Job Transfer from Chicago - Where to Live near Santa Maria? (San Diego: fit in, apartment complex) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

rmigolf3 · 10-08-2014, 02:54 PM

There's a chance my wife and I will be moving somewhere in the vicinity of Santa Maria for a job transfer in the next couple months. If we do, I will working in San Luis Obispo while my wife would likely work in Santa Barbara. Originally, we thought we could live in Santa Maria to try to split the commute times; however, I would like to get some additional opinions of where the best places in the area to live might be.

We are both 29 years old and currently living in a Chicago suburb, so we are used to having numerous interesting things to do on any given weekend. However, we don't need to be spoon-fed entertainment; in fact, my wife is simply excited that we might be getting away from the Chicago winters and that we'll be relatively close to the beach.

My job transfer would be applicable for approximately five years. We would likely rent at least the first year and possibly the entire time as I'm not sure I want to own a house for only four year before potentially trying to sell and relocate. Our cost of housing (and living in general) in the midwest is typically quite a bit less than on the west coast, so I'm not sure we'd be able to afford a move-in ready house of the same caliber that we have right now.

Where would you recommend planting our roots that would be a safe, interesting place to live and would be somewhere close to the middle between our two work locations? We would love to be relatively close to the beach, but our top priority is a safe, friendly area.

Thanks for your help!

the city · 10-08-2014, 09:29 PM

Yeesh that is quite a distance between the two. San Luis Obispo is an hour and half or more from Santa Barbara taking the shortcut, but taking the shortcut at night can be dangerous. Without short cut it's an hour.

The safe, friendly, and nicest area in the middle would be Orcutt. Orcutt's nearest beach would be Guadalupe and Pismo Beach.

How often would she work in Santa Barbara?

rmigolf3 · 10-09-2014, 06:42 AM

Yes, I saw the same thing: Google maps said Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo is about 90 minutes one way. Unfortunately, our door-to-door commute right now is 90 minutes, so it wouldn't be that much different for us. Of course, we'd like to reduce that if possible.

My wife would work in Santa Barbara all week, which is why, ideally, we'd live somewhere in the middle. Thanks for the suggestion; we'll definitely take a look at Orcutt.

Any other thoughts or suggestions out there?

nightlysparrow · 10-09-2014, 12:26 PM

[quote=rmigolf3;36800642]We are both 29 years old and currently living in a Chicago suburb, so we are used to having numerous interesting things to do on any given weekend/QUOTE]

If this involved traveling into Chicago, you will be doing the same thing with Santa Barbara, as there is little else to do entertainment-wise to the north.

rmigolf3 · 10-09-2014, 12:57 PM

We don't need to have entertainment given to us, but we don't want to be stuck with nothing to do. Granted, we'll have hiking and beaches that aren't available to us here in the midwest. We just want to make sure we're not selecting somewhere to live for several years where we will be bored or won't fit in.

nightlysparrow · 10-09-2014, 02:19 PM

You will be completely bored in Santa Maria. It has a few historic buildings, the rest a lot of blah, and much of it run-down. You will want to go to SB for fun, good shopping, culture.

As for fitting in, depends on your stats---the 2010 US Census said it was 70.4% Hispanic, with 62.9% speaking another language besides English at home. For SLO, respective comparison is 14.7%, 16.5%. SLO has some culture, but SB leaves it in the dust.

The beaches, they are beautiful, but usually windy and often cold. The ocean almost never warms up like Lake Michigan. Surfers wear wetsuits. Hiking in the hills is always good. And there are fantastic sunsets. But watch out for the wildlife (this happened nearby. Rare occurrence in the past, but with the drought?):

Bobcat bites woman outside California resort - CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8

the city · 10-09-2014, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

You will be completely bored in Santa Maria. It has a few historic buildings, the rest a lot of blah, and much of it run-down. You will want to go to SB for fun, good shopping, culture.

As for fitting in, depends on your stats---the 2010 US Census said it was 70.4% Hispanic, with 62.9% speaking another language besides English at home. For SLO, respective comparison is 14.7%, 16.5%. SLO has some culture, but SB leaves it in the dust.

The beaches, they are beautiful, but usually windy and often cold. The ocean almost never warms up like Lake Michigan. Surfers wear wetsuits. Hiking in the hills is always good. And there are fantastic sunsets. But watch out for the wildlife (this happened nearby. Rare occurrence in the past, but with the drought?):

Bobcat bites woman outside California resort - CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8

NOW NOW! Be nice....

I suggested Orcutt. Orcutt has wine tasting, a couple trails, it's not too far from the beach, all your grocery shopping needs, and the schools there are good for kids. There is a movie theater in Santa Maria and a bowling alley as well. There is even a drive in movie theater in Santa Maria and it's close to Orcutt. I bet you haven't been to one of those in a long time!

As for other shopping, Wal-Mart and Target and Home Depot and Trader Joe's are in Santa Maria. I'd avoid the Santa Maria Mall, unless going there for the movie theater.

Orcutt has a couple nice bars too.

I also forgot to mention Santa Ynez, Buellton, or Solvang. It's not middle distance for both of you. It would be an hour and half to San Luis Obispo and 30 minutes to Santa Barbara. Santa Ynez has a casino and resort. Solvang has a Danish village. Buellton has a movie theater, grocery market, and even a health food market!

Thunder98 · 10-09-2014, 04:04 PM

Orcutt is much nicer compared to Santa Maria.Santa Maria has too much crime especially in the Northwest.
I live in Orcutt.

nightlysparrow · 10-10-2014, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the city

NOW NOW! Be nice....

I was being nice. And I was being informative. I am very familiar with Chicago and its metro, and I also know SB & SLO Counties well (live 1 county south). There is a drastic difference between the Chicago metro and the Central Coast, and I was illustrating that for the OP.

For one thing, Cook County (Chicago) has 5.2 million people, not even counting the surrounding suburban counties! The combined population of the 2 counties where the OP wants to move is only 711,000 (SB County has 435,00, and SLO has 276,000). Quite a contrast.

Also, Chicago's suburbs often share a contiguous border with the city; there is no separation. But in the CA Central Coast area, there are greater distances people need to drive to get to other towns, entertainment, better shopping (not just Wal-Mart or Target, sorry) and other activities. Not so in the metro Chicago area. The City of Chicago is very compact by California standards---only 22 miles long and 8 miles wide! Even the suburbs are not that far out. By contrast, it's 80 miles from SLO to SB, and SLO is itself far from a major city---220 miles to LA and 220 miles to SF. This would impact the need for international airports, cutting-edge medical centers, national entertainment performances, and other big-city assets, which the OP may be used to having a lot closer at hand.

rmigolf3 · 10-10-2014, 03:18 PM

Thanks, nightsparrow. I knew it would be a pretty big change for us to move to that area of CA. We just wanted to get a feel for what we might be getting ourselves into from a lifestyle perspective.

Based on the little bit of research we've done and the feedback we've gotten so far (thank you!), I'm leaning toward either Orcutt or Solvang as a good middle ground for us. Granted, I haven't done any research into Santa Ynez or Buellton yet, so that might throw a wrinkle into my thoughts.

Can anyone provide any opinions of a good apartment complex in the above-mentioned areas (Orcutt, Solvang, Santa Ynez, or Buellton)? We'd like to pay less than $2,000/month and could make due with a one-bed apartment, if necessary; we'd prefer a two-bedroom place though. As a mentioned in my initial post, we could be staying for up to five years, but we'd most likely want to rent for at least the first year to get a feel for the area. Even then, we might not want to restrict ourselves by buying something with four years or less left.