Moving to LA once I graduate. Any advice?

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So, okay. I have 3 years left of high school, then I might go to a college for a couple years. I am thinking of moving to LA or some surrounding area to pursue both a career in movies (screenwriting) and graphic design (in particular, designing graphics for news stations). Is both possible if I move to Downey, CA? I heard it's very nice.

What natural disasters are there and how often do they occur?

What are the chances of major terrorist attacks there compared to other cities?

Any help will be appreciated.

the chances of terrorist attacks? close to zero. earthquakes strong enough to cause things to fall off your walls dont occur that often and that's about it for natural disasters.

the jobs will be in LA so if you can stand the commute, downey is manageable but I wouldn't enjoy spending hours every day in rush hour traffic. i recomend moving into someplace like hollywood/beverly hills or another older nicer LA neighborhood. thats what i plan on doing.

I'm originally from that area.

Traffic will be an issue. But public transportation is good.

Be prepared for a high cost of living in that area.

Also, most earthquakes are minor. Just be aware of where the shut off valve is for your natural gas. And, a survival kit (i.e. extra food, water, medicines, etc.) wouldn't be a bad idea, just in case a major tremor occurs.

I thought someone told me that public transportation is lacking in LA. I don't want to drive because I'm afraid with my AS, I can't do good at driving. My mom says I might be able to, but I couldn't care less about driving.

Smog, crime, traffic, lack of decent public transport,earthquakes are the bad
points, but it has some of the best attractions, great food, some of the best
places to shop in north america. I have no idea what the housing situation
is there, but if its anything like Vancouver, its going to be expensive.

You and several million other starry-eyed hopefuls, including yours truly. I have a SAG membership, but the most I've been able to do is "Man With Camera" or "Laughing Audience Member in Blue Shirt" several times over - never a speaking role. Unless you've aggressively pursued an entertainment career since before grammar school, and attended a Los Angeles area school, and know somebody on the inside, don't expect any speaking roles to be handed to you. Given your background (similar to mine), unless you are willing to hire an agent, and spend at least 16 hours a day answering every cattle call and attending ("crashing") every party and reception you possibly can, then you may as well make your regular day job your career choice.


Earthquakes: 2 or 3 each week that are barely noticable, plus one or two a year that rattle the walls, plus one more every few years that actually knock things over. We're still waiting for "The Big One"!

Wildfires: Usually during late summer to late autumn. Unless you live in a heavily-wooded area, or one with a lot of overgrown brush, the most you'll have to worry about is the smell and how much ash accumulates in the pool.

Hurricanes/Tornados: None.

Floods/Mudslides: Depends on your location. If you live in the foothills or mountains near an untamed creek or river, expect a flood after a day or two of rain. The mudslides come at any time after an extended rain.

Asteroid Impacts / Volcano Eruptions / Extra-Terrestrial Invasions: None.


There haven't been any, unless you count the daily gang-related shootings and home invasions as terrorist attacks.

Keep in mind that for the last year, more people have been moving out of California than have been moving in, and this includes the illegal immigrants from Mexico.

Good Luck.

I was offered a job in Santa Clarita (where Magic Mountain is), but I turned it down because it was ground zero for the wildfires in '07 (I left my native Houston to get away from the hurricanes), and I don't really want to live in California.

Plus I am still in school anyway. Although if the job offered to me in Nebraska still stands when I graduate, I may consider that one.

One more thing... Is assisted living recommended for anyone with AS?

It depends on how well you function. The only "assisted" portion of my living is what my wife provides, but I do adequately well on my own.

"Take Fountain. There's less traffic."
- Bette Davis; when asked for advice for young actresses.

Well, there are a lot of hopefuls that come to LA hoping to do something like that, and it's really hard. Los Angeles is also not that safe of an area depending on where you are from. I have lived in Los Angeles, though I lived in the nicer part of LA (Santa Monica), we still had problems with stuff like that... for isntance a gang snuck into my elementary school and stole all the VCRs, burned down the volleyball courts and tagged part of the school.

My mom worked in the city, in one of the most dangerous parts of the city at least. They had to arrange all their desks in case there was a drive-by, and had their windows covered in lots of bars so no one could break in, and had to take all valuables, or most stuff out of their cars and put it in teh office because of the high rates of break-ins. There was also a barbed wire fence around the place too.

When I used to go to work with her I was banned from sitting by the windows, and normally sat in the middle room in the office.

If you are serious about moving to LA, which I know no doubt, I reccommend rethinking where you work. There may be Hollywood and other film-makers that may offer work, but I must inform you that California has been hard-hit by the 2007-2008 recession, so you should consider operating as an independent after learning the basics from a university, or start off in a smaller, less-affected company. I hope I helped! P.S. As someone said before, California already has gang-earthquakish-seismovolcanoes-related problems. You would probably be safer in a less-populous state, even like Texas where I live.