Everything to know about Monterey.... (Salinas, Laguna: low income, apartment complexes, rentals)

[cbone4]

Hello,

My boyfriend is close to accepting a job offer in Salinas. We were both born and raised in New England, but have lived in Atlanta for a couple of years now. I've never been to California, never mind Salinas or Monterey, so I really have no idea what to expect. He is 25 and I am 24.

A few questions for the locals

1. Where should we live?
We've been looking for apartments online and everything seems very old and not updated. Are there any new apartment complexes or condos for rent in Monterey / surrounding areas? He would be working in Salinas, but we are open to living in the surrounding area. Our budget for rent is about ~2500 a month but we'd like to pay less if possible... Exact names of apartments would be great!

2. What is there to do?
We're both in our 20s but we aren't into the party scene. We enjoy the beach, going out for a couple of drinks here and there, festivals, etc.. I would love to know what the weekends are like, what do people do? How are the restaurants, night scene, etc.

3. How is the weather?
I've been researching and it seems it doesnt get too warm and is pretty foggy. Is that true? Are there areas that are warmer, less foggy, less windy, etc?

4. Will I have a hard time finding a job?
I currently work for a Marketing Agency in Atlanta and mostly do social media and paid search campaigns. Are there any similar types of agencies in Monterey, or even in-house work? I've looked on job boards like Indeed but havent found much. Any help is appreciated.

5. Cost of living
I know Monterey is expensive, but I'm wondering exactly how expensive it is.. Would love to know what people's monthly expenses look like - rent, gas, utilities, grocery store, etc...



Thank you so much for your help!

[MtnSurfer]

Hi,

I'll take a stab at some of the questions. Though I don't know the answers to all of these, especially those related to marketing agency jobs.

1. Most of the apartment complexes and homes are dated. We've never lived in nor looked for apartments. So I don't know details on that. The coastal areas near Monterey itself are more expensive and desirable for most due to proximity to things of interest (day/night). Check craigslist.

2. Activities available are too many to list. They mainly center around the outdoors (hiking, biking, sailing, fishing, surfing, scuba, kayaking, golfing, backpacking, camping, etc...). Then there are the music festivals, car shows, races, marathons, etc... Food is international and great with a wide variety of choices. Can't speak to the bar scene.

3. Weather is near perfect year round which ranges from 50s-70s. This means outdoor activities are accessible year round. For example, I like to hike, run and just explore in the outdoors. Rarely can I not do either of those. Summer gets cooler with the fog, typically. But with the drought we've had even Summers have been warmer.

4. Don't know.

5. The biggest cost of living difference far and above everything else will be housing. Find a decent place to live and most other things will not be too much different. Gas will be more expensive than other parts of the country. We've been hovering around $3/gallon lately. Heating and cooling should be cheaper with the more moderate climate. Almost no one needs or uses A/C.

Derek

[Hawk J]

Monterey weather is usually going to be cooler then Salinas, which is inland about 18 mile.

https://weatherspark.com/averages/30...-United-States

https://weatherspark.com/averages/31...-United-States

There are many very nice FUn festivals in CA.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Festivals+in+CA

Some great races at Laguna Seca...

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...eca+California

There is a lot of great fishing & camping around, & not very far away.

We moved away years ago when we got a great deal on part of a mountain here in Oregon, out in the country.

We have many wonderful memories from when living In Monterey, Carmel Valley, outside Salinas, Prunedale, Marina area.....

Best of Luck in your search for your place.

[TwistedGray]

1. You should be able to rent a house in South Salinas for $2500 or less and an apartment in any other town for less than $2500. Salinas is warmest followed by Monterey and then the rest of the areas. Alternatively Carmel Valley is nice, but nothing walkable. You would have to drive to get to anything.

2. What isn't there to do. The area is a mix of old people, tourists, students, artists, etc.

3. Depends. Every town/city has its own microClimate. Therefore it is nearly impossible to answer that question without knowing exactly what City you are interested in.

4. Hard to say...look around

5. Mehhhh, it's not a whole lot more than any other city to be honest. I grew up in West Virginia and gas/beer/utilities are quite similar.

[cbone4]

Thanks everyone, very helpful!

Does anyone know if there are any newer apartments/condos in Monterey? Or ones that were recently renovated?

[Hawk J]

We always had much FUn at the "Salinas Rodeo" & Parade.....

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...lifornia+Rodeo

[Transitory]

Howdy! I'll take a stab at a few questions:

1. Location is a big question. Salinas is far from one of California's gems. It is mostly low income with a recent history of high crime and gang violence. Most of that crime is isolated to the east end of Salinas, most notably the area called the Alisal. South Salinas (west of Abbott and south of Alisal is probably the nicest part of town.

To the north of Salinas you have Prunedale which is mostly rural-country feeling with some pockets that are very hillybilly and some pockets that are quite upscale.

To the South of Salinas are the rural communities of 101 - mostly rural small towns with low education and low income. There are always pockets of exceptions, naturally. Some areas to the west of the Salinas Valley are home to many vineyards with nicer areas.

Just south of Salinas is also a small town called Spreckels. It hasn't got much in terms of anything (a school, a restaurant, and a fire department are pretty much it), it's a nice area with cute homes and low crime and close proximity to Salinas.

To the southwest is the Highway 68 corridor. These are nicer areas though isolated from shopping and leisure activities (with a car, of course, they are within close reach). These areas are sort of part-rural, part-country club, and part suburb (some more of one than the other).

Then there are the communities of the Peninsula. Pebble Beach and Carmel are the very upscale areas with incredibly high costs of living, mostly middle aged to older families. Pacific Grove is a coastal small town with many retirees but also a fair amount of families. It is slightly less expensive than PB and Carmel. Monterey is in the middle of the road, not the most expensive but not the cheapest. It's also the most centrally located Peninsula town, close to most everything. Seaside is a mostly low income community though there are pockets where old retirees make up the blocks and parts north of the high school that are settled by many military families. Marina is somewhere between Seaside and Monterey - not as crime filled as Seaside but it doesn't have the geographic beauty of Monterey. It's the closest community by driving to Salinas.

This is all very high level and superficial but I think it's a decent summary of the areas.

2. As others have said - lots to do, mostly outdoors. Get a wetsuit and some hiking boots and you'll never run out of activities.

3. Above posters have covered it. Weather is temperate year round with cool wet winters and warm dry summers. Jeans and long sleeves will define your typical yearly outfit. In the winter the weather is mostly the same throughout (highs typically in the low to mid 60s with some days cooler and warmer). In the summer the weather is more disparate. Inland areas are warmer and sunnier, coastal areas are cooler and foggier. Parts of Monterey are the warmest and sunniest coastal areas in the summer.

4. No idea, sorry

5. We have a 2 bedroom house in PG. We rent for $1700 a month, our gas/electric is between 40 and 70 per month, and our groceries are around 60 a week. Obviously this is dependent on many variables. Overall it's mostly rent that is the biggest cost increase from the rest of the country. Groceries and gas are slightly expensive, but not Hawaii expensive. Water can be expensive if you use too much.

As far as newer apartments, you're going to be hard pressed to find them. Most of the area's growth and construction happened in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. After that construction sharply declined with many communities reigning in the pace and types of growth that they would allow. As a result, you don't see a lot of newer buildings here. Getting permits to build, rebuild, or renovate a property can involve a very long process, especially if the building is deemed architecturally or historically significant or it is on the water. This is definitely a sharp contrast from the lightning pace of development that metro Atlanta experienced during the 90s, for example. The pace of growth and type of growth is a huge debate that embroils the entire county every year.

However, you can find updated apartments and houses. Oftentimes you'll see a complex or condo with an old exterior but will be surprised at an updated interior. It's usually easier permit-wise to do interior renovations than exterior renovations. I'm afraid I haven't been taking much time to look at rentals or complexes in the area to give you any specific ones, but they do exist. You can also find a single family house for $2500 a month in any of the communities (save for probably Pebble Beach and Carmel, though there are always exceptions). Every once in a while they are modern and updated, for example here: https://monterey.craigslist.org/apa/4925538018.html . Just keep on top of craigslist on a daily basis and eventually I'm sure you can find something updated within that budget.

Good luck!

[Hawk J]

I came upon these apartments that they say are on Fort Ord Property, next to Marina. I don't know anything for sure about them, but I have heard some apts & townhouses were supposed to be built on Fort Ord.

I do know my brother in law lived in some apts on Fort Ord years ago. He was happy there, at the time.

These apts might be worthwhile checking into.

Find Housing

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...%2C+California

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by cbone4

Thanks everyone, very helpful!

Does anyone know if there are any newer apartments/condos in Monterey? Or ones that were recently renovated?

Check some of these out: Apartments Monterey, CA

You best bet is to do some more Google searches. That's how I found these.

Derek

[Barovelli]

New apartments? Not much in the way of new "residential community" kind of complexes. Avoid Salinas, even if you stay of of the Alisal the Alisal get around and bring their guns. Stay out of the crossfire.

There are new apartments over businesses on Lighthouse Ave, I call it Outzen-ville, for the developer that builds them.

131 Lighthouse Ave Monterey, CA, 93940 - Apartments for Rent | Zillow

Cool if you like the urban feel.

Work - think tourists and retirees. A hotel may be interested in someone with net-smarts when they are not working the front desk or changing out bedding.