Carmel or Montecito? (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose: real estate, 2009, amusement park)

[mulder]

I've chosen these two for comparison as they both are excellent places to live and also fairly close to the big cities.

Carmel: more dense, San Jose and San Francisco close by
Montecito: less dense, LA/San Diego close by

Just wondering which one you would go for and why?

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

Carmel! I'm visiting there next week, and it should be fabulous. Real Estate is so ridiculous. Studios for $700k. 1 BR cottages for a Million +. Those prices show just how special Carmel is.

I'm in love with the weather and nature. I think it's awesome to have fog and rain(especially from my SoCal perspective). The character and charm of that place is unparalled.

[ferretkona]

My company rented me a house to live in for a couple of years in Carmel. It was so hard to leave. The house was right across the beach facing it. Bedroom balcony overlooked the beach, never closed the patio doors at night so I could listen to the waves. Carmel has the best dog friendly beach on the coast.

Carmel is very dog friendly, many great restaurants allow dogs in the patios. I enjoyed eating at "The Forge In The Forest", sitting with my dog with a cold beer and a pizza made with crispy duck and goat cheese. The Forge has a nice fireplace in the patio to sit around. The town is full of other great places to eat, I gained a few pounds in that year. Clint Eastwood's place "Hogsbreath Inn" has one of the best happy hours around.

Carmel has a long history that will draw you in, reading up on the town is a must. Plenty of art galleries and jazz events. Celebrities everywhere, met Clint a few times but not at his restaurant. Get a annual pass to the Monterey Aquarium, they have a night each month to see the fish up close at a time the aquarium is normally closed. Once a year is "Jazz in the Aquarium" just for pass holders. Once every few months they have a wine tasting night, wineries and breweries serve up their best to taste - take a cab!

A person can live in Carmel for decades and find something new everyday to enjoy.

[Wisteria]

I actually have never been to Montecito (that I'm aware of...been so many places I can't keep track anymore)....so, I guess my post is a bit biased. However, I live an hour from Carmel, and it is so beautiful. I was just there last weekend -- we often go just for the day.

My daughter and I love to go to Tuck's English Tea House -- they have tea time with scones, and fruit trays, and tea and whipped cream.

It's lovely to walk around, extremely safe and clean. I've seen Merv Griffin driving around in his sports car, but I don't look for celebrities, sometimes you can't avoid them.

There's a nice beach, loads of shops, tons of restaurants, charming houses. Unfortunately, very expensive -- as stated before, a one-bedroom cottage will set you back at least a million.

It's only about 10 minutes from Monterey, which is less expensive, has Cannery Row, the Aquarium is spectacular, lots of bike and hiking trails near the ocean. And Carmel is only an hour from Santa Cruz, where you have the University of California/Santa Cruz, and the downtown Pacific Avenue mall to walk around and see why the bumper stickers there say "Keep Santa Cruz Weird." Santa Cruz also has the Boardwalk amusement park, great summer concerts on the beach for free (saw Jefferson Airship there). They also have a great wharf and you can get up close to the sea lions.

And as you said, then there's San Francisco. I like San Diego -- very pretty -- but San Francisco has more of a lively vibe, seems to have more going on. But San Diego is close to Mexico, if you like to visit down there.

Although I can't compare, I can at least tell you that Carmel is a charming, special village, that can fetch a pretty penny for housing because so many people would love to live there.

[Charles]

Montecito is elegant but with a definite playful side - Los Angeles Times

[Zaney]

I live near Montecito. Choose Carmel- I love it there. I love the trees and I love the weather.
Santa Barbara, next to Montecito, has a really growing gang problem that the City cant/wont do anything about. Their solution is building community centers for these teens. This place is going down faster than the Titanic.

Forgot to mention the fires. We've had major three fires in the last nine months. This place is a tinder box with firebugs just waiting to set their next (seriously).

Choose Carmel and I'll probably see you there ( I go as often as I can). Monterey is probably cheaper but not as nice. Pacific Grove is nice too.

Good Luck to you.
Any other questions let me know, I'm local.

[Den Mathias]

Cambria

It is alot like Carmel with cheaper housing than Montecito!