Ideal location in SoCal

[Doctor_sOrders]

Calling all SoCal peeps past or present,
I have been living in LA for about a year now and I’m finding it isn’t quite my cup of tea. I’ve been debating moving out of LA, but still somewhere in the SoCal area.

What I’m looking for:
Less traffic
Horsey communities near jobs (commuting 1.5 hours from work to barn sucks and puts me in a bad mood; horse can tell)
Slightly cheaper cost of living
Strong H/J presence
Plenty of jobs for Finance/Accounting major

Are all of these options even possible?

I’ve been working hard to make LA work but something always ends up suffering whether it is horse’s turn out, cost of an apartment, or commuting 1+ hours to a job no matter how I spin it.

Areas I’m considering, but open to other options:
San Diego
Orange County area
Santa Barbara
Temecula

Thank you!

[MtnDrmz]

For the slightly cheaper cost of living, I would say probably not Orange County, although there are areas that you can find a good fixer upper and we do have tons of horsey amenities! San Juan Capistrano is our Horsey epicenter, but traffic does get ugly, although maybe not as bad as LA. What would you consider an acceptable cost of rent or board?

I actually think that San Diego and Temecula are good options. There are not as many Hunter Jumper barns in the Temecula area as there are in say San Juan, but there are some optioons for sure and the cost of living can definitely be managed. San Diego can really go either way. Huge horse presnce, but living in those areas can be pricey. Living in the horsey areas that are not show barn driven (trail and lower priced horse area) may get not be as appealing.

Temecula and Murrieta are worth a search for sure!

[Doctor_sOrders]

Rent is $1400 and board + all else to make board “full care” is about $1k a month. Driving me nuts. I’d love to see either/both of these numbers go down by a couple hundred. Or stay the same in an area where jobs pay better. I know LA was recently rated one of the worst places to find a job this year and it shows in the salaries that are offered.

In my search so far, it seems like there are either really nice barns, but no jobs nearby, nice barns + jobs but expensive living or a bit of everything, but be willing to commute 2 or 3 hours a day to get to it all. :mad:

I’ll look into Temecula and Murrieta!

[MtnDrmz]

[QUOTE=Doctor’sOrders;8702635]
Rent is $1400 and board + all else to make board “full care” is about $1k a month. Driving me nuts. I’d love to see either/both of these numbers go down by a couple hundred. Or stay the same in an area where jobs pay better. I know LA was recently rated one of the worst places to find a job this year and it shows in the salaries that are offered.

In my search so far, it seems like there are either really nice barns, but no jobs nearby, nice barns + jobs but expensive living or a bit of everything, but be willing to commute 2 or 3 hours a day to get to it all. :mad:

I’ll look into Temecula and Murrieta![/QUOTE]

The horse number will be a bit of a stretch in OC if you plan to be in full training with someone of quality, even at a public facility. You could be right around there, maybe closer to $1,200 and have a few more options. The market is so big here you have to be selective and make sure you are going with the right program, becuase there is a lot out there, good, but also not so good.

In OC youcould find a small apartment for the $1,400 or maybe share a two bed room with a roomie? I used to rent a studio in Huntington Beach for $1000 a month (back about 6 or 7 years ago), to give you an idea. It was fine, nothing fancy, but it worked.

I feel like you might have luck in Temecula or murrieta! It might be a bit of a culture shock from LA though :lol:

[Doctor_sOrders]

Oh, the 1k is not even full training! It’s base board (shavings, hay cubes, clean stall 1x per day) + all the extras I pay for to make it ‘full board’ (water buckets cleaned, filled, actual hay + feeding it, supplements fed, T/O, handling for vet/farrier). The 1k doesn’t include the one lesson a week I take.

So $1,200 for full training sounds WONDERFUL.

Honestly, I’m ready for a culture shock. Grew up in the MidWest, spent the last four years in the deep south and now LA. The picture people paint of LA is way off, at least IME. It is not laid back, casual, hip and cultured. More like cramped, crabby, expensive and opinionated. More what I’d envisioned NY being like, just sprawled out enough so you HAVE to have a car and commuting is a bear.

Lots of people I’ve talked to said I’d be better off moving inland more or to a beachy community. May fit my preferred slower pace better.

I’ll miss all the events and activities around LA I’m sure, but it’s not worth living around them when you can’t afford to attend them! :lol:

[MtnDrmz]

Well, the $1,200 would be at a public place, and would be a mid range program! You can find programs that are just $1,200 for full trianing too, before board we have a little of everything here, but with what you described you could probably find something. Although turnout may be an issue since at any public place turnout means 10 minutes when there are people waiting (almost always people waiting).

I agree about the LA description. My husband grew up there, and we are up there a lot for family still, but man I would not ever want to actually live there… in all fairness though I want to go run off to the moutnains in the middle of somewhere and nowhere

[RugBug]

Not sure you’re going to fine cheaper rent at most places…SB for sure. You could try Ventura, Camarillo, Oxnard, but you start losing out on the options, etc. Moorpark might work or even Thousand Oaks

to put it in perspective, I live on the Central Coast. Rent is about $1400 for a one bedroom and board is $500 for one flake of hay 2x/day and stall cleaning once a day. We have a terrible job market, with notoriously low salaries and which we call “the SLO tax” because the way of life is amazing. There is very little hunter presence, but you can find some jumpers. It’s mostly eventing, some dressage…and some cow horses.

I doubt you are going to find everything you’re looking for. If you did, we’d all move there.

Santa Ynez is very horsey and there is a bit of a hunter presence, and a great vet facility. You could probably commute for work (30 minute to SB) but it would be over a pretty treacherous road, that I would never want to drive everyday.

[paw]

San Diego is very horsey, but prices vary widely, and rent can be expensive. The further you get from the ocean, generally, the cheaper the board (and perhaps your rent), but traffic can be ugly if your commute is in the wrong direction. You might look around Poway - the places out there tend to be a bit less expensive, and if you can find a job that’s also east of the 15, you’ll miss the worst of the commute.

[PonyPenny]

Rent even for $1400 for a 1 bedroom in the OC is rare anywhere in South OC or near the coast. Cheaper if you go inland, but riding opportunities are less with a quality trainer.

[Peggy]

Inland is cheaper, but hotter and the selection of trainers can be more limited.

Temecula has has a good variety of trainers that show various levels. There are county shows right in town at Galway Downs. For A shows you’d have to travel a bit more. There are enough high-end trainers of various levels that the support services are pretty good. The farrier that kept my problem horse the soundest is down there. I quite enjoyed my time visiting there while my horse was in rehab. Not sure about the traffic-I do know that the 15 north gets ugly in the afternoons. There has been a decent population increase and I don’t know if the infrastructure has kept up.

I’f rather be in Temecula than San Bernardino or the Norco/Corona area for both horse and personal life.

The trick to LA traffic is either to have at least some aspects of your life in close proximity or to drive when others don’t. Easier said than done.

You might like parts of the South Bay or Orange County better than west LA or mid-city. I grew up adjacent to Santa Monica and really wouldn’t want to live there.

At the moment I live in Torrance, have the horse in Cerritos (where I pay less than $600 for a box stall with alfalfa hay and copious shavings plus full use of a day paddock–I essentially pay the dry stall price for a 12x36-ish pipe corral), and work in (yes) Santa Monica. The Santa Monica part works only because I work afternoons and/or nights. If I had to deal with the 405 in the wrong direction during rush hour, well, I wouldn’t.

I’d be happy to answer additional questions here or by PM.

[Bristol_Bay]

If you live near your horse, that is actually very reasonable rent. The thing would be to find something closer to Atwater for work, like Burbank or downtown. Don’t give up on us yet!

Inland OC has options for board and training that would be more affordable. It’s very suburban but there are jobs in Tustin/Irvine that might support a horsey lifestyle.

[candico]

Must say, living right outside of LA most of my life, I kind of loathe going there. Mainly due to the insane traffic, but also just a feeling of too many people!

Ventura is kind of a growing hubbub for millennials. Would put you close enough to the Moorpark, Somis, or even Ojai area for horse boarding. Just looked at rent around here and yikes, I remember paying $800 and thinking it was too much. Now average is $1600 for a two bedroom apartment. Nuts…

We do have lots of hunter/jumper facilities that range from $400 per month on up depending on how fancy or which BNT you want to train with. We do have a plethora of trainers and facilities to chose from in the general vicinity.

That said, I love the Central Coast. A friend explained it best that once you get past Santa Barbara it’s like a huge weight gets lifted off your shoulders and everything just seems better up there. Very jealous of you RugBug!

[Cammie]

Prices in the South Bay are getting higher and higher, and it’s next to impossible to find a place that will take pets. I live in El Segundo, work from home and ride in Palos Verdes. Takes me 45 minutes to get to the barn with light traffic, which doesn’t thrill me but there’s no way I can afford to move back to Hermosa or Redondo.

Rentals are still cheaper in Lomita, San Pedro and Torrance and the drive to a barn in PV wouldn’t be bad at all. And at least it would be a scenic drive.

You could look for jobs in Torrance or Long Beach for easier commuting.

[Delacremeequestrian]

I’m a Hunter/Jumper trainer in Temecula, as well as a resident of Murrieta since 1988. I have quite a few clients that commute, due to the laid back atmosphere of the area and the affordability. I’m located at Galway Downs where it’s particularly scenic, but most of the Hunter/jumper facilities are in beautiful settings. There are lots of rolling hills and greenery and most of the ranches are nestled amongst the wineries.

I would say full board and training runs between $1000-$2000/month with most trainers falling around or below the $1500 range.

Galway Downs has a lovely group of county level shows and the Oaks and Showpark are just around an hour away.

If you would like anymore information feel free to contact me.

Most of us trainers in the area get along well and I can gladly point you toward a couple other programs so you can compare and find and what works for you.

Www.delacremeequestrian.com

[Jarrn]

I would vote for Temecula or that area! Also some great trainers over there. Otherwise I would go towards Moorpark or TO like some other people mentioned. It’s not that cheap, but you ARE close to the beach and traffic isn’t bad. There are some great trainers around there if you are willing to pay.

If you want cheap (rent and boarding, plus there aren’t many great trainers), the high desert is where it’s at. Good luck finding a job though, there’s a reason it’s so cheap.

I think your best bet would be to find a job (or a couple of job) opportunities and then see what would fit best with your lifestyle and price range!

[Doctor_sOrders]

Thanks for the great ideas everyone!
RugBug, good point, I guess if anyone knew of an area that meets all my requirements perfectly, they wouldn’t be sharing it hah!

I started the job hunt this evening. Definitely looking around Temecula as that seems to have a resounding approval.

Bristol Bay, I am giving LA another shot hah. I like my boarding situation IF I can be there frequently. If I could live and work closer to the barn, I don’t think I’d be so stressed everyday. It’s really the commute that is killing me I think. I show up to the barn grouchy and dread the 1.5 hours from work to barn.
Plus our situation at this current facility is really coming together. I’ve got a great trainer, really good relationship with all staff, and finally found a farrier I trust.

It’s just tough when the SO wants to go out and all I can think is ‘yes, why don’t I commute on the weekends too? Already do so 5 days a week’ :lol:
Really puts a damper on living in LA, which is supposed to be fun. Right? :lol:

[doublesstable]

I have lived in Southern California my entire life… I do enjoy it here but it has changed so much over the years.

If you like living in LA because it’s fun; horses usually aren’t a close by commodity. Where you have more people you have less space for horses and less tolerance of horses from the people that crowd those spaces.

I lived in Glendora/San Dimas and it was a lovely horse/farming community in the 1970 to late 1980’s but not anymore.

We recently moved to the Moorpark/Somis area because it reminded me of Glendora/San Dimas area in the 1970s… I see it populating too but hopefully it wont change too quickly.

We like it because it’s close enough to LA for our business but far enough out where it’s not too terribly crowded.

If our business didn’t keep us in the LA area I would love to move to Los Olivos area!! It is so amazing up that way. Vineyards and hills everywhere… Not sure about work but it’s really nice.

I can say for where I live now that the weather is AMAZING. Close to the beach, close to LA and there are a lot of really nice show horse facilities around. I can say the negative is - it is not cheap. Cost of living is pretty parallel to LA.

When we were searching to move many years ago we did look in Temecula and Fallbrook. Very nice but also pretty pricey. I noticed the growth and that scared me off a bit. And a bit more difficult to get to LA need be. And hot.

We just started looking at properties about 10 years ago and looked in many areas - and this location just spoke to us. We really love it here. It’s a good balance for us.

As already stated; finding the perfect place isn’t a reality but finding a close to perfect place is possible… Good luck whatever you decide.

[RugBug]

[QUOTE=candico;8703111]

That said, I love the Central Coast. A friend explained it best that once you get past Santa Barbara it’s like a huge weight gets lifted off your shoulders and everything just seems better up there. Very jealous of you RugBug![/QUOTE]

That’s a pretty good description of what it’s like on the Central Coast. It really is a wonderful way of life…but it has its trade offs. I’ve been here 25 years and adore it, but sometimes consider moving because the trade offs don’t always feel worth it. Then I go to LA or the Bay area and am quickly convinced otherwise.

[EquineRacers]

I’ve lived in SoCal all my life (33yrs to be exact). OC/LA area, currently living in Long Beach. There are several barns where boarding will cost you around $450-600, however all of them require you to supplement feed as they quality of hay and quantity isn’t very good. Most barns wont let you jump without a trainer, but a few will. These barns wont be the higher end barns you see such as the Paddock Club in LA. You could search around LA for backyard type boarding, which will have an arena with jumps you can use. South Gate, Paramount area is ghetto but not a too terrible drive from downtown LA/Burbank and priced around $500 for board. Long Beach has a couple facilities that are around $450-500. Lakewood and Cerritos has a boarding barn with facilities for around the same price. If you look into OC you can find OC Fairgrounds which let you jump without a trainer and have nice facilities for around $650 a month as well as Huntington Beach, although you need a trainer to jump there. Orange Park acres you can find backyard boarding for probably around $350 then you have Santa Clarita area, etc.

Housing in the OC area is high. Looking for a 2-3bd house expect to be in the high $2000 or $3000 range. Long Beach we rent a 3bd in a nicer area of LB for $2500. Traffic your screwed in the LA/OC area. Best to try to find housing and a barn within 15 miles of each other or you will just waste your time away in traffic. Temecula and Norco area are cheaper, but then you have that crazy 91 or 60 freeway to deal with as well as the hot hot weather in the summer and wind, lots of afternoon wind, which isn’t ideal. I’d look into Long Beach, its a large city so do some research on the good areas, stay away from Cherry st and downtown. The weather is always great, you can get around traffic and have a few choices of barns for not a crap ton of money.

As far as LA, people suck, its very image related and every man for themselves type. Not to mention such an ugly city to be in. Myself, I hope to get the hell of out here to find myself with open land, green pastures, and more nature.

[drkarins]

Another vote for Temecula. We had our mare with a trainer there and found the area to be quite nice. Can’t comment on traffic or rent but it seemed very horse friendly and less “LA LA land” than other areas.

Good luck to you!