Los Angeles, of course, is the closest major city to Los Angeles AFB. It has about 3.8 million people, and is in Los Angeles County, which has a population of about 9.8 million people. LAAFB is actually in El Segundo, a small city of about 17,000, and has some administration and housing in San Pedro (a neighborhood of LA, about 86,000 people, about 16 miles away).

Other cities in the area include Hawthorne, Torrance, Lomita, Inglewood, Gardena, Lawndale, Carson, the Beach Cities: Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, and Palos Verdes. All of these together make up South Bay; LAAFB is on the north side of the South Bay section of the greater Los Angeles area.

It is about 17 miles from Fort MacArthur military housing to LAAFB; this takes about 25 minutes to commute in good traffic, but the city is famous for traffic congestion and travel times can vary significantly. The average commute in Los Angeles is about 30 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: Rental and house purchase amounts can vary a great deal in the Los Angeles area, with great variation on blocks less than a mile apart; El Segundo house prices are as much as twice as those in Hawthorne, only about 4 miles from center to center - El Segundo is closer to the beach, and closer to the aerospace industry of LA.

The average apartment rent in the El Segundo area ranges from $1,000 to $2,000 per month, with a median of $1,450 per month. The average apartment rent in the Inglewood area ranges from $800 to $1,100 per month, and in Hawthorne from $800 to $1,200. In San Pedro the average rent is about $1,200.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in El Segundo is about $840,000, compared to $525,000 for California. The average price for a house in Los Angeles County is about $480,000.

The average price for a house in Hawthorne is about $435,000. In Inglewood, about $351,000. In San Pedro, about $750,000, which again is closer to the beach, and to the very upscale Palo Verdes neighborhood.

Short Description of the Area: The South Bay section of the Los Angeles area is a highly mixed place, with very roughly 800,000 people (depending on which cities and neighborhoods are included in South Bay). Depending on neighborhood, the population is ethnically mixed, with Americans of European, Hispanic, Asian (especially Japanese) and African descent. Other neighborhoods are less mixed, with long established settlements. Gardena and Torrance, for example, have the highest percentages of Japanese descended Americans in the US; Wilmington, for another comparison is highly Hispanic. LA's South Bay section is, loosely speaking, all of the cities and neighborhoods south of LAX International Airport, to San Pedro Bay, and from Santa Monica Bay to vaguely somewhere between I-110 and I-710.

Climate and Weather: The area has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cool, mild, wet winters. Winter temperatures are between the mid 60s and mid-40s and summer temperatures range between the mid-80s and mid-60s. The area is generally sunny, with occasional rain from the Pacific Ocean. Springs may be subject to overcast "May Gray" or "June Gloom" for a couple of weeks; winters sometimes have heavy rain, but usually experience more moderate rain. Los Angeles is known for air pollution, but this is today much better than 20 years ago, and the prevailing winds generally blow smog inland.

Earthquake Warning: Los Angeles and Southern California in general is subject to earthquakes. This is very much a regular part of life. Most quakes are small and, to the locals, not very remarkable, but everyone should have a three day emergency supply kit, just in case of a big quake.