Moving to LA without much knowledge of the area can be tough, as LA is one of the most spread out and diverse cities in the county, with hundreds of different neighborhoods. Here are the top 7 we highly recommend for young professionals depending on your interests:
1.) Manhattan Beach: Young professionals in this chill, beachside. A lot of USC graduates here, and an attractive crowd. Quite pricey to be near the ocean here and may be a long commute depending on where you are working.
2.) Santa Monica: Situated on the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica has a real SoCal upscale feel to it, with a lot to do. Main Street is one of our favorite areas to go out in all of LA, for those that prefer bars to clubs. Great crowd; similar to the Marina in SF. The Third Street Promenade shopping district, although touristy, is the center of the action and most things are in the proximity.
3.) Brentwood: A classier, older crowd of young professionals in their 30s. Nice restaurants and a conservative residential feel.
4.) Venice: A hip low cost place to live in LA, which we can equate to Williamsburg in New York or the Mission in SF. Adjacent to Santa Monica and on the ocean, with a boardwalk as well.
5.) West Hollywood: Where you live if you want to be in the center of the entertainment industry. It will seem that all of your neighbors work in the “industry” and celebrity spottings are an almost daily occurrence. Great nightlife here and close to Hollywood clubs, although we wouldn’t recommend living in Hollywood proper for a number of reasons. Also a strong GLBT community. in WeHo.
6.) Downtown LA: Rising with some good restaurants and bars, although can be quiet for those used to the energy of NYC, especially on weekends. Certainly convenient if you already work downtown or in Hollywood proper (subway ends there).
7.) Beverly Hills: Although one of the wealthier and most expensive neighborhoods in the country, the residential neighborhoods on the southern part of BH have moderately priced housing options and affords a central location.
For edgier, hipster types there’s also Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and Hollywood. Culver City and West LA are affordable convenient option as well.
