It isn’t hard to see why Los Angeles is among the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. In addition to being the world’s foremost entertainment mecca, the City of Angels has an abundance of culture and local flavor that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Furthermore, for job seekers in creative fields, there’s no better place than L.A. to lay down professional stakes. However, as is the case with any massive metropolitan area, life in Los Angeles represents a tremendous adjustment for many transplants. Needless to say, if you’ve never spent time in L.A., living there is liable to present a number of challenges. Anyone who will soon be calling Los Angeles home would do well to consider the following tips.
Procure a Vehicle
Many large cities can be comfortably traversed via public transit. NYC, for example, has a robust subway system that can get you anywhere in the city in a matter of minutes. Although there are always vehicles on the road, most New Yorkers are able to efficiently get around without cars. However, as any longtime Angelino can attest, this is far from the case in L.A. Unlike other major metropolises, Los Angeles wasn’t designed to be navigated on foot or through public transit. While the City of Angels does have a dependable public transportation system, you’ll need your own vehicle to reach most destinations in a timely manner. It’s certainly possible to live in L.A. without a car, but depending on how far your home is from your place of business and various centers of commerce, you’re liable to have a very difficult time doing so.
Find Outside Storage
As is the case in most major cities, rental rates in Los Angeles are considerably pricier than those found in less populous areas. As a result, transplants without high-paying jobs or substantial savings often settle for studio apartments and other compact living spaces. Unsurprisingly, this can present problems for people with large numbers of possessions. Due to free space being limited, these individuals may not have sufficient room to store all of their possessions in their respective residences.
This is where outside storage can come in handy. Renting a storage unit can ensure that you have a safe place to house an extensive assortment of personal possessions. From clothes to shelving to pieces of furniture, the right storage unit can be a boon to anyone who resides in a smaller living space. New arrivals searching for affordable storage Los Angeles can find a sizable number of attractive options with the help of their favorite search engines.
Save Money for the Move
It’s a good idea to save up a comfortable amount of money in advance of a big move, and this is doubly true when relocating to a city as expensive as Los Angeles. While not as pricey as New York or San Francisco, L.A. is not a cheap place to live. Of course, if you have a decent job lined up, you’ll need less money in the bank than you will if you intend to be unemployed upon your arrival.
When determining the amount you’ll need to save, take the cost of moving, rental rates, food expenses, gas costs, and potential emergencies into account. In the absence of a secure job, $5,000 should be your minimum. Just remember that if you opt to move to L.A. with that amount, you’ll need to start looking for work ASAP. Alternatively, if you view yourself as risk-averse, take care to double that amount and wait until you have $10,000 in the bank. Even if this means postponing your move, the additional sense of security this extra money will provide you with should prove well worth the delay.
As one of the most popular cities in the U.S., Los Angeles is home to an enormous and diverse populace. Additionally, with so many career opportunities and such a distinct culture, it’s easy to see why L.A. is among the hippest places in the country to live. However, even if you’ve resided in other large cities, you’ve never lived anywhere quite like the City of Angels. That being the case, if you’ll soon be packing up your life and charting a course for Los Angeles, put the measures discussed above to good use.
