michellay

I'm looking to relocate out of los angeles. Too much traffic, self-centered, overly fashion-conscious people where the rents are out of control! I need to be close enough to cafes, shopping, outdoor recreation (bike paths, hiking etc) and nightlife. And mild weather. Near either the ocean or redwoods . Lake Tahoe w/ culture or Malibu without the attitude. Do either of thede three places fit this description? I've lived in san Fran but it was too gray and rainy. Any suggsetions would be appreciated.

jason888

Hi, michellay!

You didn't say what profession you are in.

If you found San Francisco too gray and rainy, then Santa Cruz would offer you more of the same.

Santa Barbara is a great place to live, but the jobs may not be there.

Of the three, San Diego would offer the best likelihood of more jobs (in a bad jobs market!), great climate, and many charming places offering you the kind of life you want.

Best of luck in your search!
Jason

scurry

I've lived in Santa Cruz for the past decade, although sandwiched in there was a year in San Diego.

Santa Cruz is not for everyone, but I personally love it. You have to have a very open mind to alternative viewpoints. The weather is better than San Francisco, but obviously can't be compared to San Diego. It's a great choice because both the Ocean and redwoods are less than 15 mins away. It's pretty expensive, but the pay is much, much better than S.D. You should come spend a weekend to see if it's for you.

Santa Cruz is known to be a pretty tough place for singles.

I went to college in L.A. & hated the culture. San Diego has a touch of it (lots of fake boobs), but was really surprisingly friendly and laid-back.

To me, the real downside to S.D. was the lack of cultural things to do. It's all centered around the beach and outdoor activities. Nothing wrong with it, but for the size city, I was disappointed in the theatre, film and popular music selections.

You might want to look at Oceanside or North SD County because it's not such a college crowd scene & you'd be closer to driving to O.C. or LA for extra entertainment options.

Here's my final analogy: In San Diego, I was the most politically liberal person I knew & when I moved back to Santa Cruz, I suddenly reverted back to being the most conservative person I knew!

Barbara

San Diego is more expensive than LA.

J_Correa

Scurry - I had to laugh at your comment about being the most conservative person you knew in Santa Cruz. I grew up there and always thought I was a conservative. Then I learned more about the outside world and was SHOCKED.

mclaurie

Just visited San Diego for the first time and I LOVED it. Spent an entire day at Balboa Park where there are about 5-7 museums plus a theater or two. I live on the east coast & while my 3 days as an outsider doesn't mean much as far as living goes, I was impressed (and never much cared for LA as a place to live).

Seems like there are lots of options like La Jolla, Del Mar etc. Why not go & have a look.

rjw_lgb_ca

michellay, you're going to have to go where you can find work. Santa Cruz and San Diego both have pretty tight job markets (not sure about Santa Barbara). And maybe the problem isn't "Los Angeles"-- it might be the neighborhood. I know plenty of communities in the LA metro area with good, grounded, caring citizens. But first thing's first-- what do you do?

Curious

scurry,

I also got a kick out of your anology about liberal vs. conservative.

Isn't Santa Cruz the most liberal town in the US?????? I think it puts San Francisco to shame, and that is saying a BUNCH!!!!

Curious

scurry

I would guess that Berkeley is more politically liberal -- Santa Cruz is more granola.

San Diego is absolutely the other end of the spectrum. Some people's viewpoints (I was there at the start of the Iraq war) were just as shocking.

ltt

some people who move to san diego are disappointed with the lack of night life. restaurants close early and there isn't a lot of great theatre, etc.
i personally loved living there but had to leave cause i couldn't afford it.