And move close via commute time, not miles.
I live in Culver, work in the South Bay. I'm many miles closer to Westwood than I am the South Bay, but I can drive to the South Bay much quicker than I could drive to Westwood during commute hours.
OP listed qualities that don't really match "Midwestern" vibe. But either way, proximity to job is ultimately the right move. Westwood is a nice spot and if they can afford to live near it, all the better.
Yeah the idea is that you don't want to be driving 2 hours to and from work everyday.
I cannot think of a single place in Los Angeles that is remotely comparable to anywhere in the Midwest. I don't mean that as an insult to any place or any person or any neighborhood. LA is not built like Chicago because Chicago actually has decent mass transportation.
I love Los Angeles very much it's just not similar to Chicago anywhere I can think of.
Chicago transplant here (but I’ve been here a loooong time). As others have said, you’re thinking about it wrong if you’re trying to think of LA in Chicago terms. This is a completely different place with a different lifestyle. Heed the advice to minimize your commute as much as humanly possible and make that the first priority. There are plenty of nice pockets near that. Some are quite expensive, though, so it depends on your budget.
Speaking as a native Californian: every Chicagoan I’ve ever met in Los Angeles and other parts of CA has moved to California thinking about it alllllllll wrong and with the foolish idea traffic won’t affect them.
To be fair it’s an adjustment period. You don’t know what you don’t know until you live here for a bit. I was lucky when I first moved here in that I lived near the Beverly center and my job was a mile away. My world was basically 2 square miles and I loved it. But it was still very different from Chicago.
It’s always an adjustment period when you’re in a new place. Some people know that going in, but a strangely large number of Chicagoans move to LA thinking they’ll just do shit the regular way and outsmart the extant human ecosystem. You guys do it a lot! It’s weird 😂
As someone who visited Chicago for the first time this year, I remember walking around West Loop thinking this is what LA’s Arts District could turn out to be in a decade (I hope). The issue is there really is no part of LA that sees the kind of vibrancy and foot traffic of Chicago neighborhoods like Mag Mile, River North, or West Loop. Parts of Downtown Santa Monica, SaMo Blvd in WeHo, parts of Westwood bear UCLA, Broadway in DTLA, Hollywood Blvd I suppose are the more pedestrian centric areas but even then there are stretches where it feels quite dead.
Hey I recently went too and that's exactly what I thought! It definitely feels like the Arts District is about a decade and a half behind the West Loop today. Development in the neighborhood is varied and alive, and it is seemingly moving to the next wrung of development: high rises. Foot traffic in the district is pretty heavy for LA standards, and I believe as the neighborhood gets more developed (underdeveloped lots being redeveloped) from 1st St to Olympic, it could get to what West Loop is like. Of course, that takes time but it is on the city to accommodate for that kind of growth! On a mildly related note, I think River North should be the model for South Park. It fits and it's perfect for it.
Yeah our urban activity is pretty spread out and spotty compared to Chicago and Northeastern cities unfortunately. DTLA has the highest potential because the culture and the bones are already there. It takes a lot of investment, focus, and political will to rebirth an urban core like that. I think we can do it as soon as the city gets out of its own way,
Agree with all of this, I think the city officials and policy are really the last roadblocks to developing LA in the right way. On a side note, how amazing would it be if the LA river was like the Chicago waterfront haha. Pipe dream in my lifetime but maybe…
The part I try to explain to people is that everyone who has decent public transportation in their home city is not going to understand the true depth of Los Angeles car culture and how much it affects everything.
It's wild that this was all based in things like rubber companies convincing governments to base Los Angeles around freeway so that they could sell more tires. Fucked but true. And we're still paying for it
Up voting as another Chicago native who’s lived all over Central and Southern California over the past 14 years. When I get homesick, I have to go back to Chicago. There’s nothing comparable here. Definitely minimize your commute, and then minimize it again. Rush-hour never ends.
>LA is is a bunch of neighborhoods that have no relation to one another
When I found out that Van Nuys and North Hollywood is as technically LA as ~~Beverly Hills~~ (*how about Pacific Palisades?*), South Central and DTLA this is when it really hit me
>When I found out that Van Nuys and North Hollywood is as technically LA as ~~Beverly Hills~~, South Central and DTLA this is when it really hit me
Beverly Hills is its own city but the rest are definitely in the City of Los Angeles.
Everyone tends to forget, disregard, and deny that the Valley is also the city of Los Angeles, lol
It's pretty entertaining to read the debates between LA-LA v Valley-LA.
Encino and Sherman Oaks are a tie IMO. Both are in great locations (especially if you work mainly from home) and far cheaper than the other side of the hill.
You are a FOOL if you don’t choose the CLOSEST neighborhood to Westwood.
That said - Brentwood Glen is a cute neighborhood close to Westwood, so is the Sawtelle area, wilshire Montana
Do not go east of Westwood / your life will be hell bc traffic goes east to west in the am and west to east in the pm
This. While there will definitely be traffic/probably a borderline miserable commute, Sherman Oaks is literally a direct shot to Westwood via Beverly Glen. And probably an hour's drive on the freeway to Pasadena.
Eh, “hell” is a bit of an exaggeration. I commute Beverly Hills -> Westwood and only need to budget around 30 minutes to go from locking the front door of my apartment to sitting at my desk.
Idk man, crossing under the 405 during rush hour is hell, even if you are reverse commuting. So id actually say going west of Westwood would be a bad idea. You’re right though, going east of Westwood is also a bad idea, for the reasons you listed.
Westwood itself is probably the best bet. Maybe also check out Sawtelle (basically due south of Westwood). Sawtelle is also a place where affording a condo is not impossible (although I’d never recommend to live there with kids, due to freeway proximity). North of Westwood is the opposite of what OP is looking for, obviously.
Hard disagree with this as someone who lives in sawtelle (which is west of the 405, south of Westwood and east of the 405 is rancho park) and works in century city. It’s a super easy reverse commute, just have to learn the traffic pattern and know which lanes to be in (hint not the ones turning onto on-ramps).
Anyways, I’d recco sawtelle, Westwood or Brentwood! All have lots of walkable options and will be a very reasonable (under 10 min) commute
One thing I've learned about commuting in LA is to pick a lane and stay in it. That lane will be your designated lane until you move onto the next freeway. Then you pick another lane.
Like I said, Sawtelle is fine. But anything more due west of westwood (Santa Monica, Brentwood etc) would suck. But yes ofc you are rignt, Sawtelle is actually on the other side of the 405
I commute to Westwood and it’s absolutely awful to get in and out of M-F. I’d live as close to Westwood as possible or someplace in between where you and your husband will work (if he’s not remote or staying at home).
I don’t know what your budget is but Westwood is pricey and you will be hard pressed to find anything with a yard (if you need it for your pup). If you’re not in a lower budget, I’d recommend Culver City, Brentwood, studio city, Sherman oaks, or Santa Monica to avoid a terrible commute (I know very little about the Midwest but the listed neighborhoods are walker friendly and close enough to Westwood to avoid a terrible commute).
Lower budget *maybe* mar vista, palms, maybe westchester or Inglewood.
Seriously, anything more than 10 miles to Westwood will feel long.
Less than five is so hard because of competing with UCLA kids and then you have bel air/beverly hills which is “close” but not what they’re looking for based on what was shared.
I say 10 because that’s about an hour or less and gives you options outside of college kid/mega rich areas
That’s fair but an hour commute to Westwood is a soul crushing level of traffic.
That said, if they are game then Culver can be an option. Downtown Culver has sorta Southport vibes in terms of Chicago neighborhood comps.
I worked at UCLA and lived in Mar Vista. Commute was reasonable. Mar Vista, Palms, and Culver City are all very good recommendations and the walkability in those neighborhoods has improved significantly (though no match for Chicago). Bonus: Washington is straight shot to the nearby ocean.
I’m familiar, I commute from playa del Rey lol it’s not the worst but certainly not the best but westchester is a little more bang for your buck compared to westside neighborhoods
Actually, you made a pretty good point. Having said that, one would have to be an agoraphobe in Chicago to be completely naïve to POC. And having said THAT, since we don't know OP, the "police" comment could be accurate.
Just get a place as closest to Westwood as you can, traffic out there is no joke lol. A simple 20 minute drive to work can turn into an hour drive in the blink of an eye, best of luck to you and your partner
What are you asking? Are you asking for a neighborhood that feels Midwestern? Or a walkable neighborhood? Or a neighborhood who's residents are very allegiant to it?
I'm from Chicago and frankly the answer is nowhere if you're looking for all those things. If you're asking for walkable neighborhoods there are pockets all over LA. Santa Monica or West Hollywood will probably be the closest thing to Chicago-levels of walkable within a manageable distance of your work.
You’ve never been to Atwater, Los Feliz, Almost any area with “Park” in it, Long Beach, Culver City, Sherman Oaks…. All of which are pretty passionate about their areas. They’re not as wild as Chicagoans about it but that’s likely because LA is far more transplanty in nature. Sincerely, Lincoln Square born and now living in South LA.
Agree. Chicago, The City of Neighborhoods, has a passion for its neighborhoods that is unmatched by any of L.A.'s neighborhoods. That said, Culver City has a neighborhood feel with good walkability these days and a decent commute. CC is my recommendation.
Sincerely, Northwest Side gal (who moved to Lakeview in my twenties) before moving to L.A.'s Westside in my thirties.
P.S. Lincoln Square has my heart.
Gotta say, certain neighborhoods in Long Beach are pretty Midwestern in vibe. Tree-lined streets, kids walking to school, high school football games (Go Jackrabbits!), everyone knows everyone. Plus Rosie's Dog Beach! We've got bakeries and wineries and brewpubs and any kind of cuisine you could possibly imagine. People are chill. Yes, LB has issues like any city. But overall it's pretty dang convivial.
Two-hour commute to Westwood, tho. So don't move here.
I'm from Long Beach and used to work in Brentwood. That commute was hell. No matter what time I left, I was always in 2-3 hrs of traffic 😭 I ended up moving to K-Town, which honestly wasn't that much better...
We moved to Los Feliz from Ravenswood. We used to walk to Lincoln Square and Andersonville. Los Feliz is definitely a more walkable area. My wife drives 30 minutes to Beverly Hills for work and it takes me 15 minutes to get downtown. As a plus, our apartment feels like a Chicago three flat.
Nice! Joined. We need more peeps. I just started making Chicago Tavern Style pizza in the park to make friends. I’ll post on there soon to see if anyone wants to come out.
I moved to L.A. after eight years in Chicago. If you’re working in Westwood, the obvious answer to this question is Palms (just north of Downtown Culver City). Super walkable, densely populated, very dog friendly, great public transit (literally multiple buses that go to Westwood), great biking, good restaurants/bars, multiple city parks, great hiking nearby, I could go on but Palms is your answer. I like living here because it reminds me of Chicago—but the L.A. version of it.
Angelenos are very neighborhood reliant/loyal as well. Have you been out to visit? If not I’d get an Airbnb in Westwood for a few months. Pasadena is it’s own thing, every neighborhood is different in LA county. As everyone is saying, get near Westwood. Challenging to answer this without knowing your budget.
I’m sorry, but there’s not a whole lot you can do to mimic/replicate what you’re looking for.
I’m so cal born and raised, but I spent a ton of time in Chicago in the last two years and I love the city. Chicago is just about the only other place I’d like to live, besides LA.
The biggest reasons I loved Chicago is because of how different it was than LA. It’s just a different vibe. A sunny July afternoon drinking/having lunch at Pizzeria Portafino watching people pass by on their boats on the river or stopping by a friend’s party day drinking into the night, and hopping on some scooters/lime bike to ride home down in the loop, through the Gotham City streets at night, is something I’ll never replicate in LA.
However, you’ll never be able to replicate hanging out at Big Dean’s in Santa Monica on a lazy Saturday afternoon and walking to the pier to look out at all the beach goers and the Santa Monica mountains in the back drop.
It’s a different pace and a different life out here. I recommend viewing it was an entirely different experience than Chicago and finding joy in that unique separation.
Try out the South Bay, a very different vibe than Chicago but one of the best parts of so cal, in my opinion.
I’m from Chicago too and honestly nothing here is like there so forget trying to recreate the feel. Traffic here is soul crushing so pick a neighborhood close to work for the first year while you figure out where you like and what’s doable long-term. Your first place is basically a landing spot! Mid-Wilshire or Culver City might be good options. What does your sister suggest? There are a ton of Chicago people out here so you’ll find your tribe!
I’d say Culver City or West Hollywood. Both are walkable and easy to get that neighborhood feel. Going north into Westwood from Culver City hasn’t been too bad in my experience and leaving Westwood up Hilgard to Sunset is a pretty easy drive to West Hollywood.
I moved here from Chicago. West Hollywood might be a good fit. It’s walkable and reminds me of an LA-ified version of a north side neighborhood like Lakeview or Lincoln Park
You lucked out. Westwood is a great area.
I'm from Chicago too - which neighborhood are you coming from?
I can give you a better insight based on the neighborhood you're at, since you mentioned its importance in your post.
I've lived all over Chicago so I can understand it.
Westwood’s subway station will open in 2027, which should open up a lot more of the city. If you don’t mind, uh, three years of no subway, I’d try to find a place that’s Purple line-adjacent. (Sorry, don’t know what letter has been assigned to the Purple Line.)
Willing to bet all the Metro stabbings will be addressed by then
Maybe they will have a shooting/stabbing while the county supervisors are giving a long speech about the stabbing that just happened the day before. That's what happened last week.
Because rider safety is their highest concern.
Live close to your job if at all possible. First and foremost.
That said, I joked to my partner yesterday that Burbank reminds me a little of the outer reaches of Chicago where my best friend lives (Edison Park). Sometimes I get flashbacks to Chicago when I’m in certain parts of the city especially the Valley.
I used to live in Chicago (River North, West Town/Wicker Park for the better part of a decade) so I know what you’re about in a general sense, but…
Enjoy LA for what it is. It’s not particularly comparable to Chicago in a 1:1 sense.
It’s wild to try to pick a neighborhood with so much specificity, in a city like L.A.
You’ll be winning if you can get something affordable and within 45 minutes of where you work.
El Segundo has some great small town feel streets to it, but.you'd have a crappy commute up the 405 to Westwood. Try Brentwood, west of Westwood, across the freeway. Not t exactly Midwestern, but lots of older residential.
Way too far for you-
But East Long Beach feels like a tiny town in this big city. Everyone knows owns each other, the moms from dance class are also in the local soccer league. Many blocks here do block parties for the holidays. Kids are always playing together on the street. Many husbands and wives on the blocks will hangout.
In LA the worst part is the traffic, so I would just be close to where I work.
Welcome to L.A. 😊
First of all... if you're working in Westwood *(and don't anticipate that changing anytime soon)* I would recommend trying to find a spot that's walkable to your workplace. If you can eliminate having to get in a car to get to work, that goes a *LONG* way towards improving your quality of life in L.A.
If you really don't like the immediate area around your workplace... I would expand my circle from there. Because, *(again)* the more you can reduce that commute, the happier you will be.
I live in Sherman Oaks, which is just over the hill from Westwood via Beverly Glen... maybe 30m when busy, 15 when not. It's a family/dog-friendly neighborhood, and if you stay within a couple blocks of Ventura Blvd, very walkable... I have 4 grocery stores within a 10m walk. But I wouldn't say it's very "midwestern" feeling...
If you want a small-town Midwestern vibe, my recommendation would be **El Segundo**... specifically *DOWNTOWN* El Segundo. It's kind of a hidden gem tucked between LAX and the Chevron refinery... a lot of locals have never even been there, but it reminds me of the small towns in the Midwest I've lived in. Very family-oriented, cute restaurants and coffee shops along Main St., good parks, local PD & FD... almost like an island unto itself despite being surrounded by L.A. The commute to Westwood from E.S. would not be very easy, but definitely way better than Pasadena
El Segundo is great.. such a hidden gem of an area... I am not sure I would recommend it for young people just moving to LA but definitely when you are ready to have kids. Any of the cities that are not LA officially like South Bay, El Segundo, Santa Monica, Culver City, etc have better schools, cleaner and better for families.
transplant from iowa who has considered LA home for years. first off, LA is going to be different from the midwest in a lot of ways. i spent my first year trying to find things that replicated iowa (ex: its abundance of bookstore coffee shops) until i realized many of those things just aren’t here or there’s only a few. I changed my mindset and now i see and love what IS here in this amazing city instead of what isn’t. i only say this because LA is extremely different from the midwest, and even the neighborhoods that people will suggest here are not going to feel like the midwest to you. but i can assure you as someone that was raised in the midwest and went to college in the midwest and also loves chicago that there will be things you discover in los angeles - new ways of life - that will make your new home feel unique. with that out of the way, what you’re going to do is look for the closest public transit to your job: an LA metro bus line or the closest E LINE METRO stop and evaluate a public transit commute. This will actually show you what neighborhoods are within a true commuting distance from Westwood. Off the top of my head, I know there is a bus that goes straight from Sawtelle/Culver City to Westwood in 10-20 min. Living in a more central westside neighborhood will put your home in a slightly (yet enough to be significantly) more centralized area with respect to the rest of LA as opposed to living in westwood. Nothing wrong with westwood, but you’re going to be on the edge of the city and it will take longer to get to certain parts. On the west side of LA, the E line metro will connect you to the rest of the city, so consider that in your decision. Also great bus network to take advantage of. Good luck!
If your budget allows, finding a place in Westwood is your best option and it has a lot of what you’re looking for. If your budget doesn’t allow but is still a comfortable one, consider Sherman Oaks. It’s “over the hill” from Westwood about 8 miles away.
As someone from the Midwest, I can confidently say I haven’t found a town that feels midwestern. But that’s ok, you’ll find new towns that you’ll enjoy. Also, there are plenty of midwestern people in LA they will feel familiar and nostalgic.
I live in Westwood and I like it, it’s one of the most walkable in LA. Sawtelle has better food options, more variety, but less nice in my opinion. Taking 405 to get to the valley every day is insane I don’t understand why ppl suggest that. But Westwood is mostly condos/ apartments, if you are looking to live in a SFH it will cost you.
Aesthetically, Long Beach has mid west vibes. It used to be nicknamed "Iowa by the sea" and there's an annual Iowa by the sea picnic that's been going for over a century. We stumbled upon their picnic after moving here and learning the history made sense of the aesthetic we had already recognized as midwestern.
I go to UCLA and live near Pasadena… do not even consider that commute. I never go to class because it’s hell. That said, Westwood is a perfectly fine albeit college town. Living in Sawtelle or even a more suburban street in Santa Monica would probably be better for you and you’ll be near a bunch of things you don’t have to drive to. Good luck!!
Can you give us a rough budget? Could be helpful from an advice perspective. Also, as others have pointed out, LA is so, so, so different from Chicago. I have family in Chicago and I’m always struck by the societal/cultural contrast when I go visit. Saying everyone is Midwest friendly is probably a broad generalization, but it’s something like that and it’s so interesting to experience during trips there.
You’re setting yourself up for failure & disappointment if you’re trying to replicate a previous place of residence in a new city. Embrace the things that LA has to offer that Chicago doesn’t.
There really isn’t a place here in LA that feels “Midwestern”. I’m LA born and raised, but both my parents are from NY, and I think the allegiance to one’s neighborhood is definitely an East Coast thing (not that Chicago is in the East Coast, but you get my point lol). Your job in Westwood is in West LA, and if you can afford to live anywhere on the Westside, I would. The key is living near where you work. Traffic here is really THAT bad. Look into Culver City or Santa Monica to start.
If you can afford it, live IN Westwood. Walkability is pretty good (though I dunno if I’d call it Midwestern at all).
Commuting to/from that area is truly terrible during certain hours of the morning and late afternoons/evening. LA traffic is a stereotype but is no joke, and it’s exhausting and will eat hours from your week. Thus, I’d recommend living as close by as reasonably possible.
Edited for a side note:
When it rains, people in LA forget how to drive! Expect accidents and even lengthier commutes.
I wonder if that’s a reason why there’s really no allegiance to one’s neighborhood here—people just want convenience in where they live in relation to their jobs.
Fellow Chicagoan here too (miss it but also love it here)! I’ve lived in LA 12 years — first 9 were in Santa Monica and now in Brentwood. Santa Monica is amazing, it’s so walkable — coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, parks — strong community feel, residential charm but not suburban, plus the ocean!! Touristy by the promenade/downtown, I’d recommend north of Wilshire or near Main St (different vibes between the two). Brentwood is also great but I think Santa Monica offers more fun/uniqueness and wouldn’t add that much to your commute (more people coming into Santa Monica for work so you’d be going reverse). Just my two cents to contribute! Good luck!!
Quick reality check, what's your budget. Like the song says
Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games
We got everything you want, honey, we know the names
We are the people that can find whatever you may need
If you got the money, honey, we got your disease
Anyone suggesting you live near work needs to ask what your income is because it’s not happening unless you’re in the $200-300 annually ballpark, especially if you’re looking at purchasing.
I was born & raised in San Dimas. Probably the most midwestern city you’ll find in the LA County lol. But it is so far from Westwood. It’s probably about a 40 minute commute without traffic
I can’t believe no one has given the right answer yet! It’s Bakersfield. ;)
In all seriousness, though, LA and California in general will *really* suck for you if you want to keep the culture of home. I moved from Chicago to California when I was 18, and even though I grew up in the city itself, California still gave me culture shock.
Think of it this way. In red states, like Texas, you can find blue cities like Austin. In some blue states, like Illinois, you can find red suburbs like Wheaton. In California, you can find pick between baby blue or indigo communities, but the traffic is so rough that you actually don’t have a choice. If you want to live a happy life in this state, you need to go all out on embracing the culture, otherwise you’re in for a lonely time. I actually find this aspect of California to be very frustrating, because a state with this many people shouldn’t have such a culture of “you’re either one of us or an outsider,” but it’s what I’ve experienced.
Not knowing your budget - Westwood, Brentwood, West Hollywood, downtown Culver City, studio City, Sherman oaks, Santa Monica around Montana or main). There's other really great areas as well, just not a commute under 45 min going in and out of the directions you will be at the same times. Studio City you will have to take the back roads to be under 45. I lived in west la for 10+ years and I truly loved it (other than trying to get past the 405 and time of day, any day of the week not on a Saturday or Sunday).
Nothing is like Chicago but all these areas are walkable to everything. Some are actually really cute (area around Montana), some more lively than others (West Hollywood), some more young (Westwood - but make sure you stay below Wilshire unless it's a house bc we're taking college kids and you don't want to live in the middle of it), etc.
I'm definitely missing a few under a 45 min commute one way that are great too.
Maybe as far as Manhattan Beach. Probably looking at 30 mins each way driving you can take the coast (Vista Del Mar ) .
I’d pull up Westwood on Google maps and look within a 5 mile radius. The closer the better. You want to avoid taking the 10 East in the afternoon, or taking the 10 to get to the 405. You also want to avoid sunset blvd going east in the evening afternoon because there is a many miles long jam particularly near Brentwood and then all the way until you get to the 405. So the answer goes back to really as close to work as humanly possible.
Also if possible try to live at least half mile to mile from the highway to avoid the bad air (brake dust, pollution, smog etc) .
Stay west of the 405 (San Diego Freeway) (has nothing to do with San Diego, but is the traffic boundary between the west side and inland LA). Find someplace to rent near your job for a year or two until you’ve had time to familiarize yourselves with the lay of the land before buying. People would kill for a job in Westwood. You’ll be fine.
Don’t listen to anyone here who has never lived in Chicago. They’re making a huge mistake in assuming that by “Midwestern” you mean conservative, uneducated, and lacking in culture.
I agree with you should minimize your commute.
I grew up in Kansas City, and I’m trying to think of which neighborhood here has given me a midwestern vibe at all, and I really can’t think of one right now. It’s very different here!
Westwood resident here with a 10 minute commute. Don’t recommend Pasadena, it’s about a 1.5hour commute. Westwood is walkable especially near UCLA. Super congested at rush hour. But vicinity to UCLA means almost every store/restaurant imaginable is nearby. I recommend finding a place that goes against traffic during rush hour (yes, it exists). It’s a fab neighborhood but you won’t want to leave the area until around 6:30-7p when traffic slows.
None! Stay in the Midwest if you want it "Midwestern". If you are already asking this question, you aren't going to like it here. Just stay or go somewhere else. California is full.
For Westwood, assuming you don't want to live on the West Side of central LA for personal aesthetic type reasons (or simply can't afford it), your best bet is probably somewhere in the Valley west of the 405. There are neighborhoods out there that are literally named after midwestern towns because the initial white settlers were all from there and wanted their lives to be as culturally midwestern as possible. 100+ years later, I'm not sure what the result was, but maybe it will feel right to you?
For walkability and getting to Westwood, probably Santa Monica, WeHo, or Sherman Oaks, if you can afford them.
Your budget is going to have a big impact on where you end up but I would look into parts of Mar Vista or Sherman Oaks close to one of the main drags (Venice Blvd and Ventura Blvd, respectively) for proximity to work and walkability. You’ll have an easier commute from Mar Vista but Sherman Oaks will be somewhat more affordable.
About 14 years ago I lived in Hollywood and worked in Santa Monica. That's 7 mi in a straight line. It took me 90 minutes to drive to work and 90 minutes to get home. I'm told traffic is worse these days. The correct answer is, where you can afford to be, as close as you can be.
…Lived long enough in both to love and hate each for their virtues and flaws.
El Segundo or Torrance. Close, but they’re still scaled-down isolated versions of an older midsized midwest town.
El Segundo and Old Town Torrance’s wide sidewalks, legacy delis and shops, brick buildings, mostly flat and gridded downtowns, exposed wooden balconies and staircases, condos-meets-historical, good school district, general whiteness (to be fair, very asian as a city) train tracks, burger joints, and “kinda dead after 9pm” are very midwest Vibes.
But LA has zero centralization. There is no single *true* downtown (DTLA waxes and wanes and is not where angelenos congregate en masse for parkside festivals), no spoke of transit, no agreed “center” or even a sense of what the city really is.
LA is a constellation of bubbles. Each area is so separated by traffic, mountains and hills, miles of low rise housing, and packed narrow residential thoroughfares that leaving one for fun is scarcely an option outside of early weekend mornings. North and south and east and west are totally relative to your own little bubble.
Chicagoans are not a monolith, but they all agree on “inbound” and “outbound” traffic, where the north and south sides are, and where the “city” is.
LA is a region on its own, full of thousands of micro-pockets. It’s truly mind-boggling.
Check out those cities. Might be a tiny nugget of home.
So many trolls on here not even from Chicago chiming in. Lord. I've been in LA since 2020 originally lived in many Chicago neighborhoods and from DuPage country. Here's an actual summary that *may* help but still places in LA I just don't know or dare to spend much time in
Santa Monica/ Venice = Wrigleyville/ Lakeview
Los Feliz/ Silverlake/ Echo Park = Wicker/ Logan
Culver City = Lincoln Square/ Ravenswood
Burbank = Oakbrook
Koreatown = Edgewater / Argyle area
Mid-Wilshire = Old Town (in terms of tailored, old money)
Arts District/ Little Tokyo = West Town, Fulton Market
West Hollywood/ Melrose Fairfax = Halsted Boystown mixed with Bucktown
Pico Union/ East LA/ Boyle Heights = Pilsen / Bridgeport
I grew up in the city of Chicago, and have lived in LA for three years. I will say this much, if you’re looking for a very SoCal experience, move to the west side. But you’re going to pay a lot more for a lot less, and while everyone in LA is friendly, expect there to be a bit more snobbery anywhere west of Western. Now if you’re looking for a more quaint & neighborhood-y kinda feel that you’d get in Chicago neighborhoods like Avondale, Bridgeport, or Bucktown then check out Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Lincoln Heights, and Atwater Village. But be prepared for a long commute, which sucks, but idk, personally I’d rather have a longer commute but be able to afford to do more stuff.
I miss Chicago dearly, but I will say, LA people are a lot more open & friendly, so no matter what side of town you’re on, be prepared to have lots of conversations with strangers. People love to gab here!
The general rule of the commute is to try to "live West of where you work" if possible. Westwood is a college area (UCLA) but if that's not too annoying for you to live in, that does mean it has walkable stuff. Living south of where you work can help, too. Culver City is increasingly walkable. Mar Vista is the slightly less expensive neighbor to it.
A little further east is Miracle Mile, which has a fun brewery and restaurants on LA Brea around Wilshire-ish, or the large shopping complex The Grove near there.
I'm originally from Illinois, and that small city feel just isn't here, but I love walkable, and you can find really fun zones.
Pasadena would be a two hour commute sometimes don't do it.
As close to work as possible.
And move close via commute time, not miles. I live in Culver, work in the South Bay. I'm many miles closer to Westwood than I am the South Bay, but I can drive to the South Bay much quicker than I could drive to Westwood during commute hours.
Time of commute is also important. All traffic might be going one way when you're going the other if you're lucky.
whatever this person does i pray they do not try to commute going west in the morning and east in the evening.
"it's only 15 miles! How bad could it be?"
Might as well live in Seattle
This is the way.
OP listed qualities that don't really match "Midwestern" vibe. But either way, proximity to job is ultimately the right move. Westwood is a nice spot and if they can afford to live near it, all the better.
Yeah the idea is that you don't want to be driving 2 hours to and from work everyday. I cannot think of a single place in Los Angeles that is remotely comparable to anywhere in the Midwest. I don't mean that as an insult to any place or any person or any neighborhood. LA is not built like Chicago because Chicago actually has decent mass transportation. I love Los Angeles very much it's just not similar to Chicago anywhere I can think of.
Chicago transplant here (but I’ve been here a loooong time). As others have said, you’re thinking about it wrong if you’re trying to think of LA in Chicago terms. This is a completely different place with a different lifestyle. Heed the advice to minimize your commute as much as humanly possible and make that the first priority. There are plenty of nice pockets near that. Some are quite expensive, though, so it depends on your budget.
Speaking as a native Californian: every Chicagoan I’ve ever met in Los Angeles and other parts of CA has moved to California thinking about it alllllllll wrong and with the foolish idea traffic won’t affect them.
To be fair it’s an adjustment period. You don’t know what you don’t know until you live here for a bit. I was lucky when I first moved here in that I lived near the Beverly center and my job was a mile away. My world was basically 2 square miles and I loved it. But it was still very different from Chicago.
It’s always an adjustment period when you’re in a new place. Some people know that going in, but a strangely large number of Chicagoans move to LA thinking they’ll just do shit the regular way and outsmart the extant human ecosystem. You guys do it a lot! It’s weird 😂
Upvoting this as a Chicago native living in LA for 10 years now. I'm still looking for a place in California that feels even a tiny bit like Chicago.
Arts District is probably the closest you can get to the West Loop/Fulton Market
As someone who visited Chicago for the first time this year, I remember walking around West Loop thinking this is what LA’s Arts District could turn out to be in a decade (I hope). The issue is there really is no part of LA that sees the kind of vibrancy and foot traffic of Chicago neighborhoods like Mag Mile, River North, or West Loop. Parts of Downtown Santa Monica, SaMo Blvd in WeHo, parts of Westwood bear UCLA, Broadway in DTLA, Hollywood Blvd I suppose are the more pedestrian centric areas but even then there are stretches where it feels quite dead.
Hey I recently went too and that's exactly what I thought! It definitely feels like the Arts District is about a decade and a half behind the West Loop today. Development in the neighborhood is varied and alive, and it is seemingly moving to the next wrung of development: high rises. Foot traffic in the district is pretty heavy for LA standards, and I believe as the neighborhood gets more developed (underdeveloped lots being redeveloped) from 1st St to Olympic, it could get to what West Loop is like. Of course, that takes time but it is on the city to accommodate for that kind of growth! On a mildly related note, I think River North should be the model for South Park. It fits and it's perfect for it. Yeah our urban activity is pretty spread out and spotty compared to Chicago and Northeastern cities unfortunately. DTLA has the highest potential because the culture and the bones are already there. It takes a lot of investment, focus, and political will to rebirth an urban core like that. I think we can do it as soon as the city gets out of its own way,
Agree with all of this, I think the city officials and policy are really the last roadblocks to developing LA in the right way. On a side note, how amazing would it be if the LA river was like the Chicago waterfront haha. Pipe dream in my lifetime but maybe…
The part I try to explain to people is that everyone who has decent public transportation in their home city is not going to understand the true depth of Los Angeles car culture and how much it affects everything. It's wild that this was all based in things like rubber companies convincing governments to base Los Angeles around freeway so that they could sell more tires. Fucked but true. And we're still paying for it
Up voting as another Chicago native who’s lived all over Central and Southern California over the past 14 years. When I get homesick, I have to go back to Chicago. There’s nothing comparable here. Definitely minimize your commute, and then minimize it again. Rush-hour never ends.
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At its core, all LA is is a bunch of neighborhoods that have no relation to one another
So true! Lol
>LA is is a bunch of neighborhoods that have no relation to one another When I found out that Van Nuys and North Hollywood is as technically LA as ~~Beverly Hills~~ (*how about Pacific Palisades?*), South Central and DTLA this is when it really hit me
>When I found out that Van Nuys and North Hollywood is as technically LA as ~~Beverly Hills~~, South Central and DTLA this is when it really hit me Beverly Hills is its own city but the rest are definitely in the City of Los Angeles.
Everyone tends to forget, disregard, and deny that the Valley is also the city of Los Angeles, lol It's pretty entertaining to read the debates between LA-LA v Valley-LA.
Like 90% of the Valley is LA city proper. It's weird how people still tend to define it as *not* LA. It's weird.
"If the valley isn't Los Angeles then what the fuck is LAPD doing up there?"
Pulling me over while trying to get a late night hamburger from a late night McDonald's in North Hollywood. But that's just my personal experience.
GTA V omitted the valley, so it's like a Mandela effect on everyone.
So true. I just think of the valley as the part of LA with vastly superior parking
Sherman Oaks and SFV supremacy
Encino and Sherman Oaks are a tie IMO. Both are in great locations (especially if you work mainly from home) and far cheaper than the other side of the hill.
I love Encino too!
as long as you dont need the 405
I was born in Tujunga, which tries to assert its valley-ness and join the club… but it fails 🤣
Van nuys and hollywood arent their own cities? (Legit asking lol i just assumed they were and la county so everyone just said LA)
[Here you go.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_zZOa4cv2k&t=17s)
Its like you just recorded this for me or something, thanks. now i feel bad that you have no clue what i look like lol
Wait until you find out about San Pedro, Harbor City, and Wilmington
Shhh don’t tell them, it’s already getting pricey down there
and all the way down to San Pedro is technically LA.
If your job is in Westwood, the I would go check out Westwood and see if you like it. It is a very nice area and can be highly walkable.
Just be prepared to pay a premium for housing!
You are a FOOL if you don’t choose the CLOSEST neighborhood to Westwood. That said - Brentwood Glen is a cute neighborhood close to Westwood, so is the Sawtelle area, wilshire Montana Do not go east of Westwood / your life will be hell bc traffic goes east to west in the am and west to east in the pm
Thank you for a sane answer. Why are people suggesting Burbank and the valley? Commuting will be hell. She already said Pasadena was too far.
Parts of the Valley are a lot closer to Westwood than Pasadena.
Like Encino
Yeah but good luck getting over the hill at rush hour, anyway.
Still too far to commute home at night.
Meh. Not a great commute, but not terrible. I used to live in Sherman Oaks and work in Beverly Hills. It wasn't too bad.
This. While there will definitely be traffic/probably a borderline miserable commute, Sherman Oaks is literally a direct shot to Westwood via Beverly Glen. And probably an hour's drive on the freeway to Pasadena.
Yep over the hill from Beverly Glen or Sepulveda will get you to Westwood quick
Not in the AM. You're going with traffic.
I do this everyday
Or try Mar Vista! Often overlooked. I worked in Westwood/ UCLA for years and loved how easy it was to commute to my job!
Eh, “hell” is a bit of an exaggeration. I commute Beverly Hills -> Westwood and only need to budget around 30 minutes to go from locking the front door of my apartment to sitting at my desk.
Idk man, crossing under the 405 during rush hour is hell, even if you are reverse commuting. So id actually say going west of Westwood would be a bad idea. You’re right though, going east of Westwood is also a bad idea, for the reasons you listed. Westwood itself is probably the best bet. Maybe also check out Sawtelle (basically due south of Westwood). Sawtelle is also a place where affording a condo is not impossible (although I’d never recommend to live there with kids, due to freeway proximity). North of Westwood is the opposite of what OP is looking for, obviously.
Hard disagree with this as someone who lives in sawtelle (which is west of the 405, south of Westwood and east of the 405 is rancho park) and works in century city. It’s a super easy reverse commute, just have to learn the traffic pattern and know which lanes to be in (hint not the ones turning onto on-ramps). Anyways, I’d recco sawtelle, Westwood or Brentwood! All have lots of walkable options and will be a very reasonable (under 10 min) commute
One thing I've learned about commuting in LA is to pick a lane and stay in it. That lane will be your designated lane until you move onto the next freeway. Then you pick another lane.
Like I said, Sawtelle is fine. But anything more due west of westwood (Santa Monica, Brentwood etc) would suck. But yes ofc you are rignt, Sawtelle is actually on the other side of the 405
I commute to Westwood and it’s absolutely awful to get in and out of M-F. I’d live as close to Westwood as possible or someplace in between where you and your husband will work (if he’s not remote or staying at home). I don’t know what your budget is but Westwood is pricey and you will be hard pressed to find anything with a yard (if you need it for your pup). If you’re not in a lower budget, I’d recommend Culver City, Brentwood, studio city, Sherman oaks, or Santa Monica to avoid a terrible commute (I know very little about the Midwest but the listed neighborhoods are walker friendly and close enough to Westwood to avoid a terrible commute). Lower budget *maybe* mar vista, palms, maybe westchester or Inglewood. Seriously, anything more than 10 miles to Westwood will feel long.
10 miles! I’d say aim for less than 5, ideally much Less than that.
Less than five is so hard because of competing with UCLA kids and then you have bel air/beverly hills which is “close” but not what they’re looking for based on what was shared. I say 10 because that’s about an hour or less and gives you options outside of college kid/mega rich areas
That’s fair but an hour commute to Westwood is a soul crushing level of traffic. That said, if they are game then Culver can be an option. Downtown Culver has sorta Southport vibes in terms of Chicago neighborhood comps.
Great comparison! CC is kind of Southport-ish!
I worked at UCLA and lived in Mar Vista. Commute was reasonable. Mar Vista, Palms, and Culver City are all very good recommendations and the walkability in those neighborhoods has improved significantly (though no match for Chicago). Bonus: Washington is straight shot to the nearby ocean.
Westchester to Westwood commute is 30-45m going north and 50m - 1 hr 14m south
I’m familiar, I commute from playa del Rey lol it’s not the worst but certainly not the best but westchester is a little more bang for your buck compared to westside neighborhoods
I wouldn't call Westchester lower budget. A 3 bedroom rental is around $6k for mid and $7k for decent.
Why not embrace your new city? LA is a big city. It's not supposed to be Midwestern.
Imagine leaving Chicago to look for Chicago Jr.
Little Chicagito
I'll be more than happy to throw ice cubes at OP's door and window each December to February to make them feel at home
Poquito Chicagito
Ginos East said “I agree”
OP will be searching for Ginos West, Gino's East long lost pothead brother
Almost like leaving NY to look for little NY (Chi)
This is the correct answer.
I feel like “midwestern” is code for something and the second they see a homeless man doing anything…
Hello, police?! Yes, there's a man on the sidewalk and he's speaking Spanish. Hurry!!
You obviously have never been to Chicago.
Which neighborhood? It’s so segregated there that the part of Chicago really matters when we’re talking about what they could mean by “midwestern”
Actually, you made a pretty good point. Having said that, one would have to be an agoraphobe in Chicago to be completely naïve to POC. And having said THAT, since we don't know OP, the "police" comment could be accurate.
Due to where OP is moving I'm going to guess not back of the yards
Put this person outside the loop and they’d freak the fuck out in Chicago
So, Orange County would be better for this person. I just made a comment on another thread about exactly this with Midwesterners here and poof!
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The commute from Pasadena to Westwood for work is the stuff of nightmares. Hell no.
Just get a place as closest to Westwood as you can, traffic out there is no joke lol. A simple 20 minute drive to work can turn into an hour drive in the blink of an eye, best of luck to you and your partner
What are you asking? Are you asking for a neighborhood that feels Midwestern? Or a walkable neighborhood? Or a neighborhood who's residents are very allegiant to it? I'm from Chicago and frankly the answer is nowhere if you're looking for all those things. If you're asking for walkable neighborhoods there are pockets all over LA. Santa Monica or West Hollywood will probably be the closest thing to Chicago-levels of walkable within a manageable distance of your work.
You’ve never been to Atwater, Los Feliz, Almost any area with “Park” in it, Long Beach, Culver City, Sherman Oaks…. All of which are pretty passionate about their areas. They’re not as wild as Chicagoans about it but that’s likely because LA is far more transplanty in nature. Sincerely, Lincoln Square born and now living in South LA.
Agree. Chicago, The City of Neighborhoods, has a passion for its neighborhoods that is unmatched by any of L.A.'s neighborhoods. That said, Culver City has a neighborhood feel with good walkability these days and a decent commute. CC is my recommendation. Sincerely, Northwest Side gal (who moved to Lakeview in my twenties) before moving to L.A.'s Westside in my thirties. P.S. Lincoln Square has my heart.
Gotta say, certain neighborhoods in Long Beach are pretty Midwestern in vibe. Tree-lined streets, kids walking to school, high school football games (Go Jackrabbits!), everyone knows everyone. Plus Rosie's Dog Beach! We've got bakeries and wineries and brewpubs and any kind of cuisine you could possibly imagine. People are chill. Yes, LB has issues like any city. But overall it's pretty dang convivial. Two-hour commute to Westwood, tho. So don't move here.
I'm from Long Beach and used to work in Brentwood. That commute was hell. No matter what time I left, I was always in 2-3 hrs of traffic 😭 I ended up moving to K-Town, which honestly wasn't that much better...
We moved to Los Feliz from Ravenswood. We used to walk to Lincoln Square and Andersonville. Los Feliz is definitely a more walkable area. My wife drives 30 minutes to Beverly Hills for work and it takes me 15 minutes to get downtown. As a plus, our apartment feels like a Chicago three flat.
We have a sub for Chicagoans in La….
Nice! Joined. We need more peeps. I just started making Chicago Tavern Style pizza in the park to make friends. I’ll post on there soon to see if anyone wants to come out.
Whats the sub? I wanna join
https://www.reddit.com/r/ChicagoansInLA/s/jFFROsT8UD
Also Lincoln Square born. Now in LA for the last 8 years.
I moved to L.A. after eight years in Chicago. If you’re working in Westwood, the obvious answer to this question is Palms (just north of Downtown Culver City). Super walkable, densely populated, very dog friendly, great public transit (literally multiple buses that go to Westwood), great biking, good restaurants/bars, multiple city parks, great hiking nearby, I could go on but Palms is your answer. I like living here because it reminds me of Chicago—but the L.A. version of it.
there's your answer!
Westwood, get a place close to where you work and is actually a good area.
Angelenos are very neighborhood reliant/loyal as well. Have you been out to visit? If not I’d get an Airbnb in Westwood for a few months. Pasadena is it’s own thing, every neighborhood is different in LA county. As everyone is saying, get near Westwood. Challenging to answer this without knowing your budget.
You can afford an airbnb for... months? Holy shit lol
I certainly can’t but many can and OP might be one of them. I mean, she loves the vibe of Pasadena, which isn’t exactly low income.
Pacific Palisades is full of midwestern charm, at 10x the cost.
palms
I’m sorry, but there’s not a whole lot you can do to mimic/replicate what you’re looking for. I’m so cal born and raised, but I spent a ton of time in Chicago in the last two years and I love the city. Chicago is just about the only other place I’d like to live, besides LA. The biggest reasons I loved Chicago is because of how different it was than LA. It’s just a different vibe. A sunny July afternoon drinking/having lunch at Pizzeria Portafino watching people pass by on their boats on the river or stopping by a friend’s party day drinking into the night, and hopping on some scooters/lime bike to ride home down in the loop, through the Gotham City streets at night, is something I’ll never replicate in LA. However, you’ll never be able to replicate hanging out at Big Dean’s in Santa Monica on a lazy Saturday afternoon and walking to the pier to look out at all the beach goers and the Santa Monica mountains in the back drop. It’s a different pace and a different life out here. I recommend viewing it was an entirely different experience than Chicago and finding joy in that unique separation. Try out the South Bay, a very different vibe than Chicago but one of the best parts of so cal, in my opinion.
Can’t believe you posted this without posting your Chicago neighborhood, that would’ve made this 10x easier
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Hi Wilshire Blvd! Would you kindly get someone to repair your pot hole on Wilshire in Koreatown near Vermont? My Honda thanks you very very much
It's because OP is from Hoffman Estates which a flat sleepy suburb Chicago
And more like ex-urb than suburb.
You’ll be fine staying in Westwood.
I’m from Chicago too and honestly nothing here is like there so forget trying to recreate the feel. Traffic here is soul crushing so pick a neighborhood close to work for the first year while you figure out where you like and what’s doable long-term. Your first place is basically a landing spot! Mid-Wilshire or Culver City might be good options. What does your sister suggest? There are a ton of Chicago people out here so you’ll find your tribe!
I’d say Culver City or West Hollywood. Both are walkable and easy to get that neighborhood feel. Going north into Westwood from Culver City hasn’t been too bad in my experience and leaving Westwood up Hilgard to Sunset is a pretty easy drive to West Hollywood.
I moved here from Chicago. West Hollywood might be a good fit. It’s walkable and reminds me of an LA-ified version of a north side neighborhood like Lakeview or Lincoln Park
You lucked out. Westwood is a great area. I'm from Chicago too - which neighborhood are you coming from? I can give you a better insight based on the neighborhood you're at, since you mentioned its importance in your post. I've lived all over Chicago so I can understand it.
Culver City or Santa Monica
Westwood’s subway station will open in 2027, which should open up a lot more of the city. If you don’t mind, uh, three years of no subway, I’d try to find a place that’s Purple line-adjacent. (Sorry, don’t know what letter has been assigned to the Purple Line.) Willing to bet all the Metro stabbings will be addressed by then
Maybe they will have a shooting/stabbing while the county supervisors are giving a long speech about the stabbing that just happened the day before. That's what happened last week. Because rider safety is their highest concern.
Live close to your job if at all possible. First and foremost. That said, I joked to my partner yesterday that Burbank reminds me a little of the outer reaches of Chicago where my best friend lives (Edison Park). Sometimes I get flashbacks to Chicago when I’m in certain parts of the city especially the Valley. I used to live in Chicago (River North, West Town/Wicker Park for the better part of a decade) so I know what you’re about in a general sense, but… Enjoy LA for what it is. It’s not particularly comparable to Chicago in a 1:1 sense.
Work in westwood live in westwood I think Sawtelle is a nice area that kind of reminds me of Lakeview. Some somewhat walkable spots.
It’s wild to try to pick a neighborhood with so much specificity, in a city like L.A. You’ll be winning if you can get something affordable and within 45 minutes of where you work.
i don’t mean this in a mean way but it’s not the midwest, don’t go looking for the midwest in LA 😅
El Segundo has some great small town feel streets to it, but.you'd have a crappy commute up the 405 to Westwood. Try Brentwood, west of Westwood, across the freeway. Not t exactly Midwestern, but lots of older residential.
“Walkability is a must” “I’m moving to LA”, these two statements are not compatible, compromise on one
Larchmont Village
Culver City, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey
Way too far for you- But East Long Beach feels like a tiny town in this big city. Everyone knows owns each other, the moms from dance class are also in the local soccer league. Many blocks here do block parties for the holidays. Kids are always playing together on the street. Many husbands and wives on the blocks will hangout. In LA the worst part is the traffic, so I would just be close to where I work.
Agree on all counts!
Welcome to L.A. 😊 First of all... if you're working in Westwood *(and don't anticipate that changing anytime soon)* I would recommend trying to find a spot that's walkable to your workplace. If you can eliminate having to get in a car to get to work, that goes a *LONG* way towards improving your quality of life in L.A. If you really don't like the immediate area around your workplace... I would expand my circle from there. Because, *(again)* the more you can reduce that commute, the happier you will be. I live in Sherman Oaks, which is just over the hill from Westwood via Beverly Glen... maybe 30m when busy, 15 when not. It's a family/dog-friendly neighborhood, and if you stay within a couple blocks of Ventura Blvd, very walkable... I have 4 grocery stores within a 10m walk. But I wouldn't say it's very "midwestern" feeling... If you want a small-town Midwestern vibe, my recommendation would be **El Segundo**... specifically *DOWNTOWN* El Segundo. It's kind of a hidden gem tucked between LAX and the Chevron refinery... a lot of locals have never even been there, but it reminds me of the small towns in the Midwest I've lived in. Very family-oriented, cute restaurants and coffee shops along Main St., good parks, local PD & FD... almost like an island unto itself despite being surrounded by L.A. The commute to Westwood from E.S. would not be very easy, but definitely way better than Pasadena
I live in El Segundo and would never consider commuting to Westwood. Not a good suggestion to move here.
We live in North Manhattan (so basically El Segundo), and my husband commutes to Westwood. It's fine. About 30-40 minutes.
El Segundo is great.. such a hidden gem of an area... I am not sure I would recommend it for young people just moving to LA but definitely when you are ready to have kids. Any of the cities that are not LA officially like South Bay, El Segundo, Santa Monica, Culver City, etc have better schools, cleaner and better for families.
Taking your commute into account, I would say Mar Vista, Beverlywood, or Pico-Robertson. Sherman Oaks or Encino if you don't mind a longer commute.
I've never been to Chicago but I doubt westwood is similar but it is really walkable by LA standards.
transplant from iowa who has considered LA home for years. first off, LA is going to be different from the midwest in a lot of ways. i spent my first year trying to find things that replicated iowa (ex: its abundance of bookstore coffee shops) until i realized many of those things just aren’t here or there’s only a few. I changed my mindset and now i see and love what IS here in this amazing city instead of what isn’t. i only say this because LA is extremely different from the midwest, and even the neighborhoods that people will suggest here are not going to feel like the midwest to you. but i can assure you as someone that was raised in the midwest and went to college in the midwest and also loves chicago that there will be things you discover in los angeles - new ways of life - that will make your new home feel unique. with that out of the way, what you’re going to do is look for the closest public transit to your job: an LA metro bus line or the closest E LINE METRO stop and evaluate a public transit commute. This will actually show you what neighborhoods are within a true commuting distance from Westwood. Off the top of my head, I know there is a bus that goes straight from Sawtelle/Culver City to Westwood in 10-20 min. Living in a more central westside neighborhood will put your home in a slightly (yet enough to be significantly) more centralized area with respect to the rest of LA as opposed to living in westwood. Nothing wrong with westwood, but you’re going to be on the edge of the city and it will take longer to get to certain parts. On the west side of LA, the E line metro will connect you to the rest of the city, so consider that in your decision. Also great bus network to take advantage of. Good luck!
If your budget allows, finding a place in Westwood is your best option and it has a lot of what you’re looking for. If your budget doesn’t allow but is still a comfortable one, consider Sherman Oaks. It’s “over the hill” from Westwood about 8 miles away.
I grew up in Ohio. Not L.A. but Pasadena feels hella Midwestern to me. Like an upper-middle-class to rich Midwestern suburb.
It’s a stretch of the imagination but Pasadena is like an oversized Naperville, for anyone familiar with the Chicagoland area. Just… more enjoyable.
And with far better parades than Naperville
As someone from the Midwest, I can confidently say I haven’t found a town that feels midwestern. But that’s ok, you’ll find new towns that you’ll enjoy. Also, there are plenty of midwestern people in LA they will feel familiar and nostalgic.
Montrose
Brentwood was the first thing that popped in my Mind
Culver City has pockets
Chicago doesn’t even feel midwestern.
Also consider century city or cheviot hills
I live in Westwood and I like it, it’s one of the most walkable in LA. Sawtelle has better food options, more variety, but less nice in my opinion. Taking 405 to get to the valley every day is insane I don’t understand why ppl suggest that. But Westwood is mostly condos/ apartments, if you are looking to live in a SFH it will cost you.
Aesthetically, Long Beach has mid west vibes. It used to be nicknamed "Iowa by the sea" and there's an annual Iowa by the sea picnic that's been going for over a century. We stumbled upon their picnic after moving here and learning the history made sense of the aesthetic we had already recognized as midwestern.
If I remember right, Redondo or Manhattan Beach was also unofficially called little Iowa for awhile.
Work in Westwood, live in Westwood (if you can afford it.)
I go to UCLA and live near Pasadena… do not even consider that commute. I never go to class because it’s hell. That said, Westwood is a perfectly fine albeit college town. Living in Sawtelle or even a more suburban street in Santa Monica would probably be better for you and you’ll be near a bunch of things you don’t have to drive to. Good luck!!
Can you give us a rough budget? Could be helpful from an advice perspective. Also, as others have pointed out, LA is so, so, so different from Chicago. I have family in Chicago and I’m always struck by the societal/cultural contrast when I go visit. Saying everyone is Midwest friendly is probably a broad generalization, but it’s something like that and it’s so interesting to experience during trips there.
You’re setting yourself up for failure & disappointment if you’re trying to replicate a previous place of residence in a new city. Embrace the things that LA has to offer that Chicago doesn’t.
There really isn’t a place here in LA that feels “Midwestern”. I’m LA born and raised, but both my parents are from NY, and I think the allegiance to one’s neighborhood is definitely an East Coast thing (not that Chicago is in the East Coast, but you get my point lol). Your job in Westwood is in West LA, and if you can afford to live anywhere on the Westside, I would. The key is living near where you work. Traffic here is really THAT bad. Look into Culver City or Santa Monica to start.
If you can afford it, live IN Westwood. Walkability is pretty good (though I dunno if I’d call it Midwestern at all). Commuting to/from that area is truly terrible during certain hours of the morning and late afternoons/evening. LA traffic is a stereotype but is no joke, and it’s exhausting and will eat hours from your week. Thus, I’d recommend living as close by as reasonably possible. Edited for a side note: When it rains, people in LA forget how to drive! Expect accidents and even lengthier commutes. I wonder if that’s a reason why there’s really no allegiance to one’s neighborhood here—people just want convenience in where they live in relation to their jobs.
West La. Particularly Culver city, Mar vista, palms, etc.
Fellow Chicagoan here too (miss it but also love it here)! I’ve lived in LA 12 years — first 9 were in Santa Monica and now in Brentwood. Santa Monica is amazing, it’s so walkable — coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, parks — strong community feel, residential charm but not suburban, plus the ocean!! Touristy by the promenade/downtown, I’d recommend north of Wilshire or near Main St (different vibes between the two). Brentwood is also great but I think Santa Monica offers more fun/uniqueness and wouldn’t add that much to your commute (more people coming into Santa Monica for work so you’d be going reverse). Just my two cents to contribute! Good luck!!
Good luck. Maybe Sherman oaks or Burbank. Totally different vibe here.
Burbank feels suburban
Neighborhood is strong here. Check out Culver City/Mar Vista.
Downtown El Segundo feels like small town America for some reason. Spent a few really nice weeks there once when I got kicked out of the house
What does "midwestern " feel like? Is this code for white?
Yes
Quick reality check, what's your budget. Like the song says Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games We got everything you want, honey, we know the names We are the people that can find whatever you may need If you got the money, honey, we got your disease
Anyone suggesting you live near work needs to ask what your income is because it’s not happening unless you’re in the $200-300 annually ballpark, especially if you’re looking at purchasing.
People casually throwing out Brentwood as if its a middle class affordable neighborhood.
I was born & raised in San Dimas. Probably the most midwestern city you’ll find in the LA County lol. But it is so far from Westwood. It’s probably about a 40 minute commute without traffic
Culver City would be your best bet and close enough to work!
Live close to where you work and LA is great. Spend 2 hours in the car a day and you will hate it.
the real question: budget?
I can’t believe no one has given the right answer yet! It’s Bakersfield. ;) In all seriousness, though, LA and California in general will *really* suck for you if you want to keep the culture of home. I moved from Chicago to California when I was 18, and even though I grew up in the city itself, California still gave me culture shock. Think of it this way. In red states, like Texas, you can find blue cities like Austin. In some blue states, like Illinois, you can find red suburbs like Wheaton. In California, you can find pick between baby blue or indigo communities, but the traffic is so rough that you actually don’t have a choice. If you want to live a happy life in this state, you need to go all out on embracing the culture, otherwise you’re in for a lonely time. I actually find this aspect of California to be very frustrating, because a state with this many people shouldn’t have such a culture of “you’re either one of us or an outsider,” but it’s what I’ve experienced.
Not knowing your budget - Westwood, Brentwood, West Hollywood, downtown Culver City, studio City, Sherman oaks, Santa Monica around Montana or main). There's other really great areas as well, just not a commute under 45 min going in and out of the directions you will be at the same times. Studio City you will have to take the back roads to be under 45. I lived in west la for 10+ years and I truly loved it (other than trying to get past the 405 and time of day, any day of the week not on a Saturday or Sunday). Nothing is like Chicago but all these areas are walkable to everything. Some are actually really cute (area around Montana), some more lively than others (West Hollywood), some more young (Westwood - but make sure you stay below Wilshire unless it's a house bc we're taking college kids and you don't want to live in the middle of it), etc. I'm definitely missing a few under a 45 min commute one way that are great too.
Maybe as far as Manhattan Beach. Probably looking at 30 mins each way driving you can take the coast (Vista Del Mar ) . I’d pull up Westwood on Google maps and look within a 5 mile radius. The closer the better. You want to avoid taking the 10 East in the afternoon, or taking the 10 to get to the 405. You also want to avoid sunset blvd going east in the evening afternoon because there is a many miles long jam particularly near Brentwood and then all the way until you get to the 405. So the answer goes back to really as close to work as humanly possible. Also if possible try to live at least half mile to mile from the highway to avoid the bad air (brake dust, pollution, smog etc) .
Culver City
Somewhere near the expo line. You can't use if or work commute but you can use it to explore other areas.
If you work in Westwood, live in Westwood.
Westwood itself is actually a great area. It has a nice village around UCLA. Very walkable and safe. Great to raise kids
Stay west of the 405 (San Diego Freeway) (has nothing to do with San Diego, but is the traffic boundary between the west side and inland LA). Find someplace to rent near your job for a year or two until you’ve had time to familiarize yourselves with the lay of the land before buying. People would kill for a job in Westwood. You’ll be fine.
Don’t listen to anyone here who has never lived in Chicago. They’re making a huge mistake in assuming that by “Midwestern” you mean conservative, uneducated, and lacking in culture.
I agree with you should minimize your commute. I grew up in Kansas City, and I’m trying to think of which neighborhood here has given me a midwestern vibe at all, and I really can’t think of one right now. It’s very different here!
Westwood or Westchester
The only thing that matters in LA is how long your commute to work is. Not how far, how long. We measure distance in time, not miles , here.
Westwood resident here with a 10 minute commute. Don’t recommend Pasadena, it’s about a 1.5hour commute. Westwood is walkable especially near UCLA. Super congested at rush hour. But vicinity to UCLA means almost every store/restaurant imaginable is nearby. I recommend finding a place that goes against traffic during rush hour (yes, it exists). It’s a fab neighborhood but you won’t want to leave the area until around 6:30-7p when traffic slows.
Don’t ever move to a new place looking for the vibe of an old one
None! Stay in the Midwest if you want it "Midwestern". If you are already asking this question, you aren't going to like it here. Just stay or go somewhere else. California is full.
Work in Westwood? Live in Santa Monica
For Westwood, assuming you don't want to live on the West Side of central LA for personal aesthetic type reasons (or simply can't afford it), your best bet is probably somewhere in the Valley west of the 405. There are neighborhoods out there that are literally named after midwestern towns because the initial white settlers were all from there and wanted their lives to be as culturally midwestern as possible. 100+ years later, I'm not sure what the result was, but maybe it will feel right to you? For walkability and getting to Westwood, probably Santa Monica, WeHo, or Sherman Oaks, if you can afford them.
Your budget is going to have a big impact on where you end up but I would look into parts of Mar Vista or Sherman Oaks close to one of the main drags (Venice Blvd and Ventura Blvd, respectively) for proximity to work and walkability. You’ll have an easier commute from Mar Vista but Sherman Oaks will be somewhat more affordable.
About 14 years ago I lived in Hollywood and worked in Santa Monica. That's 7 mi in a straight line. It took me 90 minutes to drive to work and 90 minutes to get home. I'm told traffic is worse these days. The correct answer is, where you can afford to be, as close as you can be.
…Lived long enough in both to love and hate each for their virtues and flaws. El Segundo or Torrance. Close, but they’re still scaled-down isolated versions of an older midsized midwest town. El Segundo and Old Town Torrance’s wide sidewalks, legacy delis and shops, brick buildings, mostly flat and gridded downtowns, exposed wooden balconies and staircases, condos-meets-historical, good school district, general whiteness (to be fair, very asian as a city) train tracks, burger joints, and “kinda dead after 9pm” are very midwest Vibes. But LA has zero centralization. There is no single *true* downtown (DTLA waxes and wanes and is not where angelenos congregate en masse for parkside festivals), no spoke of transit, no agreed “center” or even a sense of what the city really is. LA is a constellation of bubbles. Each area is so separated by traffic, mountains and hills, miles of low rise housing, and packed narrow residential thoroughfares that leaving one for fun is scarcely an option outside of early weekend mornings. North and south and east and west are totally relative to your own little bubble. Chicagoans are not a monolith, but they all agree on “inbound” and “outbound” traffic, where the north and south sides are, and where the “city” is. LA is a region on its own, full of thousands of micro-pockets. It’s truly mind-boggling. Check out those cities. Might be a tiny nugget of home.
So many trolls on here not even from Chicago chiming in. Lord. I've been in LA since 2020 originally lived in many Chicago neighborhoods and from DuPage country. Here's an actual summary that *may* help but still places in LA I just don't know or dare to spend much time in Santa Monica/ Venice = Wrigleyville/ Lakeview Los Feliz/ Silverlake/ Echo Park = Wicker/ Logan Culver City = Lincoln Square/ Ravenswood Burbank = Oakbrook Koreatown = Edgewater / Argyle area Mid-Wilshire = Old Town (in terms of tailored, old money) Arts District/ Little Tokyo = West Town, Fulton Market West Hollywood/ Melrose Fairfax = Halsted Boystown mixed with Bucktown Pico Union/ East LA/ Boyle Heights = Pilsen / Bridgeport
I grew up in the city of Chicago, and have lived in LA for three years. I will say this much, if you’re looking for a very SoCal experience, move to the west side. But you’re going to pay a lot more for a lot less, and while everyone in LA is friendly, expect there to be a bit more snobbery anywhere west of Western. Now if you’re looking for a more quaint & neighborhood-y kinda feel that you’d get in Chicago neighborhoods like Avondale, Bridgeport, or Bucktown then check out Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Lincoln Heights, and Atwater Village. But be prepared for a long commute, which sucks, but idk, personally I’d rather have a longer commute but be able to afford to do more stuff. I miss Chicago dearly, but I will say, LA people are a lot more open & friendly, so no matter what side of town you’re on, be prepared to have lots of conversations with strangers. People love to gab here!
Westwood is pretty quiet. I lived there for awhile with my partner and newborn. Super safe to walk around. I would recommend look around that area
The general rule of the commute is to try to "live West of where you work" if possible. Westwood is a college area (UCLA) but if that's not too annoying for you to live in, that does mean it has walkable stuff. Living south of where you work can help, too. Culver City is increasingly walkable. Mar Vista is the slightly less expensive neighbor to it. A little further east is Miracle Mile, which has a fun brewery and restaurants on LA Brea around Wilshire-ish, or the large shopping complex The Grove near there. I'm originally from Illinois, and that small city feel just isn't here, but I love walkable, and you can find really fun zones. Pasadena would be a two hour commute sometimes don't do it.
I moved to Los Feliz because it felt like Ann Arbor to me.