Where is best mild, gardening climate? (San Diego, Oxnard: to live, cost, centers)

[Steve97415]

First of all, there are a number of ways in which a climate can be considered "mild." Most people would consider a climate mild if it is rather homeothermic -- not that much change between winter and summer temperatures. Crescent City, at the far northern end of the state, and San Diego and the far southern edge both would fit that description, but have different thermal centers. Those who live in Crescent City think that San Diego is "warm" and Crescent City is "mild." Those who live in San Diego think they live where it is "mild" and Crescent City is "chilly." Others would consider a climate such as Tucson's mild just on the basis that winters are balmy and sunny. You'll have to tell us if you're more interested in avoiding weather that is very hot in summer or avoiding weather that is quite cool for a long time in winter and spring. Give us some indicator plants that represent your gardening interests: navel orange? mango? jacarandas? African tulip trees?
Gardenwise, different climates bring different opportunities and at the same time different limitations. If you have a yen to grow cherimoyas, bananas or litchi, you can have that, but you'll have to give up apples, stone fruit and many berries. A lot of plants need either some winter chill, some summer heat or both. Most California produce comes from the Sacramento Valley for a good reason. It has enough "mild" winter chill for stone fruit and pomes, yet enough summer heat for citrus...a happy balance for a great many kinds of plants.

Realize that you want what everyone wants and real estate supply and demand exerts these two pressures on the market:

1. COST -- you can have a dream climate if you can afford it. If you have more than $500,000 in liquifiable assets to bring with you, the Sunset Zones 15 and 16 of the central coast, Sonoma and Marin Counties, and the few remaining livable portions of SSZ 23/24 of southern coastal California might be within reach. If not, you'll have to make some compromises by either going farther inland to an area with more seasonal variation (including at least some frost as well as some summer highs over 90F) or somewhere on the coast north of Sonoma County where the winter rainfall can easily be twice what Seattle gets.

2. CITY PLANNING -- City planning and land partitioning is quite different where there is a great demand for land in an area of low supply. Most homes in California have lot sizes that range from small (under 6000 sf) to microscopic (under 4000 sf). Therein lies the irony. You have a dream climate to garden in, but not enough space to have much of a garden. Your desire for "homes that are not too close together, privacy in your backyard!" really isn't consistent with the reality of dream-climate real estate markets unless your economic status qualifies you for the multimillion dollar end (in which case, go directly to Rancho Santa Fe or Montecito). If you want to live where everyone else wants to live, you're going to have lots of neighbors very close by.

Once you realize what it costs to irrigate a garden in southern California, a small lot might sound like a good idea there. You currently live where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation for just 2 months a year. In southern California that happens 10 months a year and water rates are much higher. If you confine your gardening interests to Mediterranean-climate plants or other xeric forms of gardening, you can get buy without much pain. But realize you're contemplating moving to a state with a critical water shortage. I have a friend with a beautiful 1-acre palm-studded property in Vista. He spends up to $1000 a month on landscape water in the summer to feed his pseudo-Polynesian tropical fantasy (Vista, incidentally, is one of the few Sunset Zone 23/24 areas where larger lot sizes are still available for middle-class homes. Whether or not Vista would meet your general livability criteria is another matter, but I would put Vista/Oceanside on the possibility list if you have less than 500k to bring to the realty table).

If abundant winter sunshine is your primary goal, you'll want to get south of the 35th parallel. If you can endure a rainy gray winter that is only half as long as what you put up with now, and a long, long hot summer that produces perfect tomato and pepper harvests for 4 to 5 months out of the year, you might look at the Sacramento Valley. Dreary winter days with tule fog are generally interspersed with some cool days with clear blue skies (kind of like early April in Seattle).

Finally, I know of gardening geeks who made great sacrifices to relocate to the mildest portions of southern California only to be stricken by the "Bland Diego Effect." Sometimes we need more seasonal variation than we think we do and find that constant paradise weather makes life rather flat and predictable. Other people, of course, love it and would not live anywhere else.

Were it me...and cost were no object...I would agree with what other posters have said: the southern portions of SSZ 15 and 16 in SLO county is a happy medium. Very mild, lots of winter sun, yet some sense of seasonality as well. But go through available properties on an on-line property search service and see how many properties come up that have more than 5000 sq. ft. of yard space there. Then look at what they cost and ask yourself if you can afford that.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by NewVenture

Hi, I have been living in the Seattle area, and the constant cold, gloomy, gray days really get to me. I desparately want to move some where that has a climate that is mild and filled with a little more brightness. I don't need Constant sunshine, but more than is offered around here!
I do like the rain, but it needs to be balanced out with sun.
I really enjoy gardening, and would love to be somewhere that is warmer and sunny enough to have a fruit and vegetable garden, yet not too hot and dry or like a drought all the time.
Where is the best place to move based on climate / weather patterns?
I should also add that 2 members of my family have asthma / repiratory problems, which I think are aggrivated by the cold, moisture and mold spores up here. I think that their lungs will be healthier in a drier, warmer climate, as well.
Thank you for your input

Ever heard the phrase in Grant's Pass, Oregon:

"It's the Climate"

Sounds like you need to leave Washington. Can't go east - that's colder.

Oregon barely does it, unless maybe into Brookings.

I love visiting the north redwoods, but no way would I ever think of living in Arcata, Crescent City, Eureka or Trinidad.

You want California? Because lots of choices for what you asked. But if not CA, then southern Oregon may be it. If Grants Pass - hope you don't crave big city shopping, although there is a fair amount of stores between there and Medford.

Brookings is a bit harsh are some young folks growing up. But if I did not have kids, and wanted gardening, Brookings appeals to me greatly.

They have a pretty active garden club. You could call the chamber of commerce and ask for the garden club number, and ask them about the yearly climate.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by NewVenture

Luckily, I can earn a living basically anywhere with a fast internet connection, as I can do all of my work online from home. As long as the area has Broadband or Fios or similar high speed internet , the local job market / unemployment rate really isn't much of a factor in deciding where we move to.

That opens up the whole state to you. Good for you!

... Is there a place that fits all or most of this criteria?

Anyway, thank you all for your kind welcome to the forum and for your input! I really appreciate it!

I would say the Monterey area meets most of your criteria. Carmel and Monterey are an artist's haven. Just take a walk thru all the galleries in Carmel and you will see what I mean. And if you are looking for inspiration go no further than your backyard of Big Sur:










The are many communities here, some more in the country or on the outskirts of town like Carmel Valley. Carmel Valley and other places a bit inland are warmer/sunnier in the summer. We live in Pacific Grove and love it.

The funny thing with the area is that the average temp is 60-70 degrees year round. And sometimes Winter can actually be warmer than summer. We had so many sunny/rainless days in a row this Winter that I was longing for rain. Remember you want a balance so that things can still grow and stay green! Too little moisture and things are dry, prone to fire and in a drought state which much of CA is in now.

I would recommend Monterey or a bit south near San Luis Obispo like others have mentioned.

Bottom line - you need to fly out and visit these areas and get a sense of what they are like.

Derek

[Christine Joan]

Wow. Those are some of the most moving pictures I have ever seen. You really have a great eye for beauty. I don't know about the original poster, but those pictures sure make me want to move or visit there soon. Thanks for posting.

[MtnSurfer]

Thanks Christine,

Nature photography is one of my hobbies/passions. And this area really has a lot to offer photographers, artists and nature lovers.

I grew up in the 'concrete jungle' called LA. So I know where you are coming from. I wanted to move to a more natural setting for very long time. So with the birth of our third child my wife and I moved to CO. And we grew to love more wide open spaces. Plus the Rocky Mtns. are gorgeous. But I missed the coast too much. So we moved back to the Monterey area of CA. The funny thing is we are actually living in a smaller town here (Pacific Grove) than we lived in the CO (Colorado Springs). It is like small town living with the benefits of the great CA climate in an awesome setting.

Here are a couple more recent shots.

One from a hike I took after work last week:





One from this Saturday when I took the kids to the beach:





Enjoy,

Derek

[mdvaden]

If coastal areas relate to gardening, the coastline a few miles north of Brookings has some clues.

Brookings is definitely a green haven.

[mdvaden]

A few minutes north of Brookings at Lone Ranch Beach - might even be Harris Beach - the small plants naturalized on the beach rocks.

[mdvaden]

Here's one sea stack at Harris Beach that I liked. The top is shaped like a face looking right toward the sunset, and the green plants look like a shawl cloaking the top and back.

[MtnSurfer]

Yeah, I love that section of the Oregon Coast. Brookings is known as the 'banana belt' as it has a milder climate than the rest of the state. Although the annual rain fall is still pretty high. But I told my wife that would be a great place to retire. We had an awesome time there last Spring.

The problem with most of the Oregon coast for younger/middle aged ppl is that there is not a whole going on. Of course if you love to commune with nature that is the place. But I would never be able to live there until retirement as the economy is so small. There are very few higher end jobs in my line of work - basically non-existant.

But what a great place to vacation!











Derek

[happ]

A perfect place could be Santa Rosa\ Sonoma\ Napa. North of San Francisco inland from the ocean so summers are warm & long but not oppressive like Sacramento\ Chico. I swam non-stop at my aunt's house in Napa every time we visited during summer. There's more winter rain than most of the state because it is far northern California.

The Sacramento valley might be too hot [90-100F] but everyone lives in their pools & the nights are warm but dry [Redding can be terrifically hot but Shasta Dam is close & people live on house boats]. Rainy & foggy during winter. The San Joaquin valley [Modesto\ Fresno\ Bakersfield] is also quite hot if not hotter than Sacramento but tolerable with AC.

San Jose\ Santa Clara valley\ San Benito county is real nice in summer [80-90F] & where lots of fruit trees were grown at one time. Salinas Valley from King City to Paso Robles is pretty hot also but much cooler summer nights & warmer winters than the other areas.

San Luis Obispo-Santa Maria area has cooler summers because the Pacific is close by & great winter weather. SoCal is the warmest year round & can get humid during summer. Desert areas are truly unbearable. But winter in SoCal is quite comfortable [65-70F] & some rain.