impressions of the different parts of SLO County? (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria: real estate, houses)

[NW4me]

I already started a thread asking about Paso Robles / Atascadero as a retirement destination...
now I'm widening it to the whole county. Housing in SLO itself appears to be quite expensive,
but there's Arroyo Grande... do any CDers live there? The northern and southern halves of the county
seem to be quite different climate-wise... are they different in other ways too?

[NORTY FLATZ]

Here's an option....


https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...5451282_zpid/?

[Ruth4Truth]

[gemstone1]

Traffic....the southern portion is plagued with an outdated highway 101 unsuited to the large influx of newcomers. Closer to the coast means more fog...which could be a good thing.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

Traffic....the southern portion is plagued with an outdated highway 101 unsuited to the large influx of newcomers. Closer to the coast means more fog...which could be a good thing.

It looks so dry around there, like a desert environment. Very different from the Monterey Bay part of the Central Coast.That's unexpected.

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

Traffic....the southern portion is plagued with an outdated highway 101 unsuited to the large influx of newcomers.
Closer to the coast means more fog...which could be a good thing.

Fog is a good thing in my book.

[AustinTraveler]

Arroyo Grande is going to be much more expensive than the northern part of the county. If you find something cheap, it's probably actually in Grover Beach, which isn't a very nice place and definitely not "beachy". If you like fog, you'll love living on the coast. We see a lot of fog where we live, which is in Atascadero but outside of town heading toward Morro Bay.

And yes, the only traffic issues in SLO County are in the Pismo/AG area on the 101.

[NW4me]

Thanks, Austin Traveler!

And why is real estate pricier in the south county than the north?

[jlvs2run]

Originally Posted by NW4me

why is real estate pricier in the south county than the north?

The beach towns are surrounded by inland mountains, so there's no reasonable room for expansion.

Houses are generally less expensive across the county line into Santa Maria, which is in northern Santa Barbara county.

[AustinTraveler]

Originally Posted by NW4me

Thanks, Austin Traveler!

And why is real estate pricier in the south county than the north?

Beaches will always be more expensive. And weather is a factor for many. Yes, it does get hot inland but never for long periods of time. Plus, if you live at a higher elevation, you'll have more moderate temperatures. People like the beach temperatures. Me, not so much. I don't find the usual 60 degree temperatures at the beach to be very beachy!

The northern part of the county is changing rapidly with the popularity of the Paso Robles wine region. Prices have skyrocketed so if you're planning on moving here, I'd do it sooner than later.