FERNDALE, CA - flirting with moving there from the East Coast. Please fill me in on all the goods and bads. (Bell: homes)

[westcoastfreak]

Just simply to rent a pad for a year or two before making any further commitment. After any kind of work that'll simply pay the bills and then some. Finish a writing novel while living there. I do indeed love Humboldt County. Kind of in love with Honeydew as well. Nothin like chilling out on the front porch of that general store at the bottom of the mountain having a cold Sierra Nevada on a sunny day and then riding through the golden terrain on your way to the Lost Coast. However, I don't think there's exactly any apartments to rent in the Mattole region yet alone a whole lot of people all around you with a whole lot of places to go within walking distance. Just a place to take a nice drive out to and hike around a bit. This is where the Ferndale idea comes into play - right within range of what all Humboldt has to offer without being in too large of a town. Being a hop and skip from the Pacific certainly a plus as well. I will not be 'devastated' with any negative comments; all advice against me doing this is not only welcome, but almost demanded out of me. It's probably all talk from me anyway. It's just that I've already traveled to the west coast and back twice, lived out there once for a year (Bellingham Wa), and the itch is kindof back. The free, wanderlust spirit in me would simply like to try something else for a bit. Perhaps northern Cali this time; and Ferndale seems to be calling out the loudest. Fill me in, all of you truly in the know. Thanks.

[TheDragonslayer]

Ferndale is beautiful and very old fashioned in spirit. All the victorian homes, church's and businesses are a sight to see. Most of the surrounding country side is dairy or agriculture. The Eel river is not too far and Centerville beach is close by. If you have been to the Mattole and Honeydew then you have seen the gorgeous lost coast. I do not know about apartments in Ferndale, but Fortuna is close by and so is Loleta. In case you did not know this, the movie Majestic with Jim Carey was filmed in Ferndale.

[Fortaz]

Maybe you have it in your head to move there because you lived near Ferndale, WA. I was living in Bellingham for a year and recently passed thru Ferndale, CA and found it funny that it seemed very similar to Ferndale, WA with the dairy industry and all. I had looked into moving to the Eureka area but decided against it because there seemed to be a lack of decent paying jobs. Thats about all I know of the area!

[westcoastfreak]

To the first reply, I did not see 'Majestic' (guess I'll check it out) and to the second one - I have been to Ferndale WA, yes there are farms nearby like the Cali version, but that would have to be where the similarities end. Not necessarily as different as Camden NJ is from Camden Maine, but different nonetheless.

Thanks for the replies!

[westcoastfreak]

Can anyone else offer more feedback?

[humboldtlove]

ferndale,ca is beautiful. great schools in the area too. its close to the redwood forrests and the beautiful lost coast. i live there and will never move.

[westcoastfreak]

___________bump

[eureka1]

Have to disagree about the schools. Ferndale schools have a poor reputation. The town (pop. 1400) can be quite narrowminded. Check out the Times-Standard online 4 or 5 days ago to read about how Ferndale wouldn't grant a biz permit to a reputable therapist, apparently due to homophobia. Hobart Brown. who was pretty much singlehandedly responsible for any reputation Ferndale has in the arts, just passed away, so it's a town in transition. Pretty, though. Good luck!

[mike0421]

I hope to retire to Ferndale someday. I've been all around the country, and Ferndale is my favorite small town in the United States. It has an aura of Americana to it that has largely passed the majority of the country by. You notice how I say retire: I think in order to make a living here, you are going to have to work for the timber industry or tourism.

[orange8]

Originally Posted by eureka1

Have to disagree about the schools. Ferndale schools have a poor reputation. The town (pop. 1400) can be quite narrowminded. Check out the Times-Standard online 4 or 5 days ago to read about how Ferndale wouldn't grant a biz permit to a reputable therapist, apparently due to homophobia. Hobart Brown. who was pretty much singlehandedly responsible for any reputation Ferndale has in the arts, just passed away, so it's a town in transition. Pretty, though. Good luck!

Any thoughts on Eureka itself? Safety is a big issue - what's the crime like up there?