Small Town living in California? (San Diego, San Francisco: lease, houses, buying)

[Jim Smoot]

Hello all
So after transplanting myself from the countryside of England to the gorgeous beaches of SoCal....I'm ready for a great mix of the two! {lol}. OK, I do love the ocean and don't want to sacrifice it but my husband who's an LA native and has never lived anywhere outside of LA and is gasping for air, a change of scenery and a change of pace.
We're in our late 30's with a toddler son and would love another child so we're looking for some place affordable with space {a house with 4 bed 3 bath would be nice}, trees, ocean {MY requirement, not hubby's}....maybe a little weather variation? And smaller than the megopolis we live in now.
We own a mom and pop music store near Venice, CA. All our money and time goes into the business and it's really quite emotionally and physically draining. My husband did quite well as an internet business before moving to a brick and mortar establishment. We cannot afford to move into a first home in the area our shop is at and really, with this economy...let's say, our little corner of the commercial market is looking like a retail ghost town with so many retail spaces up for lease and on the market for months {the space next door has been on the market for 19 months now!}.
Anyone had experience living in a small {Northern} Californian coastal town or village? I really want to sell Northern California to dear husband as I'm still in love with the California Dream but he wants to try out Austin, TX...sigh.
Ok, I'll stop here
Thanks in advance for any help....this website is amazing

[ConsideringLA]

An affordable small town by the ocean with large homes?

What is your idea of affordable? This is the deal killer - the other criteria (small town, large-ish homes, ocean) exists.

[canibeyou]

I'd have to agree. The question of what's affordable is always up to individual interpretation. Renting is a good option lately so don't let the price of buying stop you. Perhaps renting in an area before making the solid commitment?

The town of Cambria is lovely. Beautiful, pine trees on the cliffs that lead to the ocean.

Sorry for those who live there. Don't mean to direct more people to your area!

[bhcompy]

there are plenty of small towns on the coast, but most of them are highly expensive.

carmel, santa barbaba, santa cruz, etc

[Jim Smoot]

Thanks for the replies so far
Yes, I visited Cambria a couple of times on my way up to SF.
I've also been to Santa Barbara several times, Carmel a few times {mainly to show family from abroad} and Santa Cruz? Not sure.
Carmel reminds me a lot of where I used to live in the UK, apart from the type of ocean. It's very chocolate box twee {hubby would go nuts after a while} and I agree, very expensive.
On our way back down from The Timber Cove Inn, north of SF, we came across a lovely scenic village and I have remembered it ever since...but not the name.
Ok, I guess 'chocolate box' and 'twee' when describing a place jacks the price up, huh.

[Jim Smoot]

Well, an up to an hour away from the ocean would be coastal living for me. Over here we were looking for houses around 750K - 950K....but they were tiny and lacklustre {3 bed if lucky}. If we sell our business as an complete entity, lock, stock and barrel, we'd be able to put a substantial cash down payment {around 200K}.
Also we were thinking it wise to commit 1 room and garage in ideal home as an office and workshop for tax deductions.
Man, it's SO hot here in LA right now and we're only 8 miles from the ocean...Austin TX would be too much!

[humboldtrat]

Look at Half Moon Bay, about 25 miles south of San Francisco and about 50 miles north of Santa Cruz. Nice fishing harbor just north of town at Pillar Point. Housing won't be cheap as with many other coastal towns.

Half Moon Bay Pictures - California stock photos, fine art prints by QTL

[NorthernCalifornia]

Try Eureka or Arcata. It's the only part of the coast that's really affordable and if you are bringing an internet business you'd do very well.

[Snort]

There are more nice towns than you can shake a stick at all along the coast, and that includes Oregon. If you have a couple of weeks to explore, a road trip might be in order.
Eureka and Arcata are nice towns up in the far north. Pacifica and Half Moon Bay just south of SF are nice. Capitola, Soquel, and Aptos just south of Santa Cruz; Monterey and Pacific Grove (bring money) at the top end of the Central Coast; Cambria (you know), Morro Bay, Baywood Park/Los Osos, and Pismo Beach for the lower end of the CC (throw in San Luis Obispo- although it's a bit inland). Santa Barbara (bring more money) for something in between CC and SoCal. For Orange County, I like Dana Point and San Clemente. For San Diego County, you have Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Del Mar.
There! I'm sure I've left out a few real nice ones, but that's a start, anyway.
Oregon has some nice small towns in Gold Beach, Newport, Florence....but you specified CA, so I won't go overboard on that state- beautiful coast though!

[ElleBebe]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

Look at Half Moon Bay, about 25 miles south of San Francisco and about 50 miles north of Santa Cruz. Nice fishing harbor just north of town at Pillar Point. Housing won't be cheap as with many other coastal towns.

Half Moon Bay Pictures - California stock photos, fine art prints by QTL

I love HMB; it's foggy and lovely, with hills and ocean. It's away from the chaos but still close to San Francisco. They have a lot of Christmas tree farms and pumpkin patches in the fall/holiday season; when I was growing up, we'd go there every year.