a new start
 

I am picking up the pieces and need to begin again somewhere in California. I love trees and the ocean, rural living, but with access to medical care. I dont mind rain, but hate the cold and I have limited income. I need a house to rent and a healing environment. Any suggestions?

How limited (without asking for TOO many details)..California (yes, I like the place, too) isn't exactly the cheapest place to live...any reasons you want that state in particular?

How about somewhere in the San Diego area?

Places w/ good medical facilities, near the coast (or in other scenic areas), and limited income are pretty much incompatible concepts. There are some bargain rural areas -- but rural usually means limited medical care.

Where are you now?

I thought of San Diego too. Warm, medical care if needed, not sure about rental prices.

Another thought is a cruise, but that would be a Carribean cruise off Florida.

Southern and Northern California are like two different states. Why don't you plan a trip to visit the major areas of the state to see which you prefer.

In Southern California I would visit Santa Barbara. It's a beautiful smaller town with a lot of charm. It's beautiful, and on the Pacific Ocean.

I would also start in the wine country of Napa/Sonoma and drive down south of the San Francisco Bay area into Los Gatos, Monterey, Carmel.

California land prices (to buy or rent) can be very high.

Most of the places mentioned don't just have <i>high</i> rents -- they have astronomically high rents -- compared to most parts of the country anyway.

You need to tell us what sort of a budget you have.

The cost of living in California is too high in my opinion.
That is why I choose to live in Oregon. If you wanted to live in the warmest area of Oregon that would be Brookings on the coast. Medford is a good choice for medical care and access to I-5 and northern California. On the east side of the Cascades, Klamath Falls and Bend are good for medical care and have a drier climate.
If you want a warm climate near an ocean, you should try a month or 2 as a snowbird near Corpus Christi, Texas.

The OP says she doesn't like cold weather -- so Medford, Bend, K. Falls <u>definitely</u> don't qualify.

Take a look at rentals on Craigslist to get an idea of the monthly rates for different areas in CA.

Don't RENT from them, but it will give you a quick peek into the price differences.

Best to probably state your limit for monthly rent ($) and we could advise from there. But yes, ocean + California + limited income do not gel together well at all.

There are a lot of semi-rural small towns between San Jose and the Monterey Bay. They are not on the ocean, but they're near the ocean, and you could be in the country but still near enough to San Jose for access to medical care.
(The OP didn't say she needed to be on the ocean, just that she loves it.)

How many states other than California have you considered?
Right now after shoveling off the porch, I am considering snowbirding to Lake Corpus Christi Texas.
I have friends that moved from Central Oregon to Apache Junction Arizona. They lived in their motorhome while their new home was being built. They come back to Oregon for about a month each year.
My other thought was somewhere in the panhandle of Florida.
Hawaii is another consideration.

You don't say whether you are retired, need to work, or are on disability of some sort. It makes a huge difference, whereever you are looking.

Before you move to a new place, look into state taxes: income, sales, property, personal property, assets like savings accounts and stocks and bonds, inheritance, etc. Some places are great to live in, others are great to die in. Are license plates nominal in cost (<$50 a year) or do they have a use tax attached so you are paying several hundred dollars per year? How about the cost of insurance? Can you get earthquake insurance where you want to move in California? And on and on.