Everything Calaveras County (August, Arnold, Jamestown: real estate, sex offenders, movies)

[dubstyle247]

how is shopping/retail stores?
pardon my ignorance as i have never actually been to calaveras cnty just near it.... are there any home depots or shopping malls? or is this when traveling to stockton or other city areas become essential?
i love the idea of building our dream home on a nice piece of land but wonder how difficult it will be finding building materials without a long trip to "the city". thanks again.

[DMenscha]

We have no big box stores at all, they are located in Amador and Tuolumne Counties. Sender's Market in Mountain Ranch is the best Lumber Yard and Hardware store I've ever been in. Very few things I need they don't have.

I bought a house to flip in Modesto and would go down there every day. The trip to Lowe's would cost me 2 hours of production time every time I went in there. I finally just decided to stop at Sender's first thing in the morning and get what I needed for the day. In and out in 15 minutes and people that actually know what they're selling. Prices are very competitive and one doesn't have to spend money on gas.

I replaced a 1200sf wooden deck around my house with a lightweight concrete over a steel corrugated pan (much like high rise office buildings floors). My bid from the distributor in Hayward for the steel; $3.14/sf + a $450 delivery charge. My bid from Senders $2.65/sf and a $40 delivery charge. The downside? I had to wait 2 extra days for it.

More general shopping is available in Valley Springs, Angels Camp, Murphy's and Copperopolis.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by dubstyle247

how is shopping/retail stores?
pardon my ignorance as i have never actually been to calaveras cnty just near it.... are there any home depots or shopping malls?

There's a new Lowe's in Jackson located in a new shopping center.

[humboldtrat]

You might want to check out Jackson in Amador county. The area is similar to and north of Calavares county. Jackson City of Jackson, California is a larger town with shopping such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart, a new Safeway store and the Lowes mentioned above. There's even an Indian casino just outside town Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel | Home. Highway 88 goes east of Jackson over the Sierra Nevada Mtns and the area up near the pass with several lakes is fantastic. One of the lakes near the pass is Caples Lake Caples Lake Resort.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

You might want to check out Jackson in Amador county.

If you want to live in a Big City

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

If you want to live in a Big City

I see Jackson has a population of 4303 people. That's NOT a big city. I must admit that there is a lot of building going on along the highway between Jackson, Martell and Sutter Creek, among other places - sort of a mini urban sprawl .

[DMenscha]

1 traffic light, small city
2 traffic lights medium sized city
3 traffic lights Semi Big City
4 traffic lights Big City
5+ traffic lights Major Metropolitan Area

Ipso facto Jackson is a big city

[jaada]

Originally Posted by thirtyish

Well hello, funny to see someone on this board asking about my native stomping grounds. I was born in San Andreas and grew up in the surrounding areas of Calaveras County. I couldn't wait to get away after graduating. I still go back to visit as I have many friends still in the area of Mountain Ranch, Valley Springs, Moke Hill, San Andreas. I can also give you information on neighboring Amador and Tuolumne Counties as I have friends and family in those counties as well.
Calaveras County~ Angels Camp is a wonderful, growing community. It has seen the addition of stores and restraunts in recent years yet it still maintains a small town feel. You can have a home with some land on the outskirts of town and still have conveniences. Nearby in T.C. is Columbia, a quaint little Gold Rush Town. Murphys, Arnold and Avery are beautiful. Murphys downtown area has some quaint shops as well. You would have a chance of snow in these areas so your 4 seasons would be more likely. Also, up the mountain on HWY 4 you can ski at Bear Valley. The local winery, I'm drawing a blank on the name, is fabulous and offers many venues for a little culture. You can enjoy a latte, a nice dinner, or even a night out at the Murphy's Hotel where there is usually a band playing. Don't let the locals scare you off, they are harmless as well as the bikers that frequent this establishment. This provides a culture of another kind. LOL San Andreas is very much the way it was when I left 20 years ago. . .one grocery store, a couple of gas stations, a couple of restraunts, a hospital, and a lot of locals who want to keep it that way. I never looked back after I moved away. If you are looking for rural. . .Mountain Ranch, Sheep Ranch, West Point and Railroad Flat will give you that. Valley Springs is a bustling and growing community where most people enough a county life and make the commute to Stockton, Lodi for employment (45 min drive). There is also a nice golf course and it's very close to a couple of nearby lakes for summer boating and skiing. I hope this helps a bit. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask away.

i wonder if i know you? i grew up there as well and went to san andreas elementary and calavaras high, i grew up in mountain ranch. unfortunately i was moved away my freshman yr of high school. i have often thought of moving back that way myself but worried about a recession.

[dubstyle247]

when is a good time to visit calaveras county? we wanted to come in march but i dont think we're going to make it. should i let the weather decide when i come? is the jumping frog jubilee worth attending? this happens in May i believe? thanks...

[humboldtrat]

March and April are good times to visit Calavares County. The weather should be getting warmer and the countryside should be green (at least for a while).

Never been to the Jumping Frog thing - a little too touristy for me. Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. DMenscha can fill you in on that.