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Old 02-15-2010, 09:07 AM
 
6 posts, read 20,434 times
Reputation: 10

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My mother and I plan on moving to California in summer 2011.

We are looking for a nice place to buy a home, here are our requirements:
-must be desert climate (So no San Francisco or anywhere north of there)
-must be fairly close to the ocean if not a coastal city
-low crime
-houses available for 500,000 and under.
-some sort of nightlife. nothing too crazy, but we'd like to be able to go shopping, try out restaurants and see a movie without having to drive 30 minutes.

So far I have looked at Santa Barbara, Encinitas, Oceanside, Carlsbad, San Diego, Long Beach, etc. I need more information from people who know a bit more than I do. Thank you!
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Old 02-15-2010, 09:50 AM
 
11 posts, read 49,778 times
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http://alice.sexygirlclub.co.cc/myphoto-1.jpg (broken link) You may love "South Coast" Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara: Information - Coupletivity (http://www.coupletivity.com/santa-barbara-information.html - broken link)
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Old 02-15-2010, 09:52 AM
 
Location: State of Jefferson coast
963 posts, read 3,033,847 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rosyhours View Post
We are looking for a nice place to buy a home, here are our requirements:
-must be desert climate (So no San Francisco or anywhere north of there)
-must be fairly close to the ocean if not a coastal city
The coastal strip of southern California has a Mediterranean climate. If you want a desert climate, you'll be at least 40 miles inland.
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Old 02-15-2010, 10:13 AM
 
6 posts, read 20,434 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brenda-by-the-sea View Post
The coastal strip of southern California has a Mediterranean climate. If you want a desert climate, you'll be at least 40 miles inland.
Sorry I wasn't more clear, that's fine as well. I just meant to say that we don't want to live anywhere cold or damp.
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Old 02-15-2010, 10:41 AM
 
Location: RSM
5,113 posts, read 19,766,781 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rosyhours View Post
Sorry I wasn't more clear, that's fine as well. I just meant to say that we don't want to live anywhere cold or damp.
It can get cold or damp both on the coast and inland(well, cold, not so much damp). Lows in the 40s during the winter on the coast and lower inland(and some desert areas get below freezing and get snow)
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Old 02-15-2010, 04:51 PM
 
6 posts, read 20,434 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bhcompy View Post
It can get cold or damp both on the coast and inland(well, cold, not so much damp). Lows in the 40s during the winter on the coast and lower inland(and some desert areas get below freezing and get snow)
Lows in the 40s sounds like paradise compared to what I'm used to in New York. No worries. I have a general idea of what southern California weather is like and as long as I'm not getting rain every day or feet of snow, it's alright, really.
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Old 02-15-2010, 06:21 PM
 
405 posts, read 1,346,062 times
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You might consider the central coast... Paso Robles to Arroyo Grande. There are micro climates there but you get a little dry with a short jaunt to the beach. $500k will do you pretty well in the north county (Paso Robles, Atascadero & Templeton). Not so much in SLO, Pismo and Arroyo Grande. The cities you listed are bigger metro areas.
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Old 09-08-2010, 03:25 AM
 
19 posts, read 30,324 times
Reputation: 14
Default do I need to qute someone? just good advice...

Quote:
Originally Posted by rosyhours View Post
My mother and I plan on moving to California in summer 2011.

We are looking for a nice place to buy a home, here are our requirements:
-must be desert climate (So no San Francisco or anywhere north of there)
-must be fairly close to the ocean if not a coastal city
-low crime
-houses available for 500,000 and under.
-some sort of nightlife. nothing too crazy, but we'd like to be able to go shopping, try out restaurants and see a movie without having to drive 30 minutes.

So far I have looked at Santa Barbara, Encinitas, Oceanside, Carlsbad, San Diego, Long Beach, etc. I need more information from people who know a bit more than I do. Thank you!
San Pedro might be a good place, but realize, you might be next door to drug-dealers or other unsavory types. Still, there are really some good people out here. You just need to research the neighborhood. Otherwise, if you really need to live near the beach, this could be an affordable alternative for you.

I grew up in Santa Monica, and have lived there most of my life. I moved to San Pedro for cheap rent, but what a culture shock. [Boy-oh-boy!]

Good luck to you both!

By the way, are you both accustomed to earthquakes? I hope so. We're due for a big one soon.

Best of luck.

heather
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Old 09-08-2010, 02:29 PM
 
40 posts, read 181,289 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sms1967 View Post
You might consider the central coast... Paso Robles to Arroyo Grande. There are micro climates there but you get a little dry with a short jaunt to the beach. $500k will do you pretty well in the north county (Paso Robles, Atascadero & Templeton). Not so much in SLO, Pismo and Arroyo Grande. The cities you listed are bigger metro areas.

One word: LOMPOC!

Look at the stats for yourself and compare with other Central Coast cities!! Oh, and $500,000 would buy you a whole lotta house! Weather is fantastic as well..
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Old 09-08-2010, 02:43 PM
 
664 posts, read 1,946,808 times
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On your list the only one that homes are for sale under 500k is Oceanside. I don't think the crime is as bad as you read about. It's no Carlsbad, but then again it's affordable to live in. Encinitas is really spendy!! Temecula is hot and about 40 miles from the ocean and you can buy a HUGE home there.
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