I'm going for a job interview in Salinas, California on Friday. Do any LCTers have familiarity with that area of California? Any and all thoughts, opinions and suggestions are welcome!!

Lauri, my folks retired there from 1990-2000 and loved it...climate is cool (30 min from the pacific). Location is great, Monterey is also only 30 min away, Santa Cruz (60 min) and Carmel 45-60 min....Canary row (in Monterey) has wonderful restaurants (one of my fav's is the Sardine Factory--abalone is to die for) In late 90's early 2000 there were some wonderful developments on River/Reservation road where you can build you own home or buy in a home in a development (pls understand, have not been there in 5 years)...hope this helps.

r/wes

Hi Lauri!

I was born in Monterey and my Dad now lives in Carmel Valley. I only lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea for a few years as an adult, from '90-93, but surely got to know the area, and am, of course, a frequent visitor. Orinda is a little over 2 hours away.

As Wes said the location is great, Carmel is really only 5 minutes farther from Monterey making it a nice get-away to "cool off" in summer. Salinas is one of the most affordable areas in Monterey County and has grown from a sleepy little town known for it's ties to John Steinbeck and farm workers to a fairly sophisticated community. You may still get sticker shock coming from Texas, but the housing market has really slowed, so who knows? There is quite a good regional airport in Monterey and the drive to the San Jose airport for longer flights is not too bad.

There are big "old fashioned" malls in both Salinas and Monterey and the shopping in Carmel is quite chi-chi. Yes, there ia a very good Chico's in Monterey!

After a period of run of the mill expensive restaurants catering to tourists (um, like those on Cannery Row ;) ), the Peninsula now has some stellar ones. Of course, the produce is outstanding and the County is known for it's wines. An afternoon of wine-tasting is only 30 minutes away!

The Peninsula is a nature-lover's paradise. Point Lobos, just south of Carmel, is a fabulous place for family hikes. Further south is Big Sur which is easily doable for a lovely lunch at the Ventana Inn. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is fabulous and Monterey is loaded with historic adobes.

The demographics of Salinas will show the average age to be one of the youngest as most residents of Carmel and Pebble Beach tend to be older retirees. I'm not sure the area will be as "lively" as Texas, but the natural beauty is stunning.

Good luck with the interview!

Thanks!

I'm heading out tomorrow morning, arriving in San Jose and driving down to Salinas. I'm looking forward to seeing a new area of California. I absolutely love the Half Moon Bay area and hope this is similar.

The real estate does make my eyes pop out compared to Texas, but as they say...location, location, location. No beach in Dallas!!

We'll see how it goes.