looking to relocate to CA (Los Angeles, San Diego: apartment, home, find a job)

[ready2run]

Hey ya'll! And yes I said ya'll lol. I felt it was appropriate since I’m a small town girl. But this small town girl is ready to burst at the seams. I'm ready to get out of this place. Which brings me to my question... where is the best place to move in CA??? Please consider: I (26) will be moving along with my husband (27), best friend (26), and her 3 year old daughter. We've lived in a small town all our lives. We're hoping for so much more. We're hoping to relocate to a place with much more opportunities, experiences, etc. We've decided that CA is the place for us. But now that we have it narrowed down to a state... we're looking for the perfect city, town, suburb, etc. for us. Our first and foremost concern is safety. Keep in mind, there will be a child along for this ride. We're also wanting to get the most out of this experience as possible. Since we're moving from a small, small town on the east coast, we are looking for that "big city" experience. Because there are three working adults in this household, our housing budget can be adjusted a little. For the three adults, there are only two cars. So any public transportation would be appreciated. We're looking to experience all that CA has to offer; beaches, city life, night life, opportunities that aren’t an option here on the east coast, etc. So... any suggestions???
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]

[EscapeCalifornia]

There's no beaches or cities on the east coast? Really?

What's your housing budget and for what kind of housing? What kind of work do you all do? Have you researched job opportunities in California? Do you know that no one's hiring? If you're all working, who's going to take care of the 3 year old?

[Adriatica]

The best place to move is wherever you can find a job. CA's unemployment rate is high and the economy is very poor. Jobs are scarce. Find a job first, then move.

Also, have you ever visited CA? You really should lay eyes on the pace before you decide to move here.

The areas with all the things you want (city life, night life, beaches, etc.) are all VERY expensive places to live. Very high cost of living involved. Whether it's worth it for you to move here under those circumstances is up to you.

The places that fit the bill for you are, generally speaking, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, and the San Francisco bay area. Maybe the Sacramento area, too. Finding safe areas with these metros will be challenging but they certainly do exist. And you do need to pick between city living and suburb living.

[pll]

I think you may want to spend a few hours reading some of the issues Californians are facing on this forum. It will probably cause you to rethink your decision or at least pick another state.

[ready2run]

obviously there are cities and beaches on the east coast. stupid question. but when your from a small town like we are, your looking for the farthest thing from home.

but our housing budget is b/w $1500 -$1900. apartment preferably. yes we've researched jobs. we each have different experience w/in our fields. but as FYI, there is no one hiring here either.

[Adriatica]

Originally Posted by ready2run

but as FYI, there is no one hiring here either.

Yes, but your cost of living there is much lower. Have you done a cost of living comparison?

[killer2021]

where is the best place to move in CA

Beverly hills, CA is the best place

Rent starts at 10,000 for a one bedroom. 3bed 2 bath home starts at 2 million.