Perfect Beach town in California (Orange, Mission Viejo: credit, home, movies)

[Raelyn28]

Aimie11 check out my post and experience with OC. The thread titled "The truth about living in southern california"... You are going to be miserable and in a dangerous situation out there alone, with no job or nobody to live with. I cannot stand the denial of all these people. They just don't get it at all. I would suggest that you spend a few hours starting from the beginning and reading all the OC threads from the top to the bottom and then make a decision. Trust me honey, I moved there when I was about your age... Had an awful time there... orythedog is totally accurate and one of the rare breeds on this OC forum. Be careful!!! There is NO perfect beach town in Southern Cal. that is unless you make a ton of money in order to stay in your million dollar mansion, have a maid, an errand boy and never have to travel on those awful freeways... Be smart...

Originally Posted by orythedog

So, let me get this straight: You have no degree, no job lined up and don't know anyone out here? And...you want to live in a beachside community where everything is in walking distance in one of the most expensive areas of the United States. This board cracks me up sometimes...

[KarBear06]

Originally Posted by odyssic

My Brother and I lived in San Diego in Pacific Beach for the summer with no car, and we moved there without jobs (though I did some freelance graphic design). We lived a quarter of a mile from the beach, and my brother got a job at Chipotle. So he was 18 without a college education, got a job within walking distance from our apartment and the beach, which included one free meal a day of his favorite food! So it is possible. Just move there and figure it out. We couldn't find a place online before we got there, but right when we got there there were possibilities all around. Good luck! Steven

This is good to read...my son just relocated here from Boston...the economy back East is horrific to say the least. He was in construction and with no work, there is no job. He actually has a BA and MA in History but had always done construction/engineering/land surveying/CAD so throughout college he kept with this line of work. Unfortunately that is OVER...we live here in SoCal and son decided to move here. He has many friends here in CA but they are all in San Diego. He has been spending weekends with his college buddies and decided SD was a better fit for him than the OC. He interviewed last week and was hired by a construction consulting firm and starts Monday!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!! It is in Pacific Beach. He will stay with friends until he can get an apt. He is pumped as he feels in the very short time he has been in the OC it just is not for him. Yet SD is the best spot. He is hoping to find/secure an apt sooner than later.

[Raelyn28]

This is to you KarBear06. Thank you for another truthful experience and a warning to Aimee. It makes me cringe when I think of a young girl moving to OC without a job, home or money.. Not wise or safe at all.

I wish your son well. San Diego is far from perfect but a better choice and some spots in North San Diego County are OK.

Again for all of you that think I am bashing OC, I am not at all. I think if a person has a well established job with a good income and is being transferred there with a job to go to therre are opportunities and more choices.

But for someone alone, with no job and nobody to help out... it would be very tough.

Aimee hopefully you will find somewhere that suits you and will work. You are doing the right thing by asking and looking on this forum..

[mommyntheoc]

Look at San Luis Obispo or Carpinteria!

Originally Posted by Aimee11

Ok i have read TONS of posts on moving to California and have been learning the pros and cons and learning about a BUNCH of different beach towns trying to figure out my "dream beach town". It's really time for me to narrow my search down and i really need some help! Maybe my ideal beach town doesn't exist in Cali maybe it does, i dunno. So i need some help.....I'm a 26 year old female looking for a job and apartment in a very small, safe beachtown that has pretty much everything within walking distance(i won't have a car for awhile)-is that possible anywhere in California? I'm still in school so i don't have a degree yet(working on a business degree), and most my work experience is in hospitality/sales/entertainment. Is it possible for me to get a job without a degree that i could realistically live off of?? But i am looking for a roomate because i'm not counting on being able to. I don't want to live in a bad neighborhood. I'm looking for a place artsy and laidback, with a lot of young people. I'm looking for more unique shops, cafes,stores and restaurants than corporate chains, but a target would be nice, since i shop there all the time but it's not necessary. As long as i can easily get to a store for my basic essentials and basics like a bank, pharmacy, and doctors office nearby. I'm into yoga, bellydancing, acting, modeling, and music for hobbies, so if there are places i could practice those or take a class with other like minds that would be great. I like going to the movies and bookstores/library on occasion, and love hiking, biking, and tennis as well. I'm not big into bar hopping but would like a couple cool places to go to on occasion. And i REALLY don't want to live somewhere where everythting closes at 8. I'd prefer Southern California because i do act and model and think it would be easier to find jobs doing that there sometimes, but i think i'd love northern California as well, for other reasons, so i'm open to anywhere. I'm hoping to be lead to the perfect beach town for me. I've visited San Diego and Long Beach before. I loved Seal Beach and have heard many good things about it on the forums, but don't know exactly if it's for me. Is it possible to get rent $900 or lower for a 2 bedroom apt there? Is there a lot of jobs right in Seal beach and could i get to most things on foot or bike there? And is seal beach a safe place for a single female to be living and working and walking around by herself? And if anyone knows of a beach town that sounds like what i'm looking for please let me know! I am basically starting from scratch but i really want to do this! I want to be well prepared and i will be, i just want to narrow my options down to atleast 3 places. Please help! Thanks so much!!!

[skyway31]

Raelyn, you failed to address my post. She could move to several beach towns and find decent roommates that are her age. She could EASILY find a place for $900 in Manhattan, Hermosa, Newport etc etc. If she finds a roommate via a few website searches. In the right community-i.e. the ones I list above-the odds of finding a good roommate are actually pretty good. I love how people come out here thinking they have to do precisely as they would in middle America-i.e. buy a house or rent a 1 bedroom-and then lament that it doesnt work. lol

[Raelyn28]

Ok Skyway 31 I will address your post. I did have roomates and several of them at her age. I also lived with a family and rented a room. So please do not make comments when you have no clue as to what I went through. I also moved to Southern Cal without a job and without relatives, etc. I am only speaking from experience and nobody warned me. When I moved there we didn't have forums like this and thank God we do now. It is a shame that people cannot be totally honest and let the girl know that she may have a tough time unless she has someone to help her. The economy is a mess right now and I personally would not move to Cali in the current economic situation.. And for your information guess what?? I have a step-daughter and step son living in OC. Their ages are 27 and 25. My step-son lives with his grandparents and he owns his own company. My daughter recently moved out of her mothers house at the age of 25 only after securing a very high paying job. So I know what I am talking about. I talk to both of them all the time about OC. They would back any of my comments 100%. ....and I have friends who live there... Anything else???

Personally I didn't make the first response to her. You need to go back and re-read the posts. And you guys need to be honest about the expense of living there. She isn't doing a job transfer... She doesn't have a job. So tell me how is she going to make it work with the cost of living as high as it is?? And by the way finding a decent room mate is a pain in the you know what... You have to be really careful these days, especially a single young woman..

Helloooo, can we get a reality check in OC please!!!

Originally Posted by skyway31

Raelyn, you failed to address my post. She could move to several beach towns and find decent roommates that are her age. She could EASILY find a place for $900 in Manhattan, Hermosa, Newport etc etc. If she finds a roommate via a few website searches. In the right community-i.e. the ones I list above-the odds of finding a good roommate are actually pretty good. I love how people come out here thinking they have to do precisely as they would in middle America-i.e. buy a house or rent a 1 bedroom-and then lament that it doesnt work. lol

[skyway31]

I also moved out here on my own and without a job. And was annoyed until I was blue in the face from people telling me how hard it would be etc. Why?? Ya see, every time these people would make their arguments as to why it would be impossible for me to make it, they'd relay stories like the ones you tell of people not moving out of parent's houses until certain ages. I'd hear of how you couldn't get a 1-bed apt for under yada yada a month. I'd hear a lot of generalizations. Then, I'd go onto websotes like westside rentals and craigslist and see a MILLION ads of people in their 20s looking for a chill roommate in their 20s to live in a place by the beach for roughly $800 a month. I knew that based off my savings and ability to find some job somewhere, I could afford that. When you get out and about and meet these prospective roomies, you find that 4 out of 5 are fine enough. When you consider that a large number of these places are month-month, the risk of going into a less than desirable situation is greatly minimized.

She stated that something at or under $900 a month was what she was in the market for. That's easy to find in many upscale beach communities.

Wherever she lives in the U.S., she will have to find a source of income to live off of. If she has to find a job, that will be hard anywhere. Because of the size and diversity of the economy of SoCal compared to other areas of the U.S., there will just about always be more opportunities to find employment here than anywhere else. If there are 1,000 open jobs with 1,333 jobless people competing for them in Place A, and Place B has 30 open jobs with 40 people competing for them in Place B, Place A has the MUCH better job market even though both have 33% unemployment.

[Raelyn28]

As ridiculous as your post is (regarding the job situation) I will let you have your opinion here. I am not going to worry about it. It is the girl's decision. If she wants to go for it and it is worth it to her then fine. It wasn't to me and then again it was for you. With that said it is a matter of perspective and personality.

I have just found more people that I personally know that don't like Southern Cal in general than people that say it is great.. I lived there for over 20-years and know many people young and old that still live there or have moved away.

Again, it is Aimee's choice. I am just here to give suggestions. I am not here to stop someone from doing what they want to do..

Thanks for you post and I respect you perspective even if it is different than mine.

Have a good week..
Raelyn

Originally Posted by skyway31

I also moved out here on my own and without a job. And was annoyed until I was blue in the face from people telling me how hard it would be etc. Why?? Ya see, every time these people would make their arguments as to why it would be impossible for me to make it, they'd relay stories like the ones you tell of people not moving out of parent's houses until certain ages. I'd hear of how you couldn't get a 1-bed apt for under yada yada a month. I'd hear a lot of generalizations. Then, I'd go onto websotes like westside rentals and craigslist and see a MILLION ads of people in their 20s looking for a chill roommate in their 20s to live in a place by the beach for roughly $800 a month. I knew that based off my savings and ability to find some job somewhere, I could afford that. When you get out and about and meet these prospective roomies, you find that 4 out of 5 are fine enough. When you consider that a large number of these places are month-month, the risk of going into a less than desirable situation is greatly minimized.

She stated that something at or under $900 a month was what she was in the market for. That's easy to find in many upscale beach communities.

Wherever she lives in the U.S., she will have to find a source of income to live off of. If she has to find a job, that will be hard anywhere. Because of the size and diversity of the economy of SoCal compared to other areas of the U.S., there will just about always be more opportunities to find employment here than anywhere else. If there are 1,000 open jobs with 1,333 jobless people competing for them in Place A, and Place B has 30 open jobs with 40 people competing for them in Place B, Place A has the MUCH better job market even though both have 33% unemployment.

[skyway31]

Originally Posted by Raelyn28

As ridiculous as your post is (regarding the job situation) I will let you have your opinion here. I am not going to worry about it. It is the girl's decision. If she wants to go for it and it is worth it to her then fine. It wasn't to me and then again it was for you. With that said it is a matter of perspective and personality.

I have just found more people that I personally know that don't like Southern Cal in general than people that say it is great.. I lived there for over 20-years and know many people young and old that still live there or have moved away.

Again, it is Aimee's choice. I am just here to give suggestions. I am not here to stop someone from doing what they want to do..

Thanks for you post and I respect you perspective even if it is different than mine.

Have a good week..
Raelyn

LMAO. Is the discussion supposed to be an objective one regarding which communities fit her criteria? Or a subjective one about whether people like southern California? It seems you've changed the subject.

In regards to the other topic of what people who live in SoCal generally think about it, that's a very broad topic. You'd have to poll a large number of people to get an accurate picture of what people think. All you've done is vaguely mention a few people that happen to be in your social circle/family. I could tell you that everybody I know absolutely loves SoCal. t

[Raelyn28]

No I didn't change the topic at all. Again, go back to the beginning. My point is there isn't a perfect beach town in Southern Cal. There are nice areas but they are expensive and she needs to know that. Maybe she isn't aware of all the different issues and if nobody tells her than she moves there without all the facts.

If she doesn't mind roomates (I don't personally like the hassle of it) then she isn't going to be happy and especially without work to go to.

Again, this is her choice and I was just sharing my experience. Why are you so defensive? If you like OC then great but not everyone does. She is old enough to make her own choice and hopefully she will do that carefully weighing everyone's experience, yours, mine and many other's as well.

This isn't all about me and my social circles. It is about you and your social circles as well. I am not berating you for liking where you are but you are not giving me the freedom to post my own posts. It's a free country you know. So quit trying to put me in your little box..... I didn't like it there and honestly gave it a fair shake for 20+ years moved away and I am sooo much happier. Get over it... And another thing.... you said that I vaguely mentioned a few people that don't like it. Guess again, I have a large amount of comments in my inbox from those who have thanked me for speaking the truth and agree with what I am saying...

Originally Posted by skyway31

LMAO. Is the discussion supposed to be an objective one regarding which communities fit her criteria? Or a subjective one about whether people like southern California? It seems you've changed the subject.

In regards to the other topic of what people who live in SoCal generally think about it, that's a very broad topic. You'd have to poll a large number of people to get an accurate picture of what people think. All you've done is vaguely mention a few people that happen to be in your social circle/family. I could tell you that everybody I know absolutely loves SoCal. t