Best cities to live in CA? (San Diego, Riverside: rentals, crime, job market)

[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?

[Johnhills]

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?

This is the question of the century. Jobs are usually around areas that tend to be expensive. Rentals within reach last I heard are in places like Redding, but then there is a problem with crime and meth heads. Might check out a place called Galt, if you are willing to commute a bit. Used to be cheaper, and people commute to SF for work. Oxnard has some cheaper rentals, but look at the demographics on Wiki to see if you would feel welcomed there. Might also check out Hemet, and that general area. Rentals are cheaper there, and the commute for work wouldn't be that bad (it's in between Riverside County and San Diego). If you are willing to live up in high altitude Lake Arrowhead and Crestline have reasonable rents, and clean air. However the catch is (there is always a catch isn't there?),.....these are redneck areas, and so not very welcoming to ethnic people last I checked. I used to live there, but that was 5 years ago, and perhaps things have changed? Chances are you will have to commute quite far, or be willing to work at lower wage jobs. There is no where left in the US I think that has all of it perfect: clean air, tons of work, cheap rent, and nice climate. You usually have to sacrifice something. Good luck!

[Count David]

Using that generally basic criteria, I'm going with Santa Rosa.

[ExeterMedia]

Cheap housing, lots of jobs, clean air, in California.

Have you tried Narnia?

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Using that generally basic criteria, I'm going with Santa Rosa.

Yea, except jobs are not abundant in Santa Rosa, and it's a long and crowded commute to SFO, east bay, etc., with currently no public transit options. For the OP: San Diego air quality has worsened with growth in the last decade plus, but there are parts of the city/county that are just fine [and SD is located along 70 miles of beaches, the county is very large relative to its population and there is still a bit of open space/canyons, plus desert on one side and mountains-so it helps with the air quality relative to LA that is buffered by two more counties and more than 2x the population of SD]. Job proximity to place of living and job availability, plus some range in terms of rental pricing and available inventory, puts SD higher on the list than SFO/bay area, IMO.

For locations in SD: Depends on what type of area you want to live in-suburban [lots of that in SD!], some urban central walkable with character areas, coastal communities [generally more expensive]. Overall, SD has more middle or lower middle options for rentals and a decent job market. The county is 3.5 million people; LA county is almost 10 million plus borders Riverside and San Bernardino county populations.

In San Diego, for a starting point, the following areas are good to check out:
La Mesa, North Park, Normal Heights, San Marcos, Eastlake.

Also, Temecula and Murrietta in riverside county, but just 45 min. from SD, are good, though jobs depend on your field.

when you say clean air, do you mean rural ? I think you just mean not gnarly like LA. So the above are good choices to start your research with. If you want/need good schools and a family area, then: Temecula, Murrietta, San Marcos and Eastlake are most recommended.

[DanielSNYC2014]

Aptos - is a really nice quiet town.

[NoWhere2GoButUp]

ExeterMedia: Thanks for the suggestion. I booked my tickets and am leaving right this minute!

lrmsd: Yes, I have been seriously considering SD. What about areas like Hillcrest, South Park and Golden Hills? As to clean air, I meant anything but like LA. ARe any of the areas you suggested or areas I asked about very hilly, making them impracticable for walking or living without a car? Thanks for the input!

[Think4Yourself]

The best place to live is where you get a good job as that's what is needed to move up in life. If you aren't qualified for a good job then you need to get qualified so a city which offers both jobs and local higher educational opportunities is what you are looking for. That's going to mean mostly mid sized cities or large cities.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

In San Diego, for a starting point, the following areas are good to check out:
La Mesa, North Park, Normal Heights, San Marcos, Eastlake.

Also, Temecula and Murrietta in riverside county, but just 45 min. from SD, are good, though jobs depend on your field.

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

[ExeterMedia]

Originally Posted by NoWhere2GoButUp

ExeterMedia: Thanks for the suggestion. I booked my tickets and am leaving right this minute!

Say hi to Aslan!

If that doesn't work out though, I think Benicia in NorCal is an underrated Bay community. Relatively cheap rent, and if you take the BART in Concord, you can get to jobs in SF in about 45 minutes.