Name Your Top 3 Towns or Cities in California (Los Angeles, San Francisco: hotel, to live)

[Capt. Dan]

Originally Posted by GregJ

Big-city: Long Beach
Mid-size: San Luis Obispo
Small: Calistoga

(wild card: Lone Pine)

Man, i could easily see myself livin aroud Lone pine or Bishop!

[NorthernCalifornia]

Trinidad
Bolinas
Malibu

[PDXBound]

San Luis Obispo (since I live there!)
Eureka (love the Redwoods)
San Francisco

Never liked anywhere South of Santa Barbara.

[bitman]

Eureka
Burlingame
Half Moon Bay

[jessemh431]

I've been to Half Moon Bay. That is one weird-a** city. Everyone seemed high and way too laid back. I didn't feel like I was in CA, especially only half an hour from San Jose. If you like it for the scenery, and not the city, then I completely agree with you. The sheer cliffs falling right into the pounding ocean on your west with green, grass covered, hilly fields to the east, all the farms like the pumpkin farms (HMB is named like the pumpkin city of america or something like that) and the christmas tree farms are really neat. Kinda gives you this really eerie feeling while driving through because the fog is really heavy, there's no lights around you, and you are surrounded by forests and wide open fields. Maybe it's just me though since I'm so used to LA.

[Fleet]

1. Northridge/Chatsworth/Porter Ranch. (See photo below.) Mountains; many hiking, horse and bike trails in and near the mountains; many clear days; much less smog than areas in and East of Los Angeles; wide roads; easy parking; a weekly car show/gathering; warm Santa Ana winds when they are most needed (winter); tons of stores.

2. Thousand Oaks/Agoura Hills. Semi-rural lifestyle; scenery; clear skies w/little smog.

3. Northwestern San Gabriel Valley (LaCanada/LaCrescenta/Montrose). Nice area; scenery; good choice of shopping; great views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

And one "extra": Bel Air/Beverly Hills/Hombly Hills (the area north of Sunset Blvd.) Obviously an exclusive area, mansions; not from from shopping areas on Wilshire Blvd; movie stars!

Another "extra": One of the communities in the foothills of the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains.

[gizmo980]

San Francisco - of course.

South Lake Tahoe - I lived there for a while, and fell in love with the whole area.

Not sure about the third one... maybe Santa Cruz, Arcata or Berkeley? I love hippie towns, LOL.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I've been to Half Moon Bay. That is one weird-a** city. Everyone seemed high and way too laid back. I didn't feel like I was in CA, especially only half an hour from San Jose. If you like it for the scenery, and not the city, then I completely agree with you. The sheer cliffs falling right into the pounding ocean on your west with green, grass covered, hilly fields to the east, all the farms like the pumpkin farms (HMB is named like the pumpkin city of america or something like that) and the christmas tree farms are really neat. Kinda gives you this really eerie feeling while driving through because the fog is really heavy, there's no lights around you, and you are surrounded by forests and wide open fields. Maybe it's just me though since I'm so used to LA.

You're right, HMB is a weird little town! I grew up in San Mateo, so we spent many a summer/fall weekend there, and it always tripped me out. Maybe it's all the pumpkins and fog that make it odd, but I think it's cool anyway.

[krudmonk]

It's hard to pick individual towns and cities, so I'll do regions.

-north
-middle
-south

[CamaroGuy]

For me its:

1. Cambria

2. Santa Clarita

3 Burbank