One suburb that I would recommend is centrally located--in fact, it's nickname is the Hub City. It's served by two freeways and is only about 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It's also fairly close to the airport and the beaches, and the amusement parks of Orange County are just down the freeway.
This is a quaint college town that sports a community college, with a big state university just outside the city limits. For those seeking additional learning opportunities, USC and Long Beach State are only about 10 miles away, while UCLA is just a bit further.
The community is proud to have been the home of two US presidents--George H. W. and George W. Bush. When she was living there, First Lady Barbara Bush even described the town as "lovely."
The name of this town? Compton.
>> The name of this town? Compton.
I had to deliver Otis Spunkmeyer cookies to one Korean liquor store in Compton in 1999 and to the South Central L.A. U.S. Postal Megaplex. It always surprised me how the populace goes from all-white south of CSULB to all-black to the north.