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Old 01-02-2012, 09:51 PM
 
23 posts, read 44,160 times
Reputation: 43

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Quote:
Originally Posted by nullgeo View Post
Libby, I kinda hate to recommend places that I love (lest they get noticed too much) but I'm going to throw one at you based on what I've been reading here. And, dang it!, I've recommended it several times in the past couple years on this forum to select folks, hope there's still plenty of space left for me.

Healdsburg, that rich "small-town vibe" town mentioned earlier, is on a stretch of the Russian River north of the Bay area about an hour and a half at most (70 miles, I think it is)... and nice enough town itself, but expensive to rent/buy. Now then: go west along the river into the Russian River Canyons areas of Guerneville and Monte Rio. You will find this a very eclectic area, full of funky and diverse and friendly -- although you will find a bit of unsavory here and there, as well, as you will anywhere in the world. You'll also find relatively cheap housing to rent or buy -- IF you and your husband are flexible, handy, and truly live the "funky" you claim to kinda like. If you want nice, it's still gonna cost California prices, but not so bad as many other areas not as nice. Point is there are cost options still in good neighborhoods.

Trick in Russian River canyon area is to consider sunshine -- especially in winter. The area is heavy in forest, for one thing, which is beautiful (and lots of Huge redwoods!) but also can get pretty dark-ish ... also the steep canyons mean daylight gets cut out much of the day by hill shadows. Other than that, the summers are fairly hot but not scorching, winters are moderate (rarely cold -- mid-50's and a bit up most days) with cold frosty nights. Lots of rain comes in through the winter months but not continuously like up in Eureka and the Pacific NW -- with plenty of sun to go with (but you gotta get outta the canyon). You are also just a hop skip and jump via a beautiful 20 mile, 1/2 hour drive to actual seashore on the unparalleled Sonoma coast ... and very close to both Healdsburg and another knock-out little town:Sebastopol (which town I like even better than Healdsburg, though smaller). Bodega Bay is also fun, but tiny.

For a combination of access to seashore, great towns, and the big city, while remaining in the forests along a terrific river (forgot to mention the swimming and canoeing in the Russian River is 1st rate!), around a very eclectic community of people from sophisticated, to artsy, to lumberjack rednecks -- all at a wide -- and sometimes affordable -- price range, you can't beat Guerneville with a stick.

A lot more communities for your husband and you to find work. Not completely out of bounds to even drive all the way to Santa Rosa for employment if can't find closer.

(The area is fairly popular with the gay community, btw -- so forget it if you are homophobic ... not a gay town, but gay-visited openly, including an annual gay parade and celebration.)
Thank you - your post definitely peaked my interest! We're definitely not homophobic, so no problem there. Gonna put this area on my list of places to visit, for sure. Hoping to get out there in the spring for a visit with my friend, so perhaps then... Thanks again.
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Old 01-02-2012, 10:19 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
2,190 posts, read 6,835,918 times
Reputation: 2076
Quote:
Originally Posted by LostLittleLibby View Post
Thank you - your post definitely peaked my interest! We're definitely not homophobic, so no problem there. Gonna put this area on my list of places to visit, for sure. Hoping to get out there in the spring for a visit with my friend, so perhaps then... Thanks again.
Late spring if you can ... just to make sure (or as sure as one can be these days) the rain is over.
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Old 01-03-2012, 11:33 PM
 
Location: Under the Redwoods
3,751 posts, read 7,645,074 times
Reputation: 6115
Jaijai, you have misunderstood me.
I was not comparing cost of living between SC and SLO...was just saying that SLO is a bit more costly in general.

SC is warmer that Half Moon Bay most days. And as was said, warm in the summer. Most fog burns off by mid-morning and does not linger all day like HMB.
Close to SC is Aptos, which is inland so more sun. Going north more towards bigger cities is a plethora of places in Santa Clara county- however, again, there is the higher cost due to being right there next to Silicon Valley.

I guess a better way to determine what would work for the OP, would be to know their budget.
The house I am in is $1,300 a month (3 bdrm) - the same house in Santa Rosa would be $1,700, $2,000 in Santa Cruz.
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Old 01-04-2012, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
2,190 posts, read 6,835,918 times
Reputation: 2076
Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlKaMyst View Post
Jaijai, you have misunderstood me.
I was not comparing cost of living between SC and SLO...was just saying that SLO is a bit more costly in general.

SC is warmer that Half Moon Bay most days. And as was said, warm in the summer. Most fog burns off by mid-morning and does not linger all day like HMB.
Close to SC is Aptos, which is inland so more sun. Going north more towards bigger cities is a plethora of places in Santa Clara county- however, again, there is the higher cost due to being right there next to Silicon Valley.

I guess a better way to determine what would work for the OP, would be to know their budget.
The house I am in is $1,300 a month (3 bdrm) - the same house in Santa Rosa would be $1,700, $2,000 in Santa Cruz.
O.K.
But i'm going to correct you again.
Aptos is indeed on the coast although it certainly extends inland and beyond the "fog belt" (which, btw, is not a consistent thing) but coastal Aptos (that includes the downtown / "center") is typically one of the most foggy areas along the coast of S.C. county.
Fog often lingers all day in Aptos although it's changeable and every summer varies.
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