Best place to live in CA

[Krispytopher]

You do not want Oakhurst or Coarsegold, you want Clovis. Clovis has tons of bike trails and is less than an hour drive from several great hiking locations. There is no snow but you will see snow covered mountains to the east.

[Iluvbiking]

I'm from minnesota and thinking about moving to eureka ca. I'm a female 55 divorced need a new life. What does anyone think? Minnesota is beautiful?

[Tired of Chicagoland]

Thanks for all the great input guys! Simi Valley looks to be a touch out of reach for us. Oakhurst and Mariposa county looks absolutely beautiful but is a bit to rural for us. California City looks a bit to AZ to me. I really like the looks of Clovis it does have some great schools, some brand new construction beautiful nicely sized homes within my price range as well. I have always heard that Fresno and Bakersfield are more reasonably priced areas to live in however they have bad air quality issues, crime and an all around unappealing appearance. The pictures I have come across on Clovis are very nice looking. Are there any people that actually live in or near these areas that have any good first hand info they Can give?

We actually went out and visited the Roseville area in east Sacramento. The city itself is nice but it felt like just another Chicago suburb and the are was very flat with not much scenery. We took a day trip over to napa, sonoma and san fran and that was more the scenery we were enjoying.

And yes Mbell75 it is scary to think that I am escaping to cali to enjoy tax relief..lol For comparative purposes for you all. I have a 11 yr old house worth maybe 200k 1600 sq foot, 3 bed 2.2 bath, on a 8200sq foot lot. My real estate taxes are 6400 a yr. We have high state taxes (5%), local sales tax where I live is 7% however it varies from county to county and city to city up to 10%.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Iluvbiking

I'm from minnesota and thinking about moving to eureka ca. I'm a female 55 divorced need a new life. What does anyone think? Minnesota is beautiful?

Please help w/current Eureka/Arcata info re:schools, neighborhood, etc.
Not quite paradise ... (Eureka area)
More Eureka CA Questions: Cable, Internet, Utilities, Parks, etc
Questions About Eureka Neighborhoods
Eureka - Samoa Peninsula Questions

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Tired of Chicagoland

I have a 11 yr old house worth maybe 200k 1600 sq foot, 3 bed 2.2 bath, on a 8200sq foot lot. My real estate taxes are 6400 a yr. We have high state taxes (5%), local sales tax where I live is 7% however it varies from county to county and city to city up to 10%.

If you can pay that much, maybe you can afford to up your home buying price

Tip: don't use the term "Cali."
Referring to California as "Cali"

[Adriatica]

Originally Posted by Tired of Chicagoland

I really like the looks of Clovis it does have some great schools, some brand new construction beautiful nicely sized homes within my price range as well. I have always heard that Fresno and Bakersfield are more reasonably priced areas to live in however they have bad air quality issues, crime and an all around unappealing appearance. The pictures I have come across on Clovis are very nice looking. Are there any people that actually live in or near these areas that have any good first hand info they Can give?

Clovis could be a good option. There are lots of attractive areas and neighborhoods in Clovis and in Northeast Fresno. Air quality is bad in the area. Crime can be bad in some parts of both Clovis and Fresno, but there are lots of areas that are very safe as well. There is a huge Kaiser Hospital in Fresno and various Kaiser offices in both Fresno and in Clovis. There are a lot of other medical employers in the area, too, like the Community Hospital system and Saint Agnes Medical Center. Clovis Unified (which covers Clovis and parts of Northeast Fresno) is a good school district. It's a family-friendly area for sure. The northeast part of Clovis is near some nice rolling foothills (you might look into Harlan Ranch to see what's available there) and the northeast part of Fresno is also near the foothills, the San Joaquin River, and Millerton Lake (look into Copper River Ranch (newer development) and Woodward Lake (older development) to get a feel for this part of town).

[dexter14]

Originally Posted by Tired of Chicagoland

Thanks for all the great input guys! Simi Valley looks to be a touch out of reach for us. Oakhurst and Mariposa county looks absolutely beautiful but is a bit to rural for us. California City looks a bit to AZ to me. I really like the looks of Clovis it does have some great schools, some brand new construction beautiful nicely sized homes within my price range as well. I have always heard that Fresno and Bakersfield are more reasonably priced areas to live in however they have bad air quality issues, crime and an all around unappealing appearance. The pictures I have come across on Clovis are very nice looking. Are there any people that actually live in or near these areas that have any good first hand info they Can give?

We actually went out and visited the Roseville area in east Sacramento. The city itself is nice but it felt like just another Chicago suburb and the are was very flat with not much scenery. We took a day trip over to napa, sonoma and san fran and that was more the scenery we were enjoying.

And yes Mbell75 it is scary to think that I am escaping to cali to enjoy tax relief..lol For comparative purposes for you all. I have a 11 yr old house worth maybe 200k 1600 sq foot, 3 bed 2.2 bath, on a 8200sq foot lot. My real estate taxes are 6400 a yr. We have high state taxes (5%), local sales tax where I live is 7% however it varies from county to county and city to city up to 10%.

You should seriously consider Salt Lake City. Price range you are looking for, big enough city but not too big, all 4 seasons but much less snow than Chicago, much cheaper rent and taxes than CA. Not to mention its got that great air quality you are after and schools seem to be good. Don't think Ive ever seen such a clean and beautiful city. Look in the Bountiful area.

[HSP1161]

Tehachapi would work. Commute to Bakersfield for Kaiser.

[Tired of Chicagoland]

Adriatica thank you for the info! I will look into all those areas as well. Its basically going to come down to which areas are currently hiring for an ophthalmic tech for my wifes employment. I will try to get something after we pin point an area down.

Salt lake city was a brief stop on my looking for a new home expeidition, however it snows more there than Chicago and is just as cold. I am seeking sunshine for year round activities and no more snow to deal with, and comfortable humidity levels. When narrowing that all down CA is the only one that fits the bill. I was looking heavily into Portland, Eugene ares in OR but they average 260 cloudy days a year which I think will be just too gloomy. That is how Chicago is from Nov-March, cloudy, dreary, cold and snowy.