Best City to live in Californa? (San Diego, San Jose: apartment, rental, living in)

[DetBasketball]

So moving out to California next year to start a pretty good job just I just landed that just requires me to live within the state of CA. I can pick whatever city I want to live in but the only requirement is that it have a International Airport within an hour driving distance.

So CALIFORNIANS tell me what is the best city in California to live in. I love both the ocean and the mountains so my ideal place would be close to both! . Also warm weather is a plus!

My budget is somewhere between $1,100 - $1,350 for a 1 bed room apartment.

[jaijai]

Well, Sacramento is fairly centrally located (not "close" to ocean and mountains but within 3 hours) between the Sierra mountains (Truckee / Tahoe) and San Francisco.
It's in the central valley ... not my favorite place as it's very, very hot in the summer and the air quality is terrible but many people like it and it's less expensive than coastal communities.
You'll be close to the airport.
Davis, just a bit west of Sacramento, is another option.
I don't know Davis but UC Davis is there and many people like it.
San Jose is another option. It's just on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz mountains (not the kind of mountains you may be expecting) and again, you'll have the airport in San Jose and a relatively short commute to the coast (Santa Cruz county .. about 35-40 minutes during non-commuter times).
San Jose is o.k. ... not my favorite place but again, many people live there and like it there.
I'm partial to the coast and would recommend either Monterey county (regional airport - not international) or Santa Cruz county, or the the San Francisco bay area.
All 3 are quite expensive. $1350.00 will be just enough for a small one bedroom or a studio depending on some variables.
If you want real mountain living (especially if you ski), you could live in the Truckee / Tahoe area and the airport over the border in Reno is about 35 minutes from Truckee.
That's what comes to my mind.
You can wait for advice about SoCal locations here or post on the appropriate sub-forum.

[MtnSurfer]

If you like the coast and the mountains as I do then pick one! Living in the middle usually means you have to drive a few hours to get to either. Why not have a mountain or ocean view then visit the other on your time off? While living in CO this was my view:





While in CA this has been my view:





I reocmmend Coastal CA places such as: Monterey, Carmel, San Luis Obispo, or the Santa Cruz Mtns (cosatal mtns). Scotts Valley is really nice. You feel like you are in the mtns. with redwoods and pines all around you and then you can drive to the coast in 15 minutes.

Derek

[jaijai]

Yes, and Scotts Valley will put you in a good location to get to the airport in San Jose fairly quickly.
It's also one of the more (i'd say most) "normal" communities in Santa Cruz county and is very close to the coast but in the S.C. mountains but without being in the thickest of the redwoods which can be challenging in the winter ... unless you like cold, dark and damp.
So there you go ... Scotts Valley ... search over
You'll just have to have some patience when looking for a rental within your price range but if you can swing it, imo and as MtnSurfer said, it's a better option than trying to be in the middle of the state (which means in these neck of the woods, Sacramento area) with a long drive to both mountains and ocean.
Montery county is great but it will mean that you'll have to use the regional airport in Monterey which may or may not suit your needs.

[Snort]

...or San Diego or one of the beach towns north of it: Del Mar, Encinitas, Carlsbad, etc...

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by jaijai

Yes, and Scotts Valley will put you in a good location to get to the airport in San Jose fairly quickly.
It's also one of the more (i'd say most) "normal" communities in Santa Cruz county and is very close to the coast but in the S.C. mountains but without being in the thickest of the redwoods which can be challenging in the winter ... unless you like cold, dark and damp.
So there you go ... Scotts Valley ... search over
You'll just have to have some patience when looking for a rental within your price range but if you can swing it, imo and as MtnSurfer said, it's a better option than trying to be in the middle of the state (which means in these neck of the woods, Sacramento area) with a long drive to both mountains and ocean.
Montery county is great but it will mean that you'll have to use the regional airport in Monterey which may or may not suit your needs.

Here a shot of some redwoods and maples in Scotts Valley.





If commuting to work isn't an issue this is a sweet location. You can be in Santa Cruz in no time for other activites and you are closer to the airport along Hwy 17.

Central and NorCal are the more beautiful parts of the state if you consider mountains (Sierra range) and coast (Big Sur, NorCal coast). SoCal has more people, traffic, pollution/smog, etc... with warmer weather, usually 10+ degrees. The ocean is significantly warmer there in the Summer months. The smaller mountains are just ok (San Bernardino, San Gabriel, etc...) and very crowded. The population from LA to SD in one of the most dense in the entire nation. You notice a huge difference once you leave LA and the SF Valley heading north. The Bay area is the next most crowded region. But it still pales in comparison to the sheer volume of inhabitants to the south.

Derek

[jaijai]

Very nice.
And that's a good explanation of the difference between Central coast + NorCal and SoCal.
I'll just point out to the o.p. that when you say "Central", you're referring to the central coast and not the central valley (very different o.p.)