I moved to Southern California more than 20 years ago and this is the last place I will ever live. I have found a home here and love everything (well most everything) about California. The whole time I’ve been in Southern California I have lived in Culver City, it’s on the West side of Los Angeles about 10 minutes inland from Santa Monica. This article therefore will obviously written from that perspective, if you plan on moving to other areas of the city your experience, will be different.
Weather.
Yes let’s start with the weather. It rarely gets cold…by east coast standards. In fact after you’ve lived here for a few years you will redefine ‘freezing’ as anything below 60 degrees. Think about that next January when you’re shivering under 12 inches of snow. It is sunny about 300 days of the year and you are never more than a few days away from a beach day. This inevitably leads to an “outdoor” lifestyle that includes more things like hiking, beach-going and cycling.
Neighborhoods.
It’s easy to look at LA from a distance and see a huge concrete metropolis that stretches from the sea to the desert. I’ll be honest, there are certainly parts of the city that are exactly like that. However most of the areas you’d want to live in, primarily on the West side, are composed of wonderful, bucolic neighborhoods. Places like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Brentwood. IAs I say, I live in Culver City and often liken my town to Mayberry. It is relatively small, has a terrific little main street, outdoor concerts in front of city hall and a safe, friendly vibe. It does indeed feel more like the midwest than “concrete-jungle California”.
What is the MLS and how can it make my life easier?
Healthy lifestyle.
Whether you’re in LA or Tashkent you can live a healthy lifestyle. However there is no denying that when you are surrounded by people who make health a priority you are inclined to do the same. When it’s always sunny outside you have no excuse for not exercising and the plentiful fresh food doesn’t hurt.
The environment is enticing. There are so many spectacular places to discover from hikes that lead to private waterfalls, to secluded beaches that are right in the middle of it all. You also cannot overlook the cultural aspects of living here. I love the LA County Museum of art, Museum of Contemporary art and the Broad Museum. While you’re downtown you have a choice of the symphony or the opera at Disney Hall. Or a play at the Ahmanson theatre.
Make your friends jealous.
Yes, I know that’s petty but, truth be told, this is one of the best reasons to move here. Well that’s not (entirely) true but I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy watching my ‘back east” friends posting about the blizzard, the freezing rain and the frostbite while I sit by the pool applying sun block.
Nature
When I show friends around my home town they expect to see lots of iconic buildings, lot’s of celebrity’s and the Hollywood sign. What they don’t expect to see is how close rugged and spectacular nature is in Southern California. It’s surprising how close everything is to the water. If you go out in Santa Monica, Venice or the South Bay you are never more than a few blocks from the ocean. And if you are there in the evening you are perfectly placed to see a spectacular sunset. It also surprises them to learn that only 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle of the West Side you can be on top of the Santa Monica mountains. The sound of silence in the air and no another human being in sight.
It’s an easy place to enjoy.
I lived in New York for 15 years and I loved it. But when I look back on that time I can’t believe how much hard work it was to just to live your daily life. Dealing with congestion, commuting and aggressive people really takes it out of you. Southern California is renowned for it’s “laid-back” lifestyle and that is another benefit of living here. Yes Californians can be flaky but they are also uniformly friendly and warm.
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To be fair there are some downsides to living here, the worst of which I discuss below. But as they say you pays your money and you takes your choice.
Traffic
Yes there’s plenty of traffic and there is no denying it’s a royal pain in the butt. However I look at it this way; in any relationship there are always pluses and minuses and that is true of your relationship with where you live. In New York there was the weather and the congestion but after living there a few years I learned ways to deal with both. I lived in the UK for many years and there the downside is the cold and the dreariness and, at the time, the food. LA is no exception and traffic is the fly in the ointment. However after several years you get used to it, you learn to avoid certain freeways at certain times… It’s all roundabouts and swings.
Final thought
if you are thinking of moving to LA of course you should come for a visit but please don’t do what every tourist does and limit yourself to the three places you’ve heard about on TV. When friends visit me they always want to see Hollywood, Rodeo Drive and Malibu and 
two of these three places are completely underwhelming; There is no real town of Malibu and if you are looking for something other than a spectacular coastline it will disappoint. Hollywood is likewise a very disappointing place to visit. No movie stars, no glamour just miles of industrial parks, strip malls and dirt. There’s a reason they call it the Entertainment Industry. Of the three Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills will not disappoint.
But the point I want to make is that if this is all you see of Southern California you might not come back! See these three hotspots but while you’re there take a drive up Pacific Coast Highway and watch the sunset from the deck at Moonshadows in Malibu. Get lost wandering around downtown and check out some of the great new eateries and galleries. And if you really want to be wowed by LA have a cocktail in Bonavista, the revolving lounge at the top of the Bonaventure hotel. It will give you the most spectacular view of the city imaginable.
Make sure you visit Santa Monica, walk the Venice Canals and drive up into the mountains behind Malibu. Take a trip down the coast and check out the South Bay towns of Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and if you’re particularly adventurous go all the way to Seal Beach, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. I guarantee that if you do that you’ll start to see why one third of Americans call this state home.
