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If you would have to commute from Folsom to Sacramento, you'd be dealing with traffic. Otherwise, it's a great place to raise kids. The public schools are phenomenal.
Anywhere around Chico, Redbluff, Redding, up that way - it's not so much that you would be dealing with really high daytime highs, it's that it does not cool down at night. It literally doesn't cool down until around 3 or 4am, and then it's insanely hot by around 9 or 10am. I lived in Redding for a year and got the heck out of there. Could have lived there if it wasn't for the weather. But, it's insanely hot from mid-May to at least mid-October and like I said, it doesn't cool down at night. That's miserable.
Humboldt County is not only depressed as far as their economy, but it's also really isolated. It's hours and hours to the next form of city/civilization. And the main source of commerce for the area is marijuana. Even if you're okay with pot growing, it is weird to live where it's such a predominant part of the culture. I used to smoke a lot of pot back in the 70's and grew out of it, but Eureka/Arcata did not. I really don't like that area. I visited back in the 1970's and didn't see it again until I moved to Crescent City in around 2014, and I was appalled by how it looked. It looks like most people did have not done any maintenance on their homes in all of that time. Like most people never painted their house or did any kind of upkeep. And I've never seen so many pit bulls being walked by people in my life. It's a very different culture and I found it to be really weird and depressing. Think sweaty young white guys with dread locks, tatoos and tie dye everywhere.
I think you're on the right track with looking at the areas on the major highways from Sacramento. At least that way, you can get into a metropolis fairly easily, and most of those areas have decent money for schools, etc.
Good luck.
We really enjoy running outside so triple digits 24/7 would be really difficult! Thank you for pointing that out.
My husband definitely wouldn’t last long with tie dye and dread locks as the regular.. I’m also concerned about being too far from an airport as we have friends and family spread around who would want to visit regularly.
The general Sacramento area does seem like the best option.. close to major needs but also Tahoe and the like for camping and so forth. This area would also present a lot of options for our children as they grow. We wouldn’t need to commute anywhere on a daily basis.
Thank you for your input!
If your going to make a major move why not get out of this God forsaken, Communist party state?
Well... we both have a certain amount of seniority in our careers and have well established retirements in CA (him PERS, me STRS). We would both be required to obtain different certifications in our current careers if we were to leave and would basically be starting over. CA also pays well for our careers compared to most states. If we could even get jobs in my home town, our income would be about a third of what it is currently. The cost of living is less, but not THAT much less...
We have considered just plugging away and then leaving upon retirement, but at that point our children will be in college or establishing their own adult lives and there won’t be many options for them in the areas we like out of state. Staying in CA increases the odds of being within reasonably close proximity to them since there are so many options in terms of colleges.
While it is far from perfect, California is a big state and we feel like we can have most of our needs met here if we are willing to branch out.
Well... we both have a certain amount of seniority in our careers and have well established retirements in CA (him PERS, me STRS). We would both be required to obtain different certifications in our current careers if we were to leave and would basically be starting over. CA also pays well for our careers compared to most states. If we could even get jobs in my home town, our income would be about a third of what it is currently. The cost of living is less, but not THAT much less...
We have considered just plugging away and then leaving upon retirement, but at that point our children will be in college or establishing their own adult lives and there won’t be many options for them in the areas we like out of state. Staying in CA increases the odds of being within reasonably close proximity to them since there are so many options in terms of colleges.
While it is far from perfect, California is a big state and we feel like we can have most of our needs met here if we are willing to branch out.
Good thinking. I wouldn't change states just to be in another political environment especially with well established retirements. Stay the course.
BTW, you mentioned running. For the warm/hot areas do you both try to run in the early mornings or late afternoons/evenings?
I am sure you have seen this post 1000 times, but please bear with me!
I grew up in Northern Idaho and I miss the trees, lakes, and small town atmosphere. We currently reside in the Inland Empire and I feel like the traffic alone is sucking the life out of me. My husband needs to stay in the state for his job, but can go just about anywhere within, so we have decided to explore the possibility of relocating to Northern California.
My Wants: A small town feeling- I love an adorable “main” street with locally owned restaurants and shops. Family friendly- town events, farmers markets, parks, bike paths, etc. Scenery- trees and water if possible. Great schools. Safety. Not too far from an airport so family can easily visit. The ability to get around without sitting bumper to bumper for hours on end. My Husband Wants: Acreage with the possibility of a wood shop for his hobbies.
We are compiling a list of towns to explore on a road trip later this summer. So far Folsom seems to check my boxes, though land doesn’t really appear to be an option. This led us to Placerville as a possibility... I would love to get feedback on these places as well as any other suggestions you may have! We are definitely country people but I also want options for my children as they get older.
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by StephanieIsHere
Thank you for this input!*
We will 100% check out Murphy’s!*
My husband is kind of a redneck (big truck driving, beer drinking, Hank Williams listening, etc) so a town with more of an old west vibe and access to lakes and rivers for fishing would probably be a better fit for him than much of the Pacific Coast...
Chico is literally the perfect town for you. It has a wonderful small town atmosphere, tons of trees, rivers and lakes nearby, family friendly environment, and a great downtown (actually two parallel "main streets"). The University brings a ton of vibrancy to town through sports, the arts, music, speakers, continuing ed classes, festivals, diversity, etc.
For your husband, the whole area around Chico is pretty redneck so he'll fit right in. Big trucks, country music, and great hunting/fishing abound. And speaking of beer, Chico is the birthplace of Sierra Nevada. As for you, Chico has tons of locally owned shops and restaurants, a wonderful farmers market, and one of the largest municipal parks in the US. There are tons of outdoor activities and acreage is available on the outskirts of town.
And don't let some of these posters scare you off with talk about Chico being hot It is no hotter than anywhere near Sacramento and is about the same average temps as Riverside. These posters are looking at summer temps from the perspective of foggy San Francisco or coastal California where anything above 72 degrees is considered a heat wave!
Feel free to DM me if you have any questions. I thoroughly enjoyed all six years of my undergraduate education there and the F250 Super Duty I drive to my tech job in the Bay proudly sports a Chico State Alum license plate frame to this day
Good thinking. I wouldn't change states just to be in another political environment especially with well established retirements. Stay the course.
BTW, you mentioned running. For the warm/hot areas do you both try to run in the early mornings or late afternoons/evenings?
Derek
Hey Derek,
We usually run in the morning (around 6 or so) and then like to go for a family walk after dinner most evenings. We mostly stick to neighborhoods here but it would be wonderful to have safe trails and paths nearby in the future!
Chico is literally the perfect town for you. It has a wonderful small town atmosphere, tons of trees, rivers and lakes nearby, family friendly environment, and a great downtown (actually two parallel "main streets"). The University brings a ton of vibrancy to town through sports, the arts, music, speakers, continuing ed classes, festivals, diversity, etc.
For your husband, the whole area around Chico is pretty redneck so he'll fit right in. Big trucks, country music, and great hunting/fishing abound. And speaking of beer, Chico is the birthplace of Sierra Nevada. As for you, Chico has tons of locally owned shops and restaurants, a wonderful farmers market, and one of the largest municipal parks in the US. There are tons of outdoor activities and acreage is available on the outskirts of town.
And don't let some of these posters scare you off with talk about Chico being hot It is no hotter than anywhere near Sacramento and is about the same average temps as Riverside. These posters are looking at summer temps from the perspective of foggy San Francisco or coastal California where anything above 72 degrees is considered a heat wave!
Feel free to DM me if you have any questions. I thoroughly enjoyed all six years of my undergraduate education there and the F250 Super Duty I drive to my tech job in the Bay proudly sports a Chico State Alum license plate frame to this day
We will have to check it out! Did you feel safe out and about by yourself? Did you notice a strong transient presence?
We will have to check it out! Did you feel safe out and about by yourself? Did you notice a strong transient presence?
I always felt safe in Chico and didn't notice more of a transient presence than I would have expected. There are some transients but they didn't strike me as particularly dangerous or aggressive. For comparison, the "craziest" transients I have seen are in San Francisco (older, mentally ill), the most aggressive/potentially dangerous transients I have seen are in Seattle (younger, junkies). With that said, the number of homeless people living on the streets or in RVs has skyrocketed in the Bay Area over the last few years. I'm not sure if this trend has reached the northern Sacramento Valley yet. You would probably have to check out Chico with your family to see what you all think.
Thank you for the great suggestions! I have added Fort Bragg and Willits to the list.
McKinleyville sounds really nice per my reading- I can’t find many pictures of the town itself. Does it have a cute “Main Street” to walk?!
I definitely don’t mind gloomier weather and seasonal changes.
Much of Humboldt county appears to be dealing with economic depression and drug issues, unfortunately, which is impacting the crime rates. I’ve had to rule out some appealing coastal towns for this reason, though Ferndale looks worthwhile?!!
I have also stumbled upon Truckee (near Tahoe) if anyone is familiar?!
The drug problems in the Humboldt Bay Area and even all of Humboldt County are sort of in their own little pockets--not completely but there are areas of southwest Eureka, pockets in McKinleyville, and outside of Willow Creek where the problem is more concentrated.
McKinleyville is not a pretty town although, when you're about to drive into it from the north or south, it looks like it's going to be charming. I think it's the trees. But then you come out onto the four-lane main street (Central Avenue). Some might find it ugly but it's clean and we, being retired, have much of what we need close by here. We live close enough to the ocean that we can hear it when the wind's blowin' the right way. We're 1.3 miles west of Central Avenue. But Safeway is 1.3 miles right back up our street. We can be in the sun at Safeway and drive home into the fog. I think rainfall is about 40"/year. There's a new natural foods store, book store, doctors, dentists, optometrist, auto repair shops and dealers, and restaurants--Sushi, Mexican, American, but none to write home about. The best restaurants are two on the coast to the north ($$$), and in Arcata and Eureka. Arcata is 10 minutes away and Eureka is 25 minutes. In Eureka is a Costco which tells us that, because of the culture in the area, they experimented and brought in more organic food than any other Costco and that it's been very successful. No Home Depot, Lowes or big stores like that but other chains throughout the area, although Arcata codes blocked them out years ago. Arcata Plaza is really nice with nice stores, restaurants and bars....also some homeless and hippies. There's a farmer's market in each town and many festivals in Old Town Eureka and Arcata Plaza.
Homes in Arcata are expensive (maybe $400,00 and up?) but more reasonable in Eureka ($250-400,000) and McKinleyville (($225-350,000). There's decent hospitals in Arcata and Eureka and opinions about them vary greatly. We have a neurosurgeon who is so good that many docs tell patients they don't need to go anywhere else.
Sun and heat are 30-50 minutes east. Along the Trinity River. Redwood Nat'l. Park is 20 minutes north. There are Six Rivers and 5 wilderness areas within 4 hrs of Arcata. San Francisco is a 5-6 hr. drive.
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. And her hubby needs to stay in-state for his job.
It is no hotter than anywhere near Sacramento and is about the same average temps as Riverside. These posters are looking at summer temps from the perspective of foggy San Francisco or coastal California where anything above 72 degrees is considered a heat wave!
I live in McKinleyville
