I’m overwhelmed by the enormity of California. Where should I live?
July 18, 2015 10:13 PM Subscribe
I’m a school psychologist from the Northeast who’s looking to move to a city in California. Problem is I don’t know a thing about where to choose. Are there cities/regions in the state that I’d like to live in more than others?
I’ve seen a few related posts but each asking slightly different questions.
About me:
I’m a single female in my mid-thirties.
I’ve lived all over: NYC (where my family is), Berkshires, the South, Midwest, and internationally. I’ve moved so many times (college, grad school, grad school internships) that I’d like this next move to be somewhere that I like and can stay for much longer than just a year.
I’m not in a rush to be in a relationship but I’d like a place that’s not so insular and where there’s the opportunity to meet singles in their mid-30’s/early-40’s.
I enjoy: bookmaking, bicycling, reading, films, sewing, hiking, swimming, camping, learning languages (I’ve made some good friends though language exchanges), music, museums.
I’m willing to commute ~30 minutes so I don’t have to be living in the same city in which I work.
My experience with CA is limited to SF, LA, Santa Barbara, and Santa Rosa. And these trips were at least 15 years ago. I do remember liking the scenery of Santa Barbara. And the old architecture of LA.
So I’m wondering - is there a small or large Californian city that has the following:
Within ~60 minutes of the ocean
Within ~30 minutes of some greenery for hiking, bicycling, etc.
More sunny days than grey
Decent selection of doctors (I need some specialty maintenance care)
Access to an airport and university/college
Decent cost of living (I don’t know exactly what I’ll be earning but it won’t be obscene)
More left/left-leaning than right (I’ve been entertaining myself with some maps and it looks like this will work well with my preference for coastal areas)
Population diversity - race, ethnicity, linguistic, SES, ages, family types, etc.
I’ve seen a few related posts but each asking slightly different questions.
About me:
I’m a single female in my mid-thirties.
I’ve lived all over: NYC (where my family is), Berkshires, the South, Midwest, and internationally. I’ve moved so many times (college, grad school, grad school internships) that I’d like this next move to be somewhere that I like and can stay for much longer than just a year.
I’m not in a rush to be in a relationship but I’d like a place that’s not so insular and where there’s the opportunity to meet singles in their mid-30’s/early-40’s.
I enjoy: bookmaking, bicycling, reading, films, sewing, hiking, swimming, camping, learning languages (I’ve made some good friends though language exchanges), music, museums.
I’m willing to commute ~30 minutes so I don’t have to be living in the same city in which I work.
My experience with CA is limited to SF, LA, Santa Barbara, and Santa Rosa. And these trips were at least 15 years ago. I do remember liking the scenery of Santa Barbara. And the old architecture of LA.
So I’m wondering - is there a small or large Californian city that has the following:
Within ~60 minutes of the ocean
Within ~30 minutes of some greenery for hiking, bicycling, etc.
More sunny days than grey
Decent selection of doctors (I need some specialty maintenance care)
Access to an airport and university/college
Decent cost of living (I don’t know exactly what I’ll be earning but it won’t be obscene)
More left/left-leaning than right (I’ve been entertaining myself with some maps and it looks like this will work well with my preference for coastal areas)
Population diversity - race, ethnicity, linguistic, SES, ages, family types, etc.
I probably wouldn't suggest Davis because of it's distance to the ocean (not close enough for your criteria), its distance to "greenery" (do you like ag fields?) and that it may not be great for dating. It's definitely a "company town" and the company is the University.
Santa Cruz might better fit your criteria:
It's on the ocean, surrounded by greenery, can be sunny, don't know about doctors, close to San Jose airport and has a university, Cost of living is...well, California, left-leaning, and not certain about diversity.
posted by Toddles at 10:50 PM on July 18, 2015
Santa Cruz might better fit your criteria:
It's on the ocean, surrounded by greenery, can be sunny, don't know about doctors, close to San Jose airport and has a university, Cost of living is...well, California, left-leaning, and not certain about diversity.
posted by Toddles at 10:50 PM on July 18, 2015
I think Santa Cruz or Monterey both hit your requirements, although the cost of living might not...
posted by suelac at 11:09 PM on July 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by suelac at 11:09 PM on July 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oakland, altho the cost of living might be a hinderance
posted by waitangi at 11:16 PM on July 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by waitangi at 11:16 PM on July 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: California is a big state, as you note. Your criteria fit most of the coastal areas of the state so they may not narrow it down as much as you like. There are huge cultural differences between NorCal and SoCal that make this a complicated question to answer. Do you want, for example, rocky beaches with lots of scenic fog and chilly days? Or are you envisioning white sand beaches with surfers in the distance and sunshine overhead? I'm simplifying but that's NorCal versus SoCal in a nutshell.
Setting aside that huge caveat to answer your question: San Diego does fit all of your criteria if you define San Diego (as natives do) as the county.
-Cost of living isn't pretty but it's not pretty anywhere that's within an hour of the coast.
-Beaches of course but also lots of hiking and cool parks and recreation areas nearby (one tourism claim to fame: in San Diego you can swim on the beach in the morning and tromp around in the snow in the afternoon. If you don't mind swimming in a wetsuit).
-The weather in San Diego earns its rep for a reason
-Plenty of specialty hospitals and physicians thanks to UCSD, Scripps, and others.
-One major airport, but LAX is there if needed and so is SNA.
-Boatloads of universities and colleges (UCSD, SDSU, USD, Palomar, Mira Costa, lots of others I'm forgetting).
-Lots of population diversity--but you have to be careful that you're not ending up in a class or race-divided area on accident. There are areas (cheaper ones, no surprise) of the county where folks mingle more. I'm from one of them.
-San Diego has a well-deserved rep as somewhat more conservative (still a military town in many ways) than say, LA but the coastal and metro areas are far less conservative than northern and suburban areas
California is an expensive state with some significant problems. Water, for example, is likely to be an ongoing issue for the next twenty years (unless the forecast El Nino really gets going this year). If you're a school psychologist in the K-12 sense, I wince for you (i.e., the job market for that would need lots of investigation because of the drastic education cuts over the years). California is also culturally quite different from the East Coast--thank god. You should consider carefully whether you will be happy in the state over the long-term.
posted by librarylis at 11:26 PM on July 18, 2015 [8 favorites]
Setting aside that huge caveat to answer your question: San Diego does fit all of your criteria if you define San Diego (as natives do) as the county.
-Cost of living isn't pretty but it's not pretty anywhere that's within an hour of the coast.
-Beaches of course but also lots of hiking and cool parks and recreation areas nearby (one tourism claim to fame: in San Diego you can swim on the beach in the morning and tromp around in the snow in the afternoon. If you don't mind swimming in a wetsuit).
-The weather in San Diego earns its rep for a reason
-Plenty of specialty hospitals and physicians thanks to UCSD, Scripps, and others.
-One major airport, but LAX is there if needed and so is SNA.
-Boatloads of universities and colleges (UCSD, SDSU, USD, Palomar, Mira Costa, lots of others I'm forgetting).
-Lots of population diversity--but you have to be careful that you're not ending up in a class or race-divided area on accident. There are areas (cheaper ones, no surprise) of the county where folks mingle more. I'm from one of them.
-San Diego has a well-deserved rep as somewhat more conservative (still a military town in many ways) than say, LA but the coastal and metro areas are far less conservative than northern and suburban areas
California is an expensive state with some significant problems. Water, for example, is likely to be an ongoing issue for the next twenty years (unless the forecast El Nino really gets going this year). If you're a school psychologist in the K-12 sense, I wince for you (i.e., the job market for that would need lots of investigation because of the drastic education cuts over the years). California is also culturally quite different from the East Coast--thank god. You should consider carefully whether you will be happy in the state over the long-term.
posted by librarylis at 11:26 PM on July 18, 2015 [8 favorites]
Best answer: From an anonymous commenter:
Davis is a good choice, and I think they have more than the above poster gives them credit for. Maybe not ocean in an hour, but definitely ocean in 1.5 hours and Lake Tahoe in 2 hours. There's some decent greenery around too.posted by taz at 11:27 PM on July 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'm a school psychologist for Oakland Unified. I highly recommend it. We hit every single point you mention.
Within ~60 minutes of the ocean - We're directly on the bay and have marinas if you want to walk along the water/sit on a bench/have a picnic. You can get to a swimming beach in Alameda in 10 minutes and over to the actual ocean within 30 minutes.
Within ~30 minutes of some greenery for hiking, bicycling, etc. - Plentiful. There are parks, marinas, lakes, and trails within the city and everything from ocean to forrest to mountain within a half hour radius.
More sunny days than grey - Almost every day is sunny and the weather stays mild throughout the year. (I also love Davis and would recommend it, but it gets hellishly hot in the summer. I was just there last week and it was almost 110 degrees each day.
Decent selection of doctors (I need some specialty maintenance care) - We abound with doctors, medical practices, and hospitals. Kaiser, Alta Bates, Pill Hill, Children's Hospital. UCSF and Stanford both have excellent facilities if you have something requiring more specialized support.
Access to an airport and university/college - UC Berkeley is 10 minutes away, Cal State East Bay is 15 minutes away. San Francisco's many universities and Stanford are also close. There's also at least one community college per town in the area. We have three international airports - Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. I've often remarked that this is the perfect area to live if you like traveling.
Decent cost of living (I don’t know exactly what I’ll be earning but it won’t be obscene)
- We're not as expensive as San Francisco, but we're not as cheap as Davis would be. I can afford a one-bedroom apartment in a popular part of the city on just my OUSD school psychologist salary. [Link]
More left/left-leaning than right (I’ve been entertaining myself with some maps and it looks like this will work well with my preference for coastal areas) - 100% yes.
Population diversity - race, ethnicity, linguistic, SES, ages, family types, etc. - 100% yes. And if you work for the district, you'll get to work with them all!
And you don't mention entertainment and culture, but we have all of that too! Art crawls, First Fridays, museums, summer outdoor movies and concerts, fireworks, craft breweries, a michelin-starred restaurant, several cute and trendy areas of town with streets full of shops and restaurants. Bay Street in Emeryville for the huge cinema and mall experience. Lots of smaller cinemas with all kinds of boutique offerings (sit on a couch and have dinner and wine served to you while you watch the latest blockbuster? Yes please). Ikea. A few apple stores. We gave an ice skating rink and there's a roller skating rink a few towns over. You can take sailing or windsurfing lessons on the lake or in the bay. Lots of unique gyms that do every different kind of fitness craze. I just discovered Athletic Playground in Emeryville, which does aerial and parkour. There are amusement parks and water parks nearby and lots of professional sports between SF, Oakland, and San Jose. You can be in San Francisco in 20 minutes and Berkeley is right next door. I'm not sure if it's applicable to you, but there's a lot you can do with kids here too. My nephews just visited me for a few weeks and every single day was packed with adventures. I've lived in various places around the country and Oakland/the bay area has just about everything I could want.
I don't want to connect my mefi name with my real location and job, but if you include an email address in your profile, I can contact you directly and answer any questions you have about working here.
What taz says is true: weather in the east bay (Oakland / Berekeley) is entirely different to SF. It's much much warmer and sunnier!
Sacramento ticks all your boxes except Ocean proximity; I loved living in midtown and would move back in a heartbeat! (I lived in Berkeley and went to school in Rockridge/Oakland for three years. Also great, but expensive!)
I'm not sure what decent cost of living means for you, but that and ocean proximity are somewhat at odds with each other.
posted by jrobin276 at 2:59 AM on July 19, 2015
Sacramento ticks all your boxes except Ocean proximity; I loved living in midtown and would move back in a heartbeat! (I lived in Berkeley and went to school in Rockridge/Oakland for three years. Also great, but expensive!)
I'm not sure what decent cost of living means for you, but that and ocean proximity are somewhat at odds with each other.
posted by jrobin276 at 2:59 AM on July 19, 2015
To add to the San Diego suggestion: it's political climate has changed a lot in the last ten years. It's now generally understood within San Diego political circles to be more left-leaning than right-leaning, especially for social issues. A Missouri-style or Texas-style conservative could not get elected for major offices at this point.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:02 AM on July 19, 2015
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:02 AM on July 19, 2015
I would recommend you look at Richmond, which is a progressive but sometimes challenging city but has a lot to offer to residents, especially right on the coast. It has less fog than most bay area cities and is fairly working and middle class.
Another interesting idea, further from the coast, is Chico. It is flat and has some incredible scenery nearby, it is about three hours from Ashland, Oregon and about six hours from the Oregon coastline. I also suggest you consider Grants Pass, Oregon which has lately become home to a vibrant creator and maker community and has a long summer and actually most winter days managed to avoid the fog that envelopes much of Oregon that time of year. There is an Airport in Eugene, two hours away that goes to LA and Phoenix. Grants Pass is genuinely conservative but it is a great place to raise a family and has excellent road connections.
Finally, Crockett, California. Okay not the most clear day choice but fast winds and a deep port create a very serene environment although traffic can be a nightmare. Still sleepy but has a far less transient resident atmosphere than cities like Davis.
posted by parmanparman at 7:21 AM on July 19, 2015
Another interesting idea, further from the coast, is Chico. It is flat and has some incredible scenery nearby, it is about three hours from Ashland, Oregon and about six hours from the Oregon coastline. I also suggest you consider Grants Pass, Oregon which has lately become home to a vibrant creator and maker community and has a long summer and actually most winter days managed to avoid the fog that envelopes much of Oregon that time of year. There is an Airport in Eugene, two hours away that goes to LA and Phoenix. Grants Pass is genuinely conservative but it is a great place to raise a family and has excellent road connections.
Finally, Crockett, California. Okay not the most clear day choice but fast winds and a deep port create a very serene environment although traffic can be a nightmare. Still sleepy but has a far less transient resident atmosphere than cities like Davis.
posted by parmanparman at 7:21 AM on July 19, 2015
Napa. Close to the beach, the City, hiking, etc. Friendly locals (wine culture from the inside is interesting). Affordable. Great weather. Downtown Napa is in the early stages of renewal, with great restaurants (truly, Napa Valley great), terrific Victorian architecture, and a cute small town and local vibe.
Richmond definitely seems like it may the new hotness, just in terms of where the priced out of Oakland and Berkeley artisans seem to be relocating.
Petaluma/Sebastopol up the 101 a bit look to be benefitting from that too.
posted by notyou at 8:04 AM on July 19, 2015
Richmond definitely seems like it may the new hotness, just in terms of where the priced out of Oakland and Berkeley artisans seem to be relocating.
Petaluma/Sebastopol up the 101 a bit look to be benefitting from that too.
posted by notyou at 8:04 AM on July 19, 2015
You need to be close to a region that has ample demand for your line of work.
Either Southern California between Santa Barbara and San Diego.
Or the Bay Area between San Jose and San Francisco.
If you go to the bay area stay West of the Bay on the Peninsula. The moment you have to cross a bridge you will add an hour to any form of commute.
Two suggestions of locations that brings you close enough to work and ocean while still being able to afford housing in an area that is desirable.
Halfmoon Bay
Ojai
posted by Mac-Expert at 8:39 AM on July 19, 2015
Either Southern California between Santa Barbara and San Diego.
Or the Bay Area between San Jose and San Francisco.
If you go to the bay area stay West of the Bay on the Peninsula. The moment you have to cross a bridge you will add an hour to any form of commute.
Two suggestions of locations that brings you close enough to work and ocean while still being able to afford housing in an area that is desirable.
Halfmoon Bay
Ojai
posted by Mac-Expert at 8:39 AM on July 19, 2015
Monterey fails on these criteria:
If you like that part of the state then Santa Cruz would be a much better choice than Monterey.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:42 AM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
- dating prospects (totally insular, plus high average age)
- diversity
- more sunny than grey
- cost of living
- left-leaning
If you like that part of the state then Santa Cruz would be a much better choice than Monterey.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:42 AM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Affordability is the hardest part to hit on your list. If you work for a public school, however, some cities might offer help (I think San Francisco does). Note that if you're very close to the coast, you'll have more fog; afternoons might be sunny, but mornings often foggy, especially in summertime. I'm looking at a chart that lists sunny days per year for Berkeley, where I live, and it says there are 256--but that's the number of days that are predominantly sunny. Foggy/cloudy weather makes me sleepy, and I've noticed that it's often hard to wake up here, because mornings can be so grey.
Apart from affordability, Berkeley could be a good fit...it's quite easy to get to the ocean if you go over the Richmond Bridge rather than the Bay Bridge to SF (traffic is terrible the latter way), there's a huge city park that's really a wilderness area, and multiple smaller parks everywhere- the city has much, much more greenery on an average block than SF. Easy access to doctors, UC Berkeley is here, two easily accessible airports via BART, pretty much as liberal as it gets, and slightly diverse (nothing like NYC, however).
In the immediate area, personally, I'd avoid Richmond; it really isn't safe. But it depends on your tolerance for the risk of muggings or your house/car being broken into. Oakland has great neighborhoods, but the most affordable are also not safe (usually tops the murder/robbery rate for the whole country). Alameda used to be a little cheaper, but is slightly less liberal (old military town) and may be a little less accessible to work. SF is, as you've probably heard, insanely expensive and competitive for housing. Petaluma and Sebastopol are lovely if you like small towns (and very liberal)- but it may take more time to reach the medical care you need elsewhere. Getting to the beach there takes longer than you'd expect. The commute on the 101 in that area is also horrible, though a new train will be completed fairly soon.
Santa Cruz is getting more expensive, like everything in the Bay Area, but could be a good fit. It's often foggy in the mornings, like other places on the coast. There are "banana belt" neighborhoods that are sunnier than others. You probably wouldn't want to live there and try to commute elsewhere.
LA and parts of San Diego are a little bit cheaper than the Bay Area. I love LA, especially the eastside neighborhoods. I think it meets your criteria. I'm not as familiar with San Diego, but the culture seems a little more conservative. Santa Barbara also has a bit of a conservative vibe.
posted by three_red_balloons at 8:44 AM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Apart from affordability, Berkeley could be a good fit...it's quite easy to get to the ocean if you go over the Richmond Bridge rather than the Bay Bridge to SF (traffic is terrible the latter way), there's a huge city park that's really a wilderness area, and multiple smaller parks everywhere- the city has much, much more greenery on an average block than SF. Easy access to doctors, UC Berkeley is here, two easily accessible airports via BART, pretty much as liberal as it gets, and slightly diverse (nothing like NYC, however).
In the immediate area, personally, I'd avoid Richmond; it really isn't safe. But it depends on your tolerance for the risk of muggings or your house/car being broken into. Oakland has great neighborhoods, but the most affordable are also not safe (usually tops the murder/robbery rate for the whole country). Alameda used to be a little cheaper, but is slightly less liberal (old military town) and may be a little less accessible to work. SF is, as you've probably heard, insanely expensive and competitive for housing. Petaluma and Sebastopol are lovely if you like small towns (and very liberal)- but it may take more time to reach the medical care you need elsewhere. Getting to the beach there takes longer than you'd expect. The commute on the 101 in that area is also horrible, though a new train will be completed fairly soon.
Santa Cruz is getting more expensive, like everything in the Bay Area, but could be a good fit. It's often foggy in the mornings, like other places on the coast. There are "banana belt" neighborhoods that are sunnier than others. You probably wouldn't want to live there and try to commute elsewhere.
LA and parts of San Diego are a little bit cheaper than the Bay Area. I love LA, especially the eastside neighborhoods. I think it meets your criteria. I'm not as familiar with San Diego, but the culture seems a little more conservative. Santa Barbara also has a bit of a conservative vibe.
posted by three_red_balloons at 8:44 AM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Monterey and Santa Cruz are fabulous places, but expensive. Seaside and Marina, northern suburbs of Monterey, are a little less expensive.
Davis (where I've lived for 15 years) is also really great, but it's more like 90 minutes to the coast. It's a progressive college town, though, and there are great mountain hikes only an hour away. I feel like we're smack dab between the ocean and the mountains, and I don't have to live in a big city to have access to the stuff I like. I love it here.
That said, I think Santa Rosa or Petaluma are also really good options. They're both within and hour of the coast, progressive, cute, fun, have good food, have good weather, Santa Rosa has Sonoma State University (part of the CSU system), and you're within an hour of San Francisco/Oakland. You could commute easily to the more affluent parts of Marin County (higher wages). I'd happily live in either of those places if I wasn't tied to a job in Davis.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:11 AM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Davis (where I've lived for 15 years) is also really great, but it's more like 90 minutes to the coast. It's a progressive college town, though, and there are great mountain hikes only an hour away. I feel like we're smack dab between the ocean and the mountains, and I don't have to live in a big city to have access to the stuff I like. I love it here.
That said, I think Santa Rosa or Petaluma are also really good options. They're both within and hour of the coast, progressive, cute, fun, have good food, have good weather, Santa Rosa has Sonoma State University (part of the CSU system), and you're within an hour of San Francisco/Oakland. You could commute easily to the more affluent parts of Marin County (higher wages). I'd happily live in either of those places if I wasn't tied to a job in Davis.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:11 AM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Generally speaking, the closer you are to the water/coast, the grayer and colder it will be. (And California beaches and beach water are coooooooold. I do not enjoy the beach in California compared to say, Hawaii.) So maybe the East Bay would work better for you.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:12 AM on July 19, 2015
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:12 AM on July 19, 2015
I’m a single female in my mid-thirties.
I’m not in a rush to be in a relationship but I’d like a place that’s not so insular and where there’s the opportunity to meet singles in their mid-30’s/early-40’s.
I was living in the SF Bay Area when going through a divorce. I had no problem finding male attention at that time. I moved away and suddenly couldn't find it anymore. So I will suggest that the counties of the San Francisco Bay Area are all good choices from that angle, as well as being near the coast plus you have access to things like Muir Woods.
When I lived there, Solano County was the cheap seats of the Bay Area and about 40% of people in Solano commuted to other counties for their work. The city of Fairfield (in Solano County) had a high degree of diversity, which I liked. I tend to be more comfortable in multicultural settings. There were a lot of families there, I think just because it was so much cheaper (especially for housing) than most of the Bay Area, never mind how shocked I was by the prices when we arrived.
posted by Michele in California at 12:56 PM on July 19, 2015
I’m not in a rush to be in a relationship but I’d like a place that’s not so insular and where there’s the opportunity to meet singles in their mid-30’s/early-40’s.
I was living in the SF Bay Area when going through a divorce. I had no problem finding male attention at that time. I moved away and suddenly couldn't find it anymore. So I will suggest that the counties of the San Francisco Bay Area are all good choices from that angle, as well as being near the coast plus you have access to things like Muir Woods.
When I lived there, Solano County was the cheap seats of the Bay Area and about 40% of people in Solano commuted to other counties for their work. The city of Fairfield (in Solano County) had a high degree of diversity, which I liked. I tend to be more comfortable in multicultural settings. There were a lot of families there, I think just because it was so much cheaper (especially for housing) than most of the Bay Area, never mind how shocked I was by the prices when we arrived.
posted by Michele in California at 12:56 PM on July 19, 2015
I disagree with jenfullmoon on cold water at Calif beaches. I think she has never swum in Lake Michigan. Early in the season that water is sooo cold. She is right however Hawaii is much warmer , it is of course tropical. Cold water more in Northern CA than Southern. Northern CA also has more cliffs along the coast and as noted more fog making beaches that are there often cold. LA and San Diego have amazing beaches. San Diego will give you better bike riding than LA and LA will give you closer access to amazing hiking. The Angeles Nat. Forest has hikes that meander up creeks at the base of the mountains and short to long uphill sometimes strenuous hiking to mountain peaks - and skiing in the winter.
Just about every place recommended is amazing. San Diego has the best weather and the best beaches. It is more liberal than it used to be. There is hiking there and everything else on your list. Many more sunny days than cloudy.
If you do look at LA take a good look at South Pasadena. Known as tree city it is reminiscent of a Midwest college town (without the college) There are good neighborhoods from just east of there through to Burbank. Surrounded on three sides with hiking, hospitals galore and a short commute to Cal State LA and USC. USC is just past downtown LA an 11 mile drive on the 110 or take the gold line and leave the car home. You can bike all around South Pas or take your bike to Griffith Park or LA River a few miles away. If I had to go back to LA sans millions of dollars, you know just an ordinary bloke, that's the only area I'd want to be back in. Oh LA will likely give you the most diversity people wise - Oakland, Richmond, Davis, Petaluma likely not.
Last thought, if your a typical American beach goer you want to confine your search to Santa Cruz south. From Santa Barbara south to the San Diego county line at Mexico are amazing beaches. from broad sand for miles to coves in Orange and San Diego county....
posted by Jim_Jam at 1:55 PM on July 19, 2015
Just about every place recommended is amazing. San Diego has the best weather and the best beaches. It is more liberal than it used to be. There is hiking there and everything else on your list. Many more sunny days than cloudy.
If you do look at LA take a good look at South Pasadena. Known as tree city it is reminiscent of a Midwest college town (without the college) There are good neighborhoods from just east of there through to Burbank. Surrounded on three sides with hiking, hospitals galore and a short commute to Cal State LA and USC. USC is just past downtown LA an 11 mile drive on the 110 or take the gold line and leave the car home. You can bike all around South Pas or take your bike to Griffith Park or LA River a few miles away. If I had to go back to LA sans millions of dollars, you know just an ordinary bloke, that's the only area I'd want to be back in. Oh LA will likely give you the most diversity people wise - Oakland, Richmond, Davis, Petaluma likely not.
Last thought, if your a typical American beach goer you want to confine your search to Santa Cruz south. From Santa Barbara south to the San Diego county line at Mexico are amazing beaches. from broad sand for miles to coves in Orange and San Diego county....
posted by Jim_Jam at 1:55 PM on July 19, 2015
Oakland fits all your criteria except perhaps affordability. It's extremely diverse, with significant black, Korean, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Latino, Lao, Yemeni, and Mongolian populations. There are over 40 languages spoken by students in Oakland schools.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:10 PM on July 19, 2015
posted by oneirodynia at 5:10 PM on July 19, 2015
I suggest also looking into San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. They're by the ocean in Southern California and wonderful. They're smaller and less well known than many of the SoCal cities being suggested here, which I think might make them worth consideration.
posted by meese at 6:11 PM on July 19, 2015
posted by meese at 6:11 PM on July 19, 2015
San Luis Obispo is like Santa Barbara, Jr. It meets every requirement. Oprah called it the happiest place on earth!
posted by guinea_pig_club at 6:26 PM on July 19, 2015
posted by guinea_pig_club at 6:26 PM on July 19, 2015
My younger brother lives on Ocean Beach, a beach community (duh) of San Diego.
One thing that I have found truly surprising, in my visits there over the years, is that every day, all throughout that town, there are health-food commercials being filmed! It's the only logical explanation which I can find as to why every person to be seen is incredibly healthy-looking, and riding really nice bicycles or driving toward or from the beach with a calm, happy expression, a surfboard on top of their car, or maybe carrying a yoga mat as they stroll through their happy, joyous lives, drinking a healthy, tasteful smoothie made by PhD nutritionists who have opened yet another new healthy, festive place to feed your vibrant Southern California body...
It does cost a billion, trillion, million dollars to live there though, and due to that and a number of other issues I have with it, I would not want to live there, and I don't. But there are sure some beautiful human beings in that town. It's something.
posted by dancestoblue at 7:39 PM on July 19, 2015
One thing that I have found truly surprising, in my visits there over the years, is that every day, all throughout that town, there are health-food commercials being filmed! It's the only logical explanation which I can find as to why every person to be seen is incredibly healthy-looking, and riding really nice bicycles or driving toward or from the beach with a calm, happy expression, a surfboard on top of their car, or maybe carrying a yoga mat as they stroll through their happy, joyous lives, drinking a healthy, tasteful smoothie made by PhD nutritionists who have opened yet another new healthy, festive place to feed your vibrant Southern California body...
It does cost a billion, trillion, million dollars to live there though, and due to that and a number of other issues I have with it, I would not want to live there, and I don't. But there are sure some beautiful human beings in that town. It's something.
posted by dancestoblue at 7:39 PM on July 19, 2015
As a native Sacramentan who has swum in Lake Superior, I have to agree with jenfullmoon about California beaches... but she and I may be talking about NorCal beaches specifically.
So when you say you want to be near an ocean, what do you want to get out of it? Just to be close to it and smell the salt air and hear the crashing waves, etc? Or do you actually want to get in the damn thing and swim? Because swimming in the Pacific off most of the California coast can be a bit iffy due to the undertow and strong rip currents. Northern California's coastline is more cliffs than beaches, the water is always cold, and the weather is often foggy... or rainy... or cold. It's still completely gorgeous, but if you're looking to go for a swim, it's not what you want. Stay south of Point Conception for more consistently nice weather and swimming. Also note that swimming at Lake Tahoe is nice! Cold, since it's snow melt and all, but no rip current and no sharks. And the water is gloriously clear.
Anyway, I agree that Davis is a good choice, but it IS a smallish college town and I think you'll find that the dating scene skews a lot younger because of it. If you'd like to be closer to greenery, snow, and Lake Tahoe, and don't mind being a little bit further from the ocean, look at Sacramento. It's about 20 minutes east of Davis and it's a medium-sized city with lots of outdoorsy pursuits.
Again, you'll be more like 90 minutes to the ocean, but Sacramento has plenty of its own greenery for hiking and biking (and lots of trees everywhere). And we've got an lovely bike path that follows the length of the American River. Then you're about 45 minutes from the Sierras, which provide all the hiking you could possibly want, and if you drive another 30-45 minutes you'll find Tahoe, and also snow in the winter (uh... if the drought ever ends) for skiing and other wintery activities.
Definitely more sunny days than grey. It does get unpleasantly hot here in the summer, I won't lie. But usually summer days tend to hover around 90... there are definitely days over 100, sometimes that hot streak will last for a week or so, but there's no humidity and most of the time it cools off at night. For example, today is supposed to have a high of 100... but when the sun goes down the temperature starts to drop and when I go to work tomorrow morning it'll be 60 degrees. And our winters are pretty mild.
Lots of doctors and high quality medical care options (probably not as much as LA or the Bay Area, but there are also less people so it might be easier to see a specialist?)
Sacramento has an airport with a decent number of flights, and it's also not too far from Oakland and San Francisco's airports.
Sacramento has a California State University campus--Sac State, and there's always UC Davis to the west.
Cost of living is cheaper than the Bay Area and LA. And Davis, to be honest.
Davis leans more left than Sacramento, but Sacramento is moving more and more left as time goes on. Conservative types tend to cluster in the suburbs to the east.
Sacramento has often been proclaimed the most diverse and/or most integrated city in the US. The 2010 census reported the racial makeup of Sacramento was: 45.0% White, 16.6% African American, 17.8% Asian (4.2% Chinese, 3.3% Hmong, 2.8% Filipino, 1.6% Indian, 1.4% Vietnamese, 1.2% Laotian, 1.2% Japanese, 0.3% Pakistani, 0.3% Korean, 0.3% Thai, 0.2% Cambodian), 1.4% Pacific Islander (0.6% Fijian, 0.2% Tongan, 0.2% Samoan), 1.1% Native American, 12.3% other races, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race was 26.9%; 22.6% of Sacramento's population is of Mexican heritage, 0.7% Puerto Rican, 0.5% Salvadoran, 0.2% Guatemalan, and 0.2% Nicaraguan.
Non-Hispanic Whites were 34.5% of the population in 2010, down from 71.4% in 1970.
The age distribution of the city was follows: 24.9% were under the age of 18, 11.2% aged 18 to 24, 29.8% aged 25 to 44, 23.5% aged 45 to 64, and 49, 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
Of the 174,624 household, 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 37.5% were heterosexual married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 7.6% were unmarried heterosexual partnerships, 1.4% homosexual married couples or partnerships, 30.5% households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Sacramento has one of the highest LGBT populations per capita, ranking seventh among major American cities, and third in California behind San Francisco and slightly behind Oakland, with roughly 10% of the city's total population identifying themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
And finally, medical cannabis is way cheaper here than LA or even the Bay Area.
posted by elsietheeel at 11:15 AM on July 20, 2015
So when you say you want to be near an ocean, what do you want to get out of it? Just to be close to it and smell the salt air and hear the crashing waves, etc? Or do you actually want to get in the damn thing and swim? Because swimming in the Pacific off most of the California coast can be a bit iffy due to the undertow and strong rip currents. Northern California's coastline is more cliffs than beaches, the water is always cold, and the weather is often foggy... or rainy... or cold. It's still completely gorgeous, but if you're looking to go for a swim, it's not what you want. Stay south of Point Conception for more consistently nice weather and swimming. Also note that swimming at Lake Tahoe is nice! Cold, since it's snow melt and all, but no rip current and no sharks. And the water is gloriously clear.
Anyway, I agree that Davis is a good choice, but it IS a smallish college town and I think you'll find that the dating scene skews a lot younger because of it. If you'd like to be closer to greenery, snow, and Lake Tahoe, and don't mind being a little bit further from the ocean, look at Sacramento. It's about 20 minutes east of Davis and it's a medium-sized city with lots of outdoorsy pursuits.
Again, you'll be more like 90 minutes to the ocean, but Sacramento has plenty of its own greenery for hiking and biking (and lots of trees everywhere). And we've got an lovely bike path that follows the length of the American River. Then you're about 45 minutes from the Sierras, which provide all the hiking you could possibly want, and if you drive another 30-45 minutes you'll find Tahoe, and also snow in the winter (uh... if the drought ever ends) for skiing and other wintery activities.
Definitely more sunny days than grey. It does get unpleasantly hot here in the summer, I won't lie. But usually summer days tend to hover around 90... there are definitely days over 100, sometimes that hot streak will last for a week or so, but there's no humidity and most of the time it cools off at night. For example, today is supposed to have a high of 100... but when the sun goes down the temperature starts to drop and when I go to work tomorrow morning it'll be 60 degrees. And our winters are pretty mild.
Lots of doctors and high quality medical care options (probably not as much as LA or the Bay Area, but there are also less people so it might be easier to see a specialist?)
Sacramento has an airport with a decent number of flights, and it's also not too far from Oakland and San Francisco's airports.
Sacramento has a California State University campus--Sac State, and there's always UC Davis to the west.
Cost of living is cheaper than the Bay Area and LA. And Davis, to be honest.
Davis leans more left than Sacramento, but Sacramento is moving more and more left as time goes on. Conservative types tend to cluster in the suburbs to the east.
Sacramento has often been proclaimed the most diverse and/or most integrated city in the US. The 2010 census reported the racial makeup of Sacramento was: 45.0% White, 16.6% African American, 17.8% Asian (4.2% Chinese, 3.3% Hmong, 2.8% Filipino, 1.6% Indian, 1.4% Vietnamese, 1.2% Laotian, 1.2% Japanese, 0.3% Pakistani, 0.3% Korean, 0.3% Thai, 0.2% Cambodian), 1.4% Pacific Islander (0.6% Fijian, 0.2% Tongan, 0.2% Samoan), 1.1% Native American, 12.3% other races, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race was 26.9%; 22.6% of Sacramento's population is of Mexican heritage, 0.7% Puerto Rican, 0.5% Salvadoran, 0.2% Guatemalan, and 0.2% Nicaraguan.
Non-Hispanic Whites were 34.5% of the population in 2010, down from 71.4% in 1970.
The age distribution of the city was follows: 24.9% were under the age of 18, 11.2% aged 18 to 24, 29.8% aged 25 to 44, 23.5% aged 45 to 64, and 49, 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
Of the 174,624 household, 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 37.5% were heterosexual married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 7.6% were unmarried heterosexual partnerships, 1.4% homosexual married couples or partnerships, 30.5% households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Sacramento has one of the highest LGBT populations per capita, ranking seventh among major American cities, and third in California behind San Francisco and slightly behind Oakland, with roughly 10% of the city's total population identifying themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
And finally, medical cannabis is way cheaper here than LA or even the Bay Area.
posted by elsietheeel at 11:15 AM on July 20, 2015
I was also going to suggest San Luis Obsipo. It always seemed pretty idyllic to me - away from the costal money insanity of the Bay Area and Southern California, but still enough of a population center to have basic services. Cal Poly is there, and you can go out to the beach at Morro Bay in about an hour.
posted by annie o at 9:45 PM on July 22, 2015
posted by annie o at 9:45 PM on July 22, 2015
San Luis Obispo and a lot of other central coast towns are likely going to fall short on diversity metrics, though.
posted by jaguar at 10:23 PM on July 22, 2015
posted by jaguar at 10:23 PM on July 22, 2015
An hour? Maybe if you were riding a bike. Morro Bay and Pismo/Avila Beach are both about 15 minutes from the center of SLO. And while it IS a truly gorgeous place to live, I can't imagine that it's very affordable on a school psychologist's salary. Also yeah, not much in the way of diversity and probably not as many job opportunities as in a larger city. And it's a college town, so social and dating scenes are going to skew younger.
Randomly, my cousin's wife is a school psychologist in SLO... but his parents are well-off and I don't think money is much of an issue for them.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:34 AM on July 26, 2015
Randomly, my cousin's wife is a school psychologist in SLO... but his parents are well-off and I don't think money is much of an issue for them.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:34 AM on July 26, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by latkes at 10:16 PM on July 18, 2015 [1 favorite]