21yr old looking to move out to CA for a year or so (San Diego: affordable apartments, rentals)

[Kubacks]

Ok, so since I was a young kid I have always wanted to move out to California for a bit. I currently live in NJ and have lived here my whole life so I dont really know anything about CA. Ive been working for the past 6 years and I have been able to save up quite a bit. Sometime towards the end of next year I'm hoping I can finally move out there. I will continue my schooling online or at a community college. I have been looking at a few areas, but I can only read so much and peoples' input who actually live out there would be very helpful. I will be able to afford an apartment that is ~$1000 a month. I would like to live near a "beachy" area that is also in a safer neighborhood. Some of the places I have been looking into are Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and La Jolla. I have found some affordable apartments in those areas I was just wondering if there are any other areas I should check into? I plan to be using this forum a decent amount so all help is appreciated

And I'm only saying for about a year now because all of my family is still here in NJ and I just wanted to get a "feel" for the state. Maybe somewhere down the road I would like to permanently live there

[jaijai]

You could be more specific about what kind of community you'd like to live in regarding the culture and what kind of activities you're interested in and does night life matter to you (and what kind are you looking for) and are you stuck on Southern California and does weather matter to you and is work important to you and are you open to living with room mates and do you care about how liberal or not so liberal a place is .... etc..
Stuff like that just so you can get more helpful feedback.

[Kubacks]

Well I'm really into volleyball beach/indoor. And no, I'm not just set to southern CA, the few places I found just happened to be south. I would prefer warmer weather that is consistent throughout the year. Being able to walk outside with shorts and a t-shirt and be comfortable. And as for the roommate situation I'm currently working on that. I would like to have a roommate since I won't no anyone out there. My one cousin might be interested in moving out there with me, and I also having a cousin living in LA currently who might know someone. But that is all very unclear right now, and I think in the end it might just be me living alone

[jaijai]

Originally Posted by Kubacks

Well I'm really into volleyball beach/indoor. And no, I'm not just set to southern CA, the few places I found just happened to be south. I would prefer warmer weather that is consistent throughout the year. Being able to walk outside with shorts and a t-shirt and be comfortable. And as for the roommate situation I'm currently working on that. I would like to have a roommate since I won't no anyone out there. My one cousin might be interested in moving out there with me, and I also having a cousin living in LA currently who might know someone. But that is all very unclear right now, and I think in the end it might just be me living alone

It does sound like you would prefer SoCal and i don't know it well enough to advice you ... others do though and don't forget the sub-forums.
City-data-forum is very slow lately because apparently it's some sort of holiday or something.
I asked about the possibility of a room mate just 'cause you'll get more for your money.
Though 1K sounds like a good amount of money, rentals on the coast of California are extremely high ... ridiculously high.
You'll be able to find a nicer rental in a better location if you are willing to live with room mates.
And coming out with your cousin would be great as you'll probably feel a bit "lost" at first.
Good luck and welcome to California way in advance.

[Kubacks]

Ok for some reason I can't figure out how to edit my initial post. Is their no such feature? After doing some crime statistic research I was actually quite surprised to the numbers I saw. I am looking for a fairly safer place. I come from an area in NJ where violent crime is very very low, so I would prefer keeping it that way because moving across the country is already a big enough change lol. The website I found the information :

http://www.sandiego.gov/police/pdf/2...umneighbor.pdf

[Ceece]

You can't edit posts after a certain amount of time.

Yeah, there is crime all over. The lower the crime the pricer the areas usually are obviously. What about Santa Monica?

[Kubacks]

Santa Monica seems even worse tbh based off the numbers. Here is the town I currently live in and a breakdown of the crime:

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

It is a small town however. It's weird because Irvine, California is considered the safest city in America when crime is broken down per 100,000 people, but yet based of the numbers I was surprised as to how high they were. Numbers can be deceiving sometimes. Santa Monica appears to have a higher average of crime than CA and the nation. Even though my town has barely no violent crimes the hidden variable is the population. If my town were two quadruple in size or w/e to be equivalent to that of Pacific Beach for example, the numbers for my town could be identical, still lower, or even higher.

I cant find statistics for mission beach or pacific beach on that website above ( cityrating.com ). Is this just because they are part of San Diego?

It would be so helpful if someone who actually lived in NJ and is now in California could find this thread. Help put things into perspective for me lol

[jaijai]

Sorry .... not from N.J..
Just my opinion of course but:
I'd use some of that money that you've saved and come out for a visit and see and feel the different CA coastal communities.
When you find an area that you like then just do it trusting that you'll find a good and safe community in that area in which to live.
Looking at crime stats as a way to choose a location may be really misleading and you may end up nixing a place that would be right for you.
For example, Santa Cruz county definitely has some crime but it tends to be location specific and most of the entire county is quite safe.
But by looking at crime statistics you wouldn't know that and would cross it off your list because of what you're looking at on paper.
This is true i assume for many of the areas that you're considering.
Once you get a sense of where (what area / county) you'd like to be based on positives then find out what towns and neighborhoods are suitable for you.
I'd just suggest not making your decision based on statistics which then may lead to an unrealistic fear of crime. And don't assume that just 'cause there's crime here and there, you're going to be a target of it.
In other words, don't be afraid.
It's good that you're being practical and all however.
Good luck.

[upstatenykid]

Hey man, I'm 21 from New York looking to do the same. Ive been wanting to move out to California forever, and i have about 20k saved up to do it. I am considering moving out next month..so sick of the cold. Hate it. Lol but housing seems not to bad if you move in a house with others( Im aiming to find a room in a house with other college kids, looking to spend bout 500 a month, quite a few choices at that price if you take a look at craigslist). The thing that is holding me back is venturing out there alone, not knowing anyone..though Im sure Ill be OK. Im at the crossroads right now whether to make adventure in my life, or continue my education here at New York to follow a path to slave under the corporate elite. Tough decision I know. Anyways, I just wanted to shout out since we are striving for the same thing, im a noob at this site but shoot a msg if u want bro, cool to know im not alone on wanting to trample new territory!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

And you folks somehow imagine CA is not "under the boot of the corporate elite?"

NEWSFLASH: other than weather and a certain newness, CA has more in common w/ the NE US than it does with neighboring Western states!