Torrance, CA

[UMass]

Anyone here from or lives in Torrance, CA?
I have a job opportunity in Torrance, CA and have some questions regarding living there.
Mainly, COL, quality of life, etc...

TIA

 

[matadorpoeta]

i think there is a chuck e. cheese there.

 

[Mute]

I use to live in Torrance a long time ago, it's changed some since, but I might be able to answer some of your questions. Some parts of the city are very nice and for the most part is mid to upper-middle class families.

 

[emptym]

My brother lives in Torrance. He's only lived there a few years, but his wife grew up there and they live in the house she grew up in, now nicely renovated by them (he's an architect and she's a designer).

If you'd like, I can send you his email add.

 

[Full Canvas]

Originally Posted by UMass

I have a job opportunity in Torrance, CA . . .

A job opportunity doesn't mandate living there.

Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach are immediately proximate as is the general Palos Verdes area. The beach areas are a younger lifestyle and the various Palos Verdes neighborhoods are more (yawn) family oriented. Try a little Internet research for the website of the city of Torrance simply using Google or Wikepedia. Torrance is undergoing a revival of sorts and transformation from its aerospace industry bedroom community persona.

Get a cheap flight on a long weekend. Rent a car. Torrance is only a few minutes south of Los Angeles International Airport. Look at a map and stay west of Highway 405.

__

 

[fox in sox]

"A job opportunity doesn't mandate living there.

Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach are immediately proximate as is the general Palos Verdes area. The beach areas are a younger lifestyle and the various Palos Verdes neighborhoods are more (yawn) family oriented. Try a little Internet research for the website of the city of Torrance simply using Google or Wikepedia. Torrance is undergoing a revival of sorts and transformation from its aerospace industry bedroom community persona."

+1
It's fine to live in Torrance if you've got a family and are raising a couple of kids. I have to note the area has become a lot more congested in the last several years - a lot different than when I was a kid growing up in the area. If you're young and single, spend your weekends in other areas of L.A. The beach areas are decent for occasional weekend relaxation and have a few good dining spots, but stick to the heart of L.A. if you want a better choice of nightlife.

 

[lawyerdad]

I agree with what fox, full canvas, and mute said. I grew up quite close to Torrance (often went to the beach or hung out at the mall in Torrance as a kid), and live about 20 minutes from there now. As everyone suggested, you have a fair number of choices living in Torrance. It's in a fairly central, if relatively traffic-y, area. Within easy commuting distance of your job, you could find whatever sort of affordability/nice neighborhood balance you want (with the proviso that the Los Angeles area generally is not an inexpensive place to live). You can do the upscale beach thing, the funky beach thing, the family neighborhood thing, or the boring-but-cheap apartment-and-mini mall- thing.

Working in Torrance, unless you want to have a relatively long commute, you likely won't be able to live staggering-home distance from the Hollywood club scene if that's your thing. (The drive to Hollywood would normally be anywere from 20 to 45 minutes or so, depending on traffic. In prime commute hours, 45 is much more realistic.) And while the pricier parts of Palos Verdes are quite scenic, you really aren't going to be able to get the more rustic feel of, say, parts of Malibu or Orange County in the Torrance area. But other than that, you would have a lot of options.

Feel free to post or PM with more specific questions or concerns.

 

[gamelan]

i worked in Torrance from '98-'01. it's pretty standard middle class suburbia albeit with a little more commercial presence (think refineries and car companies) than most. the hotspot is the Del Amo mall. most coworkers after work would head to one of the bars along Del Amo.

a good portion of employees under the age of 30 lived in the fairly nearby beach communities that have already been mentioned, Redondo, Manhattan, Hermosa.

getting to more interesting places is going to take a car and a fairly long commute (405N vs 110N...pick your poison) especially during rush hour.

good luck!

-Jeff

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

I (The drive to Hollywood would normally be anywere from 20 to 45 minutes or so, depending on traffic. In prime commute hours, 45 is much more realistic.)


In prime commute hours, 45 minutes from Torrance to Hollywood sounds almost giddily optimistic to me!

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

In prime commute hours, 45 minutes from Torrance to Hollywood sounds almost giddily optimistic to me!

Shhh, don't scare the poor boy.

I may be underestimating the downtown-to-Hollywood portion of the trip. But I agree it's not a commute one would opt for if alternatives are available.

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Shhh, don't scare the poor boy.

I may be underestimating the downtown-to-Hollywood portion of the trip. But I agree it's not a commute one would opt for if alternatives are available.

he could also take the 405 and get off at la brea. like you said, pick your poison.

my cousin lives in santa monica and works in torrance. he says it takes him an hour to get home, leaving at 4p.m.

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

he could also take the 405 and get off at la brea. like you said, pick your poison.

my cousin lives in santa monica and works in torrance. he says it takes him an hour to get home, leaving at 4p.m.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive looking at a map, I suspect Torrance-Hollywood may be better than Torrance-Santa Monica. The Harbor Freeway at rush hour is bad, but in my experience nothing is worse than the Santa Monica Freeway if you have to fight through that stretch by the airport.

 

[quevola]

I was raised in Torrance - great centrally located city. Fifteen minutes from the ocean, so you always get a nice breeze even in the hottest summer day. As mentioned above the beach cities of Manhattan, Redondo and Hermosa have a lot going on for a young person, but rents can be incredibly high. My only suggestion is to try to stay away from east Torrance - it gets a little sketchy in that area. Best of luck!

 

[quevola]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

i think there is a chuck e. cheese there.

Yep - On the corner of Praire and Crenshaw Blvd.

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Although it may seem counter-intuitive looking at a map, I suspect Torrance-Hollywood may be better than Torrance-Santa Monica. The Harbor Freeway at rush hour is bad, but in my experience nothing is worse than the Santa Monica Freeway if you have to fight through that stretch by the airport.

i know. if i worked in torrance i would want to live in manhattan beach. come to think of it, i know 2 people who live in s.m. and work in torrance, both in the aerospace/engineering field. maybe they get used to the drive.