Bad place to live: Arroyo Grande, CA (Stockton, Modesto: to rent, motel)

[Transplant7]

If you move to the Five Cities area it is VERY EXPENSIVE!! The beaches are beautiful, but the water is always COLD! This is a great vacation spot, but not a place to live for all the reasons the first person noted. We moved from out of State and can't wait to leave CA! Low rent equals dumpy neighborhood. There was a gang murder two streets over about two years ago. Lots of things happen here and it's not a place to live! We have a good job and just barely keep ourselves afloat. CA taxes, gas, insurance rates, food, needs cost everything and I wish I was only here on vacation. Oh! It NEVER rains and it's very hard to grow anything. There are farms all over and one can get produce for a reasonable price that way, but the fresh produce spoils quickly and one needs to market almost daily for those foods. Good thing the farm is close! If you like only one season and seriously high cost of living by all means this is the place. However, the water is very cold and so the Ocean is basically beautiful scenery. Great for renting a hotel on the beach to visit, but I can't wait for the day we make our home in a more reasonable place to live. It is VERY difficult to break into friendships and I agree there are many closed people here or the addicts that will be your friend for a buck. It takes a LONG time to find the "normal" people and befriend them.

[sourdough]

Just read this 3-1/2 year old, one an done California hate thread. Wondering where you(OP) ended up and how do you like it ?

[edikit]

It makes me truly sad that so many people here feel so negatively toward SLO county, especially those who've never even been here.

I've pretty much lived here my whole life. I don't have connections or a whole lot of money. It's expensive, yes. It's tough to find a decent place to live, yes. Property managers are shady, yes. But I also just described the state of the worldwide housing market for the last 10 years.

But if you CAN find a place here, it is 100% worth all the crap that you'll have to put up with. Much more worth it than having to put up with that same crap anywhere else.

This community is about just that -- community. If you simply care about the area and your neighbors, AG is truly a paradise.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by Transplant7

If you move to the Five Cities area it is VERY EXPENSIVE!! The beaches are beautiful, but the water is always COLD! This is a great vacation spot, but not a place to live for all the reasons the first person noted. We moved from out of State and can't wait to leave CA! Low rent equals dumpy neighborhood. There was a gang murder two streets over about two years ago. Lots of things happen here and it's not a place to live! We have a good job and just barely keep ourselves afloat. CA taxes, gas, insurance rates, food, needs cost everything and I wish I was only here on vacation. Oh! It NEVER rains and it's very hard to grow anything. There are farms all over and one can get produce for a reasonable price that way, but the fresh produce spoils quickly and one needs to market almost daily for those foods. Good thing the farm is close! If you like only one season and seriously high cost of living by all means this is the place. However, the water is very cold and so the Ocean is basically beautiful scenery. Great for renting a hotel on the beach to visit, but I can't wait for the day we make our home in a more reasonable place to live. It is VERY difficult to break into friendships and I agree there are many closed people here or the addicts that will be your friend for a buck. It takes a LONG time to find the "normal" people and befriend them.

Oh yeah, you need to leave. I've found the food is great the weather great the scenery great. That cold ocean acts as a giant air conditioner, in comparison the rest if the country has horrible weather. One season? Correct, only the good one!

[simbared]

Wow, I had the opposite experience that Transplant7 had when I moved to SLO County for college. I lived in Morro Bay and SLO, always had great neighbors and had no problem finding "normal" people. I was anything but rich, being a single parent subsisting on the G.I. Bill and student loans. I think some people will gripe about their situation no matter where they are living.

[the city]

South County and North County different from the college town of San Luis Obispo. I lived in North County and now happily live in South County. San Luis Obispo is over priced for it's housing, it's the cost of a bay area suburb but without many of the jobs. Most everyone who lives in SLO is a out of towner who came there for work or go to college, not many long time locals. Don't get me wrong, SLO is very nice and it has all the hiking, nice weather, nice farmers market, and nice downtown. Its just most ppl who live there are rich and came from SoCal or the Bay Area for a new job and could afford to live here, you are rich graduate from Poly and can afford to buy a place, and the rest rent. North County is mostly all long time locals and affordable, but hot. Paso is quiet the tourist town now with its wineries and other tourist spots. South County is also very touristy, but it's all mostly long time locals. Pismo Beach and part of Grover Beach are the priciest places to live. Arroyo Grande and Nipomo have agriculture based economies. AG is nice because of it's downtown, some health food markets, and close proximity to the beach. Nipomo is still developing and it's still creating it's downtown and is the most rural and affordable of places to live in South County.

[JJSWorld1019]

We moved to AG 2 yrs ago. We originally thought it would be a great place to raise kids. My husband and I had job offers and quickly settled. We realised right away that the people were a lot different than we were used to. There's no friendly smile ANYWHERE. The schools are no where close to the standards we were used to. I was told from a community member that if your not from AG your not really wanted in AG. Two yrs later and here we are boxing up our home and heading out with our youngsters in toe. This has truly been the worst two yrs of our lives. The people are rude, mean, crass, and flat out stuck up. We are a middle class, educated family but we're treated by these people as if we're the scrum of the earth. Its hard to believe that people behave this way. We thought it was just a few people but it turned out to be everywhere you go. Teachers, business owners, school parents, school staff etc they're awful! There is no sense of community. There is no sense of pride in the way we treat one another it's absolutely shocking. I am elated and relieved to leave this area. I am not bitter or angry, I simply want to make others aware of our experience here. If it is a dream of yours to live at the central coast, please think again because it is not as it may seem. We are used to a small, friendly community. One that welcomes diversity and change regardless of where someone is from. We look forward to returning to our previous location and we hope that posting this can give others a better understanding of this "communtiy" and lifestyle.

[Tolerance999]

Originally Posted by JJSWorld1019

We moved to AG 2 yrs ago. We originally thought it would be a great place to raise kids. My husband and I had job offers and quickly settled. We realised right away that the people were a lot different than we were used to. There's no friendly smile ANYWHERE. The schools are no where close to the standards we were used to. I was told from a community member that if your not from AG your not really wanted in AG. Two yrs later and here we are boxing up our home and heading out with our youngsters in toe. This has truly been the worst two yrs of our lives. The people are rude, mean, crass, and flat out stuck up. We are a middle class, educated family but we're treated by these people as if we're the scrum of the earth. Its hard to believe that people behave this way. We thought it was just a few people but it turned out to be everywhere you go. Teachers, business owners, school parents, school staff etc they're awful! There is no sense of community. There is no sense of pride in the way we treat one another it's absolutely shocking. I am elated and relieved to leave this area. I am not bitter or angry, I simply want to make others aware of our experience here. If it is a dream of yours to live at the central coast, please think again because it is not as it may seem. We are used to a small, friendly community. One that welcomes diversity and change regardless of where someone is from. We look forward to returning to our previous location and we hope that posting this can give others a better understanding of this "communtiy" and lifestyle.

All cities in San Luis Obispo county are somewhat fearful of newcomers and growth, they don't want the county to turn into los Angeles. San Luis Obispo is a great college town. As for property managers, unfortunately, rpm management of San Diego has taken over. Keep going north to find more diversity, like Chico or Davis

[vnbdks]

Yes, AG and SLO are not welcoming to "outsiders".. They moved to nowhereville (SLO county) to be alone in their bunker, not hosting parties.

I found SLO to be backward, un-accepting and poor. Most of the people who could leave SLO, left. The ones who remain either can't leave(losers, drugs, etc.) or are rich enough it doesn't matter.

[vnbdks]

Originally Posted by Tolerance999

All cities in San Luis Obispo county are somewhat fearful of newcomers and growth, they don't want the county to turn into los Angeles.

They'd better be more worried that SLO turns into the central valley. I've seen more people leave this place than anywhere I've ever lived. Once these kids graduate, they bolt. Gotta be like 90% leave.

People who haven't lived in a normal area don't realize that this is abnormal for those of us not from "farmland"..

The shopping and dining in the area, well lets just say they leave A LOT to be desired.