Topanga, CA
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11/4/2012
Topanga is a wonderful place to live if you need to be in Los Angeles but want a more rural feel. Gorgeous scenery, laid-back, old hippie vibe, interesting shops and restaurants, awesome places to hike and be outdoors. We love the fact that we hear owls and coyotes and not police sirens. It also has a sort of "Goldilocks" climate. Topanga is centrally located between the ocean and the valley, and it's never as cool and misty as the former nor as hot/smoggy as the latter. The biggest drawbacks are that its location does mean you have to get in your car and drive 15-30 minutes if you want to go virtually anywhere. I work in Santa Monica, which is 20min. away (assuming no major tie-ups on Topanga Blvd or the Pacific Coast Highway) and my wife works in the valley- 20 min. in the other direction. The elementary school here is wonderful, but no good options for middle or high school close by- so it's better for folks with small kids or no kids. In general, we love Topanga but sometimes it doesn't seem worth the amount of commuting we do.
Tim | Topanga, CA