Are there still places out there where you can still see old California? (San Diego: low crime, buying)

[mike1003]

Old movies and TV shows?

[AnythingOutdoors]

Does not exist. All the little surf towns have become extremely expensive, increasingly bought up by wealthy people as vacation/second homes.

Instead of roller skates, young people are more likely to be on e-scooters.

The Beach Boys were already considered oldies by the late 70s, not popular these days other than as a historic curiosity, and perhaps a cult following among some Boomers reminiscing about their glory days.

Santa Cruz (mentioned up-thread) has a very thin veneer of what you're looking for -- vestiges of a bygone era that never fully existed outside nostalgic memories. While Santa Cruz has a long history with surfing, prior to the UC (1965) the city was small and blue-collar. The Santa Cruz of the 1980s comes closest to what you describe: Throwback 50s dinners, Beach Boys concerts at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, vibrant surf town yet still affordable for the average person. Those were the days when poor 20-somethings could afford cheap surf shacks working minimum wage jobs with plenty of free time for surfing. A surf town, yes, but in reality the city was an eclectic mix of surfers, skaters, intellectuals, artists, hippies, and blue collar workers. However, at this time Santa Cruz was also dubbed the "Murder Capital of the World." The city was also dealing with problems associated with homelessness downtown and encampments in Sycamore Grove (c. 1985?). Regardless, what did exist as a quintessential mid-twentieth century surf town largely vanished in the 1990s with Dot-com tech workers buying up property. Homelessness continues as a major issue in Santa Cruz, including along/near beaches. High rates of property crime also continue as a long-standing issue for the city.

[CCS414]

Santa Cruz.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CCS414

Santa Cruz.

2nd vote for Santa Cruz. But you'll have to use your imagination to provide the Beach Boys music, OP.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by apple92680

La Jolla, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Encinitas, Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Carlsbad, Leucadia.

No 100% guarantee on the homeless thing, though. They're everywhere -- and I mean EVERYWHERE! -- unfortunately...



Cruising isn't really a thing these days and nobody has listened to that music in decades. Maybe if they have a "1950s" themed fundraiser at the local Elks Lodge or Moose Lodge or the Kiwanis Club?

You might hear Kenny Loggins in an elevator at the Westin in Costa Mesa? Doubt it though.



Roller skates??????? Seriously? No.

Besides the homeless issue, San Diego covers all the bases. S Bay for cruising, though you will probably hear more snoop than anything. Roller Derby is a thing and you'll see plenty of old school skates at the beach. Corvette Diner for dinner or American Legion. Santa Barbara or Orange County too.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by mike1003

Old movies and TV shows?

Or stare longingly at the back of an In n Out burger tshirt.

[tikkasf]

I would also cast a vote for Santa Cruz. I am not familiar with southern CA and I have really no idea if there may be better choices in that area.

[humboldtrat]

cayucos

Cayucos, CA | Beach, Surf, Fun and Sun | Voted Coolest Town in America

[NORTY FLATZ]

For "Olde" California, you might visit any of the Missions. They seem to revel in "oldness."

[CCS414]

Originally Posted by tikkasf

I would also cast a vote for Santa Cruz. I am not familiar with southern CA and I have really no idea if there may be better choices in that area.

Just took my kids to ride the rides and play the games last month (parking was $25.00). I wanted to create memories for them since we will only be living in CA for about a year. Such a neat little town and for me it brought back memories of The Lost Boys (my second favorite vampire movie of all time) and other movies that were filmed there.