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I posted this in the Monterey forum a while ago but we just returned from a trip that included Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, San Luis Obispo, and San Diego. We thought central coast would be the best "fit" for us since it is less congested but since visiting San Diego, we are having second thoughts as we loved the "vibe" and weather (obviously) of the area. We liked areas of the central coast for different reasons but think San Diego might check off more of the checklist. Any advice on areas would you think would be a nice "fit" would be appreciated. We weren't there that long but got a good vibe from the areas located around Balboa Park, and the areas in North County. So here is our original post from the Monterey forum (thanks for reading, I know it is a longer post)...
My wife and I are from the East Coast. I'm from Boston and my wife is from Portland, Maine. We have lived in the Northeast our entire lives except for a couple of years in Chapel Hill, NC (we moved back because we missed living near the ocean). Long story short, we are contemplating an adventure to live out in California. We are in our mid 30's, we have two children, both of which have four legs and are rescue dogs. They are our children 100% and are our top priority. We both work via phone so our clients come with us although we are toying with the idea of getting into real estate on the side because we both enjoy it. We'd obviously be renting for a while to test the waters before making any solid commitments. We've saved up roughly 500K and at some point in the future would want to buy a tiny cottage or possibly condo of 700-1000 sq. ft. We are minimalists - low on materials and high on experiences. We want to be outside as much as possible so a small safe place in a decent neighborhood would be great at some point :-)
I'm posting in the Monterey forum because after reading hundreds of posts and doing tons of research online, it seems (on paper) that this might be the best area for us. We're coming from the Portland Maine area which is a population of about 70,000 in this area, which I know can be peanuts for CA. So we'd be looking for something small city-ish or smaller town - ish, not a huge metropolis. We've been to San Diego (liked the vibe and weather a lot but way too congested) and San Francisco (again, good vibe but too overcast and again, way too congested). What we would be looking for in our ideal community (we've been around the block enough and traveled enough to know we won't find everything we are looking for, and that is fine. Most of everything is your attitude and we are very positive!)...
Meeting great friends and having a great community worth investing is of the utmost importance
Sunshine! (obviously, living in Boston and the Portland Maine area, the weather is awful 3/4 of the year, it is severely depressing for us - also my wife suffers from poor circulation so she gets frostbite easily)
Great places to walk the dogs (hiking, beaches, neighborhoods, parks, wide open spaces)
Pretty close to the ocean or relatively easy access 10-15 min drive (obviously not on it for budget reasons)
Nothing too overpopulated (we want to be in a good community but nothing like a huge city)
Nothing against people having kids at all, but we want to meet friends that don't only talk about their kids
Laid back environment for the most part (I often wonder how much more intense the northeast can get)
Tons of outdoor opportunities (we want to live outdoors as much as possible - we love running, biking, rollerblading, swimming, hiking, kayaking, obviously walking the dogs - anything outdoors!)
Safe areas to live (Obviously, I don't know anyone that wants to live near crime)
Would love to be able to ride a bike to farmer's market, around town (limit use of car)
Close to things going on around town (we aren't party animals but don't want to live in a dead community)
Population accepting of transplants (we can make friends with anyone, we are very friendly)
Would be nice to meet other vegans
Would love to meet lots of likeminded individuals (outdoorsy, vegan, active, loves dogs and animals, couples, progressive, forward thinking)
Also, I did a quick scan on meetup.com and it looks as though there are some wonderful meetup groups in the area for outdoorsy type stuff, socialization, hiking, and raw food - vegan. That seems like a good start.
We're going to take a vacation out in the area at some point soon and see how it feels. I'd love and appreciate any input, guidance, and advice from the locals and from those who are transplants (especially from the northeast and east coast). Do you think we would fit in well here and if not, which direction in CA would you point us? Thanks so much!
I never get these posts or questions. It's like you took a map and let go of a bunch of darts.
It's one thing to compare places like San Diego vs San Fran vs LA or something. Far different, but it makes sense. When you start comparing places that really have nothing in common except they are in california, it just makes no sense.
Some people love Portland, OR for the weather and many other things. Some people hate that weather. If you hate that weather, you will never like living there no matter what. Same goes for San Diego. Most people love the weather, but there are many things in San Diego that don't compare to places like San Fran and so on.
This goes back to your question. Are you just so bored that you want to move and "california' seems like the place to be? Because moving to a more crowded place like Santa Barbara is going to be far different than San diego, much less moving to central coast areas where there are more farms and open space than large communities. There are people who think El Cajon and Santee is the boondocks and middle of nowhere. Move up to north Santa Barbara and San Luis Obisipo and you really are in the middle of nowhere.
Again, I just don't get these questions. If you enjoy open space and some mountains and greenery and rain, you probably aren't going to like San Diego. But if you hate open space and living in the middle of nowhere, you'll probably hate the central coast. The weather should really just be one factor.
I never get these posts or questions. It's like you took a map and let go of a bunch of darts.
It's one thing to compare places like San Diego vs San Fran vs LA or something. Far different, but it makes sense. When you start comparing places that really have nothing in common except they are in california, it just makes no sense.
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Well now, that was a nice and friendly welcome...
Rescue, I read your post from yesterday over in the Monterey forum, and I'm so glad you had a great and educational trip! Kudos to you for being open-minded about all possibilities. Since you already did drive through Encinitas, and it triggered a reaction , I suggest you put it on your itinerary for your next trip, and spend a day or two checking it out. It has some of the best features of coastal North County. If you're worried about the famous/dreaded gloom (marine layer), then consider the area of Encinitas bordering up to Olivenhain, far enough to the east of El Camino Real that the marine layer burns off a little earlier than on the coast, and you still have less than 15 minutes' drive to the beach, and 20 minutes at the most to the great dog beach between Del Mar and Solana Beach. (Olivenhain is mostly upscale, but you might actually be able to find pockets of smaller homes from a bygone era.) If I were to move back to the area--we lived in Encinitas for 11 years--I'd pick Olivenhain.
Rescue, I read your post from yesterday over in the Monterey forum, and I'm so glad you had a great and educational trip! Kudos to you for being open-minded about all possibilities. Since you already did drive through Encinitas, and it triggered a reaction , I suggest you put it on your itinerary for your next trip, and spend a day or two checking it out. It has some of the best features of coastal North County. If you're worried about the famous/dreaded gloom (marine layer), then consider the area of Encinitas bordering up to Olivenhain, far enough to the east of El Camino Real that the marine layer burns off a little earlier than on the coast, and you still have less than 15 minutes' drive to the beach, and 20 minutes at the most to the great dog beach between Del Mar and Solana Beach. (Olivenhain is mostly upscale, but you might actually be able to find pockets of smaller homes from a bygone era.) If I were to move back to the area--we lived in Encinitas for 11 years--I'd pick Olivenhain.
Thanks for rescuing dogs!
It's not about being friendly or not, it's seeing and hearing these posts and questions that never make any sense. It would be like somebody from the UK thinking, "hey i visited a couple of places and I want to move to the US." Great, except there are a hell of a lot of places they might like and dislike.
Same goes for California. I'm from the NE, so i hear similar questions or theories from people and it never makes sense. If you want to go on some extended vacation, great, go for it. But to move 3000 miles or so and not have a real plan, that's a recipe for disaster. Coastal California is beautiful and nice, but so is San Diego. So is San Fran. So are other parts of California. But these places are so different that it makes no sense to ask "should I move to San Diego or San Simeon" and so on.
It's really hard to tell somebody why they should move to San Diego or Santa Barbara or San Diego or San Fran and so on. Like I said, it seems a lot of people just think "I want to move to California" and don't have much beyond that concept. And they get here and suddenly none of the places live up to the few days they were here on vacation or a business trip. No kidding.
And even with a job that isn't based on location, I'm not at an age where I'd move to a place that has no work. WHo knows what happens. Or sometimes you need to go to some airport to travel. Living far from airports suddenly makes many jobs a pain. even those who work remote more often than not. And then there is the city, downtown, markets, community, shopping, weather, and everything else. People need to think long and hard about where they want to move and why, more than "hey i want to move to california and it doesn't matter." And that's why there are tons of people who move and move back soon thereafter. They really never had a legit plan.
Great places to walk the dogs (hiking, beaches, neighborhoods, parks, wide open spaces)
Pretty close to the ocean or relatively easy access 10-15 min drive (obviously not on it for budget reasons)
Nothing too overpopulated (we want to be in a good community but nothing like a huge city)
Nothing against people having kids at all, but we want to meet friends that don't only talk about their kids
Laid back environment for the most part (I often wonder how much more intense the northeast can get)
Tons of outdoor opportunities (we want to live outdoors as much as possible - we love running, biking, rollerblading, swimming, hiking, kayaking, obviously walking the dogs - anything outdoors!)
Safe areas to live (Obviously, I don't know anyone that wants to live near crime)
Would love to be able to ride a bike to farmer's market, around town (limit use of car)
Close to things going on around town (we aren't party animals but don't want to live in a dead community)
Population accepting of transplants (we can make friends with anyone, we are very friendly)
Would be nice to meet other vegans
Would love to meet lots of likeminded individuals (outdoorsy, vegan, active, loves dogs and animals, couples, progressive, forward thinking)
I just moved from east coast myself, but from south.
I like SD overall, I live currently in Vista. I have also been to New England several times.
Comparing to east coast:
Pros:
- much better highways, wider, higher speed limits
- proximity to the ocean and quality of beaches
- overall cleanness and safety
- comfortable temperatures throughout the day
Cons:
- "laid back" culture is way too laid back, people are very shallow in nature, manners don't really exist
- endless sunshine can get really boring quickly
- everything is tightly packed/jammed - stores, housing etc. even in suburbs like Vista.
- surprisingly I found less organic foods here than in Atlanta and it's more expensive
- difficult to find parking near beaches and amenities there are not in good shape
- the landscape is mostly brown, all green stuff is artificially grown so everything looks artificial
- no other water bodies except the ocean
- long waiting lists to get into good schools or even pre-K
- "diversity" here comparing to New England is taken to a whole new level, depending on your race you may not feel completely comfortable
Density - I found this initially surprising and paradoxical too, as populated northeast is less dense than CA. Appears water and/or development issues are the reason.
Organic - look harder
Parking near beaches - you need to know tricks of the trade; major benefit here is that beaches are 'free' but water is colder
Lakes, ponds - not much here at all. Walden Pond in MA and others like it are great.
I just moved from east coast myself, but from south.
I like SD overall, I live currently in Vista. I have also been to New England several times.
Comparing to east coast:
Pros:
- much better highways, wider, higher speed limits
- proximity to the ocean and quality of beaches
- overall cleanness and safety
- comfortable temperatures throughout the day
Cons:
- "laid back" culture is way too laid back, people are very shallow in nature, manners don't really exist
- endless sunshine can get really boring quickly
- everything is tightly packed/jammed - stores, housing etc. even in suburbs like Vista.
- surprisingly I found less organic foods here than in Atlanta and it's more expensive
- difficult to find parking near beaches and amenities there are not in good shape
- the landscape is mostly brown, all green stuff is artificially grown so everything looks artificial
- no other water bodies except the ocean
- long waiting lists to get into good schools or even pre-K
- "diversity" here comparing to New England is taken to a whole new level, depending on your race you may not feel completely comfortable
This isn't true for everybody. I lived 45 minutes from a beach on the east coast. I had friends who walked to the beach from their houses or apartments and surfed every day. You could say the same thing up and down the east coast. The weather might be different, but there are many people on the east coast who live near or in beach towns. I hated paying for beaches, but for me, NJ, Maryland, Virginia, even NC have some of the nicer beaches and beach towns in the world. Florida has many nice beaches on both the atlantic and gulf coasts. I don't like Florida in general, but there are many fine beaches that many people live close to. In the NE, you might only be for a couple months in the summer and the crowds might be different than PB, but I'm not buying that reason as a whole. If you lived 30 minutes from a beach in NJ and rarely went, would you really become a beach person if you moved to Escondido?
But this is the philosophy I don't understand. THere are many people who live in say NJ who are less than 30 minutes from a beach. Except they never go. So suddenly they are going to travel 3000 miles and move to a place because they are close to a beach? That makes no sense. Same goes for the outdoor types who don't do anything outdoors where they live now. Sometimes people have this 'magical fantasy' about California. The grass is greener all the time. And that's probably why many people move here and leave within a year or two. The grass isn't as green as they thought.
If you are a surfer in NJ and want to find better waves, a warmer climate, etc, I get it. If you are looking for a more laid back lifestyle, have a few bucks saved up, I get it. I don't get people who just assume everything will change once they move. A person who doesn't hike someplace else isn't going to be a person who hikes everyday once they get to SD. Yeah maybe the first few months, but then most people go back to being themselves. It's far easier to lead an active lifestyle in SD, but most of the people I know, including myself, were active people before we moved to SD.
This isn't true for everybody. I lived 45 minutes from a beach on the east coast. I had friends who walked to the beach from their houses or apartments and surfed every day. You could say the same thing up and down the east coast. The weather might be different, but there are many people on the east coast who live near or in beach towns. I hated paying for beaches, but for me, NJ, Maryland, Virginia, even NC have some of the nicer beaches and beach towns in the world. Florida has many nice beaches on both the atlantic and gulf coasts. I don't like Florida in general, but there are many fine beaches that many people live close to. In the NE, you might only be for a couple months in the summer and the crowds might be different than PB, but I'm not buying that reason as a whole. If you lived 30 minutes from a beach in NJ and rarely went, would you really become a beach person if you moved to Escondido?
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There are no towns in NJ which ARE on the beach AND have lots of jobs. Where's in CA/SD most towns/cities with mid to top level income working people AND jobs ARE ON the beach. Hence the "beach culture".
BTW I only listed what I liked about SD based on my location in Vista - not sure what this has to do with "philosophy" and "reasoning"...
One more point to the topic starter: the things you are looking for like walkability, safety, biking to a farmer market, no car - those types of cities are abundant in Western Europe, like Germany, Netherlands. Here in US I highly doubt you can find all that together.
True - in CA there are plenty of bike lanes, but do you want to drive in there? I don't, seeing so many idiots behind the wheel not paying attention where they are going... And don't forget the latitude - you will get burned here in no time riding a bike during the day... Heard about melanoma at all?
Last edited by liberal8; 09-23-2013 at 03:32 PM..
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, I suggest you put it on your itinerary for your next trip, and spend a day or two checking it out. It has some of the best features of coastal North County. If you're worried about the famous/dreaded gloom (marine layer), then consider the area of Encinitas bordering up to Olivenhain, far enough to the east of El Camino Real that the marine layer burns off a little earlier than on the coast, and you still have less than 15 minutes' drive to the beach, and 20 minutes at the most to the great dog beach between Del Mar and Solana Beach. (Olivenhain is mostly upscale, but you might actually be able to find pockets of smaller homes from a bygone era.) If I were to move back to the area--we lived in Encinitas for 11 years--I'd pick Olivenhain.
