Yes LA is world class, but my point before was that LA is so many different things, good and bad. IMHO the beach communities are fun, but really crowded, really expensive, and a really hard place to raise a family. The valley is a big crowded suburb, but has everything you can imagine. If you want fun or need a service, you’ve got it. The foothills can be very nice, but are also very expensive right now–not just housing. Most school districts, even in nice neighborhoods, are iffy at best, and private schools run $1k-1.5k per month, per kid.
Crazy as it sounds, I think that if you have a family and do not already own a home, I think you need at least $150k/yr family income as a minimum to make it around the foothills–beach might be a little higher.
BTW: As a preemptive shuush, I realize that some people around here can get by on less, especially if you are DINKs, but I think to raise a family, save for college, save for retirement, pay for housing (rental or mortgage), etc, it is a challenge to get by with less around here–never mind keep up with the Jones’s. Only time will tell if all those Jones’s can really afford their lifestyle, but that is the hot topic of a dozen other forums.
