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Old 03-14-2010, 03:44 AM
 
1,627 posts, read 3,199,381 times
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You might want to check out Prescott, AZ and vicinity. Yavaipai College is a wonderful community college. It is a wonderful place to live, 7 hours from OC and the weather is great. If you want some city life, Phoenix is 90 mins away.
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Old 03-16-2010, 06:57 PM
 
Location: so CA
11 posts, read 29,131 times
Reputation: 13
Thank you everyone for your input. I guess I really should have been more specific though . . . it really is down to the Central Coast or the North Carolina Coast, nowhere else and nowhere in between.

We are heading up that way the beginning of April for a closer look. On paper my first choices are Nipomo, the edge of Santa Maria, and perhaps Orcutt however I have found from past experience that all of the websites, posts and pictures in the world do not replace an in person look-see (previously we had narrowed things down to one particular town in NC and when we got there it turned out to be a nearly boarded up former tobacco town that was trying to re-invent itself but failing miserably).

Any input anyone would like to give us is much appreciated. Our ideal is a rental property in the range of $1300 to $1650. Don't want to buy right now as our needs will very likely change in a few years time. A single family home in a family oriented and safe neighborhood. I hate traffic and overcrowding but have no issues with driving a bit for shopping, entertainment, etc.

A lot of people have thrown race/ethnicity out as a consideration. Not that it matters but my daughter is mexican and I am white so race is not a concern but we surely do not want to live in the barrio either. We just want a nice home in a nice affordable place where we can become a part of the community and get away from the rat race of OC.
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Old 03-16-2010, 07:10 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
2,901 posts, read 12,691,577 times
Reputation: 1843
Have you considered Monterey County? i was thinking about Pacific Grove in particular.
It's not an inexpensive place to live however and i'm not sure what your rental budget is ... i may have overlooked it.
It's a beautiful area and Pacific Grove is next to both Monterey and Carmel.
Just a thought.

Monterey County, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

monterey apts/housing for rent classifieds "pacific grove" - craigslist

Welcome to Pacific Grove :: The Official Web Site of the City of Pacific Grove
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Old 03-17-2010, 06:45 PM
 
Location: Baywood Park
1,634 posts, read 6,696,449 times
Reputation: 714
OK, please trust me on this. It would be a real shame if you came up here and stopped at Nipomo. Trust me when it comes to the SLO area. Towns for retirement don't end in Nipomo. IT STARTS IN NIPOMO IMO. And as far as Nipomo goes, I'd only live there if it was on the outskirts or the area of town with the acre lots. That's where it's nice. If you're going to actually drive up here to look, it would be well worth your time to drive at least an hour north. Trust me, end your trip in Cambria on the coast and Paso Robles inland. If you don't care about driving a bit for whatever, you have to go to Cambria and check it out. Seriously consider it. Really, the nicenest starts in NIpomo. I believe you'd really be doing yourself a disservice if you don't check out Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Pismo, Avila, SLO, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Santa Margarita, Atascadero, Templeton, Paso Robles and Cambria. Take Hwy 101 up through these communities until you hit Paso Robles, you have to get off the hwy to see Santa Margarita. Check out Paso. Then go back south on 101 to hwy46 west to Cambria, check out Cambria. Then head down hwy 1 south to Cayucos and Morro Bay and then to go out to Los Osos, it's off the freeway. Follow the sign to Montana de Oro, it'll take you to Los Osos. Make sure you go out and see MdO State Park in Los Osos. Then get on Los Osos Valley Rd. to San Luis Obispo and stay on it till you see 101 south, just past Home Depot. Then you can go home.

I grew up in SLO County and it's a great place to live. Searching for a retirement spot and stopping the search in Nipomo is shameful. If you have any questions, just ask.
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Old 03-17-2010, 07:02 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
2,901 posts, read 12,691,577 times
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Oh Cambria ... i've only been through but it's lovely.
The last time i was there the water (we ate at some place out on a deck right next to the beach) reminded me of the Caribbean ... turqoise, clear, etc. and i loved the feeling there.
I just wanted to give a thumbs up to Cambria even though i don't really know it well at all.
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Old 03-17-2010, 07:56 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,308,419 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coyoteskye View Post
Oh Cambria ... i've only been through but it's lovely.
The last time i was there the water (we ate at some place out on a deck right next to the beach) reminded me of the Caribbean ... turqoise, clear, etc. and i loved the feeling there.
I just wanted to give a thumbs up to Cambria even though i don't really know it well at all.
And here I thought we ate on the beach at Zelda's in Capitola!
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Old 03-17-2010, 08:48 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
2,901 posts, read 12,691,577 times
Reputation: 1843
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post
And here I thought we ate on the beach at Zelda's in Capitola!
Oh yeah ... that was the first time we dropped acid together. What a beautiful evening that was.
I must have been in Cambria with someone else. ooooops.
(Kidding everyone (but you started it) ... don't wanna give Curmy a bad reputation upstanding citizen that he is)
Now let's not hijack this nice man's thread.
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Old 03-17-2010, 09:11 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,308,419 times
Reputation: 29336
Quote:
Originally Posted by coyoteskye View Post
Oh yeah ... that was the first time we dropped acid together. What a beautiful evening that was.
I must have been in Cambria with someone else. ooooops.
Kidding[ everyone (but you started it) ... don't wanna give Curmy a bad reputation upstanding citizen that he is)
Now let's not hijack this nice man's thread.
Oh, let's. You know it was me!
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Old 03-17-2010, 09:48 PM
 
Location: so CA
11 posts, read 29,131 times
Reputation: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by CA central coast View Post
OK, please trust me on this. It would be a real shame if you came up here and stopped at Nipomo. Trust me when it comes to the SLO area. Towns for retirement don't end in Nipomo. IT STARTS IN NIPOMO IMO. And as far as Nipomo goes, I'd only live there if it was on the outskirts or the area of town with the acre lots. That's where it's nice. If you're going to actually drive up here to look, it would be well worth your time to drive at least an hour north. Trust me, end your trip in Cambria on the coast and Paso Robles inland. If you don't care about driving a bit for whatever, you have to go to Cambria and check it out. Seriously consider it. Really, the nicenest starts in NIpomo. I believe you'd really be doing yourself a disservice if you don't check out Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Pismo, Avila, SLO, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Santa Margarita, Atascadero, Templeton, Paso Robles and Cambria. Take Hwy 101 up through these communities until you hit Paso Robles, you have to get off the hwy to see Santa Margarita. Check out Paso. Then go back south on 101 to hwy46 west to Cambria, check out Cambria. Then head down hwy 1 south to Cayucos and Morro Bay and then to go out to Los Osos, it's off the freeway. Follow the sign to Montana de Oro, it'll take you to Los Osos. Make sure you go out and see MdO State Park in Los Osos. Then get on Los Osos Valley Rd. to San Luis Obispo and stay on it till you see 101 south, just past Home Depot. Then you can go home.

I grew up in SLO County and it's a great place to live. Searching for a retirement spot and stopping the search in Nipomo is shameful. If you have any questions, just ask.
LOL! I love Cambria also and would likely head straight there if it were just me. But it is a bit far for weekends back in the OC (once a month, I promised!) but a bigger concern is jobs for the daughter in what appears to be a pretty isolated little town? Which is also the concern with SLO, so much competition for every job suitable for young adults, tough enough to begin with in this economy.

That beaing said, I do plan on heading up as far as Cambria since we will be almost there anyway, just as a little side trip. I was not planning on heading as far as Paso because of the distance and because everyone says it gets too hot there but will be hitting Los Osos, AG, etc.

BTW Coyote, you can hijack my post all you want because you and your friend crack me up but you should probably know, I am nice but I am not a man
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Old 03-17-2010, 09:54 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
2,901 posts, read 12,691,577 times
Reputation: 1843
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomoOC View Post

BTW Coyote, you can hijack my post all you want because you and your friend crack me up but you should probably know, I am nice but I am not a man
oooops sorry Ma'am.
Glad to entertain you but you shouldn't encourage us.
I'm curious ... if you're considering North Carolina you'd be all the way across the country and far, far away from OC so why can you not live a bit farther north on the central coast?
Or is being able to be that close to OC the reason you'd stay in California?
It just seems that the community that you choose to retire in should be a great one for you. (i'm being nosey).
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