Art Towns in Northern CA? (Santa Rosa, Chico: university, incomes, living in)

[iriegirl]

Hello, I am an artist living in NJ, and interested in moving to northern CA.
Does anyone know of any artsy towns with affordable housing and not too much rain?thanks in advance!

[grimstuff]

The town of Mendocino, just south of Ft. Bragg is a very artsy community with writers, musicians, and painters. However, it is by no means "affordable." There are more little towns along the coast that are small, quiet, and perfect for artists who need time and space to produce work... try Point Reyes (maybe even Inverness), Gualala, Point Arena, and Ft. Bragg, although its one of the bigger towns south of Eureka. Farther north, check out Fortuna, although its more of a tourist place with nice B&B's rather than artsy. Eureka is a nice town, probably the most affordable, and the largest on the Northern CA coast, so more chances to network, etc.

[grimstuff]

Oh, also try Crescent City. Its very small, secluded, and probably one of the more affordabe coastals up there.

[iriegirl]

Thank you so much grimstuff for taking the time to answer.
I will look up the towns you have recommended, and this winter we are going on an extended trip to CA ,AZ, NM, NV,and Idaho.
irie

[gringo istmeño]

Iriegirl- you probably would want to check out Arcata, about 6 minutes north of Eureka- there is a lot of art and artists, and with a name like Iriegirl, I think you`d fit right in. I graduated from Humboldt State University there in Arcata- it is a cool town.

[enlightenme]

Sebastpol near Santa Rosa is also pretty cool, artsy and liberal. You kind of just have to take the word affordable out of the equation if you want to live somewhere decent in CA.

[deeptrance]

Amen to the comment about Sebastopol. That whole area, western Sonoma County, is very hip and artsy, but there are some affordable areas in the Russian River area. Depends on what is "affordable" to you, though. And as for rain, well, the farther north you are the more rain you'll get. A lot of the cheaper places (like on the Russian River) are cheaper because they're buried in redwoods and even when it's not raining it's still extremely damp.

Note --- do not pay attention to annual rain totals! Pay attention to how many days it's rainy. Big difference! For example, I live in Austin TX where we get the same amount of rain as some areas around Seattle, but their rain is constant and light, whereas we get our rain in big bunches and then have lots of sun and partly cloudy days mixed in. The coastal areas of the northwest are really cold and gloomy half the year. Might not have impressive rain totals but you won't see the sun for a month at a time in places like Arcata or Crescrent City. Look at their average high temps, it's ridiculous! Crescent City rarely gets up to 70 degrees!!!!

I would look into Garberville, Willits, Boonville and Laytonville. They're all inland in the Humboldt-Mendocino area and they're remote enough to be less expensive. Also, there are lots of (ahem) farmers there with lots of cash to burn (ahem) and they provide opportunities for artists to make a living, extra work, etc. I'm NOT advocating doing anything illegal! Just telling you the truth about the area. The DEA would like you to think that they have successfully wiped out that industry but all they've done is make the farmers smarter.

If you can tolerate intensely hot summers, want more sunshine, and don't need to be anywhere near the coast, then you can find much more affordable places. Try Chico, Paradise, Quincy, the Shasta area, etc. Thing about those areas is, you're going to have a strange mix (clash!) of hippies and rednecks, it can feel kinda strange. And if you leave the hipper towns then all you get is the redneck side of life.

[grimstuff]

I would look into Garberville, Willits, Boonville and Laytonville. They're all inland in the Humboldt-Mendocino area and they're remote enough to be less expensive. Also, there are lots of (ahem) farmers there with lots of cash to burn (ahem) and they provide opportunities for artists to make a living, extra work, etc. I'm NOT advocating doing anything illegal! Just telling you the truth about the area. The DEA would like you to think that they have successfully wiped out that industry but all they've done is make the farmers smarter.

The DEA in Mendocino County has openly stated he will not prosecute small-time marijuana growers, which has lead to a rennaisance of the weed industry in this area.
Back on topic, I wouldn't give Iriegirl the impression that Laytonville, Garberville, Booneville, or Willits are hip. I grew up in Ukiah, I know these places very well. None of them are hip. They are pathetically non-hip, in my opinion, with disenfranchised old hippies and rednecks united in their common goal of "sticking it to the man" and making millions growing pot. Their money would not be spent on art, but rather on Ford F350's, jet boats, and other toys quickly trashed in the frenzy of new-found wealth.

Booneville has a little less of this than the other towns, but if you don't have anything to do with the wine industry there (best wines in the State IMO) or otherwise catering to the wine-tourists, you're out of luck if you need an income.

[deeptrance]

grimster ---- I respectfully disagree with part of your take. I'm quite familiar with the industry and know several artists who live way out on dirt roads in Humboldt. They do tend to "supplement their incomes" but the way you portray it is far worse than it really is.

On the other hand, I agree that it's not a place I'd want to live either, I don't care for the intensity of the hippie/redneck mix, but that has improved over the years and there's a lot more to the area than just logging, growing, and sticking it to the man. And consider the user name of the person who started this thread, "iriegirl" --- sounds pretty Humboldt-friendly to me.

[grimstuff]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

grimster ---- I respectfully disagree with part of your take. I'm quite familiar with the industry and know several artists who live way out on dirt roads in Humboldt. They do tend to "supplement their incomes" but the way you portray it is far worse than it really is.

On the other hand, I agree that it's not a place I'd want to live either, I don't care for the intensity of the hippie/redneck mix, but that has improved over the years and there's a lot more to the area than just logging, growing, and sticking it to the man. And consider the user name of the person who started this thread, "iriegirl" --- sounds pretty Humboldt-friendly to me.

Maybe I'm just prejudiced against the whole area since I grew up there and saw it from different angles (not Humboldt, I'm speaking of Mendocino County - the cities which you mentioned). I am aware of the type of artists which you speak of, but I wouldn't say they are professional artists who are really making it. More like artsy-type hippies. I just think it would be better to be able to live an area with more networking and tangible connections to various art industries. Anyway, I probably am being negative about it all, so I'll sign off.