Moving from Sacramento area back to the coast. WE HATE IT HERE! (Los Angeles: rentals, how much)

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

What does the Alaska ferry terminal have to do with it? Most of the ferry route is through inland waters, it doesn't go on the coast much at all. Look at a map and see where Bellingham is.

Having passed through there many times when I lived in Washington, I know perfectly well where Bellingham is. It's on Bellingham Bay, which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. Which makes it "coastal" as far as I'm concerned.

Or are Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Oakland, Boston, New York, etc. not "coastal" cities either because they lack direct frontage on their respective oceans?

[BodegaHead]

I just realized after my reply that you stated from ft Bragg north but in reality the pay & lack of jobs will probably be tough even though it is cheaper than half moon bay. I would recommend eureka or arcata cause it still feels like California for the most part, you could find some kind of work if you hustled & its got a lower cost of living. I feel a lot of the Oregon coast & the whole Mendocino coast has very little opportunity. I don't know what you do for work but just like the housing budget I would check craigslist frombft Bragg up to the Oregon coast & see what jobs there are & what they pay vs housing costs. That may be your best bet so you don't get stranded or move for nothing.

[freepelican]

Originally Posted by pch1013

Having passed through there many times when I lived in Washington, I know perfectly well where Bellingham is. It's on Bellingham Bay, which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. Which makes it "coastal" as far as I'm concerned.

Or are Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Oakland, Boston, New York, etc. not "coastal" cities either because they lack direct frontage on their respective oceans?

I would have to disagree with this. Yes, it is on Bellingham Bay but it is far inland and far more protected than other bays which are relatively exposed like Monterey Bay or Morro Bay or Half Moon Bay. Protected by Vancouver Island and by the San Juans/Lummi/etc... plus a far distance from the outer ocean. The edge of the water there is nowhere near like the coast, i.e. no crashing waves/surf/big broad long stretches of beach/frequently windy/fairly frequently high winds/gusts/ocean storms coming in/etc. Most of the time, it is like being at the edge of a big lake. Pretty but not the same feel as coastal at all. On the rare days a storm hits just right (usually in winter) and there is a "lap" along the edge of the water, the locals there make jokes about being on the coast... or on the "real ocean" or having a "real beach" and they rush out with their cameras to take pics because it is a rare event.... and even this would be very tame compared to the actual coast. No one living in Bellingham would refer to it as coastal, the same as no one living in Seattle would either.

[freepelican]

One other thing... the air is not at all the same... salty coastal air... relatively clean and fresh off the ocean has a distinctive smell and feel... not at all the same in Bellingham... in fact, most of the Puget Sound area has air quality issues... certainly nothing like the outer coast.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by pch1013

Having passed through there many times when I lived in Washington, I know perfectly well where Bellingham is. It's on Bellingham Bay, which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. Which makes it "coastal" as far as I'm concerned.

Or are Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Oakland, Boston, New York, etc. not "coastal" cities either because they lack direct frontage on their respective oceans?

Seattle and Vancouver are not at all coastal. They're located on inland waters, not on the ocean. They're significantly farther inland than Oakland is from the CA coast.

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Seattle and Vancouver are not at all coastal. They're located on inland waters, not on the ocean.

That -- along with the clean air thing (does LA's smog means it's "not coastal"?) -- seems a highly arbitrary definition of what "coastal" is, but this is not the place to revive the endless "is Seattle on the coast?" debate.

[BodegaHead]

Well all arguments aside, if the original poster ever comes back. What are you looking for? An apartment, cottage, house,studio???? I assume something with 2 bd. for you & your daughter. I looked around on Craigslist for a minute & the Monterey/Carmel area & surrounding places like Marina are def. cheaper than Half Moon Bay or anywhere on the coast here. Eureka/Arcata was a lot cheaper but then you have to deal with being hours away from civilization & family.

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by beachdeni

we just can't handle the dryness and extreme heat. we actually live in Placerville

You can of course have any opinion you want, but I've lived in the Gold Country. Its about five to ten degrees cooler than the valley in the summer and definitely gets cool at night (almost chilly in the early morning hours even in July and August). Plus its beautiful. Any year other than this past year its also fairly wet - most places in that area get 30+ inches of rain a year.

Basically, its not that dry and definitely not "extreme heat". I've lived not only there, but in the San Joaquin and Sacto Valleys and spent 11 years in Monterey and Salinas. Its really not that hard to get used to any climate in Central and Northern California. I absolutely despised the gray gloom on the coast the first couple summers, but then I acclimated to it. You might want to give yourself a little time - Placerville and El Dorado County are not hellholes. The climate is pretty benign compared to the vast majority of the US (and insisting that you can only live in a narrow coastal strip in California and no where else is kind of sad).

[beachdeni]

Originally Posted by BodegaHead

Well all arguments aside, if the original poster ever comes back. What are you looking for? An apartment, cottage, house,studio???? I assume something with 2 bd. for you & your daughter. I looked around on Craigslist for a minute & the Monterey/Carmel area & surrounding places like Marina are def. cheaper than Half Moon Bay or anywhere on the coast here. Eureka/Arcata was a lot cheaper but then you have to deal with being hours away from civilization & family.

I'm still here, reading everyone's arguments haha. We're looking for a house preferably 2+ bedrooms, not connected to anybody (we have that problem now) and in a decent neighborhood. We would love to live in Monterey or Carmel, I just don't think we could afford it. We really want to makes sure we make the right decision and not have to move again. Thanks for your help.

[beachdeni]

Originally Posted by BeauCharles

You can of course have any opinion you want, but I've lived in the Gold Country. Its about five to ten degrees cooler than the valley in the summer and definitely gets cool at night (almost chilly in the early morning hours even in July and August). Plus its beautiful. Any year other than this past year its also fairly wet - most places in that area get 30+ inches of rain a year.

Basically, its not that dry and definitely not "extreme heat". I've lived not only there, but in the San Joaquin and Sacto Valleys and spent 11 years in Monterey and Salinas. Its really not that hard to get used to any climate in Central and Northern California. I absolutely despised the gray gloom on the coast the first couple summers, but then I acclimated to it. You might want to give yourself a little time - Placerville and El Dorado County are not hellholes. The climate is pretty benign compared to the vast majority of the US (and insisting that you can only live in a narrow coastal strip in California and no where else is kind of sad).

oh we LOVE the gray gloom and fog! I lived on the coast for 30+ years and my daughter all her life, so I'd hope you'd understand why we want to go back. We've lived in placerville coming up on 3 years, we've given it time, it's just not the place for us. our favorite time here is when it snowed and it was nice and cold!