i didn’t read through all the posts, so i apologize if i repeat anything that was already said. a few years ago i moved with my spouse and young children from brooklyn to LA. i have a lot to say about the matter, but i’m short on time right now, so i’ll keep it brief. LA has an amazing jewish community, close knit and warm. i especially liked the chilled attitude of the city in general, jewish and secular. however, it is more difficult to integrate into the community than you would imagine. and although the weather is awsome (summer all year, and about ten days of rain total the entire year!) and the scenery is beautiful (palm trees everywhere) and the people are really friendly and chilled, there is a big culture shock because the culture is COMPLETELY different, it feels like moving to another country. there are new parking laws (we got lots of tickets at the biginning) and there are unspoken driving laws (cars always stop for pedestrians here, as a new yorker you can imagine that was a shock!) and everything moves slower, etc… i felt very displaced for about half a year after moving here. and my children also felt the culture shock. the yeshiva is wonderful, but it is so different from what they were used to.
another important factor to take into account is that the cost of living here is really big, and although our parnassah is about 50 percent more than in brooklyn, we are having almost as hard a time meeting our monthly expenses because they are also 50 percent greater.
the tznius is not as bad as new york. since its more chilled here, even the goyim don’t dress as prizusdik, because they are in casual, baggy clothing. and the frum community dresses more tzinius than the flatbush crowd, in my opinion. there are billboards, but certainly not everywhere, like in times square, and the kids don’t really notice.
LA has many amazing qualities. but it will be a big change. and more expensive than you can imagine. if you have any more questions, let me know. i’ve been there, done that…