LOS ANGELES LIVING

Where Our Residents Live

Silverlake/Los Feliz

The Silverlake and Los Feliz areas are fantastic places to live whether or not you work at LAC+USC. They are areas filled with culture, small boutiques, and unique restaurants. They are located right next to each other approximately 5 miles north of the medical center and just east of Hollywood. The commute to very easy and can be made on the freeway in about 5 minutes or in about 15 minutes on surface streets at peak traffic times. It is a very central place to live with easy access to downtown, Pasadena, Hollywood, and the Westside. However, there are plenty of things to do locally so there is often no need to leave. The area is an eclectic gathering of the creative community. Many artists and musicians live in the area and it has a very comfortable neighborhood feel. You will find the edges of the Silverlake Reservoir full of runners, walkers, dog-walkers, and bikers at all times of the day. It is approximately two and one-half miles around the lake and it is a great place to work-out and blow off some steam after work.

Manhattan Beach-El Porto

Manhattan Beach is a small town at the end of the 105 freeway with a laid back atmosphere and plenty of sun, surf, and fresh air. There are two long boardwalks along the beach that literally span several miles and are perfect for biking, running, skating, walking or just people watching. If you look around a little, you consistently see a number of other LAC+USC residents, LAC+USC faculty and USC medical students. There isn’t really a stereotypical resident. Residents range from authors and artists to bankers and teachers. There are a number of restaurants, bars, shops and cafes to hang out in. If you like the outdoors, there is always something to do and someone to do it with. It is somewhat difficult to find a place, the rents are not cheap, and the commute is a bit long. There is nothing nicer then coming home to watch the sunset, falling asleep to the crash of the waves, and waking up to the smell of the salty air.

The Westside

The Westside consists of several neighborhoods including Santa Monica, Venice, Westwood, West Los Angeles, Palms, Brentwood, Rancho Park, Mid Wilshire, Mar Vista, Culver City, West Hollywood, Hollywood and Beverly Hills. These areas are centrally located, about 20-30 minutes to the San Fernando Valley, beach cities, airport, and downtown. The commute to the LAC+USC Medical Center is about 30 minutes but varies widely with time of day and traffic. Each neighborhood offers unique activities, including a variety of diverse restaurants, museums, theaters, nightlife and shopping opportunities. The weather is usually mild throughout the year. In general, these areas are considered fairly upscale with a two bedroom apartment renting for about $1000/month in the Palms area to more than $2000/month in Brentwood.

Pasadena

Pasadena is a fairly small quaint town at the end of the 110, about 15 minutes from the hospital. It is one of the oldest cities in LA but the feel of the city is completely new. Old Town Pasadena is filled with every store you can imagine, both big chains and small boutiques. It also houses an incredible selection of delicious restaurants, several shopping centers and 5 movie theaters. The other draws to Pasadena include the Rose Bowl, the big Rose Parade, the always hilarious Doo Dah Parade. There is a saying “no one is ever from LA, but if you do come from LA, then you are probably from Pasadena.” Overall, Pasadena has a lot of old tradition but offers everything the modern resident could ever want.

Marina del Rey

Marina del Rey is a clean, safe, professional community. You can enjoy leaving the hustle-bustle of your daily commute behind and coming home to a quiet community where you often hear sea lions barking from the back patio. The marina enjoys cool ocean breezes and close proximity to Venice Beach and Santa Monica nightlife. If you enjoy biking, beach trails span the length of the marina as well. It is easy to find a place to live in the area, because there are numerous large apartment complexes with most having views of the water. Monthly rent for one-bedroom apartments range from $1400-$2000. The daily commute to LAC+USC Medical Center is 45 to 60 minutes during rush hour, or 25 minutes without traffic.

Koreatown

Koreatown is... well very Korean. There are hundreds of Korean restaurants that specialize in any kind of Korean food you can think of. Some say the food is even better here than in Korea. The location is pretty central: 10-15 minutes away, you'll find Miracle Mile, Museum Row, and Downtown; 20-30 minutes away, you can get to Hollywood, West LA, Santa Monica and Pasadena. LAC+USC is about 20-45 minutes away, depending on traffic, and the traffic flow is not as bad going east in the morning and west in the evening than vice versa. You'll probably find rent a little cheaper here than other areas though it can get a bit congested.

Norwalk

Norwalk is a great place to live if you want to reside in Los Angeles County but not pay “LA prices.” Norwalk is located approximately 10 miles south of the LAC+USC Medical Center and even closer to most of the outpatient clinics. The commute takes between 20 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Norwalk has a suburban theme with many single family homes and few apartments. The beach, LAX airport, Hollywood, Long Beach and Disneyland entertainment are all within 30 minutes.

For additional information about "Living in LA", please visit Health Sciences Campus Life in LA.

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