What advice would you give-

[Not Afraid]

It's expensive to live here - no doubt about it. But, there are lots of options and California is a very large place. Even within one city, there are pockets of great, good, bad and very bad. I love Long Beach for several reasons:

It's on the beach and the weather can't be beat.
It is an easy drive to to Downtown LA and Hollywood
There is fantastic public transportation here including the Metro train.
It's urban (5th largest city in CA), but has more parkland than most urban areas in the West
It is politically diverse as well as architecturally diverse
It is NOT Orange County (which I abhor), although OC is easy to get to.
Close to LAX and has it's own airport which is absolutely wonderful.
Several colleges, museums, a convention center, Aquarium, and other attractions.
20 minutes to Disneyland.

There is Real Estate all over the board here from fantastic beach front property, to urban lofts to adorable historic houses. Sunset Magazine voted California Heights neighborhood one of the best places to live in the US.

There's a lot to love about Long Beach. But, like most of CA is isn't cheap to live here. But, it also is less expensive to buy here than OC.

So, pack your bags and about 600k for a house and we'll see you soon!