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California dreaming? Not for Marines looking for love

Think southern California is the Corps’ best spot to meet single women? Think again.

For years, Marines have sought out Southern California duty stations, lured by the popular notion that it’s the place to be for any man who is young and single.

But an analysis of demographic data suggests that’s wrong. In fact, young single men outnumber young single women in San Diego — 20,000 more to be exact.

Trouble is, men also outnumber women in Jacksonville, N.C., and surrounding Onslow County, home to Camp Lejeune. In fact, there, the demographics are even worse: While San Diego’s population is just slightly more male — 50.3 percent vs. 49.7 percent — at Lejeune it’s not even close. There, 55 percent of the population is male, and 45 percent female.

But for those willing to venture a little bit further from the base and into the seven Coastal Carolina counties within an hour from Lejeune, the picture changes dramatically. The surrounding counties — like most of the South — have more women than men. In nearby New Hanover and Jones counties, for instance, the women outnumber men 52 percent to 48 percent.

At least that’s what the statistics say. Experience tells something different to Cpl. Chad Bear from Harrisonburg, Va.

“Any women here, they’re either married or in high school,” he said. “If you want to meet girls you have to go to some other town, like Myrtle Beach, Raleigh or Wilmington.”

Marines, compared with other service branches, are younger, more predominantly male and more likely to be single. The average age is 23, more than 90 percent of Marines are men and more than 70 percent are single, according to Marine Corps data.

Nationwide, the census reports show more men out west and more women back east. The best cities for men include New York and others in the Northeast. That may be a holdover from a century ago, when single men set out to the frontier in search of gold, jobs and other opportunities, experts said.

The demographics don’t seem to bother too many Marines in San Diego.

“Its pretty good here,” said Cpl. Michael Haynes, a 21-year-old single Marine who lives in the barracks at Camp Pendleton. “San Diego’s known for its nightlife and all the bars and clubs.”

Twentynine Palms, Calif., is slightly better than San Diego. San Bernardino County, which includes the base at Twentynine Palms, is almost split evenly, with men amounting to 50.1 percent, according to the 2006 American Community Survey.

Honolulu County, home to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, is also split down the middle, 50-50, the census data show.

Marines stationed in northern Virginia at Quantico or the Pentagon might see a few too many men, slightly more than 50 percent. But the bridge over the Potomac River leads to a great city for single men — Washington is 53 percent women.

The best place for a single male Marine to live might be in Georgia. In Dougherty County, home to Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, women make up 53 percent of the population.

Experts caution against placing too much emphasis on raw numbers.

“This is not just about the ratio. A better question might be who are the people in that area? Are they the kinds of people that interest you and the people you feel most compatible with?” said Barbara DePaulo, a psychology professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Richard Florida, a demographics expert and author of a new book, “Who’s Your City?” agreed.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and gross stats don’t accurately reflect quality.”