Thanks for sharing a positive viewpoint. But this doesn't seem sustainable. Your job will eventually change, and since LA isn't a nuclear city at all, you may now have a much longer commute. And what if your friends are in other neighborhoods? Or you want to go to an event across town? I've also heard the schools in LA proper are pretty terrible, so if you want to have a family you need to go to outer suburbs which implies long commutes. Could you counter my concerns about this?
It's really a shame that LA ended up so poorly designed; it's in such a beautiful setting and has one of the best climates in the world.
I can't speak to the kids/school aspect at all, however I'm not sure that subscribe to the "LA isn't a nuclear city at al" idea.
It's not that LA isn't a nuclear city, it's just that LA is 5 nuclear cities all within a (traffic free) 30 minute drive of one another. So the problem is when people want to live in one city and work in another.
There are more than enough (schools, companies,etc) within any one 'LA' to restrict your search to that and not be missing out on a golden opportunity.
As far as the friends thing, that's true too, but like another commenter pointed out, they start to become long distance friends, so you make it a point to go hang out with them, and you just end up socializing more with friends in your neighborhood, which is natural because when you go out, you meet people who live near you, more often than not.
There are plenty of jobs in the outer suburbs. Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills all have plenty of businesses based there. Many of which are technology related. Same goes for Pasadena, Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, etc. So yeah, your job may change, but so can where you live.
Not only do I have friends in other neighborhoods but I have friends in other cities, states, and countries. Some I see more often than others. We're still friends.
If I want to go to an event across town I plan accordingly.
LA has good schools and bad schools just like any other city.
It's really a shame that LA ended up so poorly designed; it's in such a beautiful setting and has one of the best climates in the world.