Where to relocate to if low-middle class? (Long Beach, Santa Ana: middle-class, apartment)

[NotABot]

I'm originally from Southern CA but haven't lived there since 1976 (different, eh? ) We are thinking of relocating to somewhere in Southern CA from out of state in a few years, and are exploring our options.

Since the Great Recession, I've not been able to get back to what I was making before, so we are living lower middle class for the foreseeable future.

We can be flexible and would appreciate ideas and/or discussion of different parts of CA, as we are more interested in finding a good spot to settle into, rather than a certain kind of terrain/etc.

So, we're looking into:

- Affordable for lower middle class.

- Renting (not buying, at least not for now)

- Commute time less than 1 hour each way

- Safer (as in, kids can still play safely in the street)

- Not hugely anti-gay (though it doesn't have to be wildly gay-friendly, either - we just don't want to be beat up or called names in the parking lot)

That certainly existed in Southern California in 1976, but I'm not sure about now?

Thanks for your help!

[2sleepy]

I don't know what you consider 'lower middle-class' nor do I know where you will work so your questions are impossible to answer. Why not check craigslist or hotpads for rentals in the areas you are interested in and see what you find.

[04kL4nD]

Bakersfield, Rialto, San Bernardino, and the run down parts of Riverside all seem to be calling your name.

[JRichards1996]

In many cases now, renting is almost just as expensive as buying and oftentimes is even more expensive due to the massive amount of people having to resort to it. It will really drain your money and in the long run can be a waste. It may benefit you to consider saving up your money for a year or two and buying a place to live. Do you have any relatives you can stay with or something? My family is doing this until we move out of state.

[BeauCharles]

Don't know what you're income level is or what you consider lower-middle class, but I had a family member who recently lived in Temecula on a single income of the low 40K range with a wife and child. They rented an apartment there. They said it was a pretty clean, safe community and liked their son's school.

[the city]

Riverside County is prob where u can find nice area for lower middle class. Coastal but not nice I'd look into Oceanside, San Marcos, Santa Ana, and Long Beach.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Bakersfield, Rialto, San Bernardino, and the run down parts of Riverside all seem to be calling your name.

Well, hoods in those places might be a conflict with this:

- Not hugely anti-gay (though it doesn't have to be wildly gay-friendly, either - we just don't want to be beat up or called names in the parking lot)

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by NotABot

Commute time less than 1 hour each way

To what?

[Count David]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Well, hoods in those places might be a conflict with this:

TBH, I didn't think Temecula would be the best place for gays either.

[LuvSouthOC]

They are gays in Temecula/Murrieta. While boring, these areas are very safe overall and allow for some access to rest of S. CA. Just because there are some religious nuts there shouldn't stop gays from living there. We are talking Christians here, not Taliban.