Looking for my ideal California town! (Los Angeles, San Diego: low crime, employment, neighborhoods)

[Jackson55]

I am planning on moving from my hectic East Coast town to California with my wife in the next couple of years. Kids will be on the way soon and we'd like to start to think about where exactly we want to raise our family. We are choosing California because of proximity to some damily members and better climate. Employment is not an issue as we both work from home. Here are a number of factors we'd like to consider - hopefully you can help us with some areas to look for!

- very good public schools - no interest in private schools

- some Jewish population - it doesn't need to be big, but we basically don't want to be the only Jews in town

- near the beach - or on it! We would love to have a beach in the town, or an easy drive to it

- not TOO small of a town - we still want to live somewhere with good restaurants, things to do, etc. We just don't want the hustle bustle of something like NYC

- an active lifestyle culture - we love biking, hiking, swimming, and generally staying active. I know this can probably be done anywhere

We are in a place where money really isn't an issue so, while we will obviously consider it, please don't let that factor into your recommendations. Thanks!

[nightlysparrow]

^^LuvSouthOC is being sarcastic.

You did not specific what part of California, but if interested in SoCal, look at Pacific Palisades, or Brentwood since money is not an issue. They are surprisingly non-hectic considering their proximity to LA.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

You did not specific what part of California, but if interested in SoCal, look at Pacific Palisades, or Brentwood since money is not an issue. They are surprisingly non-hectic considering their proximity to LA.

They are both inside the city limits of Los Angeles. But agreed on your overall point that they are pretty tranquil/non-hectic places assuming work/commute is not an issue.

[Mr5150]

If money is not an object look to the Monterrey area. Not huge in size, but it has amenities, activities and restaurants that are found at a level seen in places much larger in size.

[BeauCharles]

San Luis Obispo. College town of 50,000 in a beautiful part of the Central Coast. Equidistant between LA and SF. Hiking, biking, beach activities and a fairly prominent wine growing region.

JCC-Federation of SLO - HOME

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Lu...po,_California

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

If money is not an object look to the Monterrey area. Not huge in size, but it has amenities, activities and restaurants that are found at a level seen in places much larger in size.

This. You're fortunate to be able to afford to live anywhere you want. Monterrey has jazz festivals, and a lot going on. It's close enough to Santa Cruz, which has really good jazz clubs and music scenes, as well, if you're into that, and a branch campus of U of CA. The only problem is traffic in the area. San Luis Obispo isn't a bad second to Monterrey, though you'd have to look up the size of the Jewish population there. The Central coast is beautiful, and certainly less hectic than the Bay Area and LA.

One last thought: though I just said the Bay Area is hectic, the north Bay is less so. Marin County has communities that are on or near the beach and have good schools, and a wonderful outdoor lifestyle (redwood forests! In the middle of town, in some cases ). The towns tend to be small, but still have a few good restaurants, and it's easy to drive to nearby villages with good restaurants scattered around. Marin is much more rural in feel than the rest of the Bay Area, yet still has the amenities. Consider Mill Valley and Fairfax, for starters. Mill Valley has an ocean beach nearby, and is at the foot of Mt Tamalpais, prime hiking territory. It's also near Muir Woods, a big redwood park, and has a redwood forest in town with a creek running through it, where kids play, adults walk, bike jog. It's a small town but w/very big quality of life. In considering Marin, look at the Jewish pop. of the county, vs. each of the small towns (or both). You'll find the Jewish community scattered throughout, and distances are not big.

At some point, you should make a trip out to coastal CA to check these places out, spend an afternoon or so in each place to walk around and really get a feel for neighborhoods, etc. Good luck, and let us know where you end up!

[loveautumn]

Encinitas (North County San Diego)

[Big-Bucks]

Thousand Oaks / Westlake Village maybe. Low crime, everything is newer built.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westla...ge,_California

[Novatoman]

Originally Posted by Jackson55

I am planning on moving from my hectic East Coast town to California with my wife in the next couple of years. Kids will be on the way soon and we'd like to start to think about where exactly we want to raise our family. We are choosing California because of proximity to some damily members and better climate. Employment is not an issue as we both work from home. Here are a number of factors we'd like to consider - hopefully you can help us with some areas to look for!

- very good public schools - no interest in private schools

- some Jewish population - it doesn't need to be big, but we basically don't want to be the only Jews in town

- near the beach - or on it! We would love to have a beach in the town, or an easy drive to it

- not TOO small of a town - we still want to live somewhere with good restaurants, things to do, etc. We just don't want the hustle bustle of something like NYC

- an active lifestyle culture - we love biking, hiking, swimming, and generally staying active. I know this can probably be done anywhere

We are in a place where money really isn't an issue so, while we will obviously consider it, please don't let that factor into your recommendations. Thanks!

Hello Jackson55,
There are many cool places to live in California. Have you guys decided if you like North (from San Luis Obispo and up) or South more? They are very different in many ways. For example North has two seasons while South has one; South has as twice as more people than North; North is more picturesque and more rainy and chilly while South is consistently warm throughout a year. Ocean in the South is warm while North is cold. Do you guys like sun all the time? or do you like sun plus foggy evenings that North offers?
It is very hard to say if you would like Malibu or Tiburon better (LA or SF)... We would need more constraints.

Please keep in mind Californians do like their pools in their backyards - very practical, easy to access and perfect for all-year-round good weather.

If you are not sure yet I would suggest you come for a week or two and drive Highways 1&5 all the way from San Diego to Bodega Bay and check out all costal towns.
And welcome to California

[saibot]

Originally Posted by Novatoman

For example North has two seasons while South has one; South has as twice as more people than North; North is more picturesque and more rainy but South is consistently warm throughout a year. Ocean in the South is warm while North is cold. Do you guys like sun all the times? or do you like sun plus foggy evenings that North offers?

The bolded are false.