Where should I go in CA? (San Bernardino, Santa Rosa: low crime, houses, employment)

[juliabrooke]

Hey everyone, first time here on the boards...

I'm a 25 year old female and have lived in Southern CA my whole life. I grew up in Highland/San Bernardino (IE), then moved to Mission Viejo (OC) after I graduated high school. I lived in various cities around south OC for ~6 years. I recently moved back to San Bernardino about a year ago after college when I found my first job. I'm ready to move, but not sure where. I enjoy being outside, love the beach, mountains and hiking. I'm active in my church. The town of Bishop is one I enjoy visiting, but employment there seems difficult and it may be a little far out in the middle of nowhere for my taste. I mainly want pretty scenery and more space-so everywhere you look is not houses. I work in the medical field, so jobs are fairly easy for me to come by. I think Northern CA might have some areas I would like, but just not familiar with anything past LA.

South OC:

Liked...
-The beaches
-The weather (although it gets a bit boring)
-Low crime
Disliked:
-So many people
-High cost of living
-No space, everything is on top of each other
-People tend to be stuck up

Liked the San Juan and San Clemente areas the best.


IE:

Like:
-Close to the mountains?
Dislike:
-Summer weather
-Crime/Poverty
-Smog
-It's just ugly around here

Liked Redlands, especially near downtown/historical areas are nice. Yucaipa has some good things about it as well.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by juliabrooke

Liked Redlands, especially near downtown/historical areas are nice. Yucaipa has some good things about it as well.

If you aren't sure about going too far, I would look in ^that area. Beaumont, Cherry Valley, Mentone, etc, as well.

You're going to have trade-offs wherever you go in CA. That being said, check out Santa Rosa just for the heck of it.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I was thinking Santa Cruz might work for you. Sunnier than beaches farther north. And it has mountains and beaches right next to each other.

Same with Humboldt County with beaches and mountains - like Eureka and Arcata. And up the coast to Crescent City - redwoods all along up there and beaches. It would be much cooler than you're used to, but would never be super hot or super cold.

[Adriatica]

Sonoma County. Petaluma, Santa Rosa. Maybe Marin County, if you can afford it.

[Hawk J]

You will probably fall in love with the scenery around Monterey area...

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by juliabrooke

The town of Bishop is one I enjoy visiting, but employment there seems difficult… I work in the medical field, so jobs are fairly easy for me to come by.

Why don't you find an acceptable job in your field and then move to whatever town that job happens to be in? Right across the street if possible.

Low stress, fair pay and an easy commute makes for a much happier and more balanced lifestyle than living close to some trees and spending half your life on the road to get to a job you hate does.

[juliabrooke]

Originally Posted by otterprods

Why don't you find an acceptable job in your field and then move to whatever town that job happens to be in? Right across the street if possible.

Low stress, fair pay and an easy commute makes for a much happier and more balanced lifestyle than living close to some trees and spending half your life on the road to get to a job you hate does.

Very true! I have looked up jobs in Bishop in the past, but not recently. I work as an occupational therapy assistant with pediatrics. Living in a city (or nearby one) of moderate size it's fairly easy for me to find work. However in smaller towns most needs can be filled by 1-2 Occupational Therapists-meaning assistants are not needed. I'm currently working towards my graduate degree in OT, but it'll be a couple more years until that's complete.

Outside of that, it looks like I need to plan a road trip to the Monterey area in the near future.