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Any Vancouverite Who Is Living Or Has Lived In La


chandlerbing

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Hey everybody!

I needed advice from a Vancouverite who has lived in LA or experienced the Southern California life. I'm 25 years old, just about finished my CPA (Certified Public Accountant) designation which will qualify me for jobs in the USA under the NAFTA job provision. I'm committed to taking my chances and moving out to LA as it has a lot more to offer and best reflects my personality - I love the beach, heat, party scene, basketball, cosmopolitan, massive Dubai-like infrastructure, the mix of people, and, although this is a bit insignificant, the direct flight to Dubai from LAX.

I'm originally from Dubai, so obviously Vancouver does not offer me the lifestyle I want to live. I've also lived in London for a year. My personal opinion is I find the Vancouver infrastructure behind and the rain quite depressing, but this is subjective and can easily vary.

What were some of the things that you, as a Vancouverite, noticed immediately in LA? How is the lifestyle? Also, CPA jobs start at around $40,000 per year. Is that enough with a room mate earning roughly the same? We were thinking of moving to downtown. Or the neighboring areas would also suffice.

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I live in LA,

No knock on the 'couve but LA is a MAJOR city, Van is not.

If you're the type of person who likes "Bigger, better, more" than LA just might be the place for you.

But i'll tell you this: The longer I live in LA (10 years now) the more I appreciate Vancouver.

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Former Vancouverite now living in Socal. Orange County to be exact. Been here for a while (bout 20 years). My opinion about LA is somewhat negative. I hate the "concrete-jungle" and I can't stand the dry, always sunny weather. Now from reading your post that is obviously what your looking for so you sound like you will actually like it here. I miss the rain, ocean and trees in Van. The nightlife and food to me is better down here, but I'd rather take a tree over a night club to hang out at...

Now that $40K your talking about making is not alot of money. Keep in mind gas is $4.25 a gallon right now. In Van riding the metro and skytrain is bearable and part of the lifestyle. Down here owning a car is. The only people who ride the bus are people that can't afford a car(if they could afford one they wouldn't be riding the screwed up bus system). What I'm trying to say is good luck surviving on $40K a year down here if you want to live anywhere decent. Downtown has its highend lofts, but it sounds like the pay your going to make your going to be living near skidrow :sadno: I'd look at some of the westside cities as more viable, fun places to live. Cities like manhattan beach/redondo beach are nice areas with apartments that you might be able to get some roommates with.

If your interested in more info go ahead a PM me. I've lived in both LA county and Orange County(but my heart belongs in VAN!).

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Thanks for your input, SNA. Actually, yes, I am looking for a lifestyle that you mentioned and it seems as if LA might suit me. I don't mind the concrete jungle. Having lived in Dubai half my life, I'm quite used to it. Bigger and better is their motto!

Sorry, I forgot to mention that a friend will be moving with me. He is also equally qualified as I am, just about to get his CPA and wants to live in downtown LA. So I guess I should ask: will $80,000 suffice or should we look for a cheaper neighborhood? Our expenses will be shared, except car gas and car insurance. We will be bringing our own cars. So if rent is $2500/month for an apartment, we are willing to share $1250 each.

Mind you, this is for a year or so, after which we have plans of opening up our own CPA firm and moving to a suburb.

terrible.dee, yes, I agree with your thoughts on Vancouver. Vancouver is quite beautiful, but is not a major city by a long shot. In some parts of the world, it is unheard of. I used to have a tough time explaining this to the locals, but I don't bother anymore. Now I just agree with their ignorance to avoid all the arguments and explanations. I find them arrogant for a small city. I guess the media, politicians, and realtors are to blame. If you're into skiing or snowboarding, Vancouver is awesome. There are very few places in the world like Whistler. Also, it's a great place to live if you have a family or if you like the so-so entertainment options in downtown.

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If I was in my twenties and looking for an apartment I would stay near the beach cities(hermosa, manhattan, redondo, santa monica, etc) if I wanted to be near LA. Downtown LA to me is a crapwhole. If you want to party down there go ahead, but live somewhere else. Most people drive into LA to work and leave.

Also options are in the OC. Places that are pricey, but slower paced include OC beach cities. Places like Newport beach, Laguna, Huntington Beach are pricey but nice. Alot of night life in those cities like bars/clubs. You have to remember there are over 10 million people living in LA county alone. That's alot of damn people. The key is going to be avoiding the ghetto areas. Unlike Dubai we got plenty of crime, plenty of poor people and alot of crappy neighborhoods.

$2500 a month is a good amount of money for rent. Just depends how nice you want it to be. $1600 in the OC got me a one bedroom in a luxury apartment complex(which to me is middle of the road) in a very safe neighborhood.

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Haven't lived there but know people living there and have traveled to LA a lot over the last few years. Things i've noticed are of course the great weather and differences in people/culture. A lot of people are ghetto so to speak especially in certain areas. People don't seem to be as polite either and a lot of people are nothing but money hungry. The party scene is really open but can be kind of grungy as well depending on the club/party you attend. LA is a real f*ck and chuck town so to speak. The city has eaten people up and a lot of people live pay check to pay check. The rec drug in Vancouver is pot, in LA it's cocaine. You'll be surprised when you see how many people are into that stuff out there. What else? Fashion and culture is different. LA is so much bigger compared to Van. Some parts of downtown LA are really tough, there are nicer and more affordable places to live and the party scene is more towards Hollywood Boulevard. All the best.

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I rather move to NYC than LA if you wanna be in a big city. Haven't you heard the stories of LA eating your soul? Since you're a party animal you'll meet people after money, fame, etc. You'll meet plenty of messed up/fake/wannabe people. But hey at least it's sunny all year round!

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My personal take on living in Socal is this... There is no way you can take millions of people and put them somewhere and not expect them to get stressed and behave badly. Take any animals and cage them in a confined space and see what happens. Just part of nature. With that being said, there are positives to living here. But you have to decide for yourself what its worth. Chandler you sound like your ok with the big city so you'll do fine. Plenty of former Canucks live down here and we all survive. With some of us its different because(speaking for myself) know we will return to Canada one day. Some I know don't want to.

I do enjoy the ability to do almost any type of activity you want within an hour drive time. From sking/snowboarding, surfing, hiking, etc. That's why many people enjoy it here. The ability to do almost anything close by.

On a hockey note, I am actually lucky and live in the OC where there are actually alot more ice rinks to play rec hockey. But with that said, all you have to do is read the Kings/Ducks message boards to see how little hockey fans there really are in Socal. Kings have 3,787 registered members, really??? Its pretty damn pathetic when the Kings are on about to go to the Western Conference and its barely a 30 second blurp on the evening news. Kings fans can talk all the crap they want about Van, but I laugh when they do because at end of the day living in this hockey market sucks for a hockey fan... basketball, football, baseball and college sports get more play than hockey does down here.

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LA is like a giant Surrey with worse traffic IMO.

If your going to live in California live in SF or San Diego. LA is widely acknowleged to suck even by people living in LA.

And unlike LA in the Bay area and especially in the city itself there actually IS transit!

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It's the place to be, hugely underrated if anything, the most interesting city on the West Coast and maybe the most culturally influencial city in the world. However there's something about it that leaves a bad taste. It's funny because I'm flying down there today to check out the job situation.

I would live there again in heartbeat but not long term.

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You find Vancouver depressing eh? Rated top city to live in for like 5 years running, I guess you'll love the gang scene down in LA and millions of slums, remember, find out which gang occupies the area you live in so you know which color to wear, otherwise you're toast. I havent lived down there but have went down there numerous times, not a place id ever want to live in, ever. And also, ill live in Canada anyday of my life over the US. I understand though that with you job you have no choice, so all the luck to ya.

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I do enjoy the ability to do almost any type of activity you want within an hour drive time. From sking/snowboarding, surfing, hiking, etc. That's why many people enjoy it here. The ability to do almost anything close by.

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SNA, have you been to San Diego? I've visited SD before and noticed how similar it is to Dubai. But I was there for a day. Not sure how it is for the rest of the year, but is it sleepy compared to LA?

By the way, it's attitude from people like Canucks_fo_life that turns me off from living in Vancouver. Unforunately, the city is full of people like him. Vancouver is great for some people, for others it's not. I don't want to open a can of worms, but understand that crime is everywhere. Vancouver holds some of Western Canada's notorious gangs. LA holds some of America's notorious gangs. Dubai is a safeheaven for dictators and funds money to the underworld responsible for attacks in the middle east and India. Not every city is perfect. Please don't be so ignorant. Try to give your city a good name.

Additionally, I feel like I must inform you about this. Vancouver's rating was dropped because of a highway closure on Vancouver Island. What credibility to these surveys have?

http://www.huffingto...s_n_941811.html

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SNA, have you been to San Diego? I've visited SD before and noticed how similar it is to Dubai. But I was there for a day. Not sure how it is for the rest of the year, but is it sleepy compared to LA?

By the way, it's attitude from people like Canucks_fo_life that turns me off from living in Vancouver. Vancouver is great for some people, for others it's not. I don't want to open a car of worms, but understand that crime is everywhere. Vancouver holds some of Western Canada's notorious gangs. LA holds some of America's notorious gangs. Dubai is a safeheaven for dictators and funds money to the underworld responsible for attacks in the middle east and India. Not every city is perfect. Please don't be so ignorant. Try to give your city a good name.

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Good question: Dubai gives preference to workers who have at least some solid years of work experience under their belt. I have plans of working there as well, but later on in life. You can't just move to Dubai without a job. They don't allow that.

You can either make the best of what you have or you can take your chances and work for what you want. You like Vancouver. I like a city that supports my hobbies and my interests. I mentioned this all in my first post. :)

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