Moving from DC to California (San Diego, San Jose: rent, house, safe neighborhood)

[DCVizsla]

I am a 41 year old single professional (no kids) that has lived in the DC Metro my entire adult life. I now live specifically in the District and have a good job and am relatively comfortable. I have, for several years, been contemplating moving to California because I really just can't stand the:

a) Weather here
b) The "who do you work for and what do you do" attitude
c) The lack of natural beauty (in close proximity)
d) Being in an area obsessed with politics
e) Constant focus on climbing the ladder mentality

That said, my parents (early seventies) live in suburban Maryland and we are in frequent contact, usually making time to see one other about once or twice a month. That's a big consideration moving anywhere. I enjoy being in a somewhat large city with lots of great choices for food, entertainment, diversity, and a great baseball team! DC is also for the most part very dog friendly, which is a must for me. I also love to ride my bike by the Potomac River and spend lots of time outdoors. That's where the weather issue kicks in. As I'm sure most of you know it's cold/freezing from December through mid-March, and it's oppressively humid mid-June through August. So that really leaves less than half of MY LIFE that I really can enjoy being outdoors, which is really where I want to be when I'm not working. I love the beach, mountains, and breathtaking views. For mountains, I drive 2.5 hours to get to Shenandoah which most would consider a hill. For any nice ocean, I drive 6 hours south to get to my parents beach house in OBX. And while I live in DC proper, keep in mind that driving ANYWHERE outside of the city is a nightmare. DC traffic is dreadful.

I don't have a specific "crew" that I am constantly hanging out with since I've bounced around from MD to VA to DC. I have a few great friends and tons of friends/acquaintances. I'm very easy going, will strike up a conversation with about anyone. I really just like the outdoors, playing golf, tennis, softball. Sitting out on a patio playing cards with some friends. Seeing a good show, riding my bike to a farmers market...

With minimal knowledge of all that California has to offer, although I've visited, I think I've narrowed my areas for consideration down to:

a) The Bay area, specifically San Jose-ish
b) Somewhere in/near LA, although I have no idea where I'd start
c) San Diego

Like I said, I've narrowed it down to these metros (but am open to others), so I concede I have zero clue about town/neighborhoods, micro-climates, etc... I know places like Sacramento, Bakersfield, and Fresno would be significantly cheaper, but I really don't want to live in that heat, and want to be closer to the coast.

I will not be relocating prior to getting a job. I currently make $125k in DC. Rent for my 700 sq. ft. apt costs me about $2200 a month (without utilities, parking, or storage). It's a nice-ish place in a safe neighborhood (Cleveland Park). Mind you that's not a place with a doorman, concierge, view of monuments, or anything like that. It's a high-rise, close to transportation, and such.

I've heard San Jose is more expensive that DC, while I've heard LA and San Diego may be more on par, if not a bit more affordable. Obviously you can spend as much money as you want in any market!

So I'm sure I've left out TONS of details about who I am and what I'm looking for, but any help would be greatly appreciated!

BTW, the thought of spending my evenings and weekends in shorts and flip flops is very appealing!

Thx.
John

[mstnghu2]

You may want to try to re-post this for many different reasons.

[StreetLegal]

You should get on a plane and visit each area to determine which area will appeal to you more. You can fly to LA and drive to San Diego which will kill two birds with one stone.