Which is the best place to live in California?|108412

My boyfriend and I are moving from UK to the US soon. We want to live in California. We both like the sun, beaches healthy lifestyle etc but do not know where to settle.

We would like some suggestions on the best areas to live and why. We have a fairly small budget of amount 300,000 to 400,000 but do not mind buying a small condo.

We have heard San diego is nice and some of the beach communties?

I think San Diego would be the best choice for you. Beaches in Northern CA are cold and foggy year round so I wouldn_t bother looking north of Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is very nice but small and VERY expensive. LA and Orange County have their nice and bad parts but your money won_t go far there.

San Diego has cheaper real estate and you can find a nice condo or a small house for that price right now. Prices are continuing to drop so I_d either wait to see how much farther the market will fall or buy a foreclosed property for really cheap. It_s still expensive here compared to other parts of the US but cheaper than other coastal areas of CA like the Bay Area and LA/OC. SD has the best weather in the country, nice friendly people, is clean, low crime, laid back, ect.....

If you want to be near all the action and best attractions look into central San Diego in communities like Downtown, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Pt Loma, Mission Valley, La Jolla, ect... If you want more quiet and suburban setting then try the North County beach cities like Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad.