Oh, something you will definitely need to consider:

You will need a car. No question, no doubt. That means that wherever you look, you'll need to take parking into consideration. Even if you have a garage/carport/off-street parking where you live, you will want to have people come visit (and they WILL come visit from the Midwest, believe me!). I'm thinking specifically of the beach communities-- for example, my beloved Long Beach's Belmont Shore and Naples communities have horrible street parking. There's not a lot of it and on nice summer days it disappears quickly.

Also: Just know that getting into and out of beach cities can be a pain. Again, if you can find a nice job where you can primarily work from home, this will be a non-issue.

I acknowledge the headaches and difficulties of living in southern California. But there are very few places I would rather live. Go figure...! :)

Great info all, but the OP reported back on August 27 that she or he had already visited, and liked Corona del Mar, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica and Pasadena.

Maybe he can use the info from rjw on the next trip.

Yes, I've alredy returned, but appreciate the info. I always trust Fodor-types! Agree that my next step is to secure the job. If it is in the OC area, I have some good places narrowed down. If further north, I've made good progress there, too. And I'm definitely going to rent when I first move out there --nothing too big. I can handle it. I've done car battles on the Beltway for years, so know what it's like to live around traffic. That's why I'm hoping to live near the coast during my nonworking hours. Also, I did cross Oxnard and Ventura off my list. I dont know what I was thinking. I also dont think I want to go further south than Newport/CdM. What do I know? I have a lot to learn, still. I will need to plan another trip!

Dana Point is a cool little beach town - but it is harder (i find) to get in and out of - so unless you are working down there it is a bit of a pain. One of our favorite beach towns is San Clemente - but it is very far south...

The problem with living near the coast is traffic.