Southern California Lifestyles

Locations:

Fontana | Los Angeles | Orange County | Riverside | San Diego | Woodland Hills
Housing Information | Hotels | Airports | Local Attractions

Southern California is probably one of the most captivatingly diverse areas in the world. It offers residents the best of urban, suburban, and countryside living. Landmark areas such as Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego anchor an area that is also home to a sprawling desert basin, mountain canyons, and coastal beaches.

Fontana

Fontana is located in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains in the prosperous Inland Empire region of Southern California. Just 40 minutes east of Los Angeles, Fontana and its neighboring towns (Uplands, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, and Claremont ) share a national reputation for affordable housing with outstanding elementary and secondary education. In addition, there are eight universities, seven colleges, and four community colleges that offer day and evening classes. Fontana runs the Metrolink rail service to the greater Los Angeles area, and is only 10 minutes away from Ontario International Airport . Fontana residents enjoy great weather and proximity to the mountains, beaches, several lakes, desert areas, and theme parks. Within a one-hour drive residents can go winter skiing, lounge in the surf at Newport and Laguna beaches, or tour Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain. The city is home to the world-famous California Speedway, as well as a new 18-hole, championship Sierra Lakes Golf Course, located at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains.

Los Angeles

Your relocation to Southern California may include Los Angeles, an ethnically diverse city which is home to people from 140 counties. Los Angeles and its vicinity offers year-round recreational and cultural activities. Educational institutions such as USC and UCLA neighbor the intrigue of Hollywood, theatres in downtown Los Angeles, the arts of West Hollywood, beaches of Santa Monica, Venice and Malibu, theme parks, and fabulous shopping and dining of Beverly Hills. A 90-minute drive in various directions offers skiing at Big Bear, whale-watching at Big Sur, and wine tasting in Santa Barbara . Mountain and desert resorts, such as Lake Arrowhead and Palm Springs, are also easily accessible.

Orange County

From lush golf courses to Mickey Mouse, Orange County offers fun and recreation for everyone. Enjoy first-rate entertainment at the Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, or take in an Anaheim Angels game at Edison Field. Spend a day at Disneyland or drive down the Pacific Coast Highway to South Orange County for a stroll through the famous Laguna Beach art colony. Adorning Orange County ’s coast are Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Numerous festivals, fine dining, and upscale shopping accent Orange County, which also offers an atmosphere ideal for raising a family. You’ll find good schools and a variety of enrichment programs for children.

Riverside

Riverside is one of the oldest cities in the state with a rich historical and cultural heritage. It is the home of the University of California, Riverside, Cal Baptist University, and Riverside Community College. In addition, four nationally known centers of higher learning (University of California, Irvine and Los Angeles; Loma Linda University; and University of Southern California) are within driving distance. Riverside is known for its high-quality housing at affordable prices, and excellent public and private schools. Beaches are about a one-hour drive, as are local mountain ski areas and desert resorts, including Palm Springs. A full range of recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, water skiing, golf, snow skiing, sailing, wind surfing, and bicycling are nearby.

Riverside enjoys an active, exciting visual arts community. The Riverside Arts Council and the UCR/California Museum of Photography are two of many organizations that promote the cultural life of Riverside. In addition, the town is home to the Riverside Film Festival, which showcases art films from around the world. Local public and private galleries exhibit art work in all media by national, regional and local artists. Activities abound for children, where the Riverside Children's Theater teaches theater to kids from kindergarten through ninth grade, and KIDSTUFF, the Children's Performing Art Center of California, which presents puppetry, mime, story spinning and other quality family entertainment every weekend, year-round.

San Diego

San Diego is known for 70 miles of picturesque coastline, the 4,600-acre walker-friendly Mission Bay Park , and the Big Bay , which is home to 16 Bayside parks, landscaped promenades, and walkways adorned with eye catching public art. The city is home to the world famous San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, and LEGOLAND. Locals enjoy the trendy Gaslamp Quarter and shopping at Horton Plaza . With more than one million residents within its city limits, San Diego is among the top five cities listed in all "quality of life" categories, including city attractiveness, peacefulness, weather, cleanliness and ease of finding your way. Fifteen minutes from downtown San Diego is La Jolla, renowned for its beaches, cultural activities, restaurants, and institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Stephen Birch Aquarium & Museum. In addition to La Jolla, the towns of Mission Valley, Mission Beach , and University City are neighbors to San Diego .

Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills has the best of both worlds. Located in the west San Fernando Valley, near the Los Angeles/Ventura County line, the region has a “city feel” in a suburban environment. With its reputation for being just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, Woodland Hills is often cited as one of the "most desirable locations" to live. Housing in the area consists of everything from mountain cottages to large estates and single-family homes in quiet neighborhoods. Residents conveniently enjoy the Southern California beaches (about a 15-minute drive), as well as the sights and attractions found in nearby UCLA/Westwood, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and the downtown theatre district. The city is home to Warner Center, which is the core of the business district that includes large financial institutions and shopping malls, and restaurants. Warner Park (part of Warner Center) sponsors the Valley Cultural Center's "Concerts in the Park" series that showcases music of all genres including folk, rock, big band, and classical. Residents often hike on beautiful trails at nearby Santa Monica Mountains, and golfers delight with the top-notch golf courses in the area. A short drive away is Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, and Knott's Berry Farm.

Housing: Renters’ and Buyers’ Information

We’ve compiled a few Web sites to help give you an idea about the cost rental housing in Southern California. However, there are many resources on the Web, and do not hesitate to call us if you’d like to speak with someone from Kaiser Permanente who is familiar with Southern California housing opportunities.

• www.rent.com
• www.easyrentlist.com
• www.westsiderental.com
• www.apartments.com
• www.apartmentguide.com

Hotels

These hotels are located near our medical centers.

** These hotels are also within walking distance to the facility and offer discounted rates. To receive the discounted rate, mention that you are a medical student coming to Kaiser Permanente for an interview when you make your reservation.

Airports

Medical Center	Airport
Los Angeles Medical Center	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Bob Hope Airport/Burbank *
Orange County Medical Center	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) John Wayne International Airport *
Riverside Medical Center	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Ontario Airport *
Woodland Hills Medical Center	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Bob Hope Airport/Burbank *
Fontana Medical Center	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Ontario Airport *
* The location of these airports are closer to the medical centers, however, flight availability might be limited.

Local Attractions

Local Theme Parks

• Disneyland (Anaheim, CA) www.disney.go.com
• Disney’s California Adventure (Anaheim, CA) www.disney.go.com
• Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA) www.knotts.com
• Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, C ) www.sixflags.com
• Legoland (Carlsbad, CA) www.legoland.com
• Universal Studios Hollywood (Hollywood, CA) www.universalstudioshollywood.com
• Sea World (San Diego, CA) www.seaworld.com
  

Other Attractions

• MOCA – The Geffen Contemporary Museum
• Museum of Television & Radio
• The Getty Center
• Walt Disney Concert Hall
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Catalina Island
• Rodeo Drive – Beverly Hills
• Queen Mary
• Hollywood Bowl Museum
• Joshua Tree National Park