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Old 10-26-2017, 11:44 AM
 
4 posts, read 6,742 times
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Hi! I'm a Los Angeles native (born and raised) looking to settle down elsewhere. I've lived all over but most enjoyed my times in Vermont and Oregon. These are not options for me now, so I'd like to live somewhere in California that kind of has the same vibes. My husband was recently diagnosised with a not-so-fun condition and probably has roughly 5-10years of quailty life left. We want to spend that time in an atomosphere more beautiful, peaceful, and chill than on current situation in the heart of Long Beach. My issue is that having lived in this concrete jungle so long, I don't know what CA has to offer in terms of mountain-like living. Heres what were looking for...

-I'd like to buy a house with at least an acre or two of land. Lets stay under the $300k range, please!

-I'd like access to work for my husband and I. I am a speech and language pathologist, so I can work almost anywhere theres a decent economy. My husband is works in unskilled labor (property maintainence, woodswork...).

-Somewhere relatively safe as we have two small children. It just shouldn't be sketchier than LA...which isn't a hard bill to fit.

-The people there shouldn't be spazzy about black folks or interracial marriages. I'm black, the husband's white. I just don't want to be somewhere where my kids have issues.

-And when I say "mountain"...I use the term super lightly...I just want to see more trees than I do concrete. And I want to be able to have land.

Thats about it. If you know of such a land...or something close, help a family out?! It'd be much appreciated.
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Old 10-26-2017, 12:03 PM
 
Location: Sierra Nevada Land, CA
9,455 posts, read 12,538,654 times
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Try the motherlode/gold country. Another consideration would be the Ukiah area. In my part of Motherlode, the median home price is about 275K and many homes in that range come with land and trees.
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Old 10-26-2017, 12:10 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,188 posts, read 107,790,902 times
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OP, at your price point, the whole thing is going to be a tough bill to fill in California. Is it also safe to assume he'll need access to quality medical care?

Just off the top of my head, as far as RE prices & mountain-ish or rural-ish areas (which often come with limited job options as part of the package, be aware), I can only come up with: the north coast area/Humboldt County, places like Eureka, Ferndale, or Fortuna and their outskirts (it's cheaper outside of the city limits), or the Gold Rush towns of the Sierra foothills (we have 1 or 2 members living out there, who could advise you). You could do some research on RE sites for those general areas, to see if you find anything affordable. Some of the sierra towns, like scenic Placerville, are commutable to Sacramento, if you need big-city jobs. The north coast is redwood country; lots of redwood parks to walk in, and the Trinity Mountains are nearby. It's more isolated, but has hospitals, limited jobs (health care, schools, city admin, college staffing/faculty), and the world's most majestic trees. A speech pathologist could serve several towns: Arcata/McKinleyville have a sizeable population, schools, hospital, state university, and Eureka has a community college, hospital.

Another area for cheap land is Lake County: Clear Lake + the Ukiah area )Mendocino Co.). No jobs in the Clear Lake area, unless he could get something with the wineries. And it's hot in the summers. Area has been prone to fires recently. Ukiah isn't much better, job-wise. But you asked for "cheap" (affordable), and Lake Co. has cheap RE.

Placerville area:




Ferndale (notice Victorian architecture, & the fog in the trees. North Coast is cool, foggy, rainy. You won't have a water shortage there!):







Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 10-26-2017 at 01:35 PM..
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Old 10-26-2017, 12:19 PM
 
Location: Oroville, California
3,477 posts, read 6,507,394 times
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The Mother Lode counties sound like the best fit. Most communities there are within a one hour drive of a large city such as Fresno (Oakhurst/Coarsegold), Merced (Mariposa), Modesto (Sonora/Jamestown), Stockton (Angels Camp/Jackson), Sacramento (El Dorado and Placer counties) and Grass Valley/Nevada City (Yuba City/Marysville). Another option that would have a less onerous commute is here in Butte County with Paradise. Its within 30 minutes of Chico which is a college town of about 90,000. Lovely community filled with tall pines.

I honestly don't think you're going to have trouble with your interracial marriage in any of these areas. While more conservative than the coast the people are pretty much live and let live. My parents lived in Mariposa County from 1974 to 1992. Some of their good friends from a local boosters club was an interracial Lesbian couple (black/white). They were well liked in the community and one bothered them even back then.
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Old 10-26-2017, 12:25 PM
 
1,334 posts, read 1,672,801 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150 View Post
Try the motherlode/gold country. Another consideration would be the Ukiah area. In my part of Motherlode, the median home price is about 275K and many homes in that range come with land and trees.
You might find something in the greater Colfax area, but a house big enough for a couple and two children on acreage for under $300K is going to be a stretch.
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:01 PM
 
2,379 posts, read 1,812,753 times
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I agree with what others have already suggested......Gold Country/ Mother Lode Area is where I suggest first looking.
The far north area of the state will probably lower cost in terms of buying a mountain living home.....but, I think it would be too isolated of a area for you. I did a quick search of homes for sale in Trinity County and found some that looked to fit the bill of mountain living for under $300K.
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:03 PM
 
Location: Northern California
130,047 posts, read 12,072,794 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeauCharles View Post
The Mother Lode counties sound like the best fit. Most communities there are within a one hour drive of a large city such as Fresno (Oakhurst/Coarsegold), Merced (Mariposa), Modesto (Sonora/Jamestown), Stockton (Angels Camp/Jackson), Sacramento (El Dorado and Placer counties) and Grass Valley/Nevada City (Yuba City/Marysville). Another option that would have a less onerous commute is here in Butte County with Paradise. Its within 30 minutes of Chico which is a college town of about 90,000. Lovely community filled with tall pines.

I honestly don't think you're going to have trouble with your interracial marriage in any of these areas. While more conservative than the coast the people are pretty much live and let live. My parents lived in Mariposa County from 1974 to 1992. Some of their good friends from a local boosters club was an interracial Lesbian couple (black/white). They were well liked in the community and one bothered them even back then.
Paradise has a mountain feel about it, (we're in the foothills) you can probably find a house with some land in your price range, we are at about 1750-1800 above sea level. It is a very white town, but I have not seen any racism, It is live & let live. About 12 miles downhill to Chico, which has a university. Maybe come up & visit for a weekend.

eta: hospitals in Paradise, Chico & Oroville, all would be an easy commute for you, I presume you work in a hospital. Work might be harder to find for him (unskilled labor) here.
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:11 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,188 posts, read 107,790,902 times
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You could take a look at Fort Bragg, Mendocino Co. It's on the coast, not in the mountains, but it's got trees, is laid-back, and safe. Good weather for year-round outdoor activity. With some luck, you could find a place in town, or a larger property out of town in your budget. Here's a listing for a place in town on a large lot (not 1-acre, tho). It's listed as a 1-br., but has an outbuilding with another potential bedroom + art studio. Again, it's going to be hard to find something for a family of 4 in your budget, so you may have to compromise in some ways. It's somewhat of a tourist town, so there may be work for real estate companies, managing vacation rentals.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-62954#photo30
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:15 PM
 
Location: San Diego
50,241 posts, read 46,997,454 times
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Why stay in CA?
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:22 PM
 
1,326 posts, read 2,580,255 times
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The Sierra foothills might work for you. But you're looking at two problems, first is your price range. Finding a good, turn-key home for a couple and two children with 1-2 acres for 300k is going to be a rare find. Now, if you can add some sweat equity and work with a bit of a rebuild, that may work for you. FYI, a friend of mine who lives in Woodland (outside Sacramento) says that prices for this kind of property, especially if it's pretty secluded are going up due to legal pot growers looking for places with not a lot of traffic.

Second, many of these small towns are fairly restrictive as to what kind of jobs are available.
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