Quality of Life

Any business relocation and expansion strategy should not overlook an area's unique attributes, features and quality of life. More and more, businesses are now looking for a quality of life factor that will positively affect employee morale and ultimately business success.

Education in Los Angeles County

LA County is a major center for higher education. There are 254 institutions of higher education in the five-county area, which puts it ahead of Texas, Illinois and Massachusetts. This count includes three campuses of the U.C. system, seven campuses of the State College and University system, and such private institutions as Caltech, the Claremont Colleges, Occidental College, and the University of Southern California. There are also specialized institutions which offer an array of programs, including computer assisted design and manufacturing, computer animation, apparel design and culinary arts. In addition to its varied institutions of higher learning, LA County is home to some of the most prestigious centers for the arts including the Art Center College of Design, the Colburn School of Performing Arts, Otis College of Design, and the California Institute of the Arts.

For more information on education in LA County, see the Education Attainment section on the LA Almanac website.

Cost of Housing

• Average Price: Single Family, 3 bedroom, 2 bath $512,890
• Average Rental Rate: $1,376 monthly
• Average commute to work: round trip: 1 to 1.5 hours

Quality of Life Roster

Destination Retail

• Beverly Hills
• Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
• Montana Ave., Santa Monica
• Melrose Ave., Los Angeles
• Farmer's Market and The Grove at Farmer's Market, Los Angeles
• Fashion District, downtown Los Angeles including California Market Center, New Mart, and Santee Alley
• Los Angeles Mart
• Decorator/home furnishings cluster, West Hollywood including Pacific Design Center
• Pine Ave. and 4th Street, Long Beach
• Glendale Galleria
• Old Town, Pasadena

Entertainment

• Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
• Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
• City Walk, Universal Studios Hollywood
• Little Theater District on Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
• Silver Lake District, Los Angeles
• Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles
• Music Center complex (Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Redcat Theater), Colburn School of Music

Museums

• Getty Museum, Bel Air district of Los Angeles
• UCLA, Fowler Museum & Sculpture Garden
• Museum row on Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles - Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Page Museum, Peterson Museum, La Brea Tar Pits
• Downtown Los Angeles - Museum of Contemporary Art (main and Geffen), Japan America National Museum
• Exposition Park, Los Angeles - USC museums, California Science Center, Natural History Museum, Aerospace Museum
• Long Beach - Museum of Art, Latin American Museum of Art
• Pasadena area - Norton Simon Museum, Pacific Asia Museum, Huntington Library & Gardens, Art Center College of Design
• Southwest Museum, Highland Park
• Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Griffith Park
• Cabrillo Marine Museum, San Pedro
• Museum of Flying, Santa Monica

Performing Arts

• Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
• Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
• Los Angeles Opera
• Long Beach Symphony
• Colleges and universities (UCLA, USC & El Camino College) also offer a variety of performing arts programs

Other Venues

• Los Angeles County Fairplex (county fair and other events), Pomona
• Watts Towers
• Rose Bowl
• Los Angeles County Arboretum, Arcadia
• Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
• Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park
• Travel Town, Griffith Park
• Queen Mary, Long Beach
• Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
• Los Angeles Central Library
• Hollywood Bowl and Museum
• Olvera Street, Los Angeles
• Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
• Bergamont Station (art galleries), Santa Monica

Outdoor recreation

• Beaches - Los Angeles County has 69 miles of coastline, with beaches along Santa Monica Bay and in San Pedro/Long Beach
• Catalina Island
• The Angeles National Forest and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy area offer hiking and camping
• Desert - Antelope Valley area

Marinas

• Marina del Rey
• King Harbor, Redondo Beach
• Cabrillo Marina, San Pedro
• Long Beach marinas - downtown and Alamitos Bay

Theme Parks

• Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor, Santa Clarita
• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Raging Waters, San Dimas

Professional Sports

• Baseball - Los Angeles Dodgers
• Basketball - Lakers, Clippers, Sparks (WNBA)
• Ice Hockey - Kings
• Soccer - the Galaxy
• Thoroughbred horse racing - Hollywood Park, Inglewood, and Santa Anita, Arcadia