Searching for a Neighborhood

I LOVE living in Westwood. Below Wilshire, above Santa Monica Blvd. There are walkable resturants in Westwood proper or on either Wilshire or Santa Monica Blvd west of Federal. There is a HUGE playground at the Westwood Community center between Sepulveda & Veteran above Ohio and below Wilshire. It is great! Schools I am not too sure about. We plan on putting our 2 year old in the French academy when she is three, and everyone I know with a child puts their children in private schools or are taught at home. But there is a Catholic School on Federal a public Elementary School on Barry, another Christian school (not sure of denomination) on Barrington, and I know there is a Jewish school on Wilshire (I do not know the exact location) but I do not know their credibility. Hope this helps!!! I LOVE WHERE I LIVE!!! And best of all it is 10 min drive to Santa Monica Beach.

I love my neighborhood. I live in El Segundo. The schools are excellent! It has a small town feel. Very kid friendly. Good luck in your search!

Hi T.. First let me say welcome to LA. My husband and I just moved to the South Bay and we love it. When we decided to buy a home, we looked EVERYWHERE in the LA area. I was really hesitant to move here because I was not at all familiar with this area, but now that we've been living here for over a year, I think it's the best decision we've made. There are several neighborhoods that are worth looking into that fit what you're looking for...El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Del Aire, Hollyglen and Hermosa Beach. All have great school systems, parks, farmers markets, libraries and childcare. We're also very centrally located...only 8-10 miles from LA, Santa Monica and 15 from Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, but feels worlds away because of the quiet neighborhoods (and overall, MUCH easier to find parking). Good luck with your hunt! -D. L.

First, you have to ask yourselves what is your housing budget? San Marino is great! But very very expensive. The closer you are to Los Angeles the more expensive the housing. The second question you have to ask yourselves, how far are you willing to drive. Diamond Bar and Walnut are great cities, with parks, great school districts, restaurants, etc. But it is 30 minutes from LA. I lived in Walnut, Diamond Bar, Glendora, and now I live in Monterey Park, which I LOVE. I couldnt ask for a better city with great schools. If I could afford it, though, I would really live in San Marino. Temple City, San Gabriel and Arcadia are also really great schools with family in mind. Before buying I would suggest you rent just to get a feel for what you are considering buying.

Hi T.,

I live in Los Angeles too, I live not too far from Culver City. If you want to stay in LA, that area is real nice, so is the Westchester area. There are nearby shops, restaurants, and grocery stores, it is pretty centrally located, near the beach, airport, hollywood & downtown (about 15 mins). My daughter attends school in Culver City/Palms and my other 2 children attend schools in Westchester. Both of those areas are really nice. The homes are a bit pricey, but if you're not too concerned with that then I would suggest those areas.

San Marino is an excellent place to live. If you check it out online you can see the demographics and the schools are top notch. It is a small community of about 14000 people and there are no apartments or town homes only single family dwellings and it is home to several famous people, you can check that out on wikipedia. I wish you good luck and welcome to America and Los Angeles!