Seeking advice on moving to Monterey (apartments) (Seaside, Marina: rentals, townhouses)

[ecd.]

I'm considering moving to the Monterey, CA area to work at the DoD Center area in Fort Ord. I'm looking for any advice on this move, particularly regarding rental apartments and location.

I'm looking for a studio or 1-bedroom apartment for $1300 or less. I do not care about square footage - a coffin apartment is fine. What I do care about is location. In particular, I'd like to be able to walk from the apartment to someplace (restaurants, stores, parks, trails). Being on a convenient bus route to work is a huge plus too. Being able to walk to work or ride a bike there (while avoiding major bike-unfriendly streets) would be even better.

Are the towns of Seaside/Marina/Pacific Grove walkable? I'd like to avoid living in an area which is surrounded by housing or where the only stores are big-box retailers.

Does CSU-Monterey Bay have a college town area, or is it more of a commuter school?

Anything else I should know as a mid-20s single male moving to the area?

Are many apartments dog-friendly? I don't have one now, but I've been thinking about it..

[edit] Being able to live without a car would be optimal. (I wouldn't mind utilizing rentals/zipcars for travel outside the area once every few weeks)

[Hawk J]

My brother recently told me a new MALL has been built in Fort Ord on 12th St/ Imjin PKWY. He used to teach at a school on the Fort. He said, a lot has been changed in Fort Ord, from the way it was.

Long ago we lived in Stillwell Park, close to Gigling Road. These might still be rented, but they are homes.

I don't know about any small apts for rent in Fort Ord, but there may be some. Marina is closest to 12th STreet gate. If you can't find a suitable apt on the Fort, i would think you can find one in Marina.

They were renting Townhouses out previously over close to Frietsche Airfield & the back fence of Marina. I guess maybe it's now called Marina Airport instead of Frietsche.

Best of Luck to you.

[MtnSurfer]

Hi ecd,

Have you visited the area yet? If you haven't I think that's an important first step. It sounds like you have a dream location in mind and wondering if this is it = college town which is safe and walkable, no need for a car to get to work, etc...

First of all Fort Ord is a base. The closest cities with stores, restaurants, etc... are Marina and Seaside. Many CSUMB students live over there. But neither is a college town per se. If I were young and single moving to the area I would probably want to live in Monterey for close proximity to everything of interest to me. But I also always had a car, even at 16. That said many people in the area bike to work. So you could do that from close by cities (Seaside, Marina, Monterey).

The base also has housing for military and contractors. The rates are pretty reasonable. I guess it really depends what you like to do.

Derek

[ecd.]

Thanks for the info.

I have visited recently and have seen that many areas aren't easily walk-able. But I haven't given up hope.

I've found that bus 74 travels there from downtown Monterey in 15 minutes and downtown Monterey seems like it should be a nice area. Thus, that's where I'm focusing my apartment search , though I have found only a couple options there. If anyone has any info on apartments near Tyler & Franklin, it would be greatly appreciated.

[sadie123]

I would be wary of any property management firms for apartments. Some are known in this area for not returning security deposits unless you have excellent documentation. Take pictures of everything when you move in and save those pictures.

[jaijai]

Originally Posted by sadie123

I would be wary of any property management firms for apartments. Some are known in this area for not returning security deposits unless you have excellent documentation. Take pictures of everything when you move in and save those pictures.

"Some are known in this area for not returning security deposits unless you have excellent documentations." ?
Huh?
The Monterey area isn't more likely to have dishonest property managers.
But it's a good idea to be careful with any rental situation ... Obviously ... no matter where one is renting.

[ecd.]

I'm familiar and used to dishonest property managers, so its not a new thing for me.

I've seen very few apartments listed on rent.com and apartments.com, but it seems like Mangold Property Management has a few. Are there any other good sources? I can try craigslist again (it was somewhat difficult to visualize where each place was located without checking each one). In particular, I'm trying to find more downtown Monterey possibilities, since I only know of one now.

[SmoothBBQ]

Originally Posted by ecd.

I'm familiar and used to dishonest property managers, so its not a new thing for me.

I've seen very few apartments listed on rent.com and apartments.com, but it seems like Mangold Property Management has a few. Are there any other good sources? I can try craigslist again (it was somewhat difficult to visualize where each place was located without checking each one). In particular, I'm trying to find more downtown Monterey possibilities, since I only know of one now.

Try both of these sites out. Enter your search criteria and voila.

Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments

Apartments for Rent - Rent My Apartment - Your Place for Apartments - RentingTime - Rent your Apartment

Sometimes not all the craigslist listings show up (bug). Most of them do. It's great to look at a map and find places in the locations you like.

[jaijai]

monterey bay apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

[ecd.]

Originally Posted by SmoothBBQ

Try both of these sites out. Enter your search criteria and voila.

Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments

Apartments for Rent - Rent My Apartment - Your Place for Apartments - RentingTime - Rent your Apartment

Sometimes not all the craigslist listings show up (bug). Most of them do. It's great to look at a map and find places in the locations you like.

Thanks a lot Only been looking at PadMapper thus far, but its much more efficient than what I was doing and I see some more options now.