North of the Bay Area, looking for updated info & opinions to make informed decisions

[chyannelake]

Thanks blueskywalker, we took to heart your recommendation of the Rogue Valley in OR. Photos show it to be breathtaking. Without your input we could have easily missed visiting OR while traveling in CA. in the future.
Everyone has been a great help. Therapeutic in a sense. It wouldn't matter how many symbolic pages I tore out of my book of life, life goes on and the chapters will be written. It would seem I was trying to write this one from the end to front, backwards. I can see that now. I panicked I think because it's, well the 1year anniversay, but also because winter is upon us. They are always so depressing & lonely anyway.
We did do a 3wk trip in the truck & small rv trailer(hubby didn't want to take the big one through the mountains yet LOL) out to visit the kids back in Sept., route MO, KS, CO, UT, NV & CA. Once at the kids we mostly just stayed on the island. Did a day-trip to SF and went to an art gallery show one night in Oakland where some of our son's photography was on display. But I couldn't have been more at peace & content than I was sitting out on their lanai in the mornings and evenings, walking to the farmers market, taking the dogs to the park and over to the beach. Meeting strangers that didn't act as if you was a stranger.
Hubby's gone till January. Nothing but time(hopefully). I'll process the info, rethink & look for other options. And thank you so much for the words of encouragement.

[chyannelake]

NoMoreSnowForMe I completely get what you mean when you say "It's an area that could be so nice - but it just isn't. It just has a sad, poor, creepy feeling about it." We have a small town close to us called Cairo. It sits right at the confluence of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River(major commerce/product transportation route). It "should" be bigger & busier than St.Louis or Memphis purely due to location(,location,location!) It is in reality just as you describe Clear Lake area.
Thank you for the information. It's easy to "create" a place in one's head, especially when that mind is in flight mode, with limited photo's and google street views.

[chyannelake]

2sleepy, that is not an option for us. The husband & I see so little of each other due to his job already it would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul(is that the saying?) and I don't like the idea of either. But thank you for the suggestion.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by chyannelake

2sleepy, that is not an option for us. The husband & I see so little of each other due to his job already it would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul(is that the saying?) and I don't like the idea of either. But thank you for the suggestion.

I'm so sorry, I know how you feel, we lived in Reno for 14 years and even though we were only about 4 hours from our kids (near San Francisco) it was still tough. When my brother fell ill I tried to get down to see him but got stuck in a snowstorm and he passed before I could get to the hospital. I even missed the birth of my grandbaby because of that stupid snow. We are only about an hour from the family now and I'm so happy.

[DCMann2]

You seem like a nice person OP, and I hope you find happiness. I lived in IL briefly as a very young child and the thing I remember most is bitter cold and snow. Unfortunately your budget is too low for what you're looking for, but honestly it's just barely too low for some of the more rural places along the north coast. I've seen houses for sale in Eureka for like 150K and not only were they not dumps, but they weren't in awful areas either. Coastal Humboldt has lots of amenities including an airport and a very benign climate, and with a bit of savvy shopping and hard work you could probably make it.

Why are you keeping the house in IL? Do you plan on passing it down to your children or renting it out or something? Or is it just something you want to keep because so much time, effort, and money has been invested in it? Just food for thought.

Regarding mobile parks: some are nice, some are not, and I can't think of any with garages. Carports yes, garages no. Perhaps it'd be possible to convert a carport into a garage or at least a closed off workspace for your husband?

Anyway, good luck and don't give up so easily

[chyannelake]

Thank you DCMann2, thank you. It is looking like northern CA would be a better fit for the two of us. Like many have suggested(excellent advice by the way) I feel that taking our time to personally travel through the different areas along the west coast is the smartest first step. Stop and stay for awhile in those places that seem as if we might be a fit, then move on. I'm thinking something like the "snowbirds" do. They travel from the north to the south back to the north, guided by the seasons. Our snowbirding would be guided by the husbands on/off vessel schedule. Motor home or mini-motor home towing our small suv. Saves putting mileage on the hubs truck; has the feel of a home away from home; room for the dogs & grandkid; if I feel the need to stay in Cali or wherever I'll have a roof over my head, most of the amenities of home, parking spots costing less & less of a hassle than finding/renting a place for a month or two, transportation and last but not least hubby could fly home when he's called to a vessel & when he gets back home his truck will be there to get to the crew change spot.
Oh, several reasons for keeping the house for now. Farmland acreage prices are up, family homes not so much. The hubby build it all by himself(2400sq ft. 1 1/2 stories, 2bd/2bth, lvg rm, lge country eat-in kitchen, 20x20 loft/den, shortwall/screened in back porch/sleeping area, side deck and 30x40 garage & 12x14 garden shed). He burned out after 8yrs of building so some of the finishing work & mstr.bath isn't done. So part of the reason we wouldn't sell now is because he would never sell it, being that he build it, without it being finished. Something about men & pride in their work(LOL). Taking care of my father for 6yrs really took up most of our time and took it's toll. I'm not complaining, I would have taken care of my father for the rest of my life, I'm just filling in background. So now that dad is gone the husband has more time to get back to work on the house and also begin to enjoy his garage & all his (I call->)toys. So we feel that hanging on to the house & a couple of acres is in our best interest for now, for many reasons.
Thanks again DCmann2, I'm not giving up just slowing down, focusing & making lemonade out of lemons

[phranticness]

Lake County!

Ignore the people who claim the entire area is a drag. Like anywhere, we have some problem communities.

You can get to the Oakland airport in under three hours from almost anywhere in the county.
You can find a nice but smaller (1000-1200 sqft) stick built home with dated decor for around $120k in a good neighborhood. $75k-$100K is possible if you don't mind repairs. $40k-$100k for a nice well maintained mobile in a park (nice park, not rundown)
There are three fantastic off road riding areas within a hours drive from anywhere in the county.
The Mendocino national forest takes up the top third of the county and is great for hunting, fishing, riding, and OHV... get to the MNF within 30 minutes from anywhere in the north end of the county.
Cleanest air in the state!
2 hours to ocean (Fort Bragg)
100 miles from San Francisco or Sacramento (It's feasible to drive to the Bay for a evening show if you are willing to drive 2 hours to get there)
If you are an outdoors person, Lake County is fantastic. If you value a wide selection of dining, entertainment, and shopping, you'd better like driving too.



No - this is not a place to look for work. It's a great place to start a business as no business permit is needed in unincorporated Lake County though. Health care and law enforcement have no trouble finding work here. In your case you don't need employment so you can find a home for about as cheap as it gets when trying to be close to the Bay Area (Alameda)

If you are looking at buying a home here, stay away from the east side of the lake. Avoid from the city of Clearlake around the east side of the lake all the way to Nice. Upperlake, Lakeport, Kelseyville, Lower Lake, Middletown, Cobb are all nice locations. Outside of Kelseyville proper, at the base of Mt. Konocti is the Clear Lake Riviera. Homes in the CLR are $100k-$500k with most priced around $225 and dated outliers for less. 1500ft-2000ft above sea level means it does not snow regularly. Water is from the lake so drought is not an issue. When looking at homes around the county, keep in mind that communities close to the lake will have water drawn from the lake and are not effected by drought, other areas away from the lake are prone to water restrictions in drought years. Yes, we just had 3 massive forest fires in the area, but that is a reality of living in the coastal range of California. (Much more prone to fires on the eastern foothills of the coastal range, like Lake County.

I don't frequent this forum often, but if you have any questions about Lake County, Sonoma County, Medocino County, or Humbolt county, please send a PM and I'll try to remember to check back in a few days. (Basically the Hwy 101 corridor from San Francisco to Eureka, the coastal range) I was born in San Francisco, Moved to Lake county and stayed here for 17 years. Spent 10 years living in San Francisco, Eureka, Novato, Santa Rosa, Daily City... Moved back to Lake County to raise my children and have lived here for the past 10 years. I know the area and I love the area. (I'm a self employed e-tailer, my wife is an RN, we've made the location work for us)

Lastly - Zillow links.

Community I'd recommend, Clear Lake Rivera. - [url]http://www.zillow.com/clear-lake-riviera-kelseyville-ca/[/url]
Hidden Valley - Closer to the Bay - [url]http://www.zillow.com/homes/Hidden-Valley-Lake-CA_rb/[/url]
Lakeport - [url]http://www.zillow.com/homes/lakeport-ca_rb/[/url]
Lower Lake - [url]http://www.zillow.com/homes/Lower-Lake-ca_rb/[/url]

[chyannelake]

Thank you phranticness! You directly answered the questions I asked and gave me exactly the info I was looking for! That's fantastic news! We are hoping to make a trip back west in February. Now I know where to start! Yes, Zillow has been my friend as far as getting a feel for the condition of houses, their areas and the general prices. People tend to think when asking these type questions people like us are looking for Utopia. We are not so naive to believe there's any place like that. You "got" what I was trying to ask for and gave me a treasure trove of information. Thanks again phranticness and for allowing me to pm you if necessary.
Have a great day!

[OwlKaMyst]

Check out towns just east and west of 101 from Santa Rosa to Willits. Willits is a bit far from the airports, but you have your pick of them; Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose.
I think you might be successful with your search if you look at western Sonoma county, and southern Mendocino. Keep in mind the closer to the ocean, the more things will cost.
Lake county is depressed and now with the aftermath of the fires, it's a bit crazy. But the county does have some wonderful pockets; Potter Valley. And things in other areas of the county might be cheaper now because of the fires.
As for mobile homes, most parks have strict rules, it's a state law thing, but one can find a small piece of property with a mobile home on it, and most have some sort of shop or out building.