Strong possibility of relocating to Cornwall - what's St Austell like to live in? Anywhere nearby worth considering?

I don't want somewhere completely dead, but at the same time I'm not up for somewhere like Newquay - great for a weekend pissup but not so good being woken at 3 in the morning when you have work the next day!!

If I could walk to a beach to surf would be a real bonus!

Is Truro gonna be a mission on a daily basis with traffic, etc?

Ta!