Hi all, would really appreciate some local insight as we plan a move to Southern California from Manchester, England.
I am American and used to live in LA in my 20s (Hollywood area), but I am now relocating from the UK with my British husband and our 6-year-old, so priorities have changed quite a bit.
We’re looking for an area with an excellent elementary school (open to private, though strong public would be a bonus — she’s been in a private all-girls school in the UK since age 3, and my husband is especially focused on getting schooling right), that feels very safe, clean, and family-oriented, but still genuinely cool (with good restaurants, cafés, bars, parks, and an overall lifestyle that feels vibrant rather than just suburban). Ideally somewhere with loads of other families in a similar stage of life.
Budget is around $7-9K a month for rent. Ideally we’d buy, but don’t want to commit until we are sure we love the area and want to stay.
We’re open to both LA and Orange County. I’ve been looking at places like South Pasadena, Brentwood, Irvine, Newport Beach, etc - but would love honest feedback from people who actually live in these areas, especially with younger kids.
Any neighborhoods you’d recommend (or suggest avoiding) would be hugely appreciated. Thanks so much!