11 Things Nobody Tells You About Moving to Los Angeles
- Leegie Parker
- Jul 7
- 9 min read
Published on July 7, 2026 by Leegie Parker
Leegie Parker | Real Estate Advisor | DRE 01020534 | Compass | Leegie.com
Quick Answer
Moving to Los Angeles means preparing for earthquakes, power outages, coyotes and other wildlife, wildfire risk, and insurance changes that most relocation guides skip over. A basic earthquake supply kit, a go bag with your essential documents, a car that never drops below half a tank of gas, and a careful read of a property's Natural Hazard Disclosure report will serve you better than any list of best neighborhoods. This post covers eleven things about life in LA that come up after the moving truck leaves, not before. |
Key Takeaways
● The Northridge earthquake left many Los Angeles residents without power for days, and a stocked supply closet with backup power matters more than most new arrivals realize. ● Every household should also keep a go bag with essential documents, backup drives, and cash, since emergencies rarely give you time to gather things at the last minute. ● Power outages are common during Santa Ana wind events, from planned shutoffs, downed trees, and even mudslide damage to power lines. ● Coyotes live in every LA neighborhood, not just those near the hills, and rattlesnakes are a real consideration for hikers each spring and summer. ● Homeowners insurance can be canceled over small exterior issues, like a ladder against the house or vines climbing a wall. ● California's Natural Hazard Disclosure report lists a property's specific fire, flood, and seismic zone risks before you buy. |
When people research moving to Los Angeles, they read about the beach, the weather, the job market, and which neighborhood fits their budget. What they don't read about is the supply closet they'll need, the coyote that will wander through their yard, or the letter from their insurance company about a ladder leaning against the garage.
I've lived in the San Fernando Valley for more than 30 years, and I was living in Brentwood when the Northridge earthquake hit in January 1994. It jolted me out of bed at 4:30 in the morning and felt like the epicenter was in my own backyard. That experience is part of why I bring these topics up with every client relocating to Los Angeles, before escrow, not after.
This isn't meant to scare anyone off. Moving to Los Angeles is still one of the best decisions many of my clients make. But knowing what's actually part of daily life here, beyond the sunshine, means you show up prepared instead of caught off guard. Here are eleven things nobody tells you about moving to LA until you're already living it.
Thing 1: Earthquakes Mean You Need a Real Supply Kit, Not Just Awareness
Earthquake preparedness in Los Angeles means having actual supplies on hand, not just knowing earthquakes happen.
I was living in Brentwood in January 1994 when the Northridge earthquake hit. It jolted me out of bed at 4:30 in the morning, and it felt like the epicenter was in my own backyard. I got up and drove straight to my best friend's house in Tarzana, a home I had actually sold them two years earlier. What I didn't realize until later was that I was driving straight toward the epicenter, not away from it.
I had zero supplies at home. My best friends were prepared, so I stayed with them for several weeks while power was out across the Valley. One thing none of us planned for was gas. We had a generator but no way to run it. Gas stations were closed and power was out everywhere, so we ended up siphoning gas from our cars just to keep it going.
That experience is why I never let the gas gauge in my car drop below half a tank, to this day. It's also why I now keep a well stocked supply shed at home: a generator, several small backup power units, battery powered lanterns, cash on hand, water, and basic first aid supplies. Earthquakes aren't the only reason to have this on hand. Power outages happen fairly often in Los Angeles, and we had several during the wildfires last January alone.
If you're moving to Los Angeles, put a real kit together before you need it: water, non-perishable food, a battery or hand crank radio, flashlights, a first aid kit, cash in small bills, and a plan for backup power. Ready.gov has a detailed checklist worth working from.
Thing 2: Every Household Needs a Go Bag and a Family Emergency Plan
A go bag or box with your most important documents and backup drives needs to be packed and ready before an emergency happens, not after.
Beyond a stocked supply closet at home, keep a go bag or a box packed with your most important documents, external hard drives or backup drives, cash, and anything else that would be hard to replace. Emergencies like earthquakes and fires don't give you time to gather things. You need to be able to grab it and go.
Make sure everyone in the household knows where it's kept, and make sure your family actually has an emergency plan: where to meet, who to call, and what to do if you're not together when something happens. This matters just as much as the supplies themselves, and it's the piece people skip most often.
Thing 3: Power Outages Are More Routine Than You'd Expect
Power outages in Los Angeles happen more often than most new residents expect, especially during wind and fire season.
Beyond earthquakes, Los Angeles utilities will intentionally shut off power during high wind Santa Ana events as a wildfire prevention measure, called a Public Safety Power Shutoff. These can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days, and they tend to hit hillside and canyon communities hardest. Downed trees during those same wind events knock out power on their own, and mudslides can damage lines or block access to equipment, causing outages that have nothing to do with a planned shutoff. During the wildfires last January, several neighborhoods across the Valley and Westside lost power more than once.
This is part of why the supply kit and go bag from the first two items matter just as much for day to day life as they do for a major earthquake. A stocked pantry, a way to charge your phone, and a backup light source turn an inconvenient outage into a minor one instead of a scramble.
Thing 4: Coyotes, Snakes, and Other Wildlife Are Part of Life in Every LA Neighborhood
Coyotes live throughout Los Angeles, not just in neighborhoods near the hills, and they can clear most residential fences.
I don't know of a single LA neighborhood that doesn't have coyotes. The closer you are to the hillsides and open space, the more common sightings become, and in the areas along the Santa Monica Mountains, you'll occasionally hear about a mountain lion or bobcat too. But coyotes themselves show up everywhere, from Tarzana to the flatter parts of the Westside.
I warn every client with a pet, no matter the size, about this. Coyotes can jump most fences and often travel in packs. I've had friends and neighbors lose pets to coyotes over the years, and it's one of those things nobody mentions until it happens to someone you know. My advice: walk pets with a small air horn, and keep one easily accessible in your yard too. If you spot a coyote, sounding the horn is usually enough to scare it off.
Hikers should also plan for snakes, especially rattlesnakes. I've come across plenty on hikes all around LA, mostly in the spring and summer months. Stick to marked trails, watch where you step and reach, and give any snake you spot plenty of room. Most bites happen when someone accidentally startles one, not when a snake goes looking for trouble.
Thing 5: Wildfire Risk Shapes Where You Can Buy and What You'll Pay to Insure It
Wildfire risk in Los Angeles affects not just where homes are built, but what it costs to insure them once you own one.
Large parts of the Valley and Westside sit near designated fire hazard severity zones, particularly anything close to hillsides, canyons, or open brush. This isn't unique to remote mountain towns. It includes established neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. Every property carries its own specific risk level, and it's worth understanding before you fall in love with a house.
This is general information meant to help you ask the right questions. For anything specific to a property you're considering, that conversation belongs with an insurance agent or your lender.
Thing 6: Your Homeowners Insurance Can Be Canceled Over Small Things
Insurance companies in California can cancel a policy over minor exterior issues that are easy to overlook and usually easy to fix.
I've had many clients see their insurance canceled or premiums jump after an inspection of their home's exterior. Often the reason is something surprisingly small: a ladder leaning against the side of the house, vines growing up a wall or trellis, tree limbs touching the roof, or even a fence that's leaning slightly.
My advice is always to work with your insurance company when this happens. If they flag an issue, correct it, and most of the time your policy stays intact. Walking a property with fresh eyes, the way an inspector would, before you list or right after you buy, can save you a canceled policy down the road.
Thing 7: Mudslides and Debris Flow Often Follow Wildfires, Not the Other Way Around
Mudslide and debris flow risk in Los Angeles increases after a wildfire strips hillsides of the vegetation that normally holds soil in place.
Burned hillsides lose the root systems that keep soil anchored, so the first heavy rains after a fire season can bring debris flow in canyon and hillside communities. This matters if you're buying in or near a recently burned area, since the risk doesn't end when the fire is out. It shows up months later, with the first significant rain.
Thing 8: The Natural Hazard Disclosure Report Lists Every Risk on a Property
California requires a Natural Hazard Disclosure report on every home sale, listing a property's specific fire, flood, and seismic zone risks.
When you buy a home in California, you'll receive a Natural Hazard Disclosure, or NHD, report as part of the transaction. It shows whether the property sits in a fire hazard severity zone, an earthquake fault zone, a flood zone, or other designated risk areas. Clients moving here from out of state have often never seen anything like it, since most states don't require this level of property-specific hazard reporting.
Read it closely, and ask questions about anything you don't understand. It's one of the most useful documents in the entire transaction.
Thing 9: Most Homes in LA Don't Have Basements
The majority of homes in Los Angeles are built on a slab foundation, so there's no basement for storage or storm shelter.
If you're coming from a part of the country where basements are standard, this catches people off guard. LA homes are typically built directly on a concrete slab or with a small crawl space, which means no basement for extra storage, a home gym, or a place to wait out severe weather. Your supply closet, generator, and emergency kit will need a home somewhere else, like a garage, a hall closet, or a dedicated shed.
Thing 10: The Weather Can Be Completely Different 10 Miles Away
Los Angeles has enough microclimates that it can be 65 degrees and foggy at the beach while it's 95 and sunny a few miles inland, on the same afternoon.
This surprises almost everyone who moves here. Santa Monica and the Westside beach communities run noticeably cooler and foggier than the Valley, especially in the mornings, while places like Tarzana, Encino, and Woodland Hills can run ten or more degrees warmer just a few miles inland. Pack for both. A closet in LA needs beach layers and Valley heat, sometimes for the same week or same day.
Thing 11: Google Maps Time and Real LA Time Are Two Different Things
Traffic in Los Angeles means an 8 mile drive can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending entirely on time of day.
New residents plan their schedules around the map's estimated drive time, then learn the hard way that LA traffic doesn't move at a constant pace. A commute that takes 20 minutes at 10 a.m. can take 50 at 5 p.m. Build in buffer time, especially for anything with a hard start time, like a flight or a school pickup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need an earthquake supply kit if I'm moving to Los Angeles?
Yes. Earthquakes are unpredictable, and a real kit with water, food, backup power, and cash on hand makes a significant difference if utilities go down for days, which happened widely during the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
What should be in a family go bag for emergencies?
A go bag should hold copies of essential documents, backup drives, cash, and anything else that would be hard to replace, packed and ready before an emergency happens. Every member of the household should know where it's kept and what the family's emergency plan is.
Are coyotes a real threat to pets in LA neighborhoods?
Coyotes live throughout Los Angeles and can jump most residential fences, so pets of any size carry some risk, especially near hillside areas. Walking pets with an air horn and supervising yard time helps reduce that risk.
Why does the power go out during Santa Ana wind events in LA?
Utility companies intentionally shut off power during high wind conditions, called a Public Safety Power Shutoff, to reduce the chance that wind-damaged power lines spark a wildfire.
What is a Natural Hazard Disclosure report in California?
It's a required disclosure on every California home sale that lists a property's specific risk for wildfire, flood, and earthquake fault zones, giving buyers a clear picture of hazard exposure before closing.
Thinking About the Move?
Thinking about moving to Los Angeles, or already here and want a grounded read on what a neighborhood is like day to day, beyond the postcard version? I'd love to hear from you. Call or text me at 310-739-9202, or email Leegie@Leegie.com.
Leegie Parker
Real Estate Advisor, Compass
DRE 01020534
310-739-9202 | Leegie@Leegie.com | Leegie.com
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