Best Small Town in California (San Diego, Oakland: home, schools, university)

[Sorcerer68]

San Luis Obispo is lovely. It has nice weather, a beautiful walkable downtown, close to the ocean and it's a college town. It's pretty and very clean. It won't be cheap by your standards.

[Sherbear59]

Check out Valley Springs, California

[greatbasinguide]

How about, a town. High School has 750 kids, no gangs, great sports teams, generally state champs in their division. Great restaurants, solid community involvement. Athletic outdoors oriented educated people. Lots to do outside. The best town in America to raise smart, fit, interesting kids, world class skiing, Tahoe nearby.

Truckee

[DallyCalifornia]

Hi, I hope my info is handy.

I was born and raised in California. 3rd generation Native I believe. I grew up in the same house from the time i was brought home from the hospital until I was 18. It was a very rural area in the mountains of Hemet, Ca. It was a little community called Sage. I loved it, still do. For some reason, dumb reason, my parents bought a vacation house in Montana, its a nice place to vacation, so then we decided we would like a little change just for the heck of it. Bad idea. Montana is very very cheap, but so are employment wages. Good place to visit, but never move here. We are very sorry we did and we miss California. Sage was always very cheap until they built a dam called Diamond Valley Lake, so then things went up. Its still not that bad, you can find a nice little home up there anywere from $235,000 and up. All of Sage has incredible views, views of two lakes from our old house. Lake Skinner and Diamond Valley. Also it looked down on about five different towns and you could see about six or seven different mountain ranges. On a really clear day we could even see the Ocean. The weather was nice, we could get about two or three days of snow usually in the winter and the marine layer never came up above us, we always looked down on it. It took us about fifteen minutes to get to Hemet (the closest town) and we were only about twenty five minutes from Temecula. Which is a nice town also. Hemet has a population of about 60,000. And Temecula is a little over 75,000 I believe. There are many little towns in southern California that I could refer to you. Ive traveled up and down all of California many times, I love California and I could even tell you about some nice towns in Central and Northern too! I am hoping to move to Santa Rosa area (up by San Francisco) within a year or so. I hear its expensive up there but I think most people that tell me that are just jealous, because ive been doing research on my own and finding some affordable places and you also make 25% more income there than here in Montana. So anyway, if you would like some more information from me just ask. Your more than welcome to ask. I love all of California and Im sure you will too. Dont let people tell you how bad it is there. Its not perfect, but I dont think there is a such thing as perfect anyway. Hope this helps. Good luck!!!

[DMenscha]

Don't mention the average daily low temp in the winter for Truckee

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by greatbasinguide

How about, a town. High School has 750 kids, no gangs, great sports teams, generally state champs in their division. Great restaurants, solid community involvement. Athletic outdoors oriented educated people. Lots to do outside. The best town in America to raise smart, fit, interesting kids, world class skiing, Tahoe nearby.

Truckee

my moms friend lives in truckee. she owns a jewelry/clothing shop in the downtown(if you wanna call it that) area. she sells lots of turquoise stuff.

[greatbasinguide]

#1. The average low is about 10, quite comfortable if you are active, days are almost always above freezing. Kids in Truckee wear sandals and tennies all winter, they won't wear heavy clothes, Kids grow up tough here,
snowed last night, temp at the athletic fields was about 50 when I picked up my daughter, she and the rest of the soccer team were in shorts and T shirts, The Cross Country team came running in from a run around Donner Lake, dressed similarly, an old friend rode up on her bicycle, gloves, long spandex and a knit hat her concession to the chill.

This is a town where the kids cannot be "cool" if they are not an athlete, they don't have to be great, just show heart. Goes for the girls too, the top scholars are also top athletes.

If you want your children to grow up smart, strong, fit, responsible, this is the town.

When he was young my son would wear his snowmobile suit when we sno mo'ed the 5 miles out to the highway, then would strip to shorts and a T shirt to go to school.

The weather is crisp and invigorating, Mark Twain said it would restore an Egyptian mummy to pristine health. Days are sunny and bright except during storms. A proper winter gets good snow storms, then the skies clear, and skiing happens.
Truckee is never as cold in the winter as Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota etc.
#2. Jessemh, there are a number of stores like that down town, sounds like the White Buffalo, their kids are friends with our kids. Most Truckeeites don't go downtown, too expensive, I have not been downtown since the town put in parking meters, except to eat, and then I park in back of the diner where my family works part time.

[jessemh431]

White Buffalo. I think thats it. Is the mother named Donna, the father Jerry, and the kids Spencer, and...omg i feel so bad right now...i forgot the daughters name...omg omg omg...i feel so bad.

[greatbasinguide]

That is right, Spencer skied on the Middle School Cross Country ski race team with my older daughter. It is a very nice shop, lots of cool indian type stuff.

[flpelle]

I have been away from the computer for a while. Great posts..thanks to all and greetings from TN. How about Tulare?? I have not seen that mentioned does it fit the profile of a qulaity of life, small town/Mayberry with friendly people and a few things to do. It appears that it is an agricultural area, but is land available for horses?