Any suggestions on good areas maybe an hour to two hours north of san francisco? just decided to make a big change in my families lives and kind of growing tired of the midwest. The fluxuation in weather is killing my wife, who has several different ailments and her physical the****** who has been the only one who can help her moved to san francisco. this up and down missouri weather is taking a lot out of her. we are small town folks who do not really want to live in a big city, and really really the further out the better. My wife has never moved out of the small town in missouri and neither have my kids, so the more laid back the better. just need a safe place for my family with a good school. and a fun car scene would be a plus too, me and the kids have a couple of projects we are working and will continue to work on them. so any folks from norcal out there that can offer some suggestions on great northern california small towns, that would be great.
Can't say much about Northern Cali but would a dry climate suit your wife? I know there is a great deal of people moving to Arizona. If humidity is not a problem, then what about the Coast of the Carolina's? Absolutely beautiful and a fraction of the cost compared to Cali. The Outer Banks is actually one of the top 100 places to see in a lifetime. Wild Horses still roam the coast. I know I would love to relocate to the coast asap!!!
yeah, my wifes physical the****** is a big factor in all of this. otherwise we might definitely look into the carolinas. but thanks man.
Do you need to find a job ? No Cal has many beautiful small towns, but not many jobs. The problem with the most beautiful places is the economy can't suport all the people who want to live there. I'm not trying to discourage you, just clue you in that you need to bring it with you. California is expensive and the price goes up in beautiful small towns along the coast.
by the time we move i will be able to work from wherever. so no, job market i hope wont be a factor. a few "ifs" have to happen but that is what i am hoping for.
Seems like alot of my friends retired to the Placerville area from the SF Bay area. I'm going up there tomarow with my Dodge block to get it line bored by a guy that I know knows what he is doing. Pretty country there.
yep, that would be best since hopefully my wife can get treatment once or twice a month. but hey i am open to anything within 1-2 hours from san fran really.
California is an odd place to many people. It looks like it's wall-to-wall people, but it really is a couple of dense areas (Bay area, LA, San Diego, Sacto) and lots of nothing. The change from urban to rural is severe, and it's very rural as you go up the coast from the Bay, surviving mostly on tourists. Fort Bragg and Eureka/Arcata are the "big" cities and are really small cities. There's nothing just off the coast except mountains and then heat, which creates great agricultural towns that never see rain. Redding and Red Bluff are large and very hot in the summer, right on the eastern edge of the mountains. Drive out there and look around; it's the only way you will decide if there is something you like, because there is a lot of variation in price and community.
I lived in and around P'ville for about 20 years. Love it and that area and the prices are relatively low, but it is about 3 hours to San Fran from there (it's in the Sierra foothills, not the coast range) If you want to be north of SF, but not as pricey as the stuff nearest to the bay/coast, maybe Petaluma or Santa Rosa, or some of the smaller towns above there.
The "Gold Country" is on my list for a retirement spot. Google towns like Auburn, Lincoln, Jamestown and Sonora...anywhere half-way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe...
thanks already everyone for the feedback. yeah definitely going out to check it out, just wanted to narrow down my options a little and fins out as much as i could. like i said ten years in the same small town, so we tend to be pretty cautious.
Search....this has been covered before..... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37482
Nah, Charlotte's still cool. I just have a dream to live by water someday. Actually I am waiting for 31Whitey to sell me his house because form what I hear it sounds perfect. There is something about the ocean that draws me in. I am sure it's not just me by the housing prices along the water but I am working towards it man.
anywhere inland is gonna be small towns, I live about 5 hours east of the bay area, population of 7k with the next towns over, being around 600-1000 Probably want to be on the west side of the sierra's though. So you can get to frisco easier.
If north of San Francisco is where you and your family would like to settle down, check out these cities/towns: Sausalito, Marin, Santa Rosa, Bolinas, Napa, Sonoma, Petaluma, Yountville, Bodega Bay, Healdsburg, Clearlake, Ukiah. There are more, but these are all can remember off the top of my head. Good luck. Ruben
Northbay area, Sonoma county is nice, weather's great, and still somewhat affordable, for Calif. Sonoma County has a "greenbelt" law, so it can't be made into a freeway with city on both sides for miles-there must be a greenbelt preserved between cities-no building into the farm lands...kinda cool. If you want warm weather, the foothills, Auburn, Placerville etc. are great. I moved to Petaluma, about 30 miles North of SF, because it was a small, safe, quiet, boring little town, that reminded me of where I grew up-Auburn, CA...I keep threatening to move outta Calif. because of all the BS going on here, but where am I gonna go? Can't think of anyplace I want to live but here, and my family's been here for 230+ years, so I gotta stay...weather is awesome, and people are pretty nice, too...you could do worse! Good luck with your move...
You'll need to be close to the coast to get even temps. This leaves out the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, the Gold Country, the Sierras and the Sacramento valley. Example: Lompoc is pretty pleasant, Santa Ynez hot as hell. Ventura pleasant, Ojai 14 miles away, very hot in summer, cold in winter. Morro Bay pleasant, Atascadero 110 summer, 30 in winter. This is why the coast costs more. San Jose has worse traffic than Tokyo. Like high taxes and intrusive govt? Cali is the place for you! Like lametard politicians and bureaucrats? Cali is perfect!
I grew up in Sebastopol, a few miles west of Santa Rosa. Wonderful area. Pricy now, and too many people for me, but the weather was perfect, and it's a 20 min. drive to the coast. 60 mi. to SF. I missed it till I went back a few years ago. I got a little spoiled living here in Wa. state. Took 25 years but I got used to the winters here!
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