Moving to SoCal not sure where to go (Long Beach, Santa Cruz: best city, apartment)

[Evk426]

My bf and I have decided to move from Ky to SoCal when our lease is up in a few months and I'm trying to figure out the best city for us to live in. We are in our 20s, my bf is a glass blower and can work pretty much anywhere, and we have two cats.

What I am really looking for is perfect weather year round 65-80 degrees. A beach that is, at most, a 20/30 minute drive away. A hip downtown area that we can walk around(farmers market, cool shops, headshops, etc), vegan/vegetarian places and preferably live in or close to downtown. Think artsy. I like SLO but I am worried that it is just a town full of college party kids and older people and also because it seems near impossible to find a place to live that allows cats esp. in SLO and not just somewhere around it.

We are looking to spend at most 1200 a month.

I would like some ideas and views from people that have been to, have lived, or currently live in SoCal.

[jaijai]

SLO really isn't SoCal.
It's on the central coast.
You might like Santa Cruz county although it's not SoCal either.
It's farther north ... basically the most northern part of the central coast.
Are you interested in southern California solely because you want "perfect weather"?
Also, you may need to increase your rental budget if you want to live near to the coast.
$1200 won't get you much in most coastal areas of CA.

[SmoothBBQ]

My vote for you would be Long Beach. $1200 will definitely be a stretch though. Maybe if you're lucky you can find an apartment near downtown for that but not sure. Downtown Long Beach has everything you're looking for. You can also live near by Belmont Shores/Heights, Bluff Heights. Those are very desirable areas.