Los Angeles,(L.A.) California is one of most name-worthy cities on the planet, you have seen it on television, heard about the city in songs, it’s been romanticized in movies as a place where money and fame are manufactured on a daily basis.
It’s beaches, the beautiful people, and the spiritual lifestyle of endless yoga classes, the exotic cars and mansions.
All these things about Los Angeles can make it an extremely attractive place to want to relocate to.
The Partytrail has decided to compile a list of 12 things to you need to know before you make the decision to move to Los Angeles.
1.Traffic In Los Angeles Is A Nightmare
I once watched a movie where L.A. was called a city on wheels. In my mind, there is no better way to describe L.A. than an actual city on wheels because most Los Angelenos own one or more vehicles, which makes traffic on the highways and side streets (especially during the hours of 4pm and 7pm) brutal and this includes the weekends.
People here just don’t use public transportation as much as other world-class cities. This is not entirely the fault of Los Angelenos, as the public transportation infrastructure is yet to catch up with the revolving door of the millions of people moving in and out of the city every year.
If you move to L.A., you will definitely need a car and if you decide not to get one, you should set aside some money for a peer-to-peer transportation service like Uber, or Lyft.
2. The Beaches In Los Angeles Are Amazing
Los Angeles is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, so you will have access to some of the best beaches in the United States, coupled with a summer that starts more or less in January and extends all the way to mid-october or even November.
You will have to get some great beach gear and enlist in some beach activities like surfing or beach volley-ball to make the best of the endless summers L.A. has to offer. Some of L.A’s best beaches include: Venice beach, Santa Monica Beach, Manhattan Beach, Beaches in Malibu, and Redondo Beach just to name a few.
3. Los Angeles Can Be Pricey
L.A. has a great lifestyle to offer but you will surely be forking over some dinero to be able to live here. Los Angeles and California in general have some of the highest sales tax in the country, a whopping 9% compared to a state like New Mexico where it is just slightly above 5% (or Oregon, Montana and Delaware which have 0% sales tax).
To top that off, rent in some of the areas where a new comer would like to live can be quite pricey, so is eating out, groceries, nightlife and pretty much anything else you need to make a life out of living in L.A.
4. Be Selective When Making Friends In L.A.
Los Angeles County, as of the time of this writing, has about 10 million people, while the city of Los Angeles has a population of about 3 million people. That means you will encounter people from every background you can think of with varying agendas.
Some of these aforementioned agendas range from pleasant to downright sinister. So my advice would be to take it slow and ease yourself into getting to know people.
Most people who relocate to L.A.(transplants as they are referred to) tend to be in the entertainment industry and sometimes project themselves as being celebrities even before they have signed a single record deal, acting, or modeling gig.
It is not uncommon for you to meet people who are waiters or waitresses listing their professions as being paid actors, actresses or models.
5. The USC VS UCLA Rivalry
The University of Southern California (U.S.C.) and the University of California, Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.) have been battling each other to see who has better pedigree and supremacy in the city of Los Angeles for some time now and the rivalry is not about to die down anytime soon.
These battles usually take place on the football field or any other sporting arena where both teams fight each other tooth and nail for who will have bragging rights over the other until the next time they get to duel.
If you move to L.A., you will definitely hear some jibes thrown from students and alumni of either school about who has the better team, education, or job prospects post graduation.
6. The Weather Is Pretty Much Great Most Of The Time
People in L.A. are incredibly spoiled by the weather and will moan and groan if even the tiniest droplets of rain ruin the fun that comes with the perpetual sunshine they’ve grown accustomed to.
Whereas on the East Coast and other tundras around the world the winter months get very cold, L.A’s winter sees a drop in temperatures to the mid 60’s (15 degrees Celsius for our foreign friends) or 50’s with some rain scattered in here and there, but for the most part, L.A. has great weather which makes for a city that thrives on a lot of outdoor activities.
7. The Los Angeles Lakers Are L.A’s Marquee Team
Basketball greats like Kareem Abdul Jabar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant have helped solidify the Los Angeles Lakers as the team Los Angelenos “Like to Love”.
There are other teams in L.A. like the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers but fans love the Lakers with a different kind of fervor, so be careful if you come to L.A. and bad mouth the Lakers or are hesitant to adopt the Lakers as a team you love.
Laker hate will surely not win you any love from the locals. Unfortunately, as of the time of this writing, the Lakers have fallen on hard times and fans seem to have temporarily adopted the Los Angeles Clippers as they favorite team but if you dig deep enough you will find that most Los Angelenos are die-hard Laker fans and forever bleed “Purple and Gold”.
8. L.A. is Culturally Diverse
Los Angeles is a very dynamic and culturally diverse city with every culture you can think of occupying some real estate here.
You have the Persians in Beverly Hills, Swedes in Santa Monica, the Armenians in Glendale, and Koreatown in Los Angeles has the largest concentration of South Koreans outside South Korea.
Coupled with those ethnic enclaves you have Chinatown, Little Ethiopia, Little Thailand and so on. So if you are one who likes to indulge in cultures other than your own, L.A. is an absolutely fantastic place to do just that.
9. Los Angeles Is Spread Out
Unlike a lot of other cities where most of the activity is concentrated in a small area but has tons of high rise buildings and skyscrapers, like New York for example.
L.A. has a massive urban sprawl, the city is so spread out that unless you are truly committed to seeing the city, you might just end up being isolated to the part of town you live in.
Your isolation to your own neighborhood will be made even more likely due to the fact that driving from one part of town to another can be a massive headache as a result of the fore-mentioned traffic.
10. Los Angeles Has Earthquakes
There have been rumors that Los Angeles or the whole of California in general is overdue for a large earthquake. Most Los Angelenos just shrug this off and continue with their daily lives.
My advice would be for you to catch up on some crisis preparedness videos to see how you can deal with an earthquake in the event that you are caught up in one after your move to L.A.
11. Celebrities
At some point or another, you will run into someone famous in L.A., its not news that L.A. is the world’s epicenter of the movie and entertainment industry. My advice is to try not to give yourself away as a newcomer by getting overly excited if you do spot a celebrity.
Most locals just glance over and keep on with their business because they are used to seeing celebs as they carry on with their everyday lives.
12. There Is A Lot To Do In Los Angeles
And we mean a lot… Los Angeles has a ton of things to do, from awesome nightlife, to restaurants, arts, and culture, sports, theme parks, museums, parks, festivals and so on.
Even though things in L.A. are quite pricey, there are happy hour deals, and coupon sites like Groupon that offer discounts on activities to make them more affordable. Take your time to look for these deals and when they are being offered and you might just be able to save yourself a ton of money.
Need To Know More About L.A.?
Here are some resources to help you get more familiar with the city.
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