Best places to live in Cali during the summer

robbinJAHood

robbinJAHood

Active member
my friend and I have been talking about moving to California for the summer next year. it would be from around April-August. I just wanted to know if any of you have ever visited CA or lived there and what it was like. I'm an east coaster who lives in Ocean City MD every summer but I'm ready for a change. please help us out with some feedback/places we need to see!!! :)
 
there is a big difference between northern and southern california. can you be more specific to what you are looking for? some places to see would be redwoods, yosemite, big sur, j tree if you are any type of outdoorsy.
 
Safe to assume you're coming for the ocean? Then I'm guessing you're looking for southern California if youre thinking about surfing. The bay area has great spots as well from what I gather but it's not exactly affordable. The central coast has some amazing spots like Santa Barbara, but it's a bit of a distance north or south to get to LA or SF... although it's a huge college/party town, so maybe that's what you're after.

If you're looking for socal and you don't want to go broke, Ocean Beach in San Diego is a fun/young area. Huntington Beach in Orange County and then if I wanted to be by the ocean in LA and not poor, I'd go for Redondo Beach. Venice would put you in a bit more lively area with more to do and closer to LA/Hollywood but the cost goes up substantially to be anywhere near the beach. Santa Monica is a bit nicer than Venice, but again, expensive to actually be near the beach.

Expect to pay around $700 for a bedroom in SD, $800 in OC or Redondo/Hermosa, and around $1000 - $1200 for Venice/Santa Monica (this is if you want to live walking distance to things to do and the beach.

If next summer in LA is particularly enticing, the Expo (metro) line is going to be complete by then and will run from downtown LA to Downtown Santa Monica. Culver City (expo line runs through) is more affordable, as is anything near the UCLA campus that will also be served by the Expo line by then. USC is served by the expo line already, but you don't want to live by USC.

But if you're just looking for beach and a party, Santa Barbara is a great place for that.
 
13481900:Calb3rt said:
there is a big difference between northern and southern california. can you be more specific to what you are looking for? some places to see would be redwoods, yosemite, big sur, j tree if you are any type of outdoorsy.
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thanks, I am outdoorsy

13481957:Rachy said:
Safe to assume you're coming for the ocean? Then I'm guessing you're looking for southern California if youre thinking about surfing. The bay area has great spots as well from what I gather but it's not exactly affordable. The central coast has some amazing spots like Santa Barbara, but it's a bit of a distance north or south to get to LA or SF... although it's a huge college/party town, so maybe that's what you're after.

If you're looking for socal and you don't want to go broke, Ocean Beach in San Diego is a fun/young area. Huntington Beach in Orange County and then if I wanted to be by the ocean in LA and not poor, I'd go for Redondo Beach. Venice would put you in a bit more lively area with more to do and closer to LA/Hollywood but the cost goes up substantially to be anywhere near the beach. Santa Monica is a bit nicer than Venice, but again, expensive to actually be near the beach.

Expect to pay around $700 for a bedroom in SD, $800 in OC or Redondo/Hermosa, and around $1000 - $1200 for Venice/Santa Monica (this is if you want to live walking distance to things to do and the beach.

If next summer in LA is particularly enticing, the Expo (metro) line is going to be complete by then and will run from downtown LA to Downtown Santa Monica. Culver City (expo line runs through) is more affordable, as is anything near the UCLA campus that will also be served by the Expo line by then. USC is served by the expo line already, but you don't want to live by USC.

But if you're just looking for beach and a party, Santa Barbara is a great place for that.
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this was exactly what I was looking for!! thanks a ton :)
 
13481992:Peter. said:
do you mean for just a bedroom, or a 1 bedroom apartment?
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I would assume a literal bedroom for sure. You can't get a 1BR apt for that low in a desirable spot in CA...
 
13481992:Peter. said:
do you mean for just a bedroom, or a 1 bedroom apartment?
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for a bedroom in likely at least a 3 bedroom apartment or house. It would likely need to be a house if they want to be in LA. In OC or SD they may be able to find a month to month. Same for SB.

I'm trying to find a room in an acceptable neighborhood just for September and my budget is $900. The search isn't going that well.
 
if you end up looking for a place in san diego, ocean beach or pacific beach are pretty neat areas. make sure you stop by the little lion cafe, they are good friends and great people.
 
13482018:Rachy said:
for a bedroom in likely at least a 3 bedroom apartment or house. It would likely need to be a house if they want to be in LA. In OC or SD they may be able to find a month to month. Same for SB.

I'm trying to find a room in an acceptable neighborhood just for September and my budget is $900. The search isn't going that well.
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alright, i figured. guess that's the price you pay to be close to the beach
 
13482080:californiagrown said:
lol, thats not even close to the beach.
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i'm talking within a 15 minute drive from the beach, as opposed to living in say upstate NY where you are no where near the beach

hell i'd take an hour drive from a beach any day
 
Can I come with you? I'm fine with sleeping on the floor and buying booze and food.
 
13482244:californiagrown said:
by the way, dont call it "cali". Its SoCal, NorCal, california, the bay area, the valley etc, etc.

Only out of staters call it Cali.
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Lol such a californian thing to be concerned with..
 
Malibu would be a good place, but expensive. If you want to switch it up from Ocean City or wherever u said, live in Glendora and start longboarding
 
13482274:CoreyTrevor said:
Malibu would be a good place, but expensive. If you want to switch it up from Ocean City or wherever u said, live in Glendora and start longboarding
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I longboard everywhere in ocean city
 
No one gives a shit what you call it, if they do, they aren't worth your time.

i didn't even think of Santa Cruz, beautiful place, but more relaxed, more hippies, homelessness and weed and I imagine not that cheep with its proximity to SF. The one thing I can say is expect to feel like a tourist there. I've only been there once but I have friends from there an know a few who went to Uni there. They like their own and it can be a bit hostile towards people encroaching on their territory. But there are always the friendly folk anywhere you go, you just may need to seek them out.
 
Check out Isla Vista near the UC Santa Barbra Campus. Lots of kids go back home for the summer and are looking for people to sublet their rooms to. As close to the beach as you want and plenty of fun for all,
 
13482115:Peter. said:
i'm talking within a 15 minute drive from the beach, as opposed to living in say upstate NY where you are no where near the beach

hell i'd take an hour drive from a beach any day
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Still 1000 a month is way too much for just a room. Just by a house at that point and pay for a mortgage like god damn. California is good, but its expensive and good paying jobs aren't that easy to come by.

I can pay 1,600 a month and have a 3,000 square foot house not in California 5 minutes from a beach. Lake or ocean.

I would much rather live somewhere affordable and ball out on occasion than stressing about rent every time a paycheck comes through. Don't let people rob you for rent.
 
topic:robbinJAHood said:
my friend and I have been talking about moving to California for the summer next year. it would be from around April-August. I just wanted to know if any of you have ever visited CA or lived there and what it was like. I'm an east coaster who lives in Ocean City MD every summer but I'm ready for a change. please help us out with some feedback/places we need to see!!! :)
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buy a van, live out of it and see all of california.
 
13482695:ComptonKush said:
Still 1000 a month is way too much for just a room. Just by a house at that point and pay for a mortgage like god damn. California is good, but its expensive and good paying jobs aren't that easy to come by.

I can pay 1,600 a month and have a 3,000 square foot house not in California 5 minutes from a beach. Lake or ocean.

I would much rather live somewhere affordable and ball out on occasion than stressing about rent every time a paycheck comes through. Don't let people rob you for rent.
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or you could get a decent job and live where ever you want
 
13482818:Peter. said:
or you could get a decent job and live where ever you want
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My point is there are awesome places to live other than California that are much cheaper. Saving money should be a goal so you can double up on that money by investing the money you save not living in a too expensive of a spot and exponentially grow your wealth. Thats my goal at least. I like to save as much money as I can on my investments while getting big returns.

Especially if you are young, saving money up for investments should be priority.
 
13482834:ComptonKush said:
My point is there are awesome places to live other than California that are much cheaper. Saving money should be a goal so you can double up on that money by investing the money you save not living in a too expensive of a spot and exponentially grow your wealth. Thats my goal at least. I like to save as much money as I can on my investments while getting big returns.

Especially if you are young, saving money up for investments should be priority.
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Priorities. I love the cultural and geographic diversity of California. I love that I can be in some of the biggest mountains in the country and then at the beach with wine in hand.

I love other places, but not the way I love the Sierras or Los Angeles. there are great places internationally, but they won't let me live there for more than a few months. Second choice would be Washington...
 
13482893:Rachy said:
Priorities. I love the cultural and geographic diversity of California. I love that I can be in some of the biggest mountains in the country and then at the beach with wine in hand.

I love other places, but not the way I love the Sierras or Los Angeles. there are great places internationally, but they won't let me live there for more than a few months. Second choice would be Washington...
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I like the Santa cruz area and California in general, but the mountains there have been lacking lately and they have a gnarly drought and its expensive. Right now I wouldn't live there unless I went to school or something in the state. But the snow situation needs to shape up.

I'll end up in California with in the next couple months though. Hopefully I can find some empty pools to skate in because of this drought.
 
13482941:ComptonKush said:
I like the Santa cruz area and California in general, but the mountains there have been lacking lately and they have a gnarly drought and its expensive. Right now I wouldn't live there unless I went to school or something in the state. But the snow situation needs to shape up.

I'll end up in California with in the next couple months though. Hopefully I can find some empty pools to skate in because of this drought.
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I would really like Lake Tahoe to get some snow this year.
 
13482244:californiagrown said:
by the way, dont call it "cali". Its SoCal, NorCal, california, the bay area, the valley etc, etc.

Only out of staters call it Cali.
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only people not from socal call it socal, it's southern california
 
13482994:gapersarefriends said:
try newport, huntington, san clemente, oceanside, encinitas. all great beach towns
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if i read correct with a $900 budget she aint living shit in those places, cali is expensive as fuck, and over crowded, rents pricey, good works hard to find, Traffic........
 
13483001:LOLZfajitas said:
if i read correct with a $900 budget she aint living shit in those places, cali is expensive as fuck, and over crowded, rents pricey, good works hard to find, Traffic........
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depending on where you are and how patient you are, traffic isn't bad. all my friends have decent jobs, as long as you like restaurants.
 
13482994:gapersarefriends said:
try newport, huntington, san clemente, oceanside, encinitas. all great beach towns
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I'll check them all out thank you!!

13483001:LOLZfajitas said:
if i read correct with a $900 budget she aint living shit in those places, cali is expensive as fuck, and over crowded, rents pricey, good works hard to find, Traffic........
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I never said my budget? I think that was Rach
 
Have you thought about Sacramento, Bakersfield, Fresno, or Redding? I hear those are wonderful in the summertime!

But if you want something more mellow, check out the central coast- pismo, cayucas, morro bay etc. Close to LA close to big surprise, kinda close to Yosemite, but without the shitshow of LA.
 
13483152:californiagrown said:
Have you thought about Sacramento, Bakersfield, Fresno, or Redding? I hear those are wonderful in the summertime!

But if you want something more mellow, check out the central coast- pismo, cayucas, morro bay etc. Close to LA close to big surprise, kinda close to Yosemite, but without the shitshow of LA.
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will definitely look into them! thank you :)
 
13483241:robbinJAHood said:
will definitely look into them! thank you :)
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all 4 of those places mentioned on top are pretty much the worst places FYI. Hottest driest etc.

Summer in Tahoe is the only thing worthwhile in Northern Ca if you need to be in one place. goodluck.
 
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