Perfect Beach town in California (San Diego, Long Beach: sales, apartments, to rent)

[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!!!

[Charles]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/3193436-post2.html

[OC1017]

Not Huntington.

[bhcompy]

Seal is definitely safe and fits what you want, except because its small there arent that many jobs. You're probably better off finding a room to rent at the prices you're looking at as well. A sales job probably could be found, but the only sales jobs I specifically know about average pay wise around here involve local travel, so since you don't have a car I couldn't give you any figures.

[NaplesRes]

Belmont Shore

[Aimee11]

Thanks guys for the input. NaplesRes you said Belmont Shore, isn't that part of Seal beach?? I thought that was like the shopping type spot for Seal beach or am i completely wrong about that?

[BreaOC]

Originally Posted by Aimee11

Is it possible to get rent $900 or lower for a 2 bedroom apt there?

Truthfully you will be lucky to find a studio for $900. If you find a really low priced apartment you need to either make sure it is a legitimate advertisement or it may be in a really rough area.

[bhcompy]

Belmont Shore is part of Long Beach. It's basically 2 hops up(Belmont Shore, Naples, Seal Beach essentially north to south), but not quiet(at least by Seal Beach standards).. Seal is cozy, Belmont Shore(and Naples to a lesser extent) is rather hectic. There will be better access to jobs and there will be more numerous services, but it's more urban-upscale and pricey. Spend a weekend in each and you'll get a feel for how completely different 2 cities can be not even a few miles down the road(or a swim across Alamitos Bay).

[NaplesRes]

Belmont Shore is part of Long Beach. People in Seal shop there because it's fun and has more than Main St in Seal Beach.

I personally wouldn't call it hectic. I think it is more lively than Seal Beach. But you probably will like that as a younger person. Seal Beach closes down early.

Both are nice, safe, walkable areas.

You could also look at Naples. It's as quiet as Seal but you can walk to Belmont. It's more family centric though as it's mostly single family houses (not many apartments).

[Aimee11]

Hey thanks again everyone for being so helpful, i appreciate it!