Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

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aquamarine
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Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by aquamarine »

I have a potential job at UCLA but I am not familiar with the area. If you were moving to this area, where would you look if you wanted to buy a home? What neighborhoods are good/safe/decent places to live? Can you tell me anything I need to know in terms of areas to look and areas to avoid and anything else about this area that is good to know? Thank you
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calmaniac
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by calmaniac »

Is it just you or do you have a family? How much house are you hoping to buy and how much are you able to pay? How many minutes per day do you have for commuting time?

I grew up about a mile from UCLA. To give you a sense of costs, my parents recently sold their tear-down house in Westwood on 1/4 acre for $1.8M. YMMV.
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nalor511
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by nalor511 »

Rents and purchase price are very competitive around UCLA. Does your job come with parking? (probably not). Parking would let you park anywhere within whatever drive time you're comfortable with. Generally going south of Wilshire toward Culver City, or east toward West Hollywood will lower the rents a bit from the Westwood or Santa Monica areas which will be higher. Best of luck.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by boglerdude »

If I could afford it (I cant) Id shell out and live within biking distance.

You could rent/buy along the future purple line
https://la.curbed.com/2017/1/13/1422933 ... e-wilshire

For a bargain, look at gentrifying areas like around West Adams, served by Expo line
https://transportation.ucla.edu/getting ... -extension
rolandtorres
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by rolandtorres »

I would rent for a bit before deciding to purchase. If you have no UCLA parking, I would live somewhere walkable to a bus line that gets off at Wilshire/Westwood.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by stan1 »

aquamarine wrote: Sun Nov 11, 2018 9:44 pm I have a potential job at UCLA but I am not familiar with the area. If you were moving to this area, where would you look if you wanted to buy a home? What neighborhoods are good/safe/decent places to live? Can you tell me anything I need to know in terms of areas to look and areas to avoid and anything else about this area that is good to know? Thank you
Budget for the home? $2M would get you started in some desirable West LA neighborhoods within a 15-30 minute drive to campus but many houses are more than that. Most homes are 70-120 years old or have been rebuilt and are more expensive. Single family houses close to UCLA that are much less than that will probably have incurable location flaws such as freeway noise, close proximity to commercial zones, or busy streets and/or need a lot of work. Yes it is one of the most expensive areas in an expensive city close to Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, and the Hollywood Hills. Rancho Park is one area I would consider but it is also near where the 405/10 interchange is located so you need to check for noise and traffic.

Other than that LA is a very, very large city. Do you have kids? Will they attend public or private schools? What's important to you in a home or neighborhood? What's your maximum commute time? I always think its best to rent for a period of time in a new location. Working at the UCLA campus is one where this advice would really help out because there are many tradeoffs even if you have the $2M budget. The Purple Line extension is a possibility that will help but some of the areas it passes through aren't yet living the So Cal dream like the areas mentioned above.
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denovo
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by denovo »

aquamarine wrote: Sun Nov 11, 2018 9:44 pm I have a potential job at UCLA but I am not familiar with the area. If you were moving to this area, where would you look if you wanted to buy a home? What neighborhoods are good/safe/decent places to live? Can you tell me anything I need to know in terms of areas to look and areas to avoid and anything else about this area that is good to know? Thank you
what's your budget
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ReadyOrNot
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by ReadyOrNot »

I am mystified how anyone who works for a living could afford to buy a house near UCLA. Anyway, renting first is a good idea to become familiar with the area. Surely their recruitment or employment info packet includes some helpful information. The student housing office has informative neighborhood profiles. As you might expect, vast numbers of students and employees look for decent off-campus housing. UCLA had better be able to help them search if they expect to be competitive at all.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Valuethinker »

aquamarine wrote: Sun Nov 11, 2018 9:44 pm I have a potential job at UCLA but I am not familiar with the area. If you were moving to this area, where would you look if you wanted to buy a home? What neighborhoods are good/safe/decent places to live? Can you tell me anything I need to know in terms of areas to look and areas to avoid and anything else about this area that is good to know? Thank you
The jobs in America seem to be where it is too expensive to live.

So you probably need to really specify what you need:

- 1 person, couple, family?
- schools an issue?
- local amenities an issue?
- max commuting time (this will always be too large in a place like LA; research suggests that time commuting by public transport causes less loss of quality of life than time commuting by car; research has never taken a Brooklyn or Manhattan subway at 745 am)
- affordable cost (e.g. a metric like 30% of gross income; place like LA you will probably bust out of this)

I imagine UCLA has a housing office for incoming staff? That seems to be standard with US universities particularly in expensive cities. Sometimes there is subsidized housing available, it seems.

You are going to be on an "indifference curve" (in economic parlance) of tradeoffs where you can't have one thing without trading off another (a "frontier" in economics). You have a set of criterion, the marginal renter or buyer in your situation might well have a very similar set of criterion, LA is a physically huge city with known congestion issues -- and you makes your choice by moving along that curve.

If you buy I would caution against buying the hard-to-shift home, which is to say the one with noise/ pollution problems or some other disability you cannot rectify by changing the house in some way. Because as and when the market has its next downturn, those houses become impossible to sell, and the prices fall much more than others.
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HueyLD
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by HueyLD »

Considering the world famous traffic issues in the LA Metro, I think you want to consider the traffic flow carefully.

Yes, there are rush hour traffic patterns and there are ongoing traffic issues. If your work hours are conventional ones, say 8-5, you definitely want to avoid driving in the rush hour direction. However, if your hours are noon - 8, you may have less of rush hour issues to worry about. Of course you already know that the traffic can be bad all the time.

How about taking the LA Metro Rail? I know people who live near Metro stops so that they can commute by Metro. LA is not NYC, but LA’s Metro system is actually not as bad as you think. You can take the Santa Monica route and connect to UCLA express bus.

I am sure you can find people working at UCLA for more insightful and up to date advice.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Valuethinker »

HueyLD wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 5:44 am Considering the world famous traffic issues in the LA Metro, I think you want to consider the traffic flow carefully.

Yes, there are rush hour traffic patterns and there are ongoing traffic issues. If your work hours are conventional ones, say 8-5, you definitely want to avoid driving in the rush hour direction. However, if your hours are noon - 8, you may have less of rush hour issues to worry about. Of course you already know that the traffic can be bad all the time.

How about taking the LA Metro Rail? I know people who live near Metro stops so that they can commute by Metro. LA is not NYC, but LA’s Metro system is actually not as bad as you think. You can take the Santa Monica route and connect to UCLA express bus.

I am sure you can find people working at UCLA for more insightful and up to date advice.
My general impression is that LA Metro is fine BUT

- it's when you get to your destination, there's no there there? The city is not laid out for pedestrians and it can be quite a ways (in very hot weather) to where you are actually trying to get to. There may not even be sidewalks?

I had a friend who lived and worked in suburban LA. He bicycled to work (about 3 miles) and nearly got killed more than once - usually by vans turning or changing lanes without checking to see him. I think one of the reasons he moved back to Pittsburgh (where he lives in a semi rural area, and presumably drives to work) was simply his experience commuting. And to play more ice hockey ;-).
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HueyLD
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by HueyLD »

One person I know lives near a Metro stop and takes his bike with him. There is a cart designated for those with bikes.

Once he gets off the destination stop, he then bikes to work. He doesn’t have problems biking. Of course he is also young and fit and trim.

P.s. I have walked on many sidewalks in the LA area. I also noticed bike lanes with bikers cruising on them.
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Artsdoctor
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Artsdoctor »

Like anything else, there are always two sides to the story. Traffic here can be challenging but it can be that way in many cities. Some parts of the city are more conducive to walking than others.

To the OP, we'd need more information about your life and priorities. UCLA is in a great neighborhood and the housing prices reflect that. The two most important questions would be: (1) what's the situation with children and their education, and (2) how much of a premium to do place on proximity to work.

Personally, I live about 1.5 miles from the hospital and have never regretted giving up "more house" for closer proximity. I put about 3,000 miles per year on my car, which gives you an idea of how much driving I actually do.

UCLA is in Westwood and there are areas you can live which would allow you to walk to work. Westwood Village is a walking area as well. However, the housing prices will reflect that proximity, as would anything within a few miles. That area is generally considered the Westside and the prices per square foot are among the highest in the metro region (think in terms of $1,000 per square foot although the variability is impressive).

If you have kids, you'll need to think about how you'd want to educate them which will probably guide your choice of neighborhood.
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Clever_Username
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Clever_Username »

I used to work at UCLA. I lived in Westwood, but I was young, single, didn't have a lot of things, and had purchased a studio condo in Westwood (since sold), so all that added up to living in the area and walking to work.

As so many others have said, there's a world of difference in the area between looking for a studio apartment or a large house.
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4nwestsaylng
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by 4nwestsaylng »

OP so far not responding to the queries on the thread, but here are my thoughts.

What is your job at UCLA in general- ie professor, assistant professor, lab tech,physician, ie what is your proposed salary?

Is it just you and maybe spouse or are there kids? Family makes it problematic. Unless you have a lot of money, at least, say the 20 percent down for a $2M property (ie at least $400k cash),you won't find anything in a house, but maybe a small condo. Regardless, it does not make much sense to buy in that area,you don't know if you would stay.

I lived in Brentwood in the late 70's while working at USC, I rented on Mayfield Ave, and really liked that area. Jogged daily on San Vicente Blvd. If I were at UCLA, I would definitely look at the rentals in Brentwood, between Wilshire,San Vicente, Bundy Dr. and Barrington. Probably will pay $2000 for a one bedroom older place. I paid $325 a month back then, and that was a lot of money believe it or not! (at that time you could rent a cottage on the beach in Malibu for $1200 a month, but again that was a lot.Most professors were making about $20-25K a year.

I have had other friends and family go to UCLA. They all learned by experience not to live much east of campus. One started in the Fairfax area, commuting, and the area was so gritty, he finally moved to rent a room at the beach in Santa Monica, paid a lot more but loved it and felt safer.

You don't want to drive from the Valley,the commute is terrible. Also there are apartments in Westwood, again, just pay up and rent, but stay in that Westwood/Brentwood area and you will enjoy it. I really don't see a job at UCLA as a long term keeper unless you have great income prospects.

Also as part of the job offer ask if there is faculty subsidized housing in Westwood or nearby. I know UCLA has some family housing south of Westwood off Sepulveda for married grad students, maybe faculty. They are apartments, right near the 405 freeway.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by lightheir »

Best bets:

- Santa Monica! $$$$ but it's as close to city-beach life as you can get. It has a distinctly different feel from the rest of urban LA, thanks to the ocean breeze, more space, and nicer ritzy neighborhoods. If you're renting, you can actually sort of find reasonablish yet still kinda pricey apartments between the beach and UCLA that are pretty quiet and nice, in small neighborhoods.

- If you're a student or not making a lot of money, you can sometimes find not-so-expensive apartments in 'West LA" which is an amorphous area somewhere between 1-2 miles west of UCLA (between Santa Monica and UCLA). They will be small, kinda crowded, but they are very safe and in good neighborhoods, and the best part is that you can bike to everything, UCLA included if you are ok with braving some traffic and riding on some sidewalks on busy stretches (it's legal to do that in LA - I checked.)

If you go out further eastwards, be prepared for some really gnarly traffic at rush hour, but rents do get a lot more reasonable out tehre.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by anonenigma »

4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:42 pm
I have had other friends and family go to UCLA. They all learned by experience not to live much east of campus. One started in the Fairfax area, commuting, and the area was so gritty, he finally moved to rent a room at the beach in Santa Monica, paid a lot more but loved it and felt safer.
Say what? Fairfax area gritty/unsafe? It's one of the most desirable areas in Los Angeles.
aristotelian
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by aristotelian »

Without knowing more about preferences and budget, Culver City and Mar Vista come to mind.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Cyclone »

He never answered back. Maybe he passed out when he saw that teardowns are $1.8 million.
4nwestsaylng
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by 4nwestsaylng »

anonenigma wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:38 pm
4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:42 pm
I have had other friends and family go to UCLA. They all learned by experience not to live much east of campus. One started in the Fairfax area, commuting, and the area was so gritty, he finally moved to rent a room at the beach in Santa Monica, paid a lot more but loved it and felt safer.
Say what? Fairfax area gritty/unsafe? It's one of the most desirable areas in Los Angeles.
This was many years ago. Probably gentrified now.They must have torn down all those old pseudo-Spanish stucco apartments. I would still take the Westside over Fairfax.I would pay more.
Ilikesparklers
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Ilikesparklers »

If you have a large budget, my favorite neighborhoods close to UCLA are:
  • Santa Monica - Ocean Park area between Lincoln and Main St. South of the 10 freeway.
  • Carthay Circle - Lived there for 3 years. Nice and central to a lot of "LA" things - the Grove, LACMA, etc.
  • Rancho Park & Cheviot Hills - Closer to UCLA. I live in Rancho Park now, and I think being close to the 10 and 405 freeways is great. Cheviot Hills has beautiful homes.
denovo
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by denovo »

4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:42 pm

I have had other friends and family go to UCLA. They all learned by experience not to live much east of campus. One started in the Fairfax area, commuting, and the area was so gritty, he finally moved to rent a room at the beach in Santa Monica, paid a lot more but loved it and felt safer.

how many decades ago was this, this is real outdated advice
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4nwestsaylng
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by 4nwestsaylng »

denovo wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:51 pm
4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:42 pm

I have had other friends and family go to UCLA. They all learned by experience not to live much east of campus. One started in the Fairfax area, commuting, and the area was so gritty, he finally moved to rent a room at the beach in Santa Monica, paid a lot more but loved it and felt safer.

how many decades ago was this, this is real outdated advice
Looked at your posts on this thread, so far you have given no advice of any date. Westwood and the West side are still good areas as they have been for decades. Maybe you have some suggestions more up to date, you just haven't posted them.

Anyway, the OP seems to have lost interest.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by AlphaLess »

lightheir wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:26 pm - Santa Monica! $$$$
Housing market in Santa Monica is high inefficient for the following reasons:
- zoning laws are restrictive,
- terrain / geography do not allow for more free space,
-- the above two curtain new housing stock,
- there are two layers of rent control, as a result, a lot of the old-timers are paying peanuts for rent.

You would simply be subsidizing other people's housing costs. That's all.
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denovo
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by denovo »

4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 9:39 pm
denovo wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:51 pm
4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:42 pm

I have had other friends and family go to UCLA. They all learned by experience not to live much east of campus. One started in the Fairfax area, commuting, and the area was so gritty, he finally moved to rent a room at the beach in Santa Monica, paid a lot more but loved it and felt safer.

how many decades ago was this, this is real outdated advice
Looked at your posts on this thread, so far you have given no advice of any date. Westwood and the West side are still good areas as they have been for decades. Maybe you have some suggestions more up to date, you just haven't posted them.

Anyway, the OP seems to have lost interest.
I agree the Westside is still good. I meant the part about Fairfax being a gritty area. That's nuts.
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anonenigma
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by anonenigma »

4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 2:56 pm
anonenigma wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:38 pm
4nwestsaylng wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:42 pm
I have had other friends and family go to UCLA. They all learned by experience not to live much east of campus. One started in the Fairfax area, commuting, and the area was so gritty, he finally moved to rent a room at the beach in Santa Monica, paid a lot more but loved it and felt safer.
Say what? Fairfax area gritty/unsafe? It's one of the most desirable areas in Los Angeles.
This was many years ago. Probably gentrified now.They must have torn down all those old pseudo-Spanish stucco apartments. I would still take the Westside over Fairfax.I would pay more.
You are seriously wrong. Those Spanish apartment buildings are one of the reasons the Fairfax area is so popular. Gentrified? Wow.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by prad81 »

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4nwestsaylng
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by 4nwestsaylng »

Clearly my view of Fairfax is way out of date,like 40 years.Gritty even then too strong a word, just not that attractive then.Times change no doubt.
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aquamarine
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by aquamarine »

Thank you to everyone who replied. I appreciate your input. Sorry for the slow response and not explaining enough detail. Ok, so let me see if I can answer some questions.

Housing
for me and spouse
no kids
no need for schools for children

I do not know what the salary offer is yet. But I can tell by the responses the area is very expensive and traffic is a concern.

Where would you buy if you'd be interested in something more modest like:

studio or 1 bedroom condo
"safe" neighborhood
walking/biking distance or train commute to campus

I'll look over your responses again but if anyone has more advice I'm happy to hear.
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Artsdoctor
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Artsdoctor »

If you're OK looking to buy a studio or a 1 BR apartment, then just look on Zillow for places in Westwood Village. It's a very walk-friendly neighborhood, you're close to a lot, and you'd be extremely close to work.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by nopushover »

Another area to consider is Sawtelle area (roughly just west of 405 bordered by Pico and Santa Monica Blvd, stretching west to around Bundy). Was once an area where many Japanese-Americans resided. And the many Asian restaurants on Sawtelle will attest. It's a combo of old 50's homes and many gutted for bigger homes and condos. It's close enough to UCLA to bike or bus it, if needed. I agree with others that you should probably rent first, to get a better sense of the various areas near campus.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by thomase »

I've stayed at airbnb places between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevard, just south of campus past Westwood village. There's lots of rental places there and it's not too far to walk onto campus. Probably more units and cheaper than Westwood village.
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aquamarine
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by aquamarine »

Thank you so much. I've never been to the area before at all and don't have any friends out there to advise so your advice is really valuable to me and I really appreciate it.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Artsdoctor »

aquamarine wrote: Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:14 pm Thank you so much. I've never been to the area before at all and don't have any friends out there to advise so your advice is really valuable to me and I really appreciate it.


Real estate in LA is expensive and can be volatile. The best advice I can really give you is to rent for a year, get to know the city, figure out what your priorities are, and then look for a place you like. You might find that your priorities are a bit different here (some people will value proximity, some people will value space). If your best estimate is that you will be able to stay put for 7-10 years (preferably 10), then buying a place should serve you well. Any less than that, you start getting into gambling territory, at least in my opinion.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by unclescrooge »

prad81 wrote: Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:02 am I quit my job at UCLA this year as I simply could not stand my nearly 2 hour (30 mile) commute. I lasted about 6 months there. Staying close to the campus is key to having any kind of work-life balance. Lesson learnt.
Where do you live?
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by unclescrooge »

aquamarine wrote: Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:14 pm Thank you so much. I've never been to the area before at all and don't have any friends out there to advise so your advice is really valuable to me and I really appreciate it.
Definitely rent for a year. What is an acceptable commute, what is your budget?
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by A-Commoner »

My niece and her husband live in Encino, which is 10 miles northwest of UCLA. They live in a nice 2 BR, 2 bath apartment for $2400 a month. Encino is an affluent area, and you can get to UCLA in about 30 minutes. There are other spots in the southern San Fernando valley - like Sherman Oaks - that you can probably look into that are close enough to UCLA. The SFV is also a relative bargain compared to the Westside.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Philip_Marlowe »

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ellink
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by ellink »

UCLA has a robust van pool program. It doesn't make the commute any shorter but it may mitigate some of the driving and parking issues.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by Cyclone »

UCLA has multifamily housing for staff members south of the campus on Sepulveda, a little ways south of National Boulevard. From there a bus ride would be about half an hour - not too bad. I have no idea how much they cost, or if there is a waiting list, or how it works.
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Re: Can you suggest where to live if work at UCLA

Post by orlandoguy »

I strongly recommend that you check in with the UCLA Housing office. UCLA, like many urban universities owns numerous facilities specifically designed for faculty and/or staff that can work well, particularly for a short-term rental as you get to know the area.

The link to their faculty section is https://housing.ucla.edu/faculty-housing/faculty

Best of luck to you!

Orlandoguy
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