Milwaukee,WI to SoCal -any insight on these cities? (San Diego: sales, rental)

[niknak1]

Hi-
My husband is being relocated to Southern Ca. We are looking to move out there around July/August, and currently in the process of looking at potential cities, along the coast, and inland, from San Diego county to LA. Hoping people may have some insight into these cities. We are in our 30's and have a 16mo. old baby, and a dog. Being near the coast would be our preference, but we're open to inland as long as the city is fitting for us. We're looking for something fun with things we can do w/and w/o the baby, and a place that is safe enough to raise a family. I've heard that it's not just about finding the right city in CA, but the right neighborhood, as you can't judge a city the same way out there as you can in Milwaukee. We are going to start out renting and hopefully 1-2 years in we will know if we can call Ca home permanently.
Any feedback on the following would be great:
Carlsbad
Costa Mesa/Mission Viejo/Lake Forest
Claremont/La Verne/Glendora/San Dimas/Azusa
Riverside/Corona
Lake Elsinore/Murrieta/Temecula

I've heard mixed reviews on Riverside, good things on Claremont and Glendora. Don't know a lot about the rest. My husband will work out of our home, and travel 1-3 days week to various locations, and I will need to find new employment.

Thanks.

[moved]

Where in Southern California is he being relocated to? That will help. Along with more specifics.

What's your rental budget? What type of employment will you be looking for?

[niknak1]

He will work out of our home and travel 1-3 times a week based on customer needs. Would say LA area may be more central for his travels, but his company is open to us relocating in So.Cal without any big restrictions as his travel could be anywhere within the southern region. We have thought San Diego, but that may not be as ideal as more northern counties, however, we are still open to finding out more about cities within SD that we may like/fit our personalities, yet family friendlyand safe enough to raise our daughter.
We are looking at $1600-$2000.
I currently work in the sales area for a huge apparel company but will likely not have the opportunity to relocate as my account is midwest based. Have not yet spoken to my boss until we are further along in the process should anything fall through...would prefer to keep my job until the last minute. I also am a licensed esthetician, so I would always be open to trying to get back into that line of work. Otherwise, office/admin. work is what I would probably start out looking for to get started with something.

Thanks!

[loveautumn]

Personally, I would forget about Riverside and Lake Elsinore region (the last 2 on your list) for alot of reasons, but it would be a brutal commute. The top 3 are very good areas. Carlsbad might be more in line with your budget, although $1600-2000 is basically apt type price ranges though, borderline on houses. Costa Mesa/Lake Forest/Mission Vieja is a great area but would be more expensive (in OC). Get ready for sticker shock. Don't know anything about the LA cities you mentioned.

SoCal is a huge region so there are alot of towns with a wide variety of lifestyles so it might take you awhile to really find the right location for your family. You'll just have to start somewhere and explore the area for a year to really know where you want to settle.

As far as jobs, the economy here isn't good and it might take you 6 months or longer to find a job. Alot of companies are only hiring admin/office positions as temp to hire. So if you need your income to make it, that's really something to think about.

[cruitr]

Since your husband travels all over Socal and you want to live near the beach, Carlsbad would be a good place to live. Here's a nice rental property about a mile from the beach:
Detached 2 Bedroom + Loft Home in Gated Community (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/apa/1680696125.html - broken link)

Also, my wife is from the Milwaukee area. She loves San Diego. Still a Packer fan though. Luckily we have several Packer bars here in San Diego.