I don't know of any trustworthy certifications for landlords; it's pretty much wild-west to be honest. But that's not restricted to Craigslist. I'd be hesitant to rent any place without physically going to a handful of places in the area, personally talking to the landlord (and current/previous resident if possible), and so forth.

That's sensible in any country, of course. It's more the fact CL is seemingly just about connecting people with no safeguards at all. Most people here rent though an agency who handle things like your deposit, aren't allowed to just turn up and inspect the place, have to respect notice period, etc, etc.

Sounds to me like spending a week driving around while staying in motels is the best bet.

Since there must be about a zillion Californians here, a quick straw poll; better to look on the surrounding area for SF, or LA?

Since there must be about a zillion Californians here, a quick straw poll; better to look on the surrounding area for SF, or LA?

I don't live anywhere [in california], but like most downtown areas it probably is highly dependent on whether or not you have/are going to buy a car and how frequently you want to go downtown. Suburbs usually are pretty dependent on having some sort of reliable transportation, whereas downtown areas are usually much more foot friendly.

From a couple of visits, LA is the exception here - you must have a car. Whereas SF was more like a 'proper' city and I could imagine not needing one. However I imagine we would have one because it's such a part of living in the US - either a long-term rental or hiring one for weekend trips.

Since there must be about a zillion Californians here, a quick straw poll; better to look on the surrounding area for SF, or LA?

Better in what way?

The community attributes one person values may be attributes you despise.

One person may love sandy beaches with all the people and shops during the summer, another person may despise the crowds or commercialization. One person may say love the Santa Cruz mountains for the view and the forest and the local vineyards. Another person may find the area intolerable, perhaps they hate the mountains, are allergic to the forest, and don't drink. You may value the number of quality elementary schools, or that may be irrelevant to you. You may value the distance to specific tourist attractions, or they may be irrelevant.

Also, if you want beaches, San Diego is probably a good choice. I agree that downtown SF doesn't require a car (I have a friend who's lived there years without one), but I would probably still want one from time to time.

Better in what way?

Hence the straw poll. I'm looking for people who know CA well to voice their utterly subjective reasons why one end of the state is better.My personal impression is that LA is kind of hollow and soulless and SF is more intimate but that's from about 1 day in each

[quote name='frob' timestamp='1305740281' post='4812619']
Better in what way?

Hence the straw poll. I'm looking for people who know CA well to voice their utterly subjective reasons why one end of the state is better.My personal impression is that LA is kind of hollow and soulless and SF is more intimate but that's from about 1 day in each
[/quote]

No that's all of California! badoom-CH.

I never really liked San Francisco but I'm also not much of a "big city" person. I do like the area though, you've got mountains, some pretty cool beaches (Santa Cruz, Monterrey), close proximity to really great vineyards. You're within a 2-3 hour drive of some of the prettiest coastal driving you'll ever see in the world (Big Sur - Hwy 1).

LA is LA. Weather is awesome, beaches are awesome, tons of stuff to do. My only gripe with LA besides the traffic and crime (which the bay area has its fair share of), is that everyone seems to be working an angle. You're not John the Analyst, you're John "I'm starting my own entertainment company and just doing this 8-5 till I get rich". Truthfully though I always enjoy LA and wouldn't mind living there if I could afford the housing and private school. I'm a beach guy and love to play poker so I'm going to be really biased.

Both places have a ton of stuff to do, both places have a great mix of city, culture, outdoorsy stuff. I think it comes down to what activities you enjoy, what culture you're looking for, and what climate you prefer. In relation to the rest of America, I wouldn't call any big city in California "intimate".

It looks like I won't be living directly in SF or LA. But it seems to make sense to base relative to one of these major centres even if an hour or more away, just for the international airports, etc. And yes Hwy1 is pretty awesome, we drove it from Venice beach -> SF a couple of years ago. If we were actually living there full-time, the hilly part north of Santa Cruz looked pretty cool. I guess this is the redwood forest Frob mentioned, looking closer I see Boulder Creek around there so it sounds like that's the same part I remember fondly from the drive.

Anyone know anything about Santa Cruz?

It looks like I won't be living directly in SF or LA. But it seems to make sense to base relative to one of these major centres even if an hour or more away, just for the international airports, etc. And yes Hwy1 is pretty awesome, we drove it from Venice beach -> SF a couple of years ago. If we were actually living there full-time, the hilly part north of Santa Cruz looked pretty cool. I guess this is the redwood forest Frob mentioned, looking closer I see Boulder Creek around there so it sounds like that's the same part I remember fondly from the drive.

Anyone know anything about Santa Cruz?

Most airlines will let you connect to smaller airports for no extra cost. I'd think finding a place that fits your lifestyle would have a larger impact on your life than the extra 2 hours a connecting flight would take.

For example, flying back to canada it was actually cheaper to fly out of milwaukee and connect to the same flight in chicago rather than drive to chicago and fly out of there. That's all highly dependent on how packed different flights are, but usually the prices are very similar to connect to a nearby city.

If you're going to be working out of home you might like San Diego. It always struck me as a nicer city than SF or LA, though I'm sure it's hot as butts.