I Took One Of Those "Best Places" Quizzes. Salinas. (San Jose: apartments, to rent)

[Lior Arel]

Yeah, then I look this morning and see its high crime rate. I've been dreamy about Monterey for a few years, but figured it was out of reach. I'm work in Financial Services (can't specify what I do, as its against my firm's policies) and have a pretty high child support bill every month. I am engaged, and when I get married we will be able to afford more rent together than I currently can alone. I looked on Zillow, and while rents don't look "that bad" in Monterey, its still high.

My questions (thanks in advance to anyone who offers opinions/answers):

Is there a fair bit of Financial Services in the area (Financial Advisors, Stock Brokers, etc) and are they more prevalent in one city/area? I know it won't be like where I live now (Tampa Bay) because of the smaller population, but I only need one job

Thanks. Even if it will never be a reality, I can always visit. It's worth a look though My fiancé wants to move back to CA, and I think the clean air and outdoor amenities in Monterey will suit me best (he's more open to what part of the state we move to). No kids will live with us, so schools are not an issue. Safe, not astronomically expensive, clean environment (including the air), and tolerant population are my things

[MtnSurfer]

There are really mixed views of Salinas even amongst locals who live in/near Salinas. When we first moved to the area ~ 5 years ago with children I decided I would rather error on the side of caution. So we stayed away from Salinas initially. I actually wanted to rent closer to the coast anyway as it was a major draw for me to the area, especially after living in CO away from the coast for a number of years. Anyway after living here for a while, hearing all the stories of shootings and gang activity on the news then making friends with families who live there we've adjusted our view or overall paranoia of the place. Basically we've come to discover like most larger cities there are bad sections, some ok, and some nicer parts. South Salinas is the nicest from what we've seen. Now that doesn't mean crime still doesn't happen there. But, heck even in the more expensive, exclusive areas crime can still happen.

Also rents can vary quite a bit depending on the time of the year, the owner of the property, etc... So you may be able to find something in what you consider a more ideal location if you watch and wait for the right opportunity. That happened for us several times. Having good credit really helps as well. I would recommend erroring on the side of caution as well in the beginning. Then see where your confort level is after living here for a while, lets say a year+. There are nicer parts of Seaside, Del Rey Oaks, and Marina that may be worth checking out as well.

Much will depend on your budget and expectations.

I have several friends who are professionals in the Financial Services industry who do quite well. However I have no idea how many there are when compared to the overall population. For talented individuals it has worked out well for them even during the recession.

Derek

[Lior Arel]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

There are really mixed views of Salinas even amongst locals who live in/near Salinas. When we first moved to the area ~ 5 years ago with children I decided I would rather error on the side of caution. So we stayed away from Salinas initially. I actually wanted to rent closer to the coast anyway as it was a major draw for me to the area, especially after living in CO away from the coast for a number of years. Anyway after living here for a while, hearing all the stories of shootings and gang activity on the news then making friends with families who live there we've adjusted our view or overall paranoia of the place. Basically we've come to discover like most larger cities there are bad sections, some ok, and some nicer parts. South Salinas is the nicest from what we've seen. Now that doesn't mean crime still doesn't happen there. But, heck even in the more expensive, exclusive areas crime can still happen.

Also rents can vary quite a bit depending on the time of the year, the owner of the property, etc... So you may be able to find something in what you consider a more ideal location if you watch and wait for the right opportunity. That happened for us several times. Having good credit really helps as well. I would recommend erroring on the side of caution as well in the beginning. Then see where your confort level is after living here for a while, lets say a year+. There are nicer parts of Seaside, Del Rey Oaks, and Marina that may be worth checking out as well.

Much will depend on your budget and expectations.

I have several friends who are professionals in the Financial Services industry who do quite well. However I have no idea how many there are when compared to the overall population. For talented individuals it has worked out well for them even during the recession.

Derek

Thanks!

[Kristin2555]

Our daughter is looking for a place to rent in the Salinas/Monterey area as well. At first, we were strongly advising against anywhere in Salinas based on an impression we had that every area was burdened by heavy crime, especially gang activity. She has lived in the area since January (lives onsite where she works) and has become more familiar with Salinas and Monterey. Conclusions ... Monterey/Carmel/PG are definitely more upscale, but also much more foggy (this gets old) and very expensive. Small one bedroom apartments are in excess of $1000, some closer to $1500. She recently started looking at places in South Salinas and has convinced us that this is a viable and safe option. I was surprised at the pictures of the neighborhoods which looked family friendly and safe. We have become convinced that South Salinas is sunny, safe and a reasonable cost. I hope we are right. Good luck with your search. One option, of course, since it's California is to commute to South San Jose where there would be many more opportunities for jobs. I once commuted from Santa Cruz to San Francisco for over a year. You get used to it.

[jonh23]

Originally Posted by Kristin2555

Our daughter is looking for a place to rent in the Salinas/Monterey area as well. At first, we were strongly advising against anywhere in Salinas based on an impression we had that every area was burdened by heavy crime, especially gang activity. She has lived in the area since January (lives onsite where she works) and has become more familiar with Salinas and Monterey. Conclusions ... Monterey/Carmel/PG are definitely more upscale, but also much more foggy (this gets old) and very expensive. Small one bedroom apartments are in excess of $1000, some closer to $1500. She recently started looking at places in South Salinas and has convinced us that this is a viable and safe option. I was surprised at the pictures of the neighborhoods which looked family friendly and safe. We have become convinced that South Salinas is sunny, safe and a reasonable cost. I hope we are right. Good luck with your search. One option, of course, since it's California is to commute to South San Jose where there would be many more opportunities for jobs. I once commuted from Santa Cruz to San Francisco for over a year. You get used to it.

I have lived in South Salinas and it's not too bad. However, it still has its problems. There have been more holdups than I have been comfortable with in some of the businesses along South Main. You also have to be careful with which neighborhood you're in. Unfortunately, the area around Central Park and Old Town should be avoided. I really like the character of those areas, but they have a history of gang activity and other crime. The Maple Park neighborhood is beautiful, but also very pricey. The areas around Mission Park and SVMH are also not too bad.

As for affordability, you can get a decent one bedroom apartment around $900-$1000. The Pointe at Westlake apartments are pretty good, especially for the location. As for the weather, it's not bad but I would not call Salinas sunny. In my opinion, the weather is much better than PG and Marina. Salinas weather is very similar to the weather you find around Old Monterey. If you want sun, you need to go to Corral de Tierra or Carmel Valley.

[Kristin2555]

I guess I meant "sunnier". We live in Nashville now but our daughter was raised in Santa Cruz so she is aware of the morning/afternoon fog bank that is so prevalent in the Monterey Bay. I think her preference is for something with character but obviously not in a dangerous location. Her price range is closer to $1000 if one bedroom, but can go to $1400 for two bedroom. Monterey seemed to mostly have fairly generic looking apartments in that range. Originally she wasn't even looking in Salinas but I think she stumbled upon a very sweet house in South Salinas that "spoke to her". She works on River Road so the location is good. Side note ... this forum is awesome for really great, first-hand knowledge. People are so generous with their thoughts and advice. In fact, a place on Archer came off her list based on your advice about Central Park. We would never have known it wasn't a decent area based on a GoogleMaps walk around. Thank you!

[Eras]

I'm glad I stumbled onto this thread. I hadn't considered Salinas for my small list, but it does sound charming and feasible to me now. I'll be joining you in the Google map walk a rounds.

[Heathj]

My advice is stay away from Salinas. Yes there are some neighborhoods that are okay and yes there are people that live there and have never had anything bad happen to them. But, you are playing the odds. The convenience stores around town regularly get robbed, houses and cars get broken into and there are a fair amount of shootings all year around.

So sure, you can live there and never experience any of these things, but you have much better odds outside of Salinas.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Heathj

My advice is stay away from Salinas. Yes there are some neighborhoods that are okay and yes there are people that live there and have never had anything bad happen to them. But, you are playing the odds. The convenience stores around town regularly get robbed, houses and cars get broken into and there are a fair amount of shootings all year around.

So sure, you can live there and never experience any of these things, but you have much better odds outside of Salinas.

That is one of the Big challenges living and working near Salinas and Monterey. You basically have expensive, nicer areas. Then you have Salinas, Prunedale, Marina and Seaside, all with their own issues/problems. No place will be perfect and some crime happens everywhere. So folks assume some risk in choosing their locations. I would rather not take that risk in Salinas with our family. But some of our friends have and have not had problems there at least within their immediate family.

I think the divide between nicer, upper middle class (relatively speaking here) areas and lower middle class (relative as well) is greater here than in other regions even within California. Some areas which started out as working class such as Monterey and Pacific Grove have skyrocketed in terms of overall housing costs. Gentrification has occurred big time. So what do you get for your money in these once affordable beach towns? Typically you get an 'old' working class home made of lower quality materials and questionable workmanship on a smaller lot for prices well above $500K. In addition it will be in need of repairs and renovations right from the get go with many old/outdated features. Floor plans including kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms leave much to be desired.

The other option is take on more risk and get a newer, more modern home in the nicer parts of South Salinas or even Seaside or Marina. Pick your poison.

Derek

[BeauCharles]

I lived in Salinas during the late 90s/early 2000s and it was fine. Lived both North and South and South is definitely my choice. There is crime in the city, but most of the truly serious violence occurs on the East side (which I went to maybe a half dozen times over the years). Made some great friends there and would consider moving back... if I could afford to buy a home there. The air quality and climate are what I miss the most.