Best cities to live in CA? (San Diego, San Jose: house, neighborhoods, living in)

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by DanielSNYC2014

Aptos - is a really nice quiet town.

...and very expensive and far from job centers.

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by NoWhere2GoButUp

If you aren't upper middles class or above, where are the best cities? I would think SF is out due to cost of living. LA and OC are out due to air pollution. Where is the air clean, the jobs in relatively abundance and rentals within reach?

I am curious of your age and the highest level of education you have achieved. This makes all the difference in California as this directly relates to the employment you may seek and the cost-of-living bracket you will fit into.

[WCArch]

Inland San Diego County, Sonoma County, Santa Clarita, one of the cities between San Francisco and Sacramento (Fairfield, Vacaville), Inland Contra Costa County or Alameda County (Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Dublin, Pleasanton)

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by NoWhere2GoButUp

If you aren't upper middles class or above, where are the best cities? I would think SF is out due to cost of living. LA and OC are out due to air pollution. Where is the air clean, the jobs in relatively abundance and rentals within reach?

Translation: An area with low-paying jobs, and lots of them.

Try Redding, CA. If you are into the healthcare profession, you can make good money here, and the cost of living is low. As in, be a nurse? There are even nursing programs here at the local college.

Otherwise, it's pretty here, good air quality, mild winters, hot summers, affordable housing.

[DaleK]

Redding is probably among one of the cheapest places for renting but the jobs that are are readily available are primarily part time ( less than 20 hours a week ) and minimum wage. Even professionals looking for jobs in Teaching and Medical fields are having problems finding work ( I know... I work with people EVERY day looking for jobs! ) We have recent graduates in our technical schools and Shasta College here applying for work at such places as McDonalds since there is so little available full time work here. My own daughter, who graduated Class Valedictorian at the University she got her Bachelor's Degree at had to move out of Redding after 6 months of finding no work here. ( She was able to find a good paying job in the North Bay Area... Thank God! )

[ccm123]

All of these Bay Area cities are expensive. Pleasanton is very nice, but extremely expensive.

Originally Posted by WCArch

Inland San Diego County, Sonoma County, Santa Clarita, one of the cities between San Francisco and Sacramento (Fairfield, Vacaville), Inland Contra Costa County or Alameda County (Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Dublin, Pleasanton)

[kjfrogster]

We moved to Maine from the SF Bay area in 2001 before 9/11. Talk about timing being every thing! We love Belfast ME but admit that for 2 displaced CA people the winters here can be a challenge, especially this winter!
We toy with moving back to our homeland but knowing the general high cost of living as well as the "territory" think that our options (on fixed income) are pretty limited.
It's not just the housing and transportation costs, there's the droughts that will never go away completely, the crime, the fact that if you are white you are now a minority (good lesson there, eh?), general attitude (big egos and selfishness).
A challenge then to those who are there. Where would you live in CA if you were retired and on a fixed income?

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by kjfrogster

Where would you live in CA if you were retired and on a fixed income?

That's exactly why I moved to Redding. Great place to live if you don't have to find work and/or are on a fixed income, like me. Cheap rents, and to be politcally incorrect regarding your other comment, Redding is also very white, compared to anywhere else I've ever been in CA.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

Santee is also a white working class area in San Diego which he might want to check out.

Klantee can be a very difficult choice for those who aren't flying the Stars and Bars.

[tikkasf]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

That's exactly why I moved to Redding. Great place to live if you don't have to find work and/or are on a fixed income, like me. Cheap rents, and to be politcally incorrect regarding your other comment, Redding is also very white, compared to anywhere else I've ever been in CA.

Redding is more likely worth consideration for someone retiring on a modest income......providing the person/s can adjust to the summer heat and is aware of the crime problem. A part time job of 20 hrs or less, regardless of pay, would likely be ok for someone in that position...specially if the job provides a social outlet