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Old 09-21-2018, 12:21 AM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,106,052 times
Reputation: 7373

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
10 years! It's a 10-year-old thread!

Not only dug up the thread, but joined C-D, just for that!
Well, it is now, but my comment was back in 2009.
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Old 02-20-2021, 05:09 PM
 
264 posts, read 280,969 times
Reputation: 339
Default santa Maria or San Luis Obispo

This is an old old thread which I am resurrecting. We are going to SLO/Pismo Beach in a week to check out a second home. We are retired so jobs are not retired - Our budget is more or less $500K for condo/townhouse (2 bed/2 bath at least) but I am surprised how expensive properties. Active adult communities are a possiblity? How do Paso Robles or Orcutt compare for retirement living? We don't have to live right on the ocean but want access to recreation - tennis, golf, and dining. I have not heard much good about Santa Maria but I see property values are lower. I don't know if the threads from years back still apply.
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Old 02-22-2021, 02:12 AM
 
Location: San Francisco, CA
1,386 posts, read 1,474,551 times
Reputation: 2430
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmlandissf View Post
This is an old old thread which I am resurrecting. We are going to SLO/Pismo Beach in a week to check out a second home. We are retired so jobs are not retired - Our budget is more or less $500K for condo/townhouse (2 bed/2 bath at least) but I am surprised how expensive properties. Active adult communities are a possiblity? How do Paso Robles or Orcutt compare for retirement living? We don't have to live right on the ocean but want access to recreation - tennis, golf, and dining. I have not heard much good about Santa Maria but I see property values are lower. I don't know if the threads from years back still apply.
There was a thread relatively recently about Santa Maria. It's okay. Kinda ugly and boring. It's "cheap" for a reason, and even though they'll pay you to visit in their latest tourism marketing campaign, I'd rather cough up the dough to stay in SLO, the Five Cities area (which includes Pismo Beach), or Paso Robles. I know somebody who just recently retired and downsized to something near Avila Beach. Nice area if you have the cash for it. Grover Beach is cheaper than Pismo and Atascadero is cheaper than Paso, but you get what you pay for. I prefer all of them over Santa Maria, though! The only SLO County community I really don't like is Nipomo, which is sort of like Santa Maria North but without the convenient shopping or restaurants, haha.

tl;dr If you're just looking for a relatively cheap place to hang your hat, Santa Maria is not a bad choice. But most people I know would prefer to settle somewhere with more character and more amenities, even if the weather isn't quite as nice.
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Old 02-22-2021, 06:34 AM
 
Location: Sandy Eggo's North County
10,134 posts, read 6,558,646 times
Reputation: 16451
Quote:
Originally Posted by mloucul63 View Post
I have an opportunity to work in either Santa Barbara, Santa Maria or San Luis Obispo. I'm not sure which to choose. Don't particularly like big city life but don't want to be stuck in a small town either. I'm single and enjoy many outdoor and indoor activities. Any thoughts??
Sure, Santa Barbara for the win, Alex. (Err, I mean Ken.)
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Old 02-22-2021, 11:24 AM
 
3,143 posts, read 2,648,722 times
Reputation: 11943
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmlandissf View Post
This is an old old thread which I am resurrecting. We are going to SLO/Pismo Beach in a week to check out a second home. We are retired so jobs are not retired - Our budget is more or less $500K for condo/townhouse (2 bed/2 bath at least) but I am surprised how expensive properties. Active adult communities are a possiblity? How do Paso Robles or Orcutt compare for retirement living? We don't have to live right on the ocean but want access to recreation - tennis, golf, and dining. I have not heard much good about Santa Maria but I see property values are lower. I don't know if the threads from years back still apply.
You can drive to tennis, golf, and dining from pretty much anywhere, or just live in a senior community with those amenities. What do you want to walk/bike/live near?

Do you care about living in a vibrant community, or do you just not want nice weather so you don't have to dodge/suffer through extreme cold and heat in your golden years? What's your desired temperature range and amount of sun?

If you just want nice weather, head as far inland as you can stand. SAD is not a thing anywhere in CA because there's plenty of sun in nearly the whole state. Cold is only an issue at high elevations. Heat is only an issue at high elevations and in the desert. Dryness (cracked skin) is a problem down south. I don't think humidity is a problem anywhere.

If you want vibrant communities where you can be out-and-about, then get as close to the coast as you can afford. The problem with wanting perfect weather, amazing scenery, and great social scenes is that is what everyone in the world wants, and a lot of those people are significantly wealthier than you.

I can't really comment north of SB because I'm up there so rarely. It looks nice, if a bit chilly. I have to live on the coast, so I'd be happy with Morrow Bay or the 5 cities, I think. Of course SB is great (as well as the little coastal towns to the south) but I am fresh out of money tree seedlings that leaf out with Benjamins.
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