Wanting to move to So Cal (Los Angeles, San Diego: apartment, how much, townhomes)

[rlchgirl]

Hello everyone

I am almost 25 yrs old and my boyfriend is 23. I have a bachelor's in Science and this summer I'll have 2 yrs experience as a laboratory technician/technologist. I was hoping to move to S. Cali within 2-3 yrs.. to build up my experience and possibly save some money. My boyfriend does maintance work. The areas I'm most interested in are Orange, Long Beach,.. basically around there. I don't want to live IN a big city (like L.A.) but want to be near it. I LOVE beaches and shopping.
I was hoping someone could give me some advice on the living style and cost of living. We would be living in an apartment. OH! and good areas too! I don't want to live in a trashy dangerous area but something "affordable".
Thanks!

[dusesean1986]

I'm sorry, but Long Beach and Orange County have alot of people as well. Your right it doesn't have the exact, exact big city feel, but it will feel like an endless sprawl of communities in the area. For example, there are over 450,000 people in Long Beach, and 2.9 million in Orange County.

The beaches are incredible in California. Not sure where your coming from, but we have waves you can ride, unlike the gulf of Mexico or the East Coast. The sand is very nice, and you can lay out all day long. The shopping, well don't know, sorry. I'm sure there are great places to shop, the Metropolitan Area of Los Angeles has lots of places. The cost of living is pretty ridicolous here, if you live in a nice coastal town, and desire a quaint two bedroom, it will probably be around $1300-$1500 a month. If you want to live in inland, prices vary quite a bit and will drop. If you can tell me how much you folks are willing to pay, I can have an easier time helping you fit your budget. Why? Because Metropolitan Los Angeles has a gazillion cities.

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

Orange County has a large population, but it is mainly a quiet clean surburbia. I would classify some parts as "trashy." (i.e. Santa Ana, Anaheim..etc) However, 80% of it is very clean. We have some of the best shopping in the country. I have friends who have moved to the San Francisco Area and sincerly miss shopping in O.C. like at South Coast or Fashion Island. You'll find OC residents to be fairly fashion-conscious. Last year residents in OC spent 3 X's as much on clothes than the average American. lol.

If you consider moving here, I hope you either drive a Mercedes or a BMW and have it washed weekly(at least). Any large SUV would also make you fit the OC mold.

I would say that most people who live here are proud of it. Ofcourse though, there are some kids who grow up here who can't wait to get out(like anywhere).

Long Beach has nicer parts by the beach. I think it might be more exciting for some younger people. Generally, OC is nicer though.

Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Dana Point, and Newport Beach has some of the most beautiful stretches of sand in the world. The weather is excellent-generally 74(high)-45(low) year-round.

The job market is currently very good. Irvine has become a "hot" center for skilled white collar positions in the past ten years.

Basically every city in O.C. has nice parts in it. By degree of "nice-ness" (guess)... these are all options: Villa Park(no apts.), Corona Del Mar(few apts.), Newport Beach(luxury apts), Anahiem Hills(no apts), Laguna Beach($ apts), Yorba Linda(very few apts.), Laguna Niguel(some apts.), Irvine(lots of apts.), Huntington Beach(lots of apts. near beach), Mission Viejo(apts., 15 min to beach), Laguna Hills(apts., 10 min to beach), Rancho Santa Margarita(newer apts, 25 min to beach), Aliso Viejo(lots of townhomes, 10 min to beach), Dana Point(less exp. aparts. near beach), San Clemente(less exp. near beach)...and theres more..


O.C. is about an hour from L.A. and San Diego, making it one of the best locations for a sane, but exciting life.

[rlchgirl]

more info..

Well, I do like the big city feel but I would also like to be able to park my car somewhere... perferably a garage. I hope we could find an one bedroom apt around 1200-1300. Close to (5-15 miles) huntington beach, newport beach, laguna beach, and all those beachs/areas.
Right now, I gross about 26200/yr. My boyfriend grosses about 24500/yr. I am hoping I could transfer my job.. I work at the american red cross and I hope they would pay more too.
We would be coming from Omaha, NE which has a population of about 400,000-450,000. I really don't mind a large city or population.

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

Parking in Orange County is generally not an issue. The sprawl generally allows each business/home/restaurant to have ample parking. The only issue will be malls during holidays, beaches during summer, and a select few other places.

I don't find the traffic stressful, infact I remember, a critique saying of OC.. "Irvine is the only place I've ever been where the streets are wider than the freeways."

Newport Beach, 70,000
Costa Mesa 108,000
Huntington Beach 199,000
Irvine 143,000
Laguna Beach 23,000


I found this picture for a 1BR listing in Newport Beach for $1299/month!


http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/apa/278645849.html (broken link)

You can find even cheaper apts. if you search outside of the "ivory tower" aka Newport. Good Luck!!

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by newportbeachsmostwanted

P

Newport Beach, 70,000
Costa Mesa 108,000
Huntington Beach 199,000
Irvine 143,000
Laguna Beach 23,000


!!

I second NBMW, you can afford a 1 bedroom for 1200-1300 in all these places. Let me remind you, Southern California will be very different from Omaha, Nebraska.

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by dusesean1986

I second NBMW, you can afford a 1 bedroom for 1200-1300 in all these places. Let me remind you, Southern California will be very different from Omaha, Nebraska.

Have you ever been to Omaha? I have, and it's a nice place, but you're right about it being different from SoCal. If you LOVE steak, that's the place to be!

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by rlchgirl

more info..

Well, I do like the big city feel but I would also like to be able to park my car somewhere... perferably a garage. I hope we could find an one bedroom apt around 1200-1300. Close to (5-15 miles) huntington beach, newport beach, laguna beach, and all those beachs/areas.
Right now, I gross about 26200/yr. My boyfriend grosses about 24500/yr. I am hoping I could transfer my job.. I work at the american red cross and I hope they would pay more too.
We would be coming from Omaha, NE which has a population of about 400,000-450,000. I really don't mind a large city or population.

I've been to Omaha; I have a friend who lives there. He tried living out here in SoCal a long time ago and didn't like it, so he moved back. One thing you won't find out here are Runza restaurants, so be prepared!

[Rats]

if you guys only make about $50k a year combined (hopefully after taxes) then you absolutely must find some higher paying jobs when you move to SoCal. I'd say $70k is the minimum you guys will need to live comfortably, and that's cutting it extremely close. Everything is more expensive in LA.