Originally Posted by starkt
Okay, here are the candidates:
San Diego area: La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Coronado
San Diego traffic is so horrendous that I would not choose to live in areas (like the above communities) where I needed a car in order to function. So if you have to live in San Diego, I recommend: Hillcrest/Bankers Hill-Park West/Mission Hills/Downtown (Little Italy, the Marina District, Core-Columbia) -- all are walkable. But none of these is as exclusive as La Jolla or Del Mar. Bankers Hill and Mission Hills (and parts of Hillcrest) are pretty exclusive though, and have something the newer suburbs lack: great mansions (in Spanish and other styles) that were built in the twenties when they knew how to build things right.
Orange County: Newport Beach, Laguna Beach (including Emerald Bay), Dana Point, Seal Beach (not sure if these are in Orange County, but they're close)
Orange County traffic is as bad or worse than San Diego's. There are no walkable communities that I know of. If you can stand the traffic, these beach communities have a lot to offer.
Los Angeles area: Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Holmby Hills, Hancock Park, Hollywood Hills, Encino, San Marino, Hidden Hills, Calabasas Park, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Venice Beach
See what I said about Orange County above. Holmby Hills strikes me as the place to have your mansion on multiple acres; Malibu is the place for your beach house. And your best bet if you can't afford these is the Palos Verdes area (which is plenty expensive in its own right...)
Long Beach area: Belmont Shore, Corona Del Mar
Downtown Long Beach is supposed to be pedestrian friendly; worth investigating.
Palm Springs area: Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, La Quinta, Bermuda Dunes
Traffic conditions okay; should stay that way if growth is reined in. Palm Springs has the most character and history, but only some neighborhoods are "rich" (Movie Colony, Old Las Palmas, and a few others...) The desert grows on you -- wonderful warm starlit nights, peace and quiet, but all the big city amenities close by...
Santa Barbara Area: Montecito, Hope Ranch, Rincon Del Mar (Carpinteria), Sandyland (Carpinteria), Summerland (Padaro Lane), Santa Barbara (Mission, Upper East Side, Mission Canyon, Riviera), Santa Ynez Valley
Santa Barbara is by far the best coastal location in southern California. With prices to match.
Monterey area: Big Sur, Pebble Beach, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel Highlands, Pacific Grove
Like living in a Japanese scroll painting. Unbelieveably spectacular. But also very foggy -- you have to go east into Carmel Valley to get away from the fog.
Santa Cruz area: Aptos (on the beach), Rio Del Mar, Pasatiempo, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lovely, sunny Monterey Bay location. Redwood tree-covered mountains and green meadows overlooking the blue Pacific. Unfortunately, downtown Santa Cruz was destroyed in the last big earthquake and has been replaced by what looks like a tacky mall. Lots of strange, psychotic people who are catered to by the ultra liberal city council.
San Jose/Lower San Francisco Peninsula: Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos
Pretty but dull.
Middle San Francisco Peninsula: Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley, Los Altos Hills
Woodside is the place for those who want to live like English gentlemen on large country estates. Tally-ho!
Upper San Francisco Peninsula: Hillsborough
Home of the Hearst family. Massive stone mansions, manicured, and a bit stuffy -- not unlike a graveyard or mausoleum.
San Francisco neighborhoods: Pacific Heights, Presideo Heights, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, Sea Cliff, St. Francis Wood, Forest Hill, Sherwood Forest
Many international travelers consider San Francisco to rival Paris as one of the world's great cities. If you can afford to live here at all, you're lucky. If you can afford the best neighborhoods, you're even luckier. Okay, so it's cold and windy and wet a lot of the time, there are lots of homeless and things are a bit overpriced. Sorry, the views, food, eccentric people and walkability more than make up for these minor complaints.
Marin County: Belvedere, Ross, Tiburon, Sausalito, Kentfield, Mill Valley, Stinson Beach (Seadrift), Muir Beach, Bolinas
"Marvelous Marin" lives up to its reputation. A bedroom community that looks more like a national park. Each town has its own distinctive character. Do you like living among the redwoods on a mountainside near the beach? Mill Valley is for you. Do you want to live on a beautiful island with spectacular views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate? Belvedere is for you. Do you want a big house on several acres in a heavily wooded area? Ross is the place. Do you want the ultimate beach house? Seadrift awaits you.
Alameda County (Oakland area): Piedmont, Montclair, Claremont, Kensington, Berkeley Hills, Oakland Hills
Lots of sunshine, "olde Englishe" type mansions in Piedmont, more contemporary spreads in Montclair. And all a short drive or BART ride to San Francisco. Not bad.
Contra Costa County: Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Alamo, Danville, Blackhawk-Tassajara
A country idyll a short BART ride away from San Francisco.
Sonoma coast: The Sea Ranch
Napa/Sonoma valleys: Rutherford, St. Helena, Calistoga
Mendocino County: (coastal property)
Lake Tahoe area: Dollar Point, pretty much anywhere on the lake. Sugar Bowl (for an exclusive ski resort.)
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