Best Place to Live in CA? (Los Angeles, San Diego: apartments, rental, condos)

[teklanika]

Hi there all,

I'm in the midst of searching for a new place to live, and I've narrowed it down to either CA or FL. I was raised on the east coast and am pretty familiar with Florida, but I'm stumped when it comes to picking a place in California to even research. My primary concerns are safety (as in small town safety, not "it's relatively safe for a large-city"), sunshine and warmth (got to get away from the nor'easters), and availability of houses (not apartments/condos/townhouses) for rent. I know I can get what I'm looking for in certain parts of Florida, and still live near or on the ocean.

Any ideas on which places I should focus on in CA, or should I just scratch the idea all together and go on ahead to Florida?

[SoCalMom]

Orange County is nice.....Irvine, Brea.

[RKgemm]

Lived in SCal long time (San Fernando Valley & LA) housing is way too expensive and it's not really that "safe".. over the years I have had multiple vehicles stolen /broken into as well as had my house burglarized in Sheman Oaks.

My husband and I are moving to Florida within the next year.

[Winston Smith]

Can you describe more of your likes/dislikes? California offers tremendous variety. Do your preferences lean towards urban (car-based or transit-based), rural (farmland or ranchland), ocean (warm beaches or rainy rugged coasts), deserts (hi or low), woodlands (yucca or pine), rain forests, lakes, mountains, flatland, cool, warm? What about job and income needs? Can you telecommute? Consider jobs skills you offer. Can we start with some of these narrow down after we hear your response?

[teklanika]

Originally Posted by cre8

Can you describe more of your likes/dislikes? California offers tremendous variety. Do your preferences lean towards urban (car-based or transit-based), rural (farmland or ranchland), ocean (warm beaches or rainy rugged coasts), deserts (hi or low), woodlands (yucca or pine), rain forests, lakes, mountains, flatland, cool, warm? What about job and income needs? Can you telecommute? Consider jobs skills you offer. Can we start with some of these narrow down after we hear your response?

I would love to live on the coast, but also enjoy rural life. I'm not looking to live in an apartment or condo--can't take being attached to anyone anymore-- so I'm attempting to find an affordable house to rent for about a year. In doing some preliminary searches, it doesn't look like there are too many houses in nicer areas that rent for under 3K, which is a bit over max for me. I want to be in a nice, warm spot, at least for this winter (otherwise, I'd go uber-cheap and move to the midwest). I'm a writer, and so long as I can jump online, I can work from anywhere.

Hope that narrows it down a bit--thanks for the response.

[RCL]

In California, safety is always a *relative* issue.

That having been said...

California has many micro-climates. It depends on how much warm and sunny you want. If you want to be near the ocean and have warmth and sunshine year round, then you'll need to stay in Southern CA. I'd say anywhere between San Diego and Orange County, but again it's pricey in those areas. You might find something for around 3K but it's probably going to be older and smaller.

If you're going to north of around south Santa Barbara, then most likely you're going to have to go inland away from the coast to find warm, sunny weather in both summer and winter, because of the maritime effect from the Pacific (fog and chilling winds). (And I mean it's a cold, dampness that chills to the bone.)

If you're looking for cheap, and want to stay in Southern CA, try Bakersfield. It's just a couple hours away from the coast near LA, and property is very reasonable. It's still an agricultural area and there are also small towns outside of Bakersfield that will be even more reasonable and offer home town atmosphere. Bakersfield is not paradise but it is a decent place to cool your heels for a while, and start branching out from there. You'll deal with some fog in Bakersfield during winter and spring, but it's different than the maritime fog...it's called valley fog and not as cold and damp, but a nightmare to drive in. We're talking...you can't even see the hood ornament on some days.

In So. Cal. the (maritime) fog along the coast usually burns off early in the day. Further north up the coast, it can linger all day and you can never see the sun for days on end (for example, Pacifica and parts of San Francisco).

If you want more of a four seasons type climate, nice dry warm summers, beautiful spring/fall and a little bit of snow in the winter, then you can look into Redding and the surrounding areas. It's still relatively peaceful and home-towney up there. You won't find anything like a nor'easter in Redding.

If you decide you want to be near Sacramento, then I'd recommend Folsom or Roseville. Again, Sacramento deals with valley fog in the winter and spring.

Other areas worth looking into are in the central part of the state, San Luis Obispo, Atascadero, Santa Maria. They are becoming more expensive but if you want something under 3K that should be doable in those areas and you are close enough to get to the ocean, but far enough to get out of the maritime chill-factor (fog and cold wind). San Luis Obispo is a college town so there will be some things going on there.

You'll get more for your money in Florida, hands down. I would not be honest if I did not tell you I think you'd have a better overall quality of life in Florida. That's just my opinion, though.

I'm an expatriated Californian, just left after 40-some years. Most of my family have left as well and we were several generations of natives (going back to the 1880's). We remember what it was like when it was very rural and you could go to bed at night with the doors unlocked. Times are much different now. Some people like it there and more power to them. However, living in CA can be very stressful...for many reasons. For me, I needed to get out of it.

The best thing you can do is take a trip and check it out for yourself. Good luck to you!

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by teklanika

I would love to live on the coast, but also enjoy rural life. I'm attempting to find an affordable house to rent for about a year ... for under 3K.... I want to be in a nice, warm spot.... I'm a writer, and so long as I can jump online, I can work from anywhere.

For a warm coastal climate, consider the stretch between San Luis Obispo (SLO) and the Mexican border. It sounds like Los Angeles, parts of Orange County or San Diego might be too bustling for your tastes, so look outside of those areas. A rental house for $3k/mo is doable, even in a high-rent district like Santa Barbara (though it'd probably be old and small). Since you're not tied to a physical commute, your options open up, particularly as you go north. Check out southern and western SLO County. It might suit your desire for warm and rural, but it's a cooler coast than points south. Keep in mind that coastal waters in California are colder than Florida. You can sunbathe in winter, but it's usually too cold for swimming.

Depending on how rural you want to be (or how far from the coast and how isolated) the northeast corner of California or eastern Sierra might suit you -- small towns, ranches, nature. It snows in those regions, but nothing as severe as what I've heard about "nor'easters." Summers are pleasant. The western Sierra foothills claim a lot of very nice small towns, but you're not near the coast. The tradeoff is mountains, steams and forests.

California's central valleys, San Joaquin and Sacramento, have the extremes: big cities (including the capitol), small towns, very hot in summer (100+ every day), and cold winters, foggy, drizzly (20s/30s low). Big industrial farming, oil and water management are the predominant industries. Mountains, nature areas and coast are somewhat nearby (1 to 4 hours drive).

The low desert around Palm Springs (2 to 3 hours drive from the coast) has a fabulous winter climate -- room temperature and dry. The summers are oppressively hot.

The north coast from Monterey to Oregon, though beautiful, is probably a bad match for you, wet, foggy winters, cool summers.

Hope this helps in your search.

[aguamarina4u]

Hi there,

We moved out of the coastal concrete jungle of Southern California to Morgan Hill, CA. We looked all over and found that Morgan Hill suited our lifestyle. A rural haven from the hustle and bustle of the city life. We have 3 lakes within a 5 to 20 minute drive. We are 15 miles in from the Pacific Ocean but getting there will take you 45 minutes driving through a lovely redwood forest on the way. We have wonderful warm days with a cool Pacific breeze in the afternoon. The evenings cool down at night which is so refreshing. 15 miles south of San Jose via HWY 101. 40 min to Santa Cruz, 3 hours to Yosemite, 4 hours to Lake Tahoe for the best cross country and downhill skiing. Wonderful fresh fruit and veggies from all the local farmers in the area. Great shopping down in Gilroy, the best outlet malls in Cali. Trader Joe's is in the process of building a new store in town too!

At night you can see a sky full of stars unlike living in a metropolitan city. We have no traffic in the city and there's no hurray up and wait. We also have a fantastic school district too.

(http://www.mhu.k12.ca.us/Nord%20dist%20school.htm (broken link))

Another great spot if you can afford it would have been Los Gatos or Monte Sereno.

Good Luck to you :-)

[Roundtruck]

I must agree with the others here, CA has so many different climate areas you need to know what you want. There are MANY nice areas with rent under 3K, unless you want on the beach or mountainside view. Central coast is great, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, etc. I am surprized cre8 didn't suggest Oxnard. Ventura County is considered very safe. Ojai Valley is inland a lttle, warm, and rural. Ventura is not exaclty rural, but far from "city living". I know someone who just rented out a house in Moorpark. It is in a very safe and desirable neighborhhod. A single family 1700 sq ft, 3 bed, 3 bath, short walk to community college for $2200.

You can have mountains, beach, and desert within a short drive, depending on where you live. You should visit awhile. I have visited Florida some. It is one of the places I've seen that made me think "I sure hope I never have to live here". The beaches are pretty, the water is clear and warm, but oh the downside! Well to each his own. Good luck!

[achillez88]

SB county may offer what you are looking for. There are some small safe mountain towns below Big Bear that have some of the cheapest housing in CA (cheap because its in such a small community). Look into Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear City, Forest falls, Angelous Oaks, Big Bear Lake, Sugarloaf, Woodlands, Running Springs, Crestline, and anywhere within 5 miles of any of the listed communities. I'd have to say that this places are just marvelous, there are so many trees and life and the climate is perfect. Sometimes it'll snow (it isnt like unbearably cold like in the midwest) but usually its very comfortable. I wouldnt mind living in any of these towns.