where would you live? Wealthy suburban city or large urban city? (Los Angeles: house, neighborhoods)

[the city]

Small wealthy suburban cities:
1)Santa Barbara
2)San Luis Obispo
3)Palm Springs
-Mission Viejo
4)Malibu
5)Chula Vista
6)Monterey
7)Simi Valley
8)Thousand Oaks
9)Carmel
10)Corte Madera
11)San Rafael
etc....

Large urban cities:
1)Los Angeles (includes Santa Monica, Beverley Hills, Woodland Hills)
2)San Francisco
3)San Diego
4)San Jose
5)Sacramento
6)Fresno
7)Bakersfield
8)Santa Ana
9)Anaheim
10)Oakland
11)Long Beach

[vdy1985]

LA, San Jose, and Long Beach.

[coyoteskye]

Monterey or Carmel (or Malibu if i had a swank house on the beach although i don't know if i could stomach that scene)
city ... San Francisco.

[bhcompy]

Long Beach is a large urban city with large suburban neighborhoods. I would live in a suburban neighborhood, like College Park West(Seal Beach/Long Beach), but be close to the urban element for things that I may like to do.

And Carmel is more a resort town than a suburb I would say

[BayAreaHillbilly]

The Marin places listed are not separate and self sufficient in the manner of Santa Barbara. Same goes for some of the SoCal places.

If you live in San Rafael or Corte Madera, deny it though you may, you are part of the SF-SJ-OAK blob.

[Clarks]

None of the above, I'd shoot myself before I'd live in any sort of town. I cannot imagine the appeal of anyplace you cannot p ee off your front porch.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by the city

Small wealthy suburban cities:
1)Santa Barbara
2)San Luis Obispo
3)Palm Springs
-Mission Viejo
4)Malibu
5)Chula Vista
6)Monterey
7)Simi Valley
8)Thousand Oaks
9)Carmel
10)Corte Madera
11)San Rafael
etc....

Large urban cities:
1)Los Angeles (includes Santa Monica, Beverley Hills, Woodland Hills)
2)San Francisco
3)San Diego
4)San Jose
5)Sacramento
6)Fresno
7)Bakersfield
8)Santa Ana
9)Anaheim
10)Oakland
11)Long Beach

Are we supposed to assume we work at home or don't need to work and also we can afford to live in any of these towns, OR, are we supposed to be realistic?

If realistic (near places where I could find work and there was housing I could afford):

Mission Viejo
Thousand Oaks
Simi Valley
Los Angeles
San Diego
Long Beach
San Jose (maybe, not familiar enough)

So I guess there's a few from each list.

[the city]

Well, I was refering to the cities I listed as examples...you don't have to chose a city. And pretty much most cities in California are suburban.

[Rhenzanite]

San Luis Obispo.

Which, coincidentally, is very near to where I currently live, and it is where I work. Of course, it would have to be away from the 'party neighborhoods' because I like sleeping at night.

I've done the 'big city' thing and really want no part in it.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Malibu ocean side of the city on an estate, not on the ocean. If you have seen the lay of the land you will know what I am talking about. Malibu offers ocean front and ocean view from the ocean side of the PCH, and Ocean view and hillside view from the mountain side of the PCH.