Good beach towns with good surfing in Central or Southern California (San Diego: to rent, house)

[CAgnarly]

I grew up in the Central Valley, and honestly didn't like it much at all. Racism, bigots, gangs, crime, pollution, horrible extremes of weather, etc. didn't sit very well with me I'm going to college soon, but after that, I'm trying to begin my search for a California beach town to rent/purchase in.

My family has a beach house (or shack, rather) in Morro Bay, CA that we spent about 1/3 of the year in, so I guess we would be considered "locals". So I'm familiar with that area (San Luis Obispo, Cambria, Cayucous, Los Osos, Pismo). I love these towns, but I'm learning to surf this year and am looking for a town more south with better surf (from what I've heard and seen, the surf isn't that great, but is good for beginners to learn).

Anywhere south of Morro Bay would be great, but I'm trying to avoid LA county, just because that's not really the vibe that I'm looking for, no offense to any LAers. Mostly looking for somewhat affordable right-on-the-beach towns in the Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange, or maybe even San Diego counties.

Things that I'm looking for:
-local vibe, not a tourist hotspot
-laid-back with a lot of local events going on (like Morro Bay)
-around 8,000-50,000 people (I'll try to be open-minded though if it's more or less)
-great beaches and surfing for intermediate surfers
-some kind of nightlife
-has young people
-in the vicinity of a larger city
-almost no crime, gang activity, pollution
-friendly, open-minded, welcoming people

NOT looking for towns like Santa Maria and that area. If the town is small (around 5,000) it must be within 30 minutes of a larger city.

Thanks for anyone with helpful suggestions!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by CAgnarly

I'm going to college soon,
after that, I'm trying to begin my search for a California beach town to rent/purchase in.


I'm learning to surf this year
looking for somewhat affordable right-on-the-beach towns in the Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange, or maybe even San Diego counties.

Where will you be attending school?
What will you be studying?
What career do you think you'll pursue?

What does "affordable" mean to you?

[CAgnarly]

Originally Posted by Charles

Where will you be attending school?
What will you be studying?
What career do you think you'll pursue?

What does "affordable" mean to you?

I'm going for a Business degree. Haven't decided where I'm going to college but I have options since I have been taking hard courses and have 4.1 gpa and did well on my SATs. I'm not dead-set on a single career (like so many kids my age), but I'm looking for something creative, and with a business degree I'll be able to have a lot of options.

Affordable means in the same realm as the Morro Bay area where minimum homes go at $200 grand and those are the fixer-uppers, but you can get a nice home with maybe an ocean view for around 350,000-500,000. I'm not looking for the top of the top snooty beach places where only the rich and famous reside. I realize beach towns will always be more expensive than land-locked but I still want to live in a beach town. I just want some options with details as to how the town is.

And I'm obviously going to rent for a while out of college. I'm not opposed to living in an airstream trailer for a while or something like that either lol. I'm just looking for a nice town.

[Charles]

Ventura
Dana Point
Encinitas

[CAgnarly]

Originally Posted by Charles

Ventura
Dana Point
Encinitas

Could you give me some details about each (pros/cons)? I've been to Ventura before (my uncle who's a pro surfer lives there), but the other two I'm clueless about.
I've heard about Dana Point before, isn't it really expensive? (that's the reputation I've heard about most of Orange county).

Thanks for your help Charles!

[bhcompy]

Surfside, Sunset Beach. Huntington is younger, but doesn't sound like your vibe

[LadyKLO]

Considering your age, I'd go with Ventura. The cost of living will probably be a lot cheaper and from what I hear, the waves at the Point in Ventura are pretty good. Some coworkers of mine surf there daily and they rave about it.

Ventura has a lot of nightlife with some dance clubs in downtown Ventura near Main Street with some trendy stores and restaurants. You could live in Oxnard if you really want to save some money. You could probably rent somewhere down in Oxnard Shores or Silverstrand Beach.

There are a few schools here..you have the local community colleges i.e. Ventura and Oxnard College and there is CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo. There's also U of Leverne and I think U of Phoenix is still here too.

[humboldtrat]

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach - California Beach - Surf City USA Bring lots of money!

[CAgnarly]

Thanks to everybody for helping in my search!

To LadyKLO, I think Ventura may be a good fit for me, but I'm actually looking for a place for after college. I'm trying to get into the best college possible. But it does sound nice for after! Are the locals generally welcoming? Is there a large job market since the town is bigger?

And as for Oxnard, from what I've read and heard, it sounds like there's a big problem with gang activity (from what I've read even worse than the valley )! It would be nice to have things be cheaper, but I'm trying to get away from all of that!



To humboldtrat, Huntington Beach sounds a little too pricey... And from what I've heard the people are "snobby". I like laid-back beaches!

[.highnlite]

San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly, you have easy access to surf from the gentle Santa Barbara coast, to Jalama, to Pismo Beach, to the great local coves nearby to Morro Bay to the wild and ragged Big Sur surf..

Plus you would live in a livable town, and attend one of the Great Universities..