Monterey newbies - help please! (Salinas, Highland: real estate market, rentals, high crime)

[Chickydee]

How do people do it? My husband just accepted a job at DLI, thinking only of the beautiful water (and wanting desperately to escape the midwest). But not thinking of the cost of housing!!!

I would be very grateful for any and all advice regarding the Monterey area. Areas/towns we should avoid?

How on earth do regular people live there? I'm in such a panic over this. I'm assuming we'll be forced to rent for a good long time; are there safe/clean/decent areas for young families?

Thanks -- very sincerely -- for any info.

[Mvn2nc]

Regular people live there because most who own homes have for a really long time.People just dont leave Monterey( exept me!) and there is a lot of tradition especially the Italian Community there.
Expect to pay around $700k on up for a home otherwise enjoy all it has to offer and just rent.
Towns to avoid would be Salinas unless you want to go to the mall there.
Decent areas for young familys, not really it just not like that anymore like when i grew up there. A lot of familys are just all spread out but dont congregate in one specific area.There are no subdivisions, most homes were all built in the 50's and 60's.

[Chickydee]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about Salinas, since the rent there seems to be considerably lower. So that's good to know.

I was also wondering how bike-friendly the area is. Both within Monterey itself, and between cities also. This is probably very naive, but could one live in Pacific Grove or Marina and commute to Monterey by bike? Hubby used to go everywhere on bike when we lived in Seattle, but California has this car-centric reputation, among outsiders anyway.

Thanks again!

[Starrynight227]

For most of the peninsula it's really hard to find a bad neighborhood. The exception are places like Seaside and Marina where you really need to look carefully at the neighborhood before moving in. If I'm ever out at night in Seaside the cops are always out in full force. For Salinas, there are good areas and bad areas. They do have issues with gangs so, again, look carefully at the neighborhood.

As far as biking, you will love it here. We have a bike trail along the ocean that spans from Pacific Grove to Marina. I used to ride my bike from my house in PG to my job in Downtown Monterey and it would take about 20 minutes.

[Mvn2nc]

Originally Posted by Chickydee

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about Salinas, since the rent there seems to be considerably lower. So that's good to know.

I was also wondering how bike-friendly the area is. Both within Monterey itself, and between cities also. This is probably very naive, but could one live in Pacific Grove or Marina and commute to Monterey by bike? Hubby used to go everywhere on bike when we lived in Seattle, but California has this car-centric reputation, among outsiders anyway.

Thanks again!

P.G yes on a bike but Marina would be a long and windy ride along the ocean.
Marina's not a bad place to live but always foggy.
Now you may find a Salinas address for like Toro Park, Corral De Tierra and San Benancio also Speckles and live in great neighborhoods so if you run across any of those areas dont hesitate to live there also.

[MontereyLocal]

First off, congratulations with the job offer! DLI (Defense Language Institute, http://www.dliflc.edu) is a well known institution and quite respected on the Peninsula. Chances are your husband will be working at either the DLI/Presidio main campus, located between Monterey and Pacific Grove (off of Lighthouse Avenue), or at the DoD Center, located next to Cal State University, Monterey Bay (off Lightfighter Drive, technically in Seaside.) Cost of living is rather expensive, but the environment (in my opinion) is well worth the cost. Nothing is like the fresh sea air, although you learn to dress in layers as the fog is fickle and can drop the temperature 10 degrees rather fast.

Depending on your husband's position, you may qualify for various "not quite subsidized" housing areas that cater toward CSUMB students, DoD civilians, and DoD contractors. Some examples would be:

The Parks at Monterey Bay (http://www.theparksatmontereybay.com/ (broken link))
Preston Park (http://www.midpen-housing.org/properties/profiles/preston.pdf (broken link))

You should also check Craigslist (http://monterey.craigslist.org) for various rentals. The one unfortunate about the Peninsula is, unless you have a financial windfall, home ownership is far out of the reach of most "workforce class" individuals.

Some city basics:

Carmel-by-the-Sea (a.k.a. Carmel) - Beatutiful area, catering to artists, antiques, and other bohemian crafts. More expensive to rent than other areas and rush-hour commute can take a while.

Pacific Grove - Older area akin to Astoria, OR. Many of the rentals are small cottages about 600-800 sqft in size. Classic small-town feel where everyone knows everyone and waves while walking down the street. Less expensive than Carmel, but more than Monterey and cities north.

Monterey - "Middle class" area with costs between the highs of Pacific Grove/Carmel and lows of Seaside/Marina. Traffic can be pesky on the weekends due to tourist traffic down the main thoroughfare (Del Monte Blvd.)

Seaside Highlands - As Seaside expanded, they created the Seaside Highlands which consists mainly of single-family homes and is considered the "nice" area of Seaside

Seaside - Seaside is a nice area, mainly where the workforce of the Peninsula live. Not a bad place, but not necessarily where you want to be walking alone after dark

Marina - Another nice area mainly populated by workforce families. Several of my friends and co-workers live in Marina and commute.

I highly recommend taking full advantage of the free activities available. Relaxing on the beach, hiking on the Pacific Grove - Marina bike trail, taking the kids to Dennis the Menace park (yes, named after the comic) in Monterey, etc. So long as you take advantage of free activities, and eat most meals in (there is amazing local produce and several Farmer's Markets) you should be able to truly enjoy the Peninsula.

[Mvn2nc]

Originally Posted by MontereyLocal

First off, congratulations with the job offer! DLI (Defense Language Institute, http://www.dliflc.edu) is a well known institution and quite respected on the Peninsula. Chances are your husband will be working at either the DLI/Presidio main campus, located between Monterey and Pacific Grove (off of Lighthouse Avenue), or at the DoD Center, located next to Cal State University, Monterey Bay (off Lightfighter Drive, technically in Seaside.) Cost of living is rather expensive, but the environment (in my opinion) is well worth the cost. Nothing is like the fresh sea air, although you learn to dress in layers as the fog is fickle and can drop the temperature 10 degrees rather fast.

Depending on your husband's position, you may qualify for various "not quite subsidized" housing areas that cater toward CSUMB students, DoD civilians, and DoD contractors. Some examples would be:

The Parks at Monterey Bay (http://www.theparksatmontereybay.com/ (broken link))
Preston Park (http://www.midpen-housing.org/properties/profiles/preston.pdf (broken link))

You should also check Craigslist (http://monterey.craigslist.org) for various rentals. The one unfortunate about the Peninsula is, unless you have a financial windfall, home ownership is far out of the reach of most "workforce class" individuals.

Some city basics:

Carmel-by-the-Sea (a.k.a. Carmel) - Beatutiful area, catering to artists, antiques, and other bohemian crafts. More expensive to rent than other areas and rush-hour commute can take a while.

Pacific Grove - Older area akin to Astoria, OR. Many of the rentals are small cottages about 600-800 sqft in size. Classic small-town feel where everyone knows everyone and waves while walking down the street. Less expensive than Carmel, but more than Monterey and cities north.

Monterey - "Middle class" area with costs between the highs of Pacific Grove/Carmel and lows of Seaside/Marina. Traffic can be pesky on the weekends due to tourist traffic down the main thoroughfare (Del Monte Blvd.)

Seaside Highlands - As Seaside expanded, they created the Seaside Highlands which consists mainly of single-family homes and is considered the "nice" area of Seaside

Seaside - Seaside is a nice area, mainly where the workforce of the Peninsula live. Not a bad place, but not necessarily where you want to be walking alone after dark

Marina - Another nice area mainly populated by workforce families. Several of my friends and co-workers live in Marina and commute.

I highly recommend taking full advantage of the free activities available. Relaxing on the beach, hiking on the Pacific Grove - Marina bike trail, taking the kids to Dennis the Menace park (yes, named after the comic) in Monterey, etc. So long as you take advantage of free activities, and eat most meals in (there is amazing local produce and several Farmer's Markets) you should be able to truly enjoy the Peninsula.

You did an awsome job with your information i'll say!!!

[Chickydee]

Wow, thanks! So thorough! It does help to get all of this info, very much.

I am really so excited about the farmer's markets etc.! These past few years in the midwest have been cheap financially, but rough in terms of quality of life, culture, cuisine. Definitely looking forward to being back near the water. (My husband is a fanatical sea kayaker, so I think location is the main reason he's accepting this job.)

We did just get the (giant) packet of paperwork from DLI, which mentions the two "Parks" housing developments, so I'll be giving them a call. Happily accepting whatever subsidy the federal gov't will provide!

Thank you again!

[MontereyLocal]

Just because I know of them and use them frequently...

http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/ag/farm_mark.htm

The City of Monterey closes down the main street (Alvarado) in "Old Town" for the Tuesday market. Tons of cheap food and walking distance from the main DLI campus .

[Mvn2nc]

Originally Posted by yakker

Just a word in support of Seaside. I"m third generation from the area and have lived in every city listed here except Salinas. I currently live in Seaside and love it here. Seaside used to be a high crime area, but if you look at the crime stats for every city in question you will see that Seaside actually has less crime than any of them. I think there is just some subtle and not so subtle predudice that clings to Seaside like a bad coat. The center of the city is where most of the problem lies, with subsidized housing and lower cost houses. However, even those areas are constantly being upgraded and it seems that on every street there's a remodel going on with everyone trying to cash in on the greatly appreciated resale values that have escalated in the last five years. The real estate market is depressed as it is all over the country though, so now is actually the best time to buy if you can. The opportunity won't last forever.

Seaside Highlands is overpriced in my opinion, with large houses in very close proximity to each other, although they are very nice. The upper part of Seaside is the most desireable, with some houses commanding sweeping views of the bay, with a price tag that reflects that benefit. Most areas are very quiet at night and it's actually very peacefull and friendly. All of the cities adjoin each other on the Peninsula, so you are never further than 5 or ten minutes from one or the other and a short trip to any of the beaches.

I can totally agree with you, years ago i had a house all the way up the hill so to speak off of laSalle and know the upper part odf Seaside has the most amazing views IMO. Seaside Highlands is so overpriced for the cheesy lots you get, i'd take an older house with an awsome view that has more sun than the newer ones at Seaside Highlands anyday.