I have zero ties to the area and have never lived on the west coast (been in the midwest and northeast all my life) but have a lead on a great opportunity in LA. What's the environment like for transplants? What are good places to live if I'm going to be working on the west side? How's the finance / professional scene? Thanks!
| +96 | Are you “less ambitious” for having long term goals outside of NYC | 24 | 1d | |
| +45 | Interviews Are So Fake | 28 | 3h | |
| +33 | 2024 UK Election - Tories finished? | 21 | 7h | |
| +29 | Being Christian in investment banking | 14 | 1d | |
| +25 | Non-Competes Banned | 24 | 1h | |
| How do I become Sigma | 15 | 23m | ||
| +19 | ADHD ! | 4 | 4h | |
| +19 | Moelis has the cutest Analysts? | 4 | 1d | |
| +18 | Best NYC neighborhood for single 30M | 12 | 2d | |
| +16 | Underage intern, drinking? | 7 | 1d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Live close to your work...
I am considering this too. One of my biggest questions/concerns is how feasible it is to go back east in my case in 3-5 years time without having to lateral or essentially start over with a network. I don't see SoCal as a long term place I would want to buy a house and raise a family but obviously that could change.
To answer your question, depending on where your office is I would aim for the west side. That's where all the yuppies, entertainment people, nightlight, etc is concentrated. For neighborhoods I would look at Mid-Wilshire, Mid-City, WeHo, La Brea, maybe Century City, Culver City. If your office is on the coast you could look at Santa Monica and Venice which is heaven on earth but with more homeless people than I expected. I think you get a reverse commute by living in Santa Monica/Venice too if your office is mor central. Finance jobs are likely going to be around Century City, DTLA, and Santa Monica.
I visited just before Covid hit and loved every minute of it, but it isn't going to look like an episode of Entourage everywhere you go. Lot of rough/ugly at minimum parts and a car is necessary even though the traffic sucks.
This is the truth re your second and third paragraphs. Lot of shitty parts of LA and if you don't have a car/live near work prepare to drop a ton of money on ubers.
If you're working on the west side, just live on the west side within a few miles of your office.
LA is awesome, so far for the last couple of weeks in December, the weather has been fairly mild upper 60s sometimes 70s, great for outdoor activities. Food is awesome lots of great food scenes throughout, plenty of entertainment (most of this closed now based on the current state order, but should be open again sometime soon next year hopefully).
The pace is a bit different over here. Slower compared to the east coast. It should be good though, different balance on things in LA.
Based of your title, it looks like you can afford to live close to work. The Los Angeles Region is great if you don't have to commute too long and you can afford all the fun stuff there is to do. Way better mexican food than the north-east.
I’m thinking about this too as an East Coaster. No one has touched on what it’s like as a transplant with no connections in the area - is there a strong regional vibe or is it easy to meet fellow transplants? Is it harder if you’re in finance as opposed to the entertainment industry?
Moving to Cali is always the right move. I hope to move to LA as well in a few years. I have previously lived in North County San Diego (Encinitas). Cali is the shit.
there's a reason 2pac wrote "To Live and Die in LA" it's the place to be, dawg
Marina Del Ray
I live in L.A. now and absolutely love it. Don't want to live anywhere else.
The older you get, the more important weather becomes. I just can't do the harsh winters and constant rain. Being able to go biking in December by the beach is underrated. This in turn boosts your health, mental state, and overall mood.
The car situation sucks, but if you live in the right areas, you can get by on Uber/Lyft (it's fairly cheap here).
This is it. Phenomenal weather year round cannot be beaten. On top of gorgeous scenery, outdoor activities, great and diverse food. Worth the extra bucks
Weather is one of the things that no amount of money can change. If you live in NYC, for instance, you can get around most of the inconveniences and bad things if you have enough money. But not the crappy weather. So you have to leave the city during the cold winters and disgustingly humid summers.
Omnis eos placeat quia. Quidem et enim error facilis ut numquam. Et molestiae aut facere vel quis maiores. Modi beatae minus harum vel quia veritatis. Magni inventore culpa est omnis qui. Molestiae velit impedit nisi quia recusandae doloribus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...