Suggestions on best places to live in between the Bay Area and the L.A. area on the California coast?

Hey all. I'm taking a trip out to California this summer from New England - I've never been before, and am thinking if I like what I see, I may consider an eventual move out there. I'm going to be spending a good amount of time in both Southern California and the northern parts, especially the Bay Area and Napa Valley, to get a basic "feel" for the environment. What I'm asking for is any suggestions you may have on places in between "Northern California" and "Southern California" - somewhere where it is mostly nice weather year round, the ocean is reasonably warm, there is plenty of things to do and stuff going on, low crime, good nightlife and good looking women, but also somewhere where you could escape into the forest or the mountains relatively easily, and get the best of both worlds. Some place where it's not outrageously expensive, is really fun and where there's never a dull moment, and where the people are laid-back and down to earth and fun... any suggestions?

Public Comments

1. I like the Bay Area more than the Los Angeles area, it's less crowded, the climate is better, the traffic is not so bad (but still bad). Along the coast is the nicest part, the most even climate. Inland it's very hot in the Summer, and in the high mountains (the Sierras) you get up to 12 ft of snow in the Winter! ANYWHERE you live in California you have places to go on a weekend. The state is very diverse geographically. On a weekend I can go to the ocean, the mountains (snow), the redwood forest (beautiful!), or some quiet little town in the hills. The Napa Valley is nice but it's gotten really popular and crowded and expensive. Worth seeing though. Between Northern and Southern California are several towns along the coast that are very pretty. Monterey is the greatest of these, but Santa Barbara is nice, also Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, etc. Sadly the ocean is not warm here. There is no place you can really swim in the ocean the way you do in a lake, except for a relatively short strip of beach near San Diego where there is a warm current that comes from somewhere. Other places there are beaches, but they are just for lying on the sand, or perhaps climbing on rocks. Or surfing, in a wetsuit. The ocean is beautiful to look at, though. California is a 'bridge' from the Southwest to the Northwest. The Southwest is all desert, stark unvegetated mountains, weird rock formations. The Northwest is foggy and rainy and sort of dark-green. As you go up and down the coast you go from one extreme to the other. San Diego is desert. Eureka or Crescent City (northern end of the coast) is redwood forest, foggy and gloomy. The Bay Area is just about the middle, a 'happy medium'.
2. San Luis Obisbo, college town near the water, but the farther north u go the COLDER the surf gets an more Rugged. try Santa Cruz real Hippy feel the Venice of the north.
3. How about Catalina Island, it is off the coast of LA, specifically, Long Beach or Huntington Beach. there is a ferry that takes you to and from the island and the coast. Went para-sailing there, it was real nice
4. What you are looking for is basically San Diego,although it's not between Northern Ca and Southern CA, it's at the very southern of the west coast. It has the best climate in the US outside of Hawaii. It's usually sunny and in the 70's most of the year and is always a comfortable temperature. The ocean on the west coast is generally cold but San Diego has the warmest water overall. Only from about May to October is it warm enough to swim in w/o a wetsuit and water temps usually peak in July and August and are in the low to mid 70's. There is so much to do and going on year round in San Diego plus so many day or weekend getaway destinations are within a few hours it's hard to get bored here. San Diego is one of the safest big cities in America despite it's border location and small police force, it's the safest city in America over 1 million people and 5th safest over 500,000. Nightlife is great, especially in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown or in Pacific Beach. Tijuana and Rosarito have good nightlife for those under 21. The women are very good looking in San Diego and a recent survey rated it 2nd best looking people after Miami. The mountains are about 45 minutes away and Big Bear, snow, and forests are about 2-3 hours away. People in SD are very laid back, dress really casual, and are friendly and down to earth overall.