Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 11-24-2007, 09:09 AM
 
Location: PV next to tha OP
14 posts, read 326,615 times
Reputation: 23

Advertisements

hola

i have lived in kansas nearly all my life and i'm tired of the freezing winters and backwards people. i spent a month in LA this fall and decided i'm a small-town kinda guy who doesn't want to put up with neverending traffic and high-priced rent for the privilege of rubbing elbows with hollywood. i loved the weather, though, and the "do your own thing and nobody cares" attitude that contrasted with the expected conformity back in the KS. so my question is: where can i find a place in california that combines my likes of that state with an affordable smaller town (under 200,000 preferably, don't mind living in one-horse towns) and laid-back pace that are the part of kansas i do like?

ideally, i would be in or near a 4-year college town, probably in the northern half of the central valley (because i hear the southern half has terrible air quality). i hate cold weather, but i'm used to 100+ summers, so redding wouldn't be out of the question, though sex offenders are not my choice for neighbors. not having a degree, i would be working at blockbuster or something, so i would need a place that i could rent a 1 bed/ 1 bath for in the $600 or so range that would let me bring my cats. the college is necessary so i can take night classes to get my degree. i don't want to live in the mountains because i don't like dealing with snow and sub-freezing temps on a daily basis for months on end, but within 3 hours or so wouldn't be bad 'cause i do like to snowboard. thanks in advance for your help.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 11-24-2007, 11:42 AM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,628 posts, read 67,146,871 times
Reputation: 21164
The inland areas of NorCal have terrible air quality too. Unfortunately that's a problem that plagues most of the state.

That said,
After reading your criteria, I would recommend Davis or Chico. Davis is in the Sacramento Area but its separated from the rest of the Metro Area by a huge flood plain(Davis is about 10 Miles from Sacramento). Its also on the way to San Francisco but surrounded by farms in that direction. So basically you feel all by yourself even though there are 2 Million to the east and 7 Million people to the west(LOL). This sense of being isolated(even though you arent) probably isnt ever going to change with Davis' very strict zoning and development laws-the end product is a very pleasant and enviornmentally prudent town.

The city's downtown area is very charming and has a lot of character. Its also pretty lively with scores of restaurants and local shops and I dont think you'd really need a car in town as everything seems pretty walkable. The town is served Amtrack Commuter Service that can take you to SF when you dont want to deal with traffic(which can be awful but the City is only 75 miles away which is great)

Also, UC Davis is a great school.

My 2 cents.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2007, 12:17 PM
 
Location: Boise, ID
1,356 posts, read 6,012,433 times
Reputation: 944
Try a small town near Fresno. The winters are mild, the summers are hot. The air quality can get bad. But you would be near Fresno State. I moved to Hanford from Houston TX and found it to be more laid back in some respects and less so in others. I guess it matters what you want to be laid back about. If you are laid back about being on time then California might be for you.

But seriously, Hanford and Lemoore are overall laid back. The rents are probably cheap and because Lemoore has a Naval Air Station there are people moving in and out so you are not the new person forever.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2007, 01:02 PM
 
259 posts, read 1,914,692 times
Reputation: 123
Try Paradise...a small quaint sort of "little known secret" in Cali...i'm not sure of the expense though...worth looking into..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2007, 01:10 PM
 
Location: Pacific Northwest
142 posts, read 576,895 times
Reputation: 99
I agree, Paradise or Davis....
both are quaint and charming
and small and 'isolated' feeling,
near colleges.

Am so glad you are
taking your cats with you.
I am sure you will find a
safe and quiet place for them
and for you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-25-2007, 03:21 AM
 
Location: Tijuana Exurbs
4,525 posts, read 12,335,875 times
Reputation: 6268
I agree with the other posters that Davis, Chico, Paradise are all your best bets. I obviously don't know your scholastic record, but just a word of caution, UC Davis does require some pretty decent grades to get into. Chico State is a safer bet for admittance.

However, if for some reason those cities don't work out, you could try Red Bluff and drive to Chico State. Yes, it's an hour, but I bet you anything there are other Red Bluffers doing the same commute to school while still living with their parents so you might find a carpool. Also, Red Bluff has remained essentially unchanged for decades, so if you want old time small town living this might be the place.

And finally, if none of these places work, go with Redding. There is a public 2 year college and a private 4 year college to which you could transfer. Or failing that, (say for cost reasons) you may also find some Reddingites doing the commute to Chico State. That will be a harder thing to find than in Red Bluff, but there are people doing it. Usually they are older students with families and jobs which require them to remain living in Redding while doing a Saturday, or one or two day a week classroom marathon.

Clearly, my suggestions aren't your first bet, but they are reasonable fallback positions.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-25-2007, 08:10 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,420,217 times
Reputation: 17827
You might like this too:

Humboldt State University
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-26-2007, 12:11 PM
 
Location: Whiteville Tennessee
8,262 posts, read 18,422,630 times
Reputation: 10148
How about the San luis Obispo area? Clean air. Cal Poly Univ. The rents get less as you move to the suburbs. Weather is perfect. Ladies are FINE!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-27-2007, 02:37 PM
 
Location: Northern California
3,719 posts, read 14,671,024 times
Reputation: 1962
Check out Davis or Woodland. Both are out in the country surrounded mostly by farms on flat land that will remind you of Kansas. Woodland has a community college and of course there is UC Davis. Both towns are about 2 hours away from Lake Tahoe/Reno and the ski areas to the east and San Francisco to the west. The Napa/Sonoma wine country is an hour away to the west. Winters can be foggy with daytime temps in the hi 40's to low 50's. In the summer, the temps are in the high 90's to low 100's.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top