Moving from Thousand Oaks to San Luis Obispo... (San Jose, Santa Barbara: rent, hotel)

[cablondie]

Hi, I just got a pretty good job offer in San Luis Obispo. I've lived in the east coast and Thousand Oaks/Ventura area most of my life, and I have no idea what to expect.
I'm currently a single, 25 year old female. What is it life like in SLO for someone my age?

Thanks for the help!

[coffee247]

Hi! you will LOVE San Luis Obispo. I lived in Paso Robles & Atascadero just over the hill from their. San Luis Obispo has a collage their, Cal Polly, so there is a lot your age there. It is a great place to live, and has a lot to offer. You will love it and be glad you moved there. I wish i had never left. I moved to the high dessert. Apple Valley up by Victorville. Stephanie

[CA central coast]

Originally Posted by cablondie

Hi, I just got a pretty good job offer in San Luis Obispo. I've lived in the east coast and Thousand Oaks/Ventura area most of my life, and I have no idea what to expect.
I'm currently a single, 25 year old female. What is it life like in SLO for someone my age?

Thanks for the help!

can I ask your area of employment? just curious. "good" jobs are not always overly abundant here.

[cablondie]

I work a retail job- so I would be managing a store. Currently I'm the assistant manager at the Ventura location

[CA central coast]

nice place to live. beautiful downtown. college town. lots of nightlife. downtown nightlife caters more to the college aged. it depends on what you're into, all and all i thinks it's agreat place to live.

[mmouwse]

Chances are good you will love it here! The Mission is in the heart of downtown, on the creek. Lots of events there through the year. Every Friday evening from 6-9 through the summer a different band plays for free. The creek meanders through the middle of town with a walking path and businesses running the length of it. Very picturesque and full of activities.
Lots of events throughout the county all summer long, at least 5 evey weekend; from car shows to home shows to winetasting to music fests bicycle races.... concerts and plays and comidienes and events at the various cultural centers. Outdoor recreational opportunities are endless. Walk/bike to one of the "morros" from dwontown slo for a couple of hours of hiking/biking up or make a longer day of it. There are beaches and mountain paths and Montana D' Oro and Morro Bay State Beach and Oceano Camping areas and north coast camping and Hearst CAstle and SAn Simion and Cambria (arts community) and ARt in the Park around the county and multiple social clubs, ski clubs, camping clubs, cruising the clubs any evening for music and a drink... parades downtown...the big Farmer's Market Downtown SLO Thursday evening...Farmers' Markets all around the County all days of the week....fishing, boating in the lakes or along the coast....kayaking...canoeing....surfing....sports clubs....it is endless fun opoportunities no matter what you prefer to do with your free time.
If you are concerned about education...well....There's CalPoly....Cuesta Community College...Hancock Cimmunity College... Santa Barbara Business College...a number of private colleges with "campuses" at the Comm. Colleges....public transportation is excellant now with trolleys and city buses and county buses...all buses have bicycle racks if you want to combine bus and bike....most buses run from 6a.m. to 10p.m....SLO City population is 40 some-odd-thousand and half of that is students age 18-30 (average age). SLO is alive with the vibe of young fun...
I moved here when I was 19 and never wanted for friends or fun activities all year long.

[truckzter]

I think rent should be the same too .. expensive. =) But if you're managing, you should be fine. I consider SLO a mini version of Santa Barbara.

I'm 28 and love SLO. The coffeehouses are pretty popular, and there are chill bars. Great thai food, Farmer's Market, Cal Poly stuff, the Performing Arts Center, 10 minutes to the beach, the Palm Theatre (indie/foreign films), the Mozart Festival ... that being said, many college students say there isn't "a lot to do" because stores close around 9pm, and restaurants tend to close around 10pm. But if you like a slower paced environment, with a great quality of life, you'll enjoy it here!

[the city]

Some see the area as paradise, an escape from LA area...you still get a feel of LA in SLO since it's closer to LA than San Jose and San Fransisco.

As of 2020, the main activities for teenagers and college students, and population estimates, in the county:

San Luis Obispo (50,000 population-suburb)
1)San Luis Obispo Downtown (tons of local stores, farmers market with rock concerts on Thursday nights, and streets filled with upscale clothing retailers)
2)San Luis Obispo Marketplace (a big discount mall that will be built that will include Target, Lowe's, Macy's, Gelson's Market, a hotel, 7 nice resturaunts, and more)
3)The Grad (night club in downtown)
4)San Luis Obispo Dance Academy (in downtown, for girls)
5)Movie Experience/Downtown Cinema (seven screen upscale movie theater)
6)Sunset Drive-In theater (near where the discount mall will be built)

Pismo Beach (10,000 population-rural)
1)Pismo Beach with sand dunes and pier
2)Pismo Prime Outlets (outlet mall)

Other:
Grover Beach Skate Park
Lake Lopez
Mustang Water Slides
Regal/Festival Cinemas (stadium seating)
Gladiator Paintball Park

cooler weather (70 to 80 degree weather annually)
more retirees in area
more expensive homes

Paso Robles (40,000 population-rural)
1)The Ravine (water park)
2)Water Park Arcade (being built inside the water park, it should be pretty good)
3)Mid-State Fair
4)MVP Batting Cages
5)Skate-Mor Skating Rink
6)Paso Bowl (biggest bowling alley in my area, has a family fun center for small kids)

Atascadero (30,000 population-rural)
1)Charles Paddock Zoo
2)Mission Oaks at the Annex (strip mall with Super Wal-Mart and Big!Lots)

Other:
Franklin Hotsprings Paintball Field
Park Cinemas
Templeton Skate Park
Super Wal-Mart
Lake Nacimento

hotter weather (100 degress in Summer)
more families in area
cheaper homes

[PecanPie]

It's a beautiful place, consider yourself lucky to have a job and live there. It might be a little too slow-paced for a younger person, but I think the college atmosphere takes care of that.

And if you like the ocean and nature, you'll love visiting Morro Bay. I have friends who moved from Thousand Oaks to Morro Bay for retirement and they love it. Of course they are older, but you'll be okay because you'll be living in SLO with the college crowd.

Have fun!

[Papaskunk]

I think you should go for it as well. I actually have mixed feelings on SLO. I went to Cal Poly and later moved to Santa Barbara and now Ventura, and as nice as SLO is, it's just too small of a town for me. If you spend any amount of time in LA for entertainment, or like to shop, you'll be stymied in SLO as there isn't even a Target or an In-n-Out. You can get these in Atascadero of course, but that's 1/2 hour away and up the grade. You feel like you're going into the backwoods to get a hamburger, and you'll see plenty of cows grazing even as you drive around town.

Now on the other hand, SLO has THE. BEST. WEATHER. on the planet. I kid you not. Way, way better than SB or Ventura. Sun, sun, sun, 70 degrees, and always that slight ocean breeze filtering in through the hills that just feels so fresh. The air is clean, fresh, and crystal clear, and you feel like you're in a Febreeze or Claratin commercial 24/7. It is a nice, clean, laid back town, very homogenous, but very safe.

SLO's other saving grace is the state's biggest and best Farmer's Market, which kicks butt on Thursday nights. Lots of stuff going on, including even a little entertainment.

One thing I don't know is how hard it is to make friends when you're not in student circles. It would probably be best to find a roommate, but you will probably have coworkers your age as well.

It sounds like a good opportunity, and you can always move around in retail, so you may have other possible job opportunities in town. And if you get tired of the small town feel, just move back down south after a couple of years and run a bigger store!