Thoughts about living in Nipomo vs. Arroyo Grande (Crest: rent, job market)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I register as an Independant. But I lean right on alot of issues since I come from a business family.
BTW, the area in AG near Wal-Mart and that hill looks exactly like OC. Large suburban homes with an OC look.
Also, on Courtland and Grand in AG there are plans for a new shopping center. Grover Beach's planned shopping center may not go through if Pismo or AG beat Grover to it. Citys after all compete for the most tax revenue. AG also has 2 large churches. Grace Church and Vineyard. Pismo has New Life. SLO has Mountainbrook. Atascadero has Atascadero Bible Church. Santa Maria has several large churches.
The city- no wonder I like your point of view on the area- I also register as an independent, and lean to the right on most issues... also from an affluent business family. Uh oh, a quasi- conservative family may move in to highnlite's libertarian cow-hugging utopia!
Highnlite- no reply is warranted to your antagonistic remarks. I am a happy, confident person, get a life beyond the computer bud. Stop proving your self importance to strangers over the net who don't care.
Back to the topic-
Again- I appreciate this thread. Thanks to TrueTimbers. if anything it shows me the diversity of people in the area where we are about to make our new home and raise our sons and daughter. Good thing we have family there, or I'd venture to think all you central coasters were a little nutty!
If my husband's job is located in Santa Maria, what is the farthest realistic commute he could make daily without feeling like we have really pushed it? He will be driving a company car on company gas, so we could care less about that aspect. Just the time frame and distance. If you were to choose between Orcutt (obviously a minuscule commute) or say Atascadero, Templeton or Paso... pros and cons of each? Or would you just tell me to stick with Orcutt given what criteria we've already mentioned we want for our family?
The city- no wonder I like your point of view on the area- I also register as an independent, and lean to the right on most issues... also from an affluent business family. Uh oh, a quasi- conservative family may move in to highnlite's libertarian cow-hugging utopia!
Highnlite- no reply is warranted to your antogonistoc remarks. I am a happy, confident person, get a life beyond the computer bud. Stop proving your self importance to strangers over the net who don't care.
Back to the topic-
Again- I appreciate this thread. Thanks to TrueTimbers. if anything it shows me the diversity of people in the area where we are about to make our new home and raise our sons and daughter. Good thing we have family there, or I'd venture to think all you central coasters were a little nutty!
If my husband's job is located in Santa Maria, what is the farthest realistic commute he could make daily without feeling like we have really pushed it? He will be driving a company car on company gas, so we could care less about that aspect. Just the time frame and distance. If you were to choose between Orcutt (obviously a miniscule commute) or say Atascadero, Templeton or Paso... pros and cons of each? Or would you just tell me to stick with Orcutt given what criteria we've already mentioned we want for our family?
Orcutt can be 5 min to 15 min easy drive to Santa Maria. Grover Beach is 25 min from Santa Maria. Pismo is 25. AG is 20. Nipomo is 15. And give in and take where you live in each community. Nipomo can be 10 min to SM, and AG can be 15.
Out of all them, I'd chose Orcutt or Arroyo Grande. Orcutt if you want to be close to the urban amenities SM offers and save on housing. AG has the performing arts center, high school, Trader Joes, Wal-Mart and K-Mart, downtown shopping, Regal Cinemas, all 4 major cell phone carries (Sprint, Verizon, Metro PCS, At&T), Apple Bee's and Chili's and Jamba Juice and Baja Fresh, cool climate, Lake Lopez, and their public high school rates better than Righetti. AG also has a golf course and coffee shops and some bars. Also the best ice cream place is in AG and it's an old fashioned ice cream place. I am hoping Grover Beach or Arroyo Grande builds this small outdoor mall. The AG one is proposed around 100,000 sq. ft. and the one in Grover Beach is more like 160,000 sq. ft. However, if the AG one gets built than the one in Grover probably won't get approved by the council. The outlet mall is the only mall in the county right now, so there is a demand in Five Cities for another mall. And the mall in Santa Maria is years away from revival, and that's if that day comes. But I still like the SM mall.
Grover Beach is trying to become more touristy. So anywhere like Oceano and Pismo Beach will all the hotels will have more traffic and more crowds and higher housing.
Some people commute from SLO to Santa Maria, but anything more north is very rare and will be a drainer with the Cuesta Grade with draining of gas.
The city- no wonder I like your point of view on the area- I also register as an independent, and lean to the right on most issues... also from an affluent business family. Uh oh, a quasi- conservative family may move in to highnlite's libertarian cow-hugging utopia!
Highnlite- no reply is warranted to your antagonistic remarks. I am a happy, confident person, get a life beyond the computer bud. Stop proving your self importance to strangers over the net who don't care.
Back to the topic-
Again- I appreciate this thread. Thanks to TrueTimbers. if anything it shows me the diversity of people in the area where we are about to make our new home and raise our sons and daughter. Good thing we have family there, or I'd venture to think all you central coasters were a little nutty!
If my husband's job is located in Santa Maria, what is the farthest realistic commute he could make daily without feeling like we have really pushed it? He will be driving a company car on company gas, so we could care less about that aspect. Just the time frame and distance. If you were to choose between Orcutt (obviously a minuscule commute) or say Atascadero, Templeton or Paso... pros and cons of each? Or would you just tell me to stick with Orcutt given what criteria we've already mentioned we want for our family?
Think hard about where you move to on the central coast, If you find people like Highnlite irritating... Best I can tell most smaller communities in the county are entrenched in that old school "cow hugging" mentality... They are a stubborn bunch and proud of the fact they have resisted the "modernization" that has engulfed many coastal counties in California.. Heck the county tourism board even markets themselves as the "classic California"....
If you find yourself like minded with The City, ask him if he is happy with the small rural community he lives in... Maybe down in Orcutt or in Santa Barbra county has less "cow hugging"
Just a word of warning... What attracts me to the place is likely what repels you.... And I find AG and much of the county attractive...
Location: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
6,390 posts, read 9,681,502 times
Reputation: 2622
Quote:
Highnlite- no reply is warranted to your antogonistoc remarks. I am a happy, confident person, get a life beyond the computer bud. Stop proving your self importance to strangers over the net who don't care.
Back to the topic-
My family has been here, and farmed the Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande Valleys for over 100 years, our roots are deep. For myself, I have been around this area for 60 years. As you drive around Santa Maria and Orcutt you will see our family name on stuff, like streets.
If I give you information it is accurate. If you don't like it, that is certainly not my problem. I find it interesting that you make no reference to any of the particular items, landscape and conditions that set this area apart, and make it worth living in.
I think you can create an environment for your kids that will make them interesting, capable, competent, curious adults. It was my intention to assist you in that endeavor.
Suburbia is not conducive to that. At least look at Tepusquet.
Another anecdote, over my morning coffee. Daughters grew up in the wild, they could saddle a horse and pack a mule, and lead a pack string down the trail before they were ten years old.
Daughter #1 had a succession of "town boys" as boy friends, some I did not let on the ranch. She eventually met a Santa Barbara County rancher's son, incidentally a Righetti High School grad. She found him honest, ethical, a hard worker and a good companion.
Daughter #2 also dated a succession of "town boys" including a quite wealthy boy who spent lots of money on her and envisioned her as a member of a bay area golf and tennis club.
She, seeing the qualities of the rancher's son, decided she too wants to meet a rancher's son. For her birthday her sister gave her a gift certificate good for 6 introductions to ranchers. I think that is cute, and shows that they understand the difference between those who work on the land and are part of the land, and those that don't.
You too can create children like that, who will grow up to be adults like that, or not.
Think hard about where you move to on the central coast, If you find people like Highnlite irritating... Best I can tell most smaller communities in the county are entrenched in that old school "cow hugging" mentality... They are a stubborn bunch and proud of the fact they have resisted the "modernization" that has engulfed many coastal counties in California.. Heck the county tourism board even markets themselves as the "classic California"....
If you find yourself like minded with The City, ask him if he is happy with the small rural community he lives in... Maybe down in Orcutt or in Santa Barbra county has less "cow hugging"
Just a word of warning... What attracts me to the place is likely what repels you.... And I find AG and much of the county attractive...
Out of SLO County I would chose Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo, or Pismo Beach.
I do not like the rural un-incorporated community I live in. Nothing to do and the weather gets warm in the Summer.
The best shopping and dining are in San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, and Pismo Beach are pretty modern. Also the three hospitals are in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo, and Templeton.
SLO and AG both have movie theaters and Trader Joes and great hiking trails.
Also, note that Templeton, like AG is split. One part of AG is more modern suburban and another part is more like a rural, classic small town.
Pismo Beach and "hopefully" Arroyo Grande are the only two towns with malls. Pismo's mall is at 147,000 sq. ft. and the AG mall is expected to be at 101,000 sq. ft.
Also, Jules be aware AG is not the "Shire" as highnlite states. There was a hate crime incident that re-occured at a African-America families home to the point where they had to move away and it was said to be White Supremist gangsters causing the problem. Interestingly enough, coming from someone who works for the sociology field I can tell the only White Supremist gang is located in Arroyo Grande. And also they had video cameras placed in downtown AG to monitor crime.
The crime in Five Cities is concentrated in Oceano and the part of Grover Beach near Oceano.
The other crime in the county is located in the egde of downtown Paso Robles and San Miguel where you have Hispanic gangs.
But it's hard to avoid gang crime in CA. Even Santa Barbara has gangs.
Location: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
6,390 posts, read 9,681,502 times
Reputation: 2622
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
Also, Jules be aware AG is not the "Shire" as highnlite states.
As I have stated, my children call the South County including San Luis Obispo, "the shire", not I, that comes from experiencing other places..
There was a hate crime incident that re-occured at a African-America families home to the point where they had to move away and it was said to be White Supremist gangsters causing the problem.
Can you document your assertions? There was a few clowns who did burn a cross, one time, and that was one time in the 150 year history of the Town. They are now doing hard time in prison. The AG police do a good job.
Interestingly enough, coming from someone who works for the sociology field I can tell the only White Supremist gang is located in Arroyo Grande.
Again, document your assertion, or I call it BS.
And also they had video cameras placed in downtown AG to monitor crime.
The cameras were pulled our within two weeks. The only crime they saw was a couple of middle school kids pulling plants out of the planters on the Bridge Street bridge. The worst crime downtown is the bar patrons at Ralph and Duanes putting their cigarettes out in the flower planters.
The crime in Five Cities is concentrated in Oceano and the part of Grover Beach near Oceano.
As I said
Oh, Orcutt is not in The Shire, it ends at the Santa Maria River bed. If a person moves here because there is shopping, or movie theatres, they are missing the point of being here.
City, I saw a fair number of black/white and Hispanic/white couples in AG the other week. Only reason I noted it is because it seemed like a lot for a small rural farm community.. Just like everyone else they were..
City, I saw a fair number of black/white and Hispanic/white couples in AG the other week. Only reason I noted it is because it seemed like a lot for a small rural farm community.. Just like everyone else they were..
That's because one end is suburban and other is less dense, more rural.
White (85.3%), Hispanic (15.7%), and Asian (3.4%). Grover has more Asians. And then if you look at the high school you can tell White, Hispanic, and Asian make up the area. Much like most wealthy, suburban areas like in OC and other areas.
It's also estimated AG will reach 19,000-20,000 pop. by 2020. AG and Nipomo are the fastest growing cities in South County.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
