Beach Living
Beach Living
What are the pros and cons of living in Manhattan Beach, Ca?
I’m just looking for opinions.
Thanks!
Manhattan Beach is the sort of place that seems almost like a utopia, but in reality it’s not nearly as awesome to live there as you might imagine. We had a beach house a block away from the Strand for years, and though I loved it at times, I would not want to live there permanently.
Home prices there are astronomical, even in today’s sour housing market. One of my dad’s friends is looking for a place there and having difficulty finding anything for under $2 million, and that’s just for a weekend retreat with a couple of bedrooms, not a sprawling mansion. Apartment rentals are also incredibly high, and you don’t get a lot of bang for your buck. My boyfriend and his roommates are paying $3500 a month for their three bedroom, two bath apartment, and they are not renewing their lease.
It is incredibly overcrowded in the summer, and it stays fairly crammed most weekends throughout the year. People assume it’s blissfully peaceful to live there, but that is not really the case because if you live anywhere near the beach you’ll have people walking right past your windows all throughout the day and night. Our dog barked whenever someone walked by the house, and literally all night long they’d be barking.
On top of the pedestrian traffic, you also deal with bumper-to-bumper traffic on the weekends and oftentimes during the morning commute. If you are living and working or going to school in MB it’s fine, but if you have to commute you’re going to tire of it quickly. Parking there is HORRENDOUS. Even if you are a homeowner, you’ll be frustrated because your guests have nowhere to park. We could fit our cars in the garage, but the driveway was too short for most cars to fit, and if your car hangs over the sidewalk even a fraction there you get a ticket. Most of the meters and public garages have a time limit and will eat up your quarters quickly (though you can now get this key that is sort of like a prepaid card for them), and if you park at the library for too long you’ll get towed. The one reprieve is during the month of December when the city lets you park at all the meters for free.
Because the cost of living is so high there, the majority of residents are families or over 35. Most of the younger people are either teens still living with their parents (like me) or USC students (my boyfriend). There are some people in their 20s & early 30s living there, but most prefer nearby Hermosa Beach. You’ll find more stores and bars catering to a younger crowd there than in MB.
I don’t want to totally bash MB because it is stunningly beautiful, but I wanted to give you a more realistic point of view from someone who has spent a whole heckofalotta time there. The perks of living there are fairly obvious: you have easy access to the beach, the weather is perfect 350 days out of the year, the surfing is fantastic and there is almost always a volleyball game you can join. You can ride your bike or walk almost anywhere. Trader Joes and Target are about 10 minutes away. There are some great restaurants there, and the public schools are amongst the best in CA. Also, Uncle Bill’s Pancake House has the yummiest breakfasts.
I would definitely recommend looking into Hermosa Beach instead, though.
~ Pax / Peace
Beach Living
What breed of dog do you think would do best living by the beach?
In Costa Rica. So it would be warmer year round.
We would also do alot of hiking, and swimming.
Suggestions?
thanks!
I would say a boxer or something high energy and fun
here a few websites:
http://www1.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm
http://www.sometests.com/tests/SelfAssessment/WhatBreedofDogShouldYouGet.html
http://www.purina.com/dog/breed-selector/default.aspx
Land of the Lost 1991 – Life’s a Beach
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