Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-01-2011, 02:59 PM
 
95 posts, read 384,772 times
Reputation: 77

Advertisements

Due to feedback I got from other posters I was recommended to not attend Fullerton and to go to Long Beach. I did apply there and SDSU.

I was just wondering what the pros and/or cons were for a single white male in his early 30s living in each city. I spent a summer in San Diego in 2008, it was nice, loved going to PB on Tuesday nights, liked meeting other transplants. I have never lived in Long Beach though and really do not know too much about it.

What city offers a better atmosphere for a single male with no children? What school is better? What city would offer better employment oportunities in 3-6 years? Hope my post was not too long but every bit of feedback will help make my decision when the time comes. Thanks in advance!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-01-2011, 04:00 PM
 
Location: RSM
5,113 posts, read 19,763,289 times
Reputation: 1927
Both have somewhat similar vibes in their urban areas, both are well rated CSUs, both have areas that work for people your age, but LB probably has better job opportunities long term because it's part of the greater LA area, very close to the South Bay, and not a horrible drive to job center areas like Irvine and such in OC
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-01-2011, 04:33 PM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,416 posts, read 8,277,565 times
Reputation: 6595
San Diego is far more liveable than LBC, although both schools are pretty decent depending on what you want to study. LBC social life sucks compared to anything in SD, you will be driving to LA all the time to meet people.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-01-2011, 08:09 PM
 
Location: RSM
5,113 posts, read 19,763,289 times
Reputation: 1927
Quote:
Originally Posted by 04kL4nD View Post
San Diego is far more liveable than LBC, although both schools are pretty decent depending on what you want to study. LBC social life sucks compared to anything in SD, you will be driving to LA all the time to meet people.
Can you explain this? LB is one of the largest cities in the state and has nightlife locally and closeby. There is no shortage of people to meet nor things to do. I know this because I have lived here my whole life. How about you?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-02-2011, 01:24 AM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,416 posts, read 8,277,565 times
Reputation: 6595
I used to live in San Diego and I know Long Beach fairly well. In fact, I dated somebody who lived there for a while. Whenever I would head up there to visit, we would always end up going to Hollywood or somewhere in LA because the nightlife sucked big time locally. San Diego is a much nicer place to live with a lot more going on. Maybe because you've lived there your entire life you think it's great, but compared to other places in SoCal, Long Beach isn't very exciting.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2011, 11:09 AM
 
95 posts, read 384,772 times
Reputation: 77
Well i'm glad both places offer a variety of things to do. It now depends on what school accepts me as I have applied to both. I would be coming from New England and would not really know anyone.

From what I understand the crime rate in Long Beach is higher than San Diego, yet the population is also higher so that might be why. How is the cost of rent in Long Beach vs San Diego?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2011, 11:53 AM
 
Location: Vancouver, WA
8,214 posts, read 16,697,627 times
Reputation: 9463
Long Beach is one of the largest cities within LA County if not the largest. In some ways it is like a mini-LA with ghetto project neighborhoods to more upscale areas. Then there are a lot of middle class type neighborhoods with nice older homes, etc... So before you can really look at rents you have to figure out what part(s) you would want to live in. I think there was a thread a while back describing all the Long Beach neighborhoods.

San Diego County also covers a huge area with quite a lot of variety. You might look for something similar in the San Diego sub forum describing all the various neighborhoods.

Keep in mind as anywhere prices are a direct reflection of the perceived quality of an area. So the nicer parts of LB and SD will be quite a bit more expensive than the others. Right on the water is usually the most expensive (e.g. La Jolla, Belmont Shore). And you have to figure out which areas are less desirable and to be avoided.

Derek
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-04-2011, 09:05 AM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,416 posts, read 8,277,565 times
Reputation: 6595
Quote:
From what I understand the crime rate in Long Beach is higher than San Diego, yet the population is also higher so that might be why. How is the cost of rent in Long Beach vs San Diego?
San Diego's population is about 1.3 million, Long Beach is around 450,000. San Diego is much bigger and more spread out, so rent really varies. Overall, crime is significantly worse in Long Beach than San Diego, but it really depends on what neighborhood you're living in.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2011, 04:09 PM
 
95 posts, read 384,772 times
Reputation: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by MtnSurfer View Post
Long Beach is one of the largest cities within LA County if not the largest. In some ways it is like a mini-LA with ghetto project neighborhoods to more upscale areas. Then there are a lot of middle class type neighborhoods with nice older homes, etc... So before you can really look at rents you have to figure out what part(s) you would want to live in. I think there was a thread a while back describing all the Long Beach neighborhoods.

San Diego County also covers a huge area with quite a lot of variety. You might look for something similar in the San Diego sub forum describing all the various neighborhoods.

Keep in mind as anywhere prices are a direct reflection of the perceived quality of an area. So the nicer parts of LB and SD will be quite a bit more expensive than the others. Right on the water is usually the most expensive (e.g. La Jolla, Belmont Shore). And you have to figure out which areas are less desirable and to be avoided.

Derek
Well I plan on taking a trip there in a few months and hopefully I can get a better idea of Long Beach areas , and also visit San Diego again. You are basically saying anything that is in the more affordable end is in a not so great neighborhood, while anything in the more upper class areas are expensive.


As far as San Diego I would probably want to live closer to the college if possible, or somewhere that has a good amount social activity going on. I won't really know anyone when I move there.

As far as Long Beach I have not been there yet so I cannot comment on that.


Quote:
Originally Posted by 04kL4nD View Post
San Diego's population is about 1.3 million, Long Beach is around 450,000. San Diego is much bigger and more spread out, so rent really varies. Overall, crime is significantly worse in Long Beach than San Diego, but it really depends on what neighborhood you're living in.
I did not know San Diego has a bigger population than Long Beach, I guess it is because I associate Long Beach with Los Angeles but they are different areas. Wonder why the crime rate is higher in Long Beach vs San Diego?

Information online for the cost of living between the two places shows me that Long Beach is 2% more higher than San Diego, mainly the price of food being the cause, not sure how accurate that is though.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2011, 07:24 PM
 
Location: Vancouver, WA
8,214 posts, read 16,697,627 times
Reputation: 9463
Quote:
Originally Posted by avalon2k41 View Post
Well I plan on taking a trip there in a few months and hopefully I can get a better idea of Long Beach areas , and also visit San Diego again. You are basically saying anything that is in the more affordable end is in a not so great neighborhood, while anything in the more upper class areas are expensive.

...

I did not know San Diego has a bigger population than Long Beach, I guess it is because I associate Long Beach with Los Angeles but they are different areas. Wonder why the crime rate is higher in Long Beach vs San Diego?

Information online for the cost of living between the two places shows me that Long Beach is 2% more higher than San Diego, mainly the price of food being the cause, not sure how accurate that is though.
The difference in statistics you are seeing online are negligible and not indicative of crime or cost of living. The reason is you are looking at an overall rate for the whole city. This does not take into account the real places you would want to live in comparing them. All it means is for that population size LB has a bit more crime overall. But crime doesn't happen evenly across a city like this in reality. It is concentrated in pockets. And SD is spread over a larger area/population.

A 2% difference in food is trivial compared to your largest expense which is housing.

BTW, I'm not saying only the wealthy areas in LB are nice to live in. There are decent middle class neighborhoods near CSULB where many students opt to live. Personally I prefer the beach more. But its also more expensive.

Actually if I was going to CSULB I would choose to live in Torrance or Seal Beach. No one is saying you have to live in LB just because that's where you go to school, unless you plan to walk/bike. Have you looked at the surrounding cities at all? I know a lot CSULB alumni and many did not live there while attending.

Derek
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top