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Old 07-18-2010, 04:18 PM
 
3 posts, read 11,024 times
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All,
I have lived in San Francisco for some years now and am looking to relocate. I went to Cal Poly in San luis Obispo, and as such, am familiar with the Central Coast. My need to slow things down a bit, enjoy the sun, sand and ocean are paramount. I work from home and bring in between 75k-85k annually, and will have a roommate who makes a similar income. We are both single, without debt, no children, and are not looking to purchase.

Based on the following criteria, which of these cities offers would you recommend.

Affordable rentals (I understand that is subjective - around $2200 (+/-) per month for two or three beds, two bath.

Some semblance of a night life - Again, looking to slow things down and enjoy the relaxing environment the Ca coast offers, but still have a need to go out from time to time

Relatively crime free - I keep reading posts that describe West Ventura city as being "rough". San Fran has it's "rough" areas as well, but nothing that would have kept me from living there.

Pet friendly

Laid back, good people (I'm sure I could find these anywhere, but thought I'd put it out there).
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Old 07-18-2010, 05:23 PM
 
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All the areas are nice but off the top of my head, Montecito and Carpenteria will not have the night life you want. I would start with Santa Barbara west of State St, (preferably walking distance to State St and the beach) or Downtown Ventura. You should be able to find the 2BR2BA within budget.

Carpenteria is a nice little beach town and you can find things within your budget but your choice of restaurants/clubs etc will be more limited.

Montecito is a very nice town but largely residential and I doubt you will find anything within your budget especially near the beach. There is a small development (near Olive Mill and Danielson) where you might find something. Again, there will not be restaurants/clubs within walking distance.
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Old 07-18-2010, 06:39 PM
 
Location: Pasadena
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As DowntownVentura mentioned, all 4 communities are very nice. I love Carpinteria's beach but it is a quiet family-oriented area. Montecito is really plush but also very quiet. Santa Barbara has a nice scene for being a relatively small city thanks to the university. It is a beautiful city but the waves aren't very good if you like surfing. Ventura is also a nice fairly small city but with some night life though not like Santa Barbara.
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Old 07-18-2010, 09:51 PM
 
3 posts, read 11,024 times
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Thanks you two, it is appreciated. So the general consensus is:
All are laid back beach towns.
Montecito and Carpinteria are much more family oriented as a whole.
Santa Barbara and Ventura both have night lives, though more so in Santa Barbara
Rents are similar, with Ventura being slighly more "affordable" in good neighborhoods
Renting near the beach will be significantly more expensive in SB and Montecito, than the other two - depending on location.

Is that about right? Anyone else care to respond? Is the surf comparable in Ventura and Carpinteria?
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Old 07-18-2010, 10:11 PM
 
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There are two popular surfing spots in the area. One Surfers Point at downtown Ventura, is supposed to be pretty good

And Rincon Point is supposed to be fantastic, probably 4 or 5 miles south of Carpenteria
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Old 07-19-2010, 07:57 AM
 
Location: Northern Virginia
4,489 posts, read 10,941,268 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DowntownVentura View Post
There are two popular surfing spots in the area. One Surfers Point at downtown Ventura, is supposed to be pretty good

And Rincon Point is supposed to be fantastic, probably 4 or 5 miles south of Carpenteria

Campus Point
near UCSB is a big surf spot too. We used to surf at Haskell's in high school (at the edge of Goleta, where there is now the Bacara resort)
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Old 07-19-2010, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Northern Virginia
4,489 posts, read 10,941,268 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perkology View Post
Thanks you two, it is appreciated. So the general consensus is:
All are laid back beach towns.
Montecito and Carpinteria are much more family oriented as a whole.
Santa Barbara and Ventura both have night lives, though more so in Santa Barbara
Rents are similar, with Ventura being slighly more "affordable" in good neighborhoods
Renting near the beach will be significantly more expensive in SB and Montecito, than the other two - depending on location.

Is that about right? Anyone else care to respond? Is the surf comparable in Ventura and Carpinteria?
That sounds pretty accurate. "Night Life" is a pretty subjective term, especially coming from a major metropolitan area.

Pet friendly is going to be tough in Santa Barbara (not sure about the others). If you can find it, great! I volunteered at the county shelter for 10 years though, and a large percentage of people who dropped of their animals said that it was because they couldn't find pet friendly housing. Landlords are able to be really picky--so they are
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