrovia/Arcadia, but it is only about 12 miles east of Pasadena and about 6 miles east of Monrovia/Arcadia.

For whatever it is worth, however, the best pizza I have ever tasted (including a couple places such as Lou Malnatti's and Gino's East in Chicago) has been at Petrillo's Pizza, with a location in Glendora, just a 5 minute drive away!

Here is an unknown neighbor of mine selling nearly an identical house (cut and paste).

http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/Home...p;lnksrc=00002

I would much rather live in this house than in a 1,600 sq. ft. older home in San Marino or Pasadena for the same money. Honestly, when I walk my dogs at night, I feel like I am on vacation.

Lastly, there is a new 1,200 home development that will soon commence construction in Azusa in the northeast section bordering Glendora. I do think that this will bring in top retailers and restaurants, something that would be a tremendous boost to the area, and bring it up to speed with Monrovia, for example.

Right now, Azusa is a bit of an anomaly, as it is bordered both on the west and on the east by cities that are MUCH more expensive (Monrovia/Duarte and Glendora), yet Azusa features many historic homes and is obviously also in the foothills.

There are not too many nice places in the San Gabriel Valley where it is still possible to get a nice house for under $300 per sq. ft., but it is still possible in my community, although it will not be for much longer.

Good luck.

Joe, do whatever it takes to get that rental by the sea. There is something healing about seeing and smelling the ocean every day.

I did have an hour commute each way (120 minutes in the summer) and as soon as I saw the ocean after I got home, it negated everything about that drive.

GoTravel,
We will make one last attempt to consider beach communities this week-end.
I noticed from my on-line rental service that there are many rentals in our price range in Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. I am not familiar with these areas. I see that they are near LAX so maybe we can check out that area as we meander back from the airport on Sat.
Roccco, I appreciate the pizza recommendation and the heads up on Azusa. We'll check it out.

Joe,
Of the three beach cities, Manhattan Beach is the closest to the 105 and 405 freeways for your work commute. Can save you 15 minutes driving time, getting to them toward Santa Fe Springs, by living here. However, North Redondo (border of MB) is also close to the freeways. Take a look at some photos of the beach and pier here in the So Bay. If you should want to take a walk on the pier it is located at the end of MB Blvd.
http://www.ci.manhattan-beach.ca.us/...itor_info.html

JoeG, I swear you will not be sorry with that rental by the sea. I'm not sure why this is but my quality of life seems to be so much better. It forces you to stop and take the time to appreciate things around you. It also opens your eyes to things you've never noticed before (why is it that you never see baby seagulls??).

Good luck, have a great weekend, and keep us posted!

Now let's have a reality check about beach real estate. I live in Manhattan Beach which I love. But prices here are really just insane. How about a 1200 square foot house with a single car garage on a 4480 square foot lot located less than 100 feet from extremely busy Sepulveda Boulevard... for $1.2 million!!!

As you go south to Hermosa, Redondo, Torrance, prices do inch downward slightly but your commute time goes up.

Sure, you can rent. The house next door to us is only 2000 square feet and rents for $3,600 a month.

As to quality of life issues, how can you know the beach is "nicer" if you're never there because you're commuting an extra two hours just to "live" there.

Jean, I know because I commuted two hours to live at the beach.

Why so negative?