relocating to california in a few years

Hi, I am an early childhood edu. major at Fred. State, in NY. Never been to CA but my uncle lived in San Diego all his life and loved it! The weather%26#39;s always perfect, and it%26#39;s beautiful there.

I always wanted to live by the ocean, but I%26#39;m scared of tornadoes and hurricanes, and all things poisonous, and dont like blistering hot weather, so the east coast is out! I also wouldnt like temps under 40F..

Where should I start looking at?? I want somewhere near the ocean (less than 30 minute drive), and ideally, somewhere I could get a nice apartment for a reasonable price, and most importantly, somewhere I could get a job!

Also, somewhere with a college would be good because my cousin will be graduating high school when I graduate college and wants to go to collge in CA and stay with me.

I would like to be somewhere scenic (not like city-scenic), but with trees and such lol..nature-scenic.. and it would be nice if LA was within a one hour drive, but not necessary (not more than a 5-hr drive though)

thanks...

Sarah

relocating to california in a few years

You might want to try either San Louis Obispo or Santa Cruz. They might be expensive (everywhere in CA is!) but the weather is nice, they are by the ocean and there are both junior colleges and state universities there.

Santa Cruz: UC Santa Cruz %26amp; Cabrillo College (JC)

San Louis: Cal Poly San Louis Obispo and Cuesta (JC)

relocating to california in a few years

Hi Sarahlamo,

I agree with San Luis Obispo which is about 4 hours from both Los Angeles (to the south) and the San Francisco Bay Area (to the North). It is extremely scenic out there with a wonderful downtown area with great restaurants and shops that are independently owned and with very friendly people. However, I don%26#39;t know about the job market there, as it is not a big city and there are really no big cities nearby so that might be a drawback. It also might be expensive too and the demand for housing is probably very high since the area discourages growth.

Another option (only about an hour away from Los Angeles) you could check out is Oxnard. It is between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and has a large and growing population so there may be jobs there. Neighboring communities like Ventura, Camarillo, and Newbury Park are also worth checking out but Oxnard is the biggest and the most affordable of the communities there (coastal Ventura County). Oxnard is not very scenic but no community is perfect and you%26#39;re very close to Santa Barbara (about 30 min. away). The traffic is worsening in that area because the road construction and public transportation have not kept up with the fast growing population in that area so that is a drawback too (although it still isn%26#39;t as bad as in Los Angeles!)

Anywhere near the ocean is, generally, not going to be cheap. The most expensive places will be near major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles ( i.e. Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades).

You might want to look south of Los Angeles in Orange County. I%26#39;d probably would start looking in Huntington Beach. It%26#39;s know for it%26#39;s youth culture and it%26#39;s nickname is Surf City. To be honest, I think you%26#39;ll only be able to afford a beach city apartment if you%26#39;ve got roommates to share the cost. I know what preschool teachers make and it%26#39;s not much. You might want to look at communities that are next to beach cities like Fountain Valley or Costa Mesa if you want something more reasonable.

South of Los Angeles City and north of Orange county is the South Bay area which includes Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Torrance. Rent may or may not be higher than beach cities in Orange County. I know house prices are more expensive but rent might not be any more and would put you closer to L.A. You%26#39;ll just have to check it out.

Camarillo, in Ventura County is a rapidly growing community, lots of young families and kids - plenty of preschool - all with waiting list and all looking for qualified teachers.

You are close to the beaches and there is still a lot of farming in the area (mainly strawberry fields). You are also an hours drive from LA, Santa Barbara and Santa Monica (with good traffic of course).

There are lots of hikes and bike trails in Thousand Oaks (10 minutes drive).

Cal State Lutheran, Moorpark College %26amp; Cal State Channel Islands are all within easy driving distance.

Camarillo prices are rising, but I think it is still far more affordable than many of the surrounding areas.

Ventura County has a lot of variety. Someone else mentioned that Oxnard is the most affordable area within the desires you have.... and I agree. Port Hueneme is at the coast near Oxnard and is also affordable, although everything is expensive in California. We don%26#39;t have tornados or huricanes though...not the same weather as the east coast.... so fear not.... The ocean is cooler here and so the areas snuggled into the coast are also known for their cool constant weather. There is a newish college called Channel Island State, which is in a lovely location near the coast of Point Mugu and Malibu and near Newberry Park and Thousand Oaks on the mountain side and Camarillo, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Ventura on the plains..... Ventura has some really nice apartment complex also.... Downtown Ventura is a perfect location.... nice night life there too. Accessable to everything.

You will love California...

Pegs

You would love Ventura County! I would check it out. Camarillo, Ventura, Oxnard, all great places to live. You don%26#39;t get that rushed feeling (in my opinion) that you get in LA or Orange County. Ojai is also a wonderful small community. There are quite a few great private schools in that town, and it%26#39;s only a thirty minute drive to the beach.

Jusy start saving your money- the sticker shock will get you! But things are expensive here for a reason- we really do have great weather and wonderful scenery, so everyone wants to live here and prices go up!

My only advice is to start saving your money now! It%26#39;s expensive-especially with your parameters-beautiful, but at a price.

Don%26#39;t be discouraged about price...you only live once! Everything always seems to work out when you feel strongly about something. Making a move across the country is a big step! I am going to put another vote in for Ojai (lived there for many years and both my kids were born there). It is a scenic community surrounded by hills, orange groves (smells like orange blossoms in the spring), avacado orchards, and beautiful sunsets. There are great hiking trails, and natural creeks, swimming holes, and little waterfalls. The nice thing is your only a short drive to the coast and city. Here is a website http://www.ci.ojai.ca.us/ .

like I said before there are alot of teaching opportunities in the area both public and private Thatcher, Brighton Academy, and The Montessori schools are great private schools (http://www.silcom.com/~mso/index.html)...and the public school system has a ';Smart Start'; program that is wonderful. Because it is such a small community, people are friendly and willing to help.

Well, first, tornadoes and hurricanes aren%26#39;t an issue here at all...our water is too cold. And every now and again, it does get below 40 degrees here, and we talk about it like it%26#39;s the end of the world. but it%26#39;s maybe one or two nights a year. Look I whined like I was being beaten when I had to actually turn on my house heater two days in a row last winter. And that was for maybe three or four hours in each of those days.

You know, you only live once. You have a cousin who will share the experience and expenses with you...why not discuss between you where sounds good, and give it a try?

You could swing it in San Diego. you guys could share an apt., and there are jobs to be found...the schools are pretty good, though it certainly helps to be a resident to take advantage of the community colleges and the State College System(s). this is a pretty good place to be at your ages...why not?

LA is about a 1-1 1/2 hr. drive, depending on where in LA you want to be...

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