u/steffininsocal

tysm to everyone who left helpful feedback on a previous post about moving to SC. I've been able to do a couple visits since then and walk around / drive around a bunch .... honestly I am loving the vibe, and san clemente is one of my favorite places in all of California that I've spent time in ... feeling very good about the move

and thanks to everyone for being friendly and welcoming :)

here's what I'd love some input on as I start to look specifically at rentals and listings the next couple months.

I will have a car most likely but I also want to take advantage of a walkable neighborhood, bc I work from home and love to walk around every day ... to get to be a regular at places and have access to the beach/trail

I'm trying to understand the best places to find an apartment. From what I can gather, living near the pier / T street / del mar would be pretty central to everything .... I see that there's a north end of town by the outlets with bars people love (and an EOS gym), but then also a popular area around the south end of El Camino that has Outrigger and Hapa J's and everything else down there

I definitely have the overall region on the map where I want to end up and am looking for listings, but I wanted to ask ... for someone just moving to SC, would you recommend trying to be central, on the north side of town, or further south - all things considered?

if you were to factor in bars/restaurants, gym options, beach, walkability in general, and social life around town - where would you pick? all opinions wanted!

p.s. I'm glad I went and checked things out in person, bc a lot of the zillow listings describe any option as "close to everything", but I'm learning that there are separate mini neighborhoods here - that might be 45 min apart from each other walking .... so I'm figuring out where I want to end up. thanks fam

I'm seriously starting to think about where I want to land long-term, or at least settle for the next season of life, and I want real input from people who actually live in these places.

Here's where I'm at: I'm currently in Southern California (early 30s, work for myself and remote, so have flexibility) and have looked at staying in the region - but relocating to more of a beach city option .... OC, Santa Barbara, Manhattan Beach, San Diego are all on the table.

But I've also been seriously considering the Southeast, specifically Wilmington NC and Charleston SC (I actually have years of history in South Carolina so it wouldn't be totally foreign).

Florida has come up too -St. Pete gets mentioned a lot - but I have almost zero frame of reference for Florida so I'd be going in relatively blind.

**What I actually care about:**

- Quality of life above almost everything else

- Community — can I actually meet people and build a real social life as a single person in my early 30s? Open to dating life insights - but community/friends/kind people is more important to me than lots of dating options, tbh

- A sense of place. I'm okay with slower pace, but I don't want somewhere that feels dead or all tourists. I want somewhere that feels like an enjoyable place to call home overall

- Fun things to do - can be a variety of options

**What I'm asking:**

- Is there somewhere you'd genuinely sell me on that fits that profile?

- Is there somewhere on my list you'd warn me away from - and why?

- Any place I should be considering that I haven't mentioned? I'm open to putting somewhere new on the list - but don't know what I don't know!

So essentially - if you live somewhere that you LOVE, please tell me about it - AND if you live one of these places - especially if you relocated and moved there - and wish you hadn't - I really want to hear the honest feedback and local tea as well

I'm in my early 30s, currently in Southern California, and seriously thinking about putting down roots somewhere on the East Coast with a beach town feel. Wilmington keeps coming up on my radar - but have only visited before and enjoyed; never lived there.

I'm not in a rush to move - I want to make a smart decision. And the thing I care most about isn't the beach or the food or the cost of living (though all of that matters). What I really want to know is:

**Can you actually build a life there as a single person in your 30s?**

- Is it a city where people are genuinely open to meeting new people?

- What's the dating scene like if any? Or should you already have your person before moving? haha

- Is there a real young professional/creative community, or does it skew heavily college-town and tourist?

- Does it mostly feel like vacation rentals and tourists where you live or do you have a feel of neighborhood and community? And if so, where are the good areas?

For context, I work for myself remotely - so I have lots of flexibility on that front and am not dependent on a certain area or schedule. I know it's going to be a quieter beach town regardless - and I'm okay with a slower pace of life, but also want to make sure there's ways to meet people and a genuinely enjoyable quality of life

I heard someone call into a show talking about how he and his wife were considering leaving to relocate to Charlotte because they have found it difficult to meet people due to the tourist nature of things ... so this put a caution flag up for me while I've been in the process of my research on where to move

Also open to being redirected - if there's another coastal or beach-adjacent city in the Southeast I should be seriously considering instead, I'm genuinely all ears. Thanks!

I lived in Charleston for part of college and honestly loved it. The different neighborhoods, downtown, the food, the beaches, the charm of the city, the coastal air - it really worked for me and I have fond memories.

Now I'm 33, based in Southern California, and at a point where I'm actually thinking about where I want to put down roots. Charleston keeps popping back into my mind.

I know it's probably changed a lot since I was there. I know the cost of living has jumped. I know it gets hot and summer traffic and flooding are real. I'm not wearing rose-colored glasses about anything - but I did grow up in SC and enjoy it, even though most of my adult life has been in California.

What I'm trying to figure out:

(and would love to hear from you on - especially if you're in your 30s / in a similar stage of life and have perspective)

- Do you feel a sense of community in the city? Easy to make friends?

- What do you wish someone had told you before you moved there?

- If you moved from a larger city, does it have enough of a social life for you or are you bored/lonely/missing where you used to live?

- What areas are the best to live in these days? Especially if I enjoy a walkable area?

For context, I'm currently single, a gay man, politically moderate, a person of faith but not dogmatic about it

I want real talk from people who actually live there now. Talk me into or out of this as an idea. I am trying to get a sense of whether there's something to explore here that makes sense for me now - or I'm just nostalgic for a past season of life. Thanks for any feedback

A few months ago I posted here trying to figure out if leaving LA for OC or SD made sense for my life. (ready for a change after a number of years here)

So many people took real time to share their experiences, especially around Laguna, Corona del Mar / Newport, and San Clemente. I got great recommendations & tips & blunt thoughts.

One person in particular messaged me about San Clemente and was just incredibly kind and offered to introduce me to some spots. (if you happen to see this - please feel free to reach out ... I can't log in to that account anymore :/ and I know it's been a while since the og post. But the kindness was appreciated and made a notable impression for that option)

Currently - I am weighing out staying in LA/OC area vs. moving elsewhere (options would be most likely Wilmington, Charleston, St. Pete/Tampa, maybe even Santa Barbara)

The move is in closer, so I'm researching more seriously now and would value your thoughts.

A little about me: Early 30s, fully remote, so I have zero commute dependency.

I care about neighborhood feel, proximity to the ocean and things to do, quality of life, and being somewhere that has a sense of community to it.

I would like to move somewhere that I see myself living for a while and putting down some roots.

What I'd love your thoughts on:

• San Clemente - Is it a fit for a solo WFH entrepreneur in his early 30s? What's the community like if you are not older/a family with kids? What do you wish someone had told you? What would be the rent I should expect to pay for a solid place on my own? (have been browsing listings but still open to local confirmation of this)
• OC vs. starting over somewhere else entirely - I'm also holding south OC up against Santa Barbara, Wilmington NC, Charleston SC, and St. Petersburg FL. I know that's a wide range haha. But if you've lived in any of these or have perspective on where is an easier place to move & put down roots in this stage of life, I'm all ears (housing budget will probably be somewhere between $3500-$5000 depending on how much I decide to allocate)
• Open floor - price-to-quality of life, what surprised you, what you'd do differently. All of it.

Particularly, I know reddit gets a lot of posts of people speculating about 20 and 30-somethings and how they're living in OC haha - but I'd love to hear from people who are actually living in any of these neighborhoods and loving it (or not loving it) right now.

Thanks for the feedback!