So. Cal areas with art communities? (Los Angeles, San Diego: middle-class, home, theater)

[westwardbound]

My husband is an illustrator, and we're looking to move to So.Cal in the next year. He'd like to be somewhere that has some sort of art scene/community...even a small one. We're currently in a small NJ town that has a close knit art community, and though it's not where he makes his money, the creative camaraderie is really important to him.
Any places that come to mind? I don't really want to live in LA, so I'm looking for places other than that. We've been batting around San Diego area as an idea (probably more inland, we want hot weather)...

[kimyart]

Laguna Beach !! An art colony by the sea. Little pricey, but you can live next door for less. In between LA and SD . Euro flavor. Look up the "Pageant of the Masters" and the "Sawdust Festival" online. There is also an art college there as well as 300 plus restaurants , a boardwalk at the beach, parks with music in one and lawn bowling in another.

[ambied421]

Though not inland, I've heard that Laguna Beach is a HUGE art community. There are tons of galleries, festivals, associations, and artists that live there. It is pretty expensive, as one could imagine, but could be the type of community that you are looking for.

[Winston Smith]

Cambria, Santa Barbara, Ventura (emerging), Santa Monica and Laguna Beach are the main ones that come to mind for me. It seems that I've heard of others, smaller places like Wrightwood, Idyllwild and Palomar Mountain. Not sure about those, though.

[Amavel]

There is a well-establisted community known as the Artist Village within Downtown Santa Ana (seat of Orange County). It is centralized in a couple block radius, but its probably on par with that of Laguna Beach as far as galleries and local involvement. Also within Orange County, you may want to consider a part of Costa Mesa known as South Coast-Metro. It has a high concentration of arts & culture locales, including: OC Performing Arts Center, OC Art Museum, South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Concert Hall, and the theater district.

One thing to note, however, is that Santa Ana is generally perceived as a safe-haven for illegal immigrants and it has one of the largest Latino (legal and illegal) populations in Southern California. Laguna Beach, beyond its arts community, is a very elite and wealthy beach city. Costa Mesa is more typically middle-class and is centrally located near the airport.

[violone]

If you are okay with being quite a distance from the Los Angeles or San Diego metro areas, then the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, Cathedral City, etc.) has a very vibrant art community. I can vouch for Idyllwild as also being a very artist heavy town, though it is at an elevation of 5000+ feet, so you won't have hot weather there. I would also recommend Claremont and (surprisingly) Pomona. Claremont is kind of like a New England college town transplanted about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. There are seven small colleges, three with very active art departments and excellent galleries. It is definitely an upscale town (though not as much so as Laguna) when compared to everything around it. Pomona is right next door and is a more "lower class" type of community. It has like a 60% Latino, which tends to cause some probems (I am not at all racist, but this is just the way it is sometimes). But there is a thriving art scene in the downtown area, several galleries and lots of "artsy" folks hanging around.

[WNYerinSOCAL]

I wld suggest looking into Redlands. It is in San Bernardino county and has a quaint downtown with lots of artsy shops etc. Also having the University of Redlands in town, a market fresh produce and crafts on thursday nights and the redlands bowl for cultural activities. It sounds a little like the area yu are coming from and wld be much cheaper then the coastal areas mentioned. Something to check into at least

[ginaincali]

Laguna Beach baby!!!!

[macon_painter]

Your question is perfect for me....what you're husband seeks is exactly what I'm seeking.

Did you end up moving to Laguna?
I'm a painter and writer and moving from Colorado to Ca, looking for artist community.

Thanks for asking it.

Macon

[Niners fan]

Idyllwild has a very active art scene. It is a small mountain town, beautiful scenery, and relatively affordable. It is home to Idyllwild Arts, an arts high school where students from all over the world come to study.