Where to live in mid 20s, single, adventurous (Los Angeles, San Diego: rent, neighborhoods)

[Melbastreet]

Greetings from the east coast,

Looking to travel to California as a Travel Nurse, Male, mid 20s, single.

Never been out on the West coast before, but would like to live in a suburban area right along side a beach for activities (sun, surf, paddle, hiking) A good nightlife and social activities (bars, gyms, restaurants, and girls )

Somewhere near metropolitan hospitals.

Any two, three or four cents appreciated !

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

[Nema98]

Los Angeles, meaning Santa Monica and that general area.

[Chuck5000]

Travel nurse, in your 20's? Nice. I live in the Bay Area up north, but for a short term thing, and since you have a desire to live near the beach, I'd totally do LA (santa monica, venice, like Nema98 says) or San Diego. Beach towns up north are much smaller in size with less non-beach entertainment, except for SF, which isn't really a beach town since the weather is much foggier and cooler for much of the year compared to the Southern California coast, where you get 12 months of great weather. Santa Barbara might not be a big enough town, although there is a University of California there it might not have the post-college scene you'd like.

[nightlysparrow]

What can you afford in rent?

[blueskywalker]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

What can you afford in rent?

Yep, that's the most important piece of info. There's no way to recommend a coastal community without knowing what (if) you can afford.

[Melbastreet]

Thanks for the responses, definitely looking into these places, i'm not too concerned with rent at this point, there a living options through my career or could figure a way around it, so hypothetically if money was no option

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Melbastreet

Thanks for the responses, definitely looking into these places, i'm not too concerned with rent at this point, there a living options through my career or could figure a way around it, so hypothetically if money was no option

Santa Monica, Malibu, Manhattan Beach

[EclecticEars]

If you can afford it, Los Angeles County west of the 405 Freeway. Communities like Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Belmont Shore (Long Beach) all come to mind.

You could also consider Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach in Orange County if you like your beach communities a little sleepier (but not necessarily boring) than what you'd find in L.A. County.

Come northwest of L.A., and I think Ventura, Oxnard, and Santa Barbara are all worthy of consideration. Oxnard has a few sketchy areas, but many nice ones, too. Ventura and Santa Barbara are nice pretty much all the way across the board. Granted, the area, while not necessarily "small townish," still isn't as urban as L.A., and the drive from Ventura to downtown L.A. can still take 1.5 hours in good traffic.

I'm not personally a fan of San Diego County, but many, many people like it. Consider Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Imperial Beach, and numerous San Diego neighborhoods like La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Beach. SD probably has the biggest overall surf and beach culture in California, despite the adjacent L.A. area's massive population along the coast.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by Melbastreet

Greetings from the east coast,

Looking to travel to California as a Travel Nurse, Male, mid 20s, single.

Never been out on the West coast before, but would like to live in a suburban area right along side a beach for activities (sun, surf, paddle, hiking) A good nightlife and social activities (bars, gyms, restaurants, and girls )

Somewhere near metropolitan hospitals.

Any two, three or four cents appreciated !

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

It sounds like it's time to fly out to CA for a few weeks of travel up and down the coast. People can recommend areas, but they may really be far from what you actually want.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

What can you afford in rent?

Nursing pays well, and the OP can do a share until he gets his bearings and a pay increase or two behind him. At least compared to some of the other people who have inquired about living in CA, he has a marketable skill that's in demand. He's one young California dreamer who'll actually be able to pull it off.