What You Need to Know Before Moving to LA

Image by JayMantri from Pixabay

Beautiful sunsets, pompous celebrities, and cocktails by the beach — that’s what most people picture when they hear Los Angeles. However, that’s not all that LA has to offer. In fact, many people who live in LA do so for other reasons, such as gorgeous nature sites and economic opportunities. Of course, they have been overshadowed by Hollywood and other flashy tourist attractions.

Visiting LA and living in LA are two entirely different things. If you were thinking about moving to Los Angeles in the near future, there are certain things you should know before making the final decision. 

The Upsides

Beautiful Weather All Year Round

As you probably already know, LA has great weather. It has a moderate, dry subtropical climate. In other words, it typically stays completely dry during the warmer months and then sees rainfall instead of snow during colder ones. Nonetheless, temperature transitions are almost exclusively mild, with an average low of 57F and an average high of 75F. So, if you move to LA, you’ll probably end up giving away your winter coats to Goodwill.

Plenty to See or Do

One of the most obvious advantages of a giant city like Los Angeles is its abundance of choices. First of all, there are plenty of job opportunities, especially in the IT industry. People move to LA with the hopes of making it big.

When it comes to memorable sites to visit, there’s always Hollywood Boulevard, Universal Studios, Grand Central Market, Santa Monica Pier, and many more. In fact, listing all of those that are worth seeing would be an impossible task. Even if you don’t have money to splurge on Disneyland souvenirs, you can simply take a stroll around Downtown LA. Entertainment is guaranteed either way.

Moreover, LA has some breathtaking surrounding nature sites. If you prefer being outdoors, you’ll surely enjoy visiting the Los Angeles Forest, and of course, Runyon Canyon, San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

Friendly People

Most people that you’ll come across in LA will be quite warm and pleasant. Besides that, and this is important if you come from a highly conservative environment — people are open-minded here. In LA, everybody is accepting of who you are. If you’re looking to meet some like-minded individuals, LA is the place to go.

The city is not just friendly, but also pet-friendly! So, you can expect to feel welcome pretty much everywhere in LA, even with your furry companion by your side.

The Downsides

Transportation and Traffic

According to the most recent population estimates, Los Angeles County is home to around 10 million people. To say that it’s big would be an understatement. However, even though LA has a proper public transportation system (bus and metro) and invests big time trying to expand it, most people in LA still choose to drive or carpool. The increasing popularity of ride-sharing apps probably contributed to that as well. As of 2019, Los Angeles has over 6,567,000 registered automobiles. Unsurprisingly, that means that traffic can get quite bad during peak hours.

Long story short — if you want to move to LA, you should consider getting a car. However, arm yourself with patience for those pesky afternoon traffic jams and parking searches.

Finding the Right Accommodation

Many people who live in LA report that they had to change neighborhoods several times. As it’s so big, getting a job that is located on the other side of the city could mean long and exhausting daily commutes. So, if you plan on moving to LA, do your best to find an apartment that’s within a reasonable distance of your workplace.

Acquiring an apartment or house to live in LA could also be somewhat problematic for newcomers. Places get rented out quickly, sometimes in a day, so you need to act quickly.

Bottom Line

Although we’ve listed both sides in order to present a more realistic picture, the advantages of moving to LA definitely overshadow the disadvantages. If you know what you’re dealing with and prepare beforehand, moving to Los Angeles should be a breeze.