Another relocation thread. Looking for my rare unicorn. (Oakland, Fremont: for sale, 2014)

[Return2Paradise]

I'm fed up with the extreme summer heat, cold-ish winters, horrible traffic and overpopulation of my current location (Austin). I'd like to move back to California after a 20 year absence and I'm looking for what may be the impossible location.

Considerations-

Me: 45 year old male. Currently working as an Operations Manager for a software company. I'm a jack of all trades, willing to change careers, so I don't need a location with a strong tech industry.

The wife: 30 years old, currently working as an Administrative Assistant, but also has an elementary teaching degree.

No Kids, so schools aren't a factor.

Ideally, I would like to find a place where:

Temperatures do not get above 85 in the summer or below 40 in the winter.

Traffic is reasonable (Is there such a thing anymore?) with less than a 30 minute commute.

Population is below 225,000.

Unemployment is fairly low.

Rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is less than $1,000 per month.

I prefer a slower paced community. Walkability would be great, but not required. We rarely dine out, never do the nightlife scene and prefer spending time outdoors.

Ideally within 30 minutes of the beach.

So far, all of this seems like a fantasy, hence the unicorn reference, but I was hoping someone might have some suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[Ceece]

Salinas

[Ruth4Truth]

You'll have to give a little on the rent to get what you want. It is possible to get a 1-br. in Berkeley or Oakland for $950-$1000/month, but there will be stiff competition. You might have better luck in El Cerrito and Albany. If you go inland from the Bay, temps get warmer. Concord would be more affordable, but hotter in the summers.

If you're a mgr in tech, and your wife works, why are you skimping on the rent? You can afford a nicer place, say, around $1500. Fremont has slightly lower rents than Berkeley/Oakland, too. Right now isn't a good time to look at Craigslist, though, because students returning for Autumn Quarter have gobbled up most of the rentals. Try in a couple of months, to get a feel for the local market in the East Bay. Also check out the towns around Monterrey Bay: Monterrey, Santa Cruz & environs, Watsonville (cheaper rents, still cool weather by the ocean). There are other options along the NorCal coast north of the Bay.

[Hawk J]

You both might love Prunedale...

[pch1013]

Petaluma might work. You could commute to Marin if you had to -- there's almost always lots of traffic, but it's only 12 miles to Novato and another 15 to San Rafael -- and Marin has the lowest unemployment in the whole state. It gets a *bit* warm in the summer there, but on the other hand you'd be spared the nonstop gloom that plagues coastal areas in the summer.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Salinas

This is actually a really great idea. For safest neighborhood, search for "south Salinas" on Craigslist.

My daughter bought a house in South Salinas and worked in Monterey. Salinas has near perfect weather, IMO. Rents may be a bit higher than you'd like. But, I highly recommend you stick to South Salinas.

You might also find a decent place in Marina and Seaside. All three are more blue collar and can have some fairly gritty neighborhoods. Marina can be pretty foggy - seems to have it's own microclimate. Seaside is a bit sunnier.

Unemployment in the Monterey/Salinas area isn't horrible, but it's not great, either.

craigslist: monterey bay jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

Another idea, is Crescent City. It's much, much smaller, but on the ocean and right next to the redwood forest. Unemployment is fairly high. Temps definitely stay within your desires, but it can be foggy and cloudy and rainy. Kind of like living in Bellingham, WA, but without snow and ice :-)

Info for Crescent City rentals is on the Humboldt Craigslist site:

craigslist: humboldt county jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Return2Paradise

Me: 45 year old male. Currently working as an Operations Manager for a software company. I'm a jack of all trades, willing to change careers, so I don't need a location with a strong tech industry.The wife: 30 years old, currently working as an Administrative Assistant, but also has an elementary teaching degree.

Temperatures do not get above 85 in the summer or below 40 in the winter.
Traffic is reasonable (Is there such a thing anymore?) with less than a 30 minute commute.
Population is below 225,000.
Unemployment is fairly low.
Rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is less than $1,000 per month.
I prefer a slower paced community. Walkability would be great, but not required. We rarely dine out, never do the nightlife scene and prefer spending time outdoors.
Ideally within 30 minutes of the beach.

Check Ventura, Oxnard areas (has its own forum here). Has everything on your unicorn list.

Sample of rentals under $1K:
ventura apts/housing for rent - craigslist

Sample of jobs (alphabetical, but rotates so employers that start with "A" not always first to be read):
Links to Over 300 Employer Job Websites in Ventura County and Adjacent*Areas - Welcome! - Conejo Valley Guide

School systems for Ventura & Oxnard, but there are more USD's in the County:
Ventura Unified School District > Home
Jobs

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

This is actually a really great idea. For safest neighborhood, search for "south Salinas" on Craigslist.

My daughter bought a house in South Salinas and worked in Monterey. Salinas has near perfect weather, IMO. Rents may be a bit higher than you'd like. But, I highly recommend you stick to South Salinas.

You might also find a decent place in Marina and Seaside. All three are more blue collar and can have some fairly gritty neighborhoods. Marina can be pretty foggy - seems to have it's own microclimate. Seaside is a bit sunnier.

Unemployment in the Monterey/Salinas area isn't horrible, but it's not great, either.

craigslist: monterey bay jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

Another idea, is Crescent City. It's much, much smaller, but on the ocean and right next to the redwood forest. Unemployment is fairly high. Temps definitely stay within your desires, but it can be foggy and cloudy and rainy. Kind of like living in Bellingham, WA, but without snow and ice :-)

Info for Crescent City rentals is on the Humboldt Craigslist site:

craigslist: humboldt county jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

Sorry, but I am chuckling a bit over your recent interest in Crescent City. I know it's HOT in Redding, but, for a number of reasons, I'll be VERY surprised if you like Crescent City. At all. Even one teeny-weenie little bit. But you know I wish you well finding out

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Sorry, but I am chuckling a bit over your recent interest in Crescent City. I know it's HOT in Redding, but, for a number of reasons, I'll be VERY surprised if you like Crescent City. At all. Even one teeny-weenie little bit. But you know I wish you well finding out

Me, too. It's not a happy place, for many reasons. Not to mention, you'll be trading hot summers for the most dangerous earthquake and tsunami zone in the state:

"Against traditional thinking, it's not the San Andreas fault that could do the most damage to California. It's actually the Cascadia subduction zone. Now, scientists are trying to deliver a serious message to citizens: although the San Andreas fault is capable of producing The Big One, the Cascadia subduction zone, located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, could produce The Really Big One."

California's Biggest Earthquake and Tsunami Threat: The Cascadia Subduction Zone - weather.com

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

LOL! I know. But, you all said I'd hate Redding, too. That there were hoards of zombie meth heads overrunning the streets. That it's depressing, blah blah blah.

You were definitely right about the hot summers. Whew were you ever right about that.

And there are homeless here, for sure. Mainly downtown.

But, other than the weather, I'd be happy here. I like it. I like the size, I like the recreation options with my dog off leash right in town, great shopping, big enough (about 90,000 people) but small enough that the traffic isn't horrible.

But, I can't take being cooped up 4 - 5 months of every year.

And, my affordable housing options are limited. Crescent City is affordable - there are several USDA subsidized properties where I'd only have to pay 30% of my income and I won't have sky-high a/c bills, which will save me about $230+ per month. Considering my income is $877, that's a nice chunk of change to me.

And, I'll be able to take my dog outside any day, any time, without dying of heat stroke.

I used to live in the PNW and granted, I don't like gloomy weather. But, I hated the ice and snow the worst. No ice and snow in Crescent City. I figure weather-wise it will be like living in Bellingham again, without the ice and snow.

And I love the ocean, and I love the redwoods. So, sure there will be trade-offs. The town has an evacuation system for tsunamis. I'll learn it. I'm not going to live in fear of earthquakes or tsunamis. I'm old enough now, that if that's how I go, that's how I go.

The town is much smaller than I like, too. But, like I said, I can't stand being cooped up nearly half of the year. I lived in WA state for about 18 years total. I know how to dress in layers, and I'm not afraid to go for a walk in the woods in the rain.

So, next stop Crescent City. The year after that, who knows? LOL!