Where is the best place to live in Southern California?

I'm moving to California next June, and was wondering what is the best city in Southern California to live at? I was going to move to Los Angeles until I heard how bad it was there. I was going to move to San Diego till I found out how expensive it was. I'm going there to start my music and acting career in Show Business. I know that Los Angeles is the place to go for that but I want to know is there a nice city close to Los Angeles that is safe, clean, and cost efficient. Thanks...

Public Comments

1. Thousand Oaks
2. San Diego is very beautiful!
3. well, here it's pretty expensive too...The average single family home in Malibu (in Los Angeles County) is over $2 million. But that's because it's a beach community. I suggest looking into the San Fernando Valley. It's affordable and there are some good residential areas like Sherman Oaks and Encino.
4. Check out simi Valley, West Sanfernado Valley, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Wastlake, Calabasas, Oak Pak. Glendale, Burbank
5. Thousand Oaks
6. Pasadena, Eagle Rock, Arcadia, Sierra Madre
7. Long Beach. It's right in between Orange County and Los Angeles. There are great, safe, friendly, ecletic neighborhoods and it's pretty affordable...when you compare it to other coastal cities. I've lived here for five years and I love it.
8. I think Westminster or Garden Grove are wonderul cities to live in. It's neither urban nor suburan. it's a bit in-between. The only thing is the housing prices are expensive! But i think an apartment is pretty decent priced. Other than that there are amazing and exotic Vietnamese cuisines here. I recommed you trying Pho! As for your music career Westminster is about an hour away from those "big" places. It's also about and hour and a half from CalArts. The beach is 10 minutes (by car) from here too. You can go to the mountains in an hour. and the desert around an hour too! The people here are friendly. Not too gossipy lie small towners but not too rough like new yorkers. the crime rate is low (but there are still some gangs but i dont you'll need to worry) and the weather is moderate. So, I recommend you moving to Westminster or Garden Grove. Hope this helps!
9. Hillcrest area/ Balboa Park area in San Diego; I have lived and been around So Cal all my life, this is the best, east ot the park is getting nicer and not alot of $$. LA and OC are too congested. Even here in parts; No. County, La Jolla, the other beach areas are too crowded. Ocean Beach is good if you must be by the beach, not too much $$. Coronado is great if you can afford it; a bit dull though. Lots of action in Hillcrest; right by downtown too, if that's your thing.
10. Calabassas is nice and near Malibu, Santa Monica, Pacific Palasades, Santa Barbara (a little further north)
11. Pasadena, Glendale, Montrose, La Crescenta, Burbank, San Dimas, Rancho Cucamonga.
12. San Diego its nice in the summer and mild in the winter loved it , when i say nice in the summer i bought a fleece jacket in August cold in the shade i want to go back
13. Okay If you want a cheap city in Southern California keep dreaming..I lived in Compton the cheapest city in Los Angeles County..but in the other hand its a very dangerous city to lived in..I suggest you lived in Carson..or San Pedro..its cheap and nice place to lived..Southern California is very very expensive to lived..A home in Compton is around 350,000 compare to other citys like compton 400,000
14. Honestly, best location in all of Los Angeles is Valley Village, parts of North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Burbank, & Sherman Oaks. You're close to everything but it's still affordable (if you have a roommate you can get a 2 bedroom 1 bath for around $1200, so $600 a piece is probably the best you're gonna find anywhere in a 50 miles radius). Los Angeles is not bad at all, it just takes a while to bust into the business. The traffic is brutal, so I would suggest living in the San Fernando Valley (in the sections I mentioned above) so you will have access to the studios for auditions, jobs, etc. (Also - LA has great temp jobs starting at $14 that are really flexible so living there is definitely doable if you are renting - I just wouldn't count on buying a house until you make it big in the business!)