What California city would be the best choice for me? (San Diego: apartments, renters)

[Sunshell346]

Hi everyone, my hope is by posting some information about myself I can get some feed back from locals as to where would be a good place in California to start my new life.

I am a single woman in my early 40's who may or may not be going through a mid life crisis.
OK, seriously, I have always wanted to move to California, but thought the best place to raise my kids was in Michigan where our entire extended family lives. Well the kids are grown now and out of the house and now it's time for me to begin the next phase of my life.

My plan is to put my house on the market this spring, sell everything I own and use the proceeds to fund my move and to use for living expenses until I can get settled and find employment. Ideally, I will have a job before I move and will start looking in earnest once the house is sold.

I currently work in the dental field; specifically orthodontics (no, not as the doctor lol) and earn in the high 20's to low 30's. I also have experience as a customer service rep and a receptionist. I am quite a frugal gal and have lived on a budget my whole life and once the house is sold will have no debt except a small car payment. I understand that the cost of living in CA is quite high, but maybe some places aren't as bad as others. That is the kind of information I am looking for.

I will be renting and prefer to be in a city environment within walking distance to parks, shops, and restaurants. I will have my own car, but wouldn't be opposed to using public transportation if that were to be conveniently located. I will also be sharing my home with a 50lb pit bull, so would need to find housing that doesn't breed discriminate in a city with no BSL.

I am very active outdoors and love to hike, Kayak, walk my dog and explore all that nature has to offer, so while I want live in the city, I would love to be close enough to areas that would offer outdoor recreation too.

Fog, snow and rain would be deal breakers, so I guess I am looking more towards So Cal than up north. The more sun the better with temps under 90 would be perfect. If you can throw in some palm trees too, well I'd just call that heaven.
I have researched the San Diego area and while that sounds lovely, I am hoping to find opinions on other places that might fit what I am looking for too.

I know that it seems like my list of "wants" is a bit extreme and might be thought of as unattainable or unrealistic for a single person with my income, but any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

[Snort]

Most importantly regarding housing, you are going to have a seriously hard time finding a place that will allow you to have a pitbull. It's bad enough if you have a large dog, but the vast majority of apartments and individuals renting will want nothing to do with a quote, unquote "dangerous" dog.
San Diego sounds like a good fit for you, but you have to understand the terms: "May gray", "June gloom" and be ok with morning "marine layer".

[Sunshell346]

Thanks for the input Snort. I was afraid my dog might be an issue. Maybe I can I can get advise about that as well.

[MtnSurfer]

I can't imagine any kind of apartment situation that would work with a large pitbull. So you will be be looking for a home with a yard of some kind. Even some home rentals do not always allow pets, especially larger ones as snort pointed out. So yes, this will be a big challenge. Homes with yards do not come cheaply in the nicer coastal areas with warm weather such as San Diego. With a frugal lifestyle and modest income I am having a hard time picturing nicer areas where this might work.

Based on your criteria regarding warmer SoCal I would look in places like La Mesa, Poway, Temecula and Murrieta. Finding a job before you move will be imprortant especially in light of the current economic times and unemployment rate in CA. Take a look at craigslist in these areas to get an idea of home rental prices.

Derek

[SmoothBBQ]

You'll definitely want to get renters insurance. Call him an AmStaff instead.

I wouldn't call it quits on Nor Cal or the Central Coast. I've been here a tad over 5 weeks and their has only been 1 day with a good amount of fog, that burned off around noon. Not bad, I thought there were going to be a lot more foggy days.

[Sunshell346]

Right, she's not a large pit bull, she's a medium sized amstaff

Derek, thanks, I will check out the other areas you mentioned.

SmoothBBQ, can you recommend specific areas?

[jaijai]

Originally Posted by SmoothBBQ

You'll definitely want to get renters insurance. Call him an AmStaff instead.

I wouldn't call it quits on Nor Cal or the Central Coast. I've been here a tad over 5 weeks and their has only been 1 day with a good amount of fog, that burned off around noon. Not bad, I thought there were going to be a lot more foggy days.

Yes, but smooth (and Sunshell) it's not summer.
This is not the time of fog.
I love the central coast Sunshell (imo, Monterey and Santa Cruz county are 2 very good options for you) but fog is a presence (and a lovely / magical one for me) in the summer.
Although if you live just a bit inland in S.C. county, you can have some fog in the morning that burns off by mid to late morning and then it may or may not return in the later part of the day or even into the evening.
And sometimes no fog at all.
If you like a community on the central coast, i sure wouldn't let fog be a deterrent.
There are far too many other +'s.

[Count David]

The next line of counties that is not directly on the coast. CA-99 corridor + Inland Empire.

[DaniellaG]

I am from MI and lived there most my life and now live in Thousand Oaks which I really like. Coming from MI you are going to be shocked at the prices of rentals even. Around double and I am comparig similar type cities in MI and CA. I am not that familiar with CA and I know TO is expensive. For ex Ventura is less expensive. They get fog though but it breaks in the late morning. The pit bull is going to be an issue at apartments. Maybe a condo rental?

[alexxiz]

Cost of living here will be extremely high unless you find yourself in a total dump. CA is very desirable and expensive place with rents currently being jacked up more, yet. Make sure that the move makes sense financially. Also, when you do make the move, most places that offer safe/decent housing whether it's temp or permanent will want you to show proof of current income/existing and current job or will charge absolutely astronomical prices. It's a little easier to rent in LA area, but you don't want to live in LA area, unless you love smog.