1

Sound like your hotel was on a main artery in San Diego- downtown does have some streets I couldn't
get any sleep on and I know the combo of airport and train line sounds would keep me awake all night.
Ditto for anywhere near hospitals or fire stations as middle-of-the-night sirens must be why Ambien was
created.
San Diego does have quieter areas to stay in. It's a metropolis of 1 million compared to little San Luis
Obispo- with a population something like 20,000. No major airport, no congested downtown. Just watch
out for highway 101 and 1 as these are the noisy arteries for SLO.

2

If you're seriously thinking of moving there, check out Los Osos, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach or another
town away from the hub of SLO.

3

Sonoma County and Mendocino County have very nice country villages. Check out the area near Sebastopol with its dairy farms and Gravenstein apple orchards. Only about one hour's drive south to San Francisco along Highway #101. There are also tiny villages, such as Occidental, tucked amongst the redwoods en route to Guerneville, on the Russian River. The Alexander Valley, north of Guerneville, and areas inland from the coastal village of Mendocino are beautiful country farm settings.

4

It's been a while since I lived there, but as I remember...

The Johnson Ave. corridor, south of the RR track is a nice area with generally sane traffic.
S.Higuera. Unless there's been a big blast of development on Tank Farm. Possible freeway noise.
Osos St. area, near train station / Mitchell Park. Not bad so long as you keep a few blocks from downtown.
Foothill corridor, west of Highway 1. Great access to hiking in the adjacent mountains.

Quiet Nearby communities
Baywood / Los Osos. Generally very good, except for rush hour when LOVR gets downright manic.
Morro Bay and Cayucos are rather pleasant, IMO. Some tourist vibe as you get closer to the harbor.
Tiny Santa Margarita is traffic free, but does have some train noise. Gets bloody hot in the summer.

Maybe not so good.
Orcut road area. Feeds a lot of new development to the S.E.
Los Osos Vally road near Madonna. Multiple Big Boxen and main freeway access.
Anywhere between Monterey and 101 - downtown and business / govt corridor.
Anywhere within a few miles of the university.

Cambria is OK, but the downtown section gets lots of tourists on the narrow 2 lane road.
IMO, the whole Avila / Pismo / Grover Beach area is overdeveloped.

5

I was astonished to see lajolla so built up, it was 1975 when I saw it last. Then we find this sweet town , old del mer, and they have to have a proposition to try to save it. Hope their vote works to do so. Thanks to all..we will be guided to someplace that will suit us...carrizalillo

6

Always rent for a year or two before buying in a new community. Things aren't always what the seem at first glance.

7

Los Osos out by Montana Del Oro State Park. Lovely area.