What do you think about San Luis Obispo? (San Jose, Santa Barbara: home, tech jobs) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

JenStL4 · 12-08-2009, 07:14 PM

My husband, 4 yr old son and myself are looking for a great place to live. We currently live in St. Louis, MO and wanted to know how people felt about San Luis Obispo. I know that is a broad question. In general, what is the vibe there?

LA Fan · 12-09-2009, 12:19 AM

It's a small city, quaint, and very charming. In a way it feels bigger than it really is, perhaps because it downtown area is walkable, and has a lot going on. Outside of downtown it feels like its a close know community, where perhaps many people know their neighbors.

The vibe to be is the feel of a college town. I certainly wouldn't have a problem living there should I ever decide big city life isn't for me anymore. I'll look for an old photo thread I did of the city downtown area a few years ago and post the link.

LA Fan · 12-09-2009, 12:31 AM

This link may work, but I can't tell from the computer I'm using. If it doesn't, I'll post it from home so you can check it out.

San Luis Obispo-CA / A Quaint Central Coast College Town - SkyscraperCity

Bruin5 · 12-09-2009, 09:27 AM

I grew up near SLO, and must say I have very found memories of the place. That and Pismo were my usual hang-out places in high school. It has a very quaint college town feel. Downtown/ Higuera street is were you will find most of the college kids getting drinks/ plastered (The Frog and Peach, Mother's, The Library, etc.) but you'll also find eclectic eateries as well. Linnaea's on Garden Street is one of my favorite cafes, ever. You also have the Palm Theater on Palm Street if independent movies are your thing. Boo Boo Records- another place worth checking out if you like music. It's a very walkable city around the downtown area/ you can easily get around by bike or foot.

osuzana · 12-09-2009, 02:45 PM

Typical college town with so so shopping and decent restaurants. Closer to areas I like better like Cambria. I use to do business there, never stayed for pleasure which was fine with me. You might want to check out the schools in the area before you go any further.

SHABAZZ310 · 12-09-2009, 10:01 PM

It’s over priced and boring.

Capt. Dan · 12-10-2009, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHABAZZ310

It’s over priced and boring.

If you are bored,cant find anything to do in SLO or the surrounding area, the problem is probably with you. Not the town. A vibrant downtown. One of the best farmers markets in the country.12 miles to great beaches.Beautiful women.Ideal weather. A short drive to mountains,deserts and redwoods. Just my opinion but some people are apparently very hard to please!

grimstuff · 12-10-2009, 10:11 AM

I'm not too sure how I would describe the "vibe"... it is a college town, so Cal Poly certainly has its influence on arts and culture, and also keeps the town young-feeling and vibrant, and more than just a stop-over halfway between SF and LA.

One thing you will hear over and over again is that it's expensive. This is true--housing is pretty expensive. You will in general pay more to go out to eat, for food, and other necessities, but that's pretty ubiquitous all over CA.

The town has a weekly farmers market downtown every Thursday, which draws a lot of people. There are a lot of bars, mainly oriented towards the early twenties crowd. The best thing about SLO and the area I would say is the natural beauty and the coast. There are a lot of outdoor activities available like hiking, fishing, surfing, etc. A short drive and you can be out in the country. It's very "white" for being in CA, not a lot of diversity like up in the Bay Area or in LA.

Yes the town feels a bit bigger than it really is mostly due to the well-defined downtown. However, there always seems to be a shortage of good shopping. So most people I would say go to Santa Barbara for serious clothing shopping or whatever. Some of the regional amenities of larger areas are absent here.

I'd say the biggest differences between SLO and St Louis is 1) the cost of housing, and 2) the fact that SLO is a small town compared to St Louis and 3) differences in geography, with SLO having more variety such as mountains and coastline.

Oh and don't forget to search the forums for info on SLO, because there are a ton of threads about the area. I used to contribute more on it, but ended up saying the same things over and over.

blauskies · 12-10-2009, 10:14 AM

I looked at SLO but I don't see too many high tech jobs. What do people do there to afford the cost of living?

grimstuff · 12-10-2009, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blauskies

I looked at SLO but I don't see too many high tech jobs. What do people do there to afford the cost of living?

They don't. They're either retired and have savings built from southern California equity, or they're students who just need to squeeze by for four years. Everyone else works for the state (Cal Poly, prison, etc.), the county, or the schools. Some people live in Santa Maria and they might be connected with the Vandenberg AFB, which is a big employer. The big employers are Cal Poly, a men's prison, school system, county, the PG&E Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, and then maybe a few big companies, but none of them are high tech. For that sort of thing you need to move north to San Jose.