Where in California is best for us? Read below! (San Diego: crime, home)

[StuckInNewZealand]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

Personally, I'd avoid Eastlake (the commute is to long to work areas and I find it too close to the border)

Hi, just wondering whats wrong with living close to the border? Need to hear your opinions because we have no idea as we don't live in the US..

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by StuckInNewZealand

Seriously? Snow in California, thats cool!

Although winters in Sacramento are cool/chilly, snow is very rare.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by StuckInNewZealand

21?! Woah. But cool thanks, thats all good to know!

Yes, the legal drinking age throughout the U.S. is 21.

[TVC15]

National Minimum Drinking Age Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was able to legally drink when I was 18 and right after I turned 21 the law changed which upped the age to legally drink to 21.

[DCMann2]

Originally Posted by StuckInNewZealand

Hi, just wondering whats wrong with living close to the border? Need to hear your opinions because we have no idea as we don't live in the US..

Being close to the border sometimes means that crime can spill over onto the US side from Mexico, and it also means there will be a larger Hispanic population in the area. Personally though I don't think either of these are significant problems and with your high price range I don't think it'd be much of a problem for you either.

If it IS a problem for you though, you could consider looking farther north such as the Bay Area or Sacramento. Once you get past Sac things start getting a lot more rural and "boring," though Redding is a decent sized city (not desirable at all though IMO). The Bay Area is great if you're looking for big city excitement, great weather, and awesome nature nearby, but it can get pricey very quickly and traffic can be a friggin' nightmare.

Ventura/Camarillo is really nice and on the coast, and a little further north is Santa Barbara which is gorgeous as well. The LA area offers just about anything you could ever want, and the area is so huge you're bound to find what you're looking for. San Diego's a nice choice as well and that's what you seem to be looking at the most, but just keep in mind that there are a lot of other options thanks to California's size.

[StuckInNewZealand]

Originally Posted by DCMann2

Being close to the border sometimes means that crime can spill over onto the US side from Mexico, and it also means there will be a larger Hispanic population in the area. Personally though I don't think either of these are significant problems and with your high price range I don't think it'd be much of a problem for you either.

If it IS a problem for you though, you could consider looking farther north such as the Bay Area or Sacramento. Once you get past Sac things start getting a lot more rural and "boring," though Redding is a decent sized city (not desirable at all though IMO). The Bay Area is great if you're looking for big city excitement, great weather, and awesome nature nearby, but it can get pricey very quickly and traffic can be a friggin' nightmare.

Ventura/Camarillo is really nice and on the coast, and a little further north is Santa Barbara which is gorgeous as well. The LA area offers just about anything you could ever want, and the area is so huge you're bound to find what you're looking for. San Diego's a nice choice as well and that's what you seem to be looking at the most, but just keep in mind that there are a lot of other options thanks to California's size.

Thankyou, very helpful

[StuckInNewZealand]

Thank you for all your great replies, it's been extremely helpful! We are just finalising our vacation for next year to check out all these amazing areas, we're doing a roadtrip from north to south (wish us luck for staying on the right side of the road)

Hopefully we will find somewhere for us! Does anyone know anywhere that might have a higher NZ population? Often people from overseas like to gather together!

Would also love if the replies keep coming in from the original question, it's really helping a lot

Originally Posted by StuckInNewZealand

Hey, my family and I are from New Zealand and we're looking into moving to California! I have 4 children, 2 of which are teenagers and they hate it here. It's not the lifestyle for us, although its perfect for some. We are moving for business but also the kids get really bored here and the weather is horrible! We visited last year and we absolutely loved it. We are planning on going back next year to look at some neighborhoods, schools, etc etc. We have been doing heaps of research and trying to find somewhere perfect for us, we've narrowed it down to a few. We've looked into Sacramento and the neighbourhoods Folsom, Granite Bay, Rocklin, Roseville, El Doraldo Hills. Also Murrieta and Temecula. & neighborhoods out of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley Region. We've also heard great things about some places in San Diego, such as the suburbs in East Chula Vista such as Eastlake, Otay and Rolling Hills Ranch. We want other nice, safe areas, low crime area with lots to do for the teenagers and also good schooling. Preferably close to a main city, but commute time isn't on top of the list. We need a 5 bedroom house, preferably between $500,000 - $700,000. Is there any other areas with all the things we want, thats safe and has family homes between this price range or is this too much to ask?

[StuckInNewZealand]

Originally Posted by DCMann2

Ventura/Camarillo is really nice and on the coast

More information on these neighbourhoods please? They're within our price range and there seems to be a lot more for sale here than in the San Fernando Valley region!

[DCMann2]

Originally Posted by StuckInNewZealand

More information on these neighbourhoods please? They're within our price range and there seems to be a lot more for sale here than in the San Fernando Valley region!

I don't know a *whole* lot about the area but I'll do my best. One of my best friend's cousins grew up and lives in Camarillo and he loves it. I've been there a few times to visit and it's a really, really nice area. It seemed a bit upscale to me, but I come from pretty humble beginnings so "rich" and "upscale" have different meanings to me than some other folks. Nevertheless I'd live in Camarillo or Ventura if I had the means and ever decided I want to live in Southern California again (I don't, lol), so take that as you will. Are you bringing work with you? I'm not sure what the job situation is like in Ventura or Camarillo and I imagine plenty of people commute to Los Angeles (about an hour's drive and not unheard of for SoCal). The weather in Ventura/Camarillo is gorgeous all year round though and the people seem friendly enough, but you'll have to do a bit more research on the area.

Have you looked at NorCal at all? I know SoCal is what people generally think of when they think of California but the Bay Area has a lot to offer and the vibe is a lot different than in SoCal. Just some food for thought.

[StuckInNewZealand]

Originally Posted by DCMann2

I don't know a *whole* lot about the area but I'll do my best. One of my best friend's cousins grew up and lives in Camarillo and he loves it. I've been there a few times to visit and it's a really, really nice area. It seemed a bit upscale to me, but I come from pretty humble beginnings so "rich" and "upscale" have different meanings to me than some other folks. Nevertheless I'd live in Camarillo or Ventura if I had the means and ever decided I want to live in Southern California again (I don't, lol), so take that as you will. Are you bringing work with you? I'm not sure what the job situation is like in Ventura or Camarillo and I imagine plenty of people commute to Los Angeles (about an hour's drive and not unheard of for SoCal). The weather in Ventura/Camarillo is gorgeous all year round though and the people seem friendly enough, but you'll have to do a bit more research on the area.

Thankyou, yeah we definitely will! I think we might also drive over and have a look while we're over!

Originally Posted by DCMann2

Have you looked at NorCal at all? I know SoCal is what people generally think of when they think of California but the Bay Area has a lot to offer and the vibe is a lot different than in SoCal. Just some food for thought.

Yeah we have definitely had a look up north as well, especially in Sacramento! San Francisco isn't really doing much for us :/