Best and worst California county? (Los Angeles, San Diego: crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[17271]

What's the best and worst California county, in your opinion?

[dreamerman]

I can't think of any best CA counties out there, but I have to say that the OC is the worst.

[MtnSurfer]

This seems like a *very* loaded question which of course will rile ppl up who live in the *worst* county.

The problem is it is too general, hence asking for a stereotype which can be interpreted in many ways.

I suggest being more specific like which county is the worst for crime, smog, traffic, etc...? Even then *counties* are so large that there are huge variations within them. Lets take LA for example. You have everything from gang infested ghettos to lifestyles of the rich and famous and a lot of neighborhoods in between. So for some ppl LA is the worst while for others it is pretty good. LA probably has the worst traffic. But crime varies greatly depending on which side of the tracks you live on.

Same thing applies to the best. I prefer Monterey county. But within our county we have Salinas which has a huge gang/crime problem. Then Pebble Beach has world class golf and Big Sur with unrivaled coastal beauty.

My best suggestion would be to visit CA and see for yourself if you haven't already. It can literally takes days just to drive all of LA. Many ppl who drive *thru* LA or go only to downtown, Hollywood and Santa Monica have a very lopsided view of what LA really is.

Derek

[FresnoFacts]

County is a very broad concept in California to try to compare.

The largest counties by geographic area, like San Bernardino, Kern, Fresno, etc. are bigger than 4 or 5 states.

The smallest counties like San Mateo and Santa Cruz cover fewer square miles than the City of Los Angeles.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by 17271

What's the best and worst California county, in your opinion?

All California counties are California's gold. (Apologies to Huell Howser.)

I don't know where people come up with topics like this unless it's intended to troll for disagreements and strife.

[buckeyenative01]

Best County: OC
Worst County: OC

Problem solved.

[happ]

As far as sheer beauty it means deciding on some incredible counties. El Dorado Co\ Lake Tahoe is beyond gorgeous esp in winter. Mariposa Co\ Yosemite has to be one of the most spectacular regions in the world. Where ever the redwoods grow: Del Norte\ Humboldt\ Mendocino\ Sonoma\ Marin\ San Mateo\ Santa Cruz & Monterey counties [ie. Big Sur]. Tulare & Fresno counties have Sequoia & Kings Canyon. Mt Lassen\ Shasta Co. All counties in the Sierra Nevada including Inyo\ Death Valley. Every county along the Pacific [ie. San Francisco\ San Luis Obispo\ Santa Barbara\ Ventura\ Los Angeles\ Orange\ San Diego. Taking the tram up Mt San Jacinto outside Palm Springs puts Riverside county in the “beautiful” category & Joshua Tree Pk\ San Bernardino & Anza Borrego\ Imperial county are also incredible. Frankly all the counties in California are downright beautiful in places. Hard to pick which is the most beautiful but I am partial to Monterey county

[BennyPhoenix]

The worst county handsdown is Riverside.

The best I would say is L.A. only because it has so many different things, climates, opportunities, varieties of places to live.

[majoun]

I agree with Lovehound.

Every county in CA has good and bad aspects to it.

For example, the Inland Empire is the region of CA most despised by the rest of the state - but Riverside County contains places of incredible natural beauty, and so does San Bernardino County.

Fresno County also has a bad rep, but it also has places of great natural beauty.

Likewise, Monterey County has a great rep, but parts of Salinas are as ugly as anywhere in the state. San Francisco is regarded as the most beautiful and vibrant of the state's big cities, but has some very nasty neighborhoods that tourists never see like Hunter's Point and Bayview (as well as some that they do, like the Mission, Tenderloin and parts of Fillmore). San Diego likes to think of itself as "high class", pretty, and tourist-friendly (a tourist poster of a hot Latina in a bikini on the beach sums up the image that SD likes to think of itself as representing), but San Diego's barrios are just as bad as those of Los Angeles. L.A. is probably the weirdest city on the planet (and I say this as a native Angeleno), containing the best and worst and everything in between of California - and yet, although thought of by outsiders as largely urban/suburban wasteland aside from a few neighborhoods, also contains some great natural beauty in the Santa Monica Mountains and some beautiful beaches like Zuma. I could go on forever naming the best and worst of all counties in the state, but there is no county that is without redeeming value in some aspect.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I haven't been to every county in the state. That would be a hard question for me to answer. Of the counties that I have been each has its own traits that make them the best for what they are. Each has things that it doesn't do so well either. In Ventura County we have beautifull beaches, amazing mountain ranges, forrest land that is breathtaking, 8 amazing cities that have their own traits and reasons that I love those cities. From the coast you can see the Channel Islands National Park. One problem is that it isn't always clear. We do have a marine layor that many times makes it difficult to have a good view of the islands. When it is clear it is amazing though.

LA county has more than the average person will ever see in a lifetime. Name something that you want to do and chances are it is in LA County somewhere. Unless what you want to do is visit Disney Land. But then Universal Studios is there and Six Flaggs Magic Mountain is also in the county.

If you want Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Knots Berry Farm then you need to head over to Orange County. That isn't all that the OC has to offer though.

I also love San Diego County, although most of my time visiting is within the city of San Diego. I don't think you can judge a county by one city.

Santa Barbara County is also a family favorite, but then again for us it has a lot to do with the city.

Riverside County is large. It nearly covers the width of the state. Palm Springs is in Riverside County. For all those that seem to hate Riverside, seems that many love Palm Springs.

For me every county has its good and bad. Cant say that there is a best or worse, just differant.