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Old 12-04-2007, 07:17 PM
 
5 posts, read 15,430 times
Reputation: 10

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I'm hoping to move to CA by September '08, because if I have to spend one more godforsaken winter in crapass MA I will go insane. I don't have a car and would prefer to use public transportation if at all possible. So, I'm trying to find out which places have subways/trolleys/buses/whatever they use in CA, and how much I can expect to pay for rent.

I've been thinking about moving to San Diego; is that realistic? My job pays crap, but I'll probably be able to telecommute, which would save me the trouble of finding a job once I move. And I have no problem with having to live with roommates or get another job--I'm not kidding about how much I hate winter. I was looking at the San Diego craigslist and there were rooms for rent that were going for $450/500-ish, which can't be true because there is no way you can even afford a room for $600 in a 4BR apt here and I'm pretty sure that San Diego has to be at least as expensive as Boston--if not more.

So, San Diego: Public transportation (if not there, what city does have good public transportation)? Rent prices (for a 1BR or a room in a 2 or 3 BR)? Thanks--I'd appreciate any help you can give me.
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Old 12-04-2007, 11:26 PM
 
Location: In a room above Mr. Charrington's shop
2,916 posts, read 11,049,444 times
Reputation: 1765
In spite of common claims that everyone needs a car in CA, it is a myth. You can absolutely get by without one if you set yourself up correctly. In San Francisco you'll actually save yourself a ton of headaches and money if you live car free. It's less convenient in San Diego and LA to be without a car, but not impossible. It can be done in both cities if you live close to the transit lines and walking distance to shopping centers. SD and LA beat SF in that you'll have nicer weather for longer parts of the year where you can also comfortably ride a bike for transpo. You can bring your bike on all trains and buses in most areas of CA.

Other places where you wouldn't need a car include Santa Barbara, Sacramento and Davis. Though I don't know much about Orange County, I've read several posts by user Recycled on this board about getting around by bike, transit and trains in OC.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your move!
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Old 12-05-2007, 01:51 AM
 
Location: Tijuana Exurbs
4,530 posts, read 12,351,268 times
Reputation: 6273
Yes you can share an apartment in San Diego in the $400-$500/month range. There's an older 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment for rent in my neighborhood for $975 so clearly the range you've seen can be found for apartments that are 40 years old or older. Apartments that old often come with limited amenities, such as no Dishwasher, no A/C, and possibly no laundry room in the building.

If you choose to live in San Diego, to have reasonable access to public transport, you should concentrate your search within the city of San Diego, in the area south of Interstate 8.
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Old 12-05-2007, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Northern California
3,721 posts, read 14,682,572 times
Reputation: 1962
San Francisco and the Bay Area has probably the best and most extensive public transportation system in California - everything from subways, trains to ferries on the bay. However, it's one of the most expensive places to live in the country.
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Old 12-05-2007, 12:37 PM
 
609 posts, read 2,235,992 times
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I am with you on the Mass weather thing.

The best place probably would be San Francisco in terms of ease of transportation. I am sure in SD, you will eventually need a car if you need to go to LA or whatever.

GL with your more.
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Old 12-06-2007, 04:17 PM
 
52 posts, read 215,124 times
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If you are willing to have roommates, you can find a place in SF for $600-1000/mo thanks to rent control. Many people in the City have lived in their apts. for years and therefore have comparatively low rent. You can even score an apt. with a view if you are lucky. I think you can probably get around in LA and SD without a car if you choose your location carefully, but in SF, it's actually kind of nice not to have one due to the rather dire parking situation in most of the neighborhoods. The Muni metro system is very affordable, it gets you all around the city, and you can always rent a car if you want to get away for the weekend.
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Old 12-10-2007, 12:34 AM
 
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,298 posts, read 14,117,899 times
Reputation: 8104
There's a San Diego subforum here also for more information.

San Diego is nice, but be aware that it is bland and lacks character compared to Massachusetts (where I was born and raised). You'll miss the autumn. For some reason, almost constant nice sunny 70-80 degree weather with perfect humidity levels can get on your nerves after a while.

You can get a tiny studio for $600-700 in the downtown area (Peachtree Inn for one), but you would find problems such as some thugs and cockroaches. Probably fewer thugs than many areas of Boston, or at least not as murderous. Yes, you can share apartments for less than that, but I never did so when living there so couldn't give you advice.

Public transportation is OK, probably less light rail than the MBTA and no subway, but good enough to get to most places.

You can live cheaply there if you learn quickly where to shop and go for recreation.
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Old 12-11-2007, 10:21 PM
CEO
 
39 posts, read 177,914 times
Reputation: 19
the san diego public transportation is decent, obviously not as good as the BART. it get's you to most places needed, with reasonable time. just don't live in the outskirts of the city.

i do not like having a car in san diego, there is always traffic and parking can be a hassle almost like LA and SF.

i am used to high rent prices but i think sd is a reasonable place if you have a roommate. expect to pay around 500-600 depending on the rooms you have, area, and amenities.
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Old 12-19-2007, 07:35 PM
 
5 posts, read 15,430 times
Reputation: 10
Default So, maybe not San Diego... but still looking

Thanks, everyone, for all of your help. I've decided against San Diego after I read a little bit more about the culture there--from what I gather, iit's not very career-oriented and kind of a hippie-ish town. I'd like more of an urban, intellectual feel, and I've heard that San Francisco is just that. BUT... it's wicked expensive, and doesn't get above 60 degrees in the summer (How can that be right???). So, it seems that it's back to the drawing board...

Are there any other places in CA where you can get by without a car, have warm weather, pay cheap rent (roommates are fine), further your career (desperately need to; don't want to be doing this entry-level stuff for years), and be around people you can actually talk to? I'm guessing the answer is no... I think I just described some sort of nonexistent college-grad Mecca.

My career is in editing/publishing if that helps. I'm not exactly sure yet where that CA scene is--another thing I need to research. So many factors, argh.

Thanks again, everyone!
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Old 12-19-2007, 08:38 PM
 
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,298 posts, read 14,117,899 times
Reputation: 8104
Walnut Creek, and use the BART to commute to San Francisco? Or one of the other outlying communities.
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