Best Small Town in California (San Francisco, Santa Rosa: vacation, income, employment)

[flpelle]

My definition of small is under 100 ,000 people and not a suburb, Ideally near a college,with some entertainment like the occassional festival...a nice place for kids and horses...low crime and little traffic peferably in no. ca.

Now I live in tn in a rural location in tn surrounded by much open space. I have always dreamed on living in california. but the reality of the dream is in danger.

I see discouraging obstacles...very high prices even in the towns mentioned above relative to the going rate here. It seems that the low cost areas in Ca are generally riddened with social problems in some of the larger areas like Fresno or Bakersfield.

Like many I only wish I had bought a home 25 years ago....everything I see is out of range.

[eddierosenthal]

Sounds like you are ready for adventure. Why not leave the nest -or if not too radical then rent or sell your home - fly to CA and rent a car and drive thru california looking at small towns mentioned here or places you've heard about. No doubt you will hear more about towns as you make new friends and question people along the way. According to statistics desert is the most affordable, with highly urbanized the most expensive. You can buy land near a town you like and put up a really nice manufactured home with cathedral ceilings and do well that way. Bring some Southern Hospitality with you, we could learn a little from that. Smaller towns have their own unique blend of culture and gradients in open-ness. I'd test each one out before making a decision.

[sollasoluuu29]

[quote=humboldtrat;1351376]Can you be more specific? Do you want to live in the mountains, on the coast or in the desert?? Do you want to avoid snow?
Frankly, you might be better off staying in Tennessee. Everything here is expensive. There are lots of Californians heading for TN, AR, KY, the Carolinas, etc.[/quo the state that costs the lowest in cost ofliving taxes is North dakota or a place where no one is a very low populated town that is not really have high valued houses but it is safe to live is Lignite North Dakota not california I have searched california and fla there is no where safe in either state the i have lived in North Dakota cold yes but there is the heat you will pay for instead of the airconditing in ca northern california is really nice maybe you can find small dafe towns there on border of oregon but my favorite so far is lignite North Dakota that is where the whole some people are im tired of rude clerks in walmart and very organized the shelves are so clean and organized when you step in a burger king or mcdonalds here in Minot North Dakota it is so clean there Are no rats no cocaroaches i havent seen either for 10 years . it is so safe here you can take a walk in the middle of the night and there a re so many country rural areas you can live in country and the taxes are cheaper i think im staying here . I go out every day in winter have you ever heard of furnaces jackets its is worth to live here and therea re jobs teaching police work all types Minot is a bigger town and even Bismark is nice you should check out North Dakota because there is no where in califorina that is nice . I heard of clear lake by oregon and mariettA CA but i dont know about t hose towns you might drive out of the town into another town of gangsters or turn out of the town make a wrong turn and be scared here you can take a wrong turn and any one will stop[ and help you you wouldnt want any one to stop and help you in Ca stay there in tenn because i have been thinking tenn because its nottoo cold not too much snow and tell me about smallest nicest whole some people there i might have to move but ill stay here . where are the taxes low in tenn? or move to North dakota

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by flpelle

My definition of small is under 100 ,000 people and not a suburb, Ideally near a college,with some entertainment like the occassional festival...a nice place for kids and horses...low crime and little traffic peferably in no. ca.

Now I live in tn in a rural location in tn surrounded by much open space. I have always dreamed on living in california. but the reality of the dream is in danger.

I see discouraging obstacles...very high prices even in the towns mentioned above relative to the going rate here. It seems that the low cost areas in Ca are generally riddened with social problems in some of the larger areas like Fresno or Bakersfield.

Like many I only wish I had bought a home 25 years ago....everything I see is out of range.

If you were looking for something in the southern/central California area, the mountain communities around Bakersfield might be to your liking. To the east of Bakersfield are the communities of Kernville, Lake Isabella, and Wofford Heights, all near Lake Isabella. A little further south is the Walker Basin/Twin Oaks area. Even further south are Tehachapi, Hart Flats, Keene, and Caliente. South of Bakersfield are Lebec, Frazier Park, Gorman, Lockwood Valley, and Pine Mountain Club. Most of these places are less expensive than the bigger cities nearby.

Most of these areas have some horse property on acreage, some very small homes on small lots, and a bit in between. None of these communities is very large, but each is less than an hour from Bakersfield, with maybe one or two exceptions. Many of these areas have annual festivals of some sort. Several have medical facilities, but mostly just clinics. Most have restaurants, but the choices are limited. I can't think of any of them that have colleges, though Tehachapi may have one. The areas that I mentioned that are south of Bakersfield are actually centrally located between Bakersfield, Lancaster, and Santa Clarita, which is a bedroom community suburb of Los Angeles. Each of those places has malls, hospitals, colleges, and much more.

[tennesseedreamin]

Originally Posted by flpelle

I am interested in retiring to a safe, open-minded, and less costly small town in California. Coming from Tennessee where it is cheap will be a shock. Ideally, I would like to own 5 acres and be in a friendly place.
A few nice restaurants, access to decent doctors, and affordable housing is key.
Does that exist anywhere in this great state?

I live in Hemet Ca, it's not exactly "small" but it's nicer than a lot of Ca towns I've lived in. It's funny, I've lived here all my life and long to move to Tn and you want to come here. Too bad I don't own some sort of property here, we could swap... that is if you had property too... just daydreamin. Good luck!

[CAtoGA]

You don't mention employment. Is that an issue? If so, it would have a huge bearing on what would work for you.

As someone who is looking to get out of CA and into TN, I've done a lot of researching of property costs back there. If you have a lot of equity in your home and a high prospect of income you might be able to scrape up a down payment on something here in CA.

Best of luck in your search.

[prairie guy]

I'd add to the list the Chico area; it has a "college town" atmosphere, near mountains, and lots of cheap rural land, especially to the west. Fits the bill of an area of less than 100,000 people but still has good medical facilities and "open minded" area.....

But the posters offer many additional fine choices. Definitely take a tour of the areas if you can. My feeling is Humboldt County would best fit your needs, but cost will be highest...

Susanville/Quincy are nice but might be too isolated for you... Mt. Shasta City is a cute and progressive little town, but hospital might be small for what you want and you'll get snow...perhaps somewhere closer to Redding, such as Weaverville, as suggested before. I agree Bakersfield/Fresno areas might too big for what you want, but if you live in the foothills far from those cities it might work for you...

Knowing if you need employment does make a huge difference in making suggestions...

But come on out for a trip and check it out, I enjoyed many years of living in Calif., you just have to plan ahead as you are doing to make it work.

[tsultan]

Originally Posted by flpelle

I am interested in retiring to a safe, open-minded, and less costly small town in California. Coming from Tennessee where it is cheap will be a shock. Ideally, I would like to own 5 acres and be in a friendly place.
A few nice restaurants, access to decent doctors, and affordable housing is key.
Does that exist anywhere in this great state?

lots of properties for sale, 2 hours away is medford, oregon for great doctors, and Eureka, ca. is only 1 and a half hours away, for Doctors also, but you can come home to your little bedroom town by the ocean and mountains and rivers, in crescent city, ca. We have great restaurants also, Ship Ashore restaurant, the Grotto!!! Endless Beauty, we have fishing here to.. OCEAN OR RIVER!!

[eekwine]

California is a vast state as is the price range for property. If you tell us what you are able to afford then I think it will help with making suggestions. I live near what many consider to be a 'Mayberry' but the prices are very high. Friends who sold their new home on 10 acres with horse facilities here (high priced area) recently moved to Tennessee & bought 4 times the amount of land.

[DMenscha]

The house next door from me is for sale. The owners moved to Tennessee. Balance the world or we'll all go spinning off in space!

Mayberry is here BTW. only 2500 folks within a 5 mile radius. I'm not sure which sheriff got the bullet today.