Southern California or Colorado... (San Diego, Santa Ana: to rent, house, neighborhood)

[Sadhere]

I'm currently living in Longmont which is somewhat close to Boulder, CO and there may be possible job opportunities in southern California. I used to live in the Bay area as a child and miss the beauty of it. Colorado of course is pretty too with it's majestic mountains etc but I actually find part of it really bland and dull (Eastern side)- feels like Midwest. And I don't like being in a landlocked state. As far as Boulder it's nice but feels kind of small to me. I guess in a nutshell I'm not crazy about Colorado but it certainly has some nice things compared to where we were living previously a year ago in Vermont. We now are renting a decent house in a good neighborhood and are within walking distance to some things. I do feel lucky to be where we are now as Vermont offered the opposite to us but I can't help but still long for CA. Anyone out there who has lived in both Cal and Co? And if so where were you happier. I should note that we have a toddler, 4 year old and baby. We like an area that's thriving and alive with character and is good for raising a family. While I appreciate the convenciences of suburban areas and need quick access to stores and such i don't want to be stuck living in a suburban sprawl. We like a real downtown, not just strip malls. Now I know it may very not be realistic living in California as our income may not allow it but I'd like to still look into it. We would want to rent a 3 bedroom house that would be no more than 2500. The 2 possible locations of the jobs are Camarillo and Irvine. Thoughts anyone-

[Berrie143]

Sorry to break it to you, but the possibility of renting a home for no more than $2500 a month in/near those cities is almost nil. I did a search on Realtor.com and there are literally 3 homes for BOTH of those cities that are under $2600. Those counties are notorious for being expensive with horrible traffic and, while you're closer to a beach, So Cal beaches leave much to be desired.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd stay in CO and try to move to a place near a lake or river if you're missing bodies of water. I was born, raised and lived in So Cal for 34 years and just couldn't put up with the culture and high prices anymore. So my family and I moved to TX and we're much better off now, in many ways.

[Sadhere]

Well at least there's a few homes available. I forgot to mention that Temecula is a possibility too which seems to be less expensive. As far as lakes or rivers that doesn't really exist much here. And it's the beach vibe I long for. Just a different feeling altogether. Something laid-back though - I don't want the ritzy area. Not that that's an option anyway

[DrDog]

Obviously, NorCal and SoCal are very different, so the beauty of NorCal May not apply to SoCal.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Unless you can work from home Temecula is kind of in the middle of nowhere. It's also pretty much desert that sees uppers to 100 a LOT.

[Sadhere]

Isn't Temecula just 40 so minutes from the closest beach in Oceanside? And an hour from San Diego? I wouldn't classify that as in the middle of nowhere. I have lived in what felt the middle of nowhere in Vermont. I mean sure i wish it was just minutes away from the cities and beach but maybe it would be a good trade-off in order to get a decent place to live.

[Sadhere]

Is Temecula boring? I know it has this Western themed old Town and has wineries surrounding it. P

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by Sadhere

Isn't Temecula just 40 so minutes from the closest beach in Oceanside? And an hour from San Diego? I wouldn't classify that as in the middle of nowhere. I have lived in what felt the middle of nowhere in Vermont. I mean sure i wish it was just minutes away from the cities and beach but maybe it would be a good trade-off in order to get a decent place to live.

You need to consider traffic up there. It's an hour from the beach if there isn't any traffic. You ok with high heat?


From July to September, Temecula experiences hot, dry weather with the occasional North American monsoonal flow that increases the humidity and brings isolated thunderstorms. Most of the storms tend to be short lived with little, if any rainfall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temecu...fornia#Climate

[evening sun]

You may be hankering after something that no longer exists. ( old time beach vibes ) You also need to run the numbers & see if it will work for you family, economically.

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by Sadhere

I forgot to mention that Temecula is a possibility too

It is the definition of suburban sprawl. Have you ever been there, experienced the summer desert heat from May until October? And how, exactly, are you going to get from Temecula to Irvine/Camarillo? You've got an off-limits Marine base to your southwest, and Cleveland National Forest to your northwest. You'll be cutting through neither. People who live in Temecula either work there (few people), or do a hellacious commute to San Diego County (many people). And I won't be able to accurately communicate in words the absolute misery of the Temecula-San Diego proper commute, the jam-packed roads from the city of San Diego all the way up to Temecula, and how long you could be sitting in traffic in the two-lane freeway portions of I-15 for many, many miles. If you're not working in Temecula, just forget it.

We like a real downtown, not just strip malls. . . . We would want to rent a 3 bedroom house that would be no more than 2500.

This simply will not be happening in any major downtown city in South LA, especially not one with good schools, a reasonable commute, and a decent house. I guess you could hit your target price in certain sections of Santa Ana, if you are willing to risk your kids' public education on some really crappy schools.