[quote=investor]I did think of palos verdes, my sister lived there for years and loved it. It is too close to LA for me, though. I went down the hill once, towards the LA side for some groceries and the store had bars on the windows. Same reason I don’t entertain north of LA. Santa Barbara would be great but, for me, too many cold days. I am comparing san diego to orange county though. While I know that the weather in coronado isn’t 70 degrees 365 days a year, outside of key west, I think that coronado offers just about the best weather. And, I love the cali “extraction of enjoying life everyday” that I’ve only felt there, despite some of the ding dongs that make you shake your head. No one really has said much about rancho santa fe, despite the long commute to the ocean. My wife has a cousin there and loves it. Again, thank all of you for your excellent feedback.[/quote]
I think you’re a bit overly worried about things being a warzone in L.A. 🙂 10-15 mins down the hill takes you to Torrance, which is very safe, or Hermosa/Manhattan Beach (which probably isn’t your cup of tea, because it’s more Yuppe-ish in that area). Where things remotely get sketchy are beyond the freeway entrances, which are approximately 40 mins away (405 and the 110). Actually, that’s the biggest drawback about the area. It takes forever to get on the freeway, and you don’t have easy access to public transportation. On the flipside, residence seem to love that because supposedly it keeps the area more exclusive. You wife would probably be ok, because there is a big Iranian community there However, depending on the community, it can get stuffy with plenty of Jones’.