sonoma (Fresno, Sacramento, Bakersfield: income, live in, stats)

[grapico]

well it is pretty cool up here, but the heat is on haha... average list home price is 1.3 mil in my neck of the woods.

[Ready2migrate]

LOVE these maps, so cool ! very helpful,
have you experienced many wildfires or earthquakes where you are?
When I was a kid, living in Sonoma in the late 60's, there was one that shook the house, but I slept through it, so little shakes don't worry me, but I'm definately against living in San Fran or places that get hit big time with either quakes or fire !

[Ready2migrate]

grapico: what DO people do that make so much money ? Or all the people working , living somewhere else affordable and commuting into the nice areas ! ?

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by Ready2migrate

grapico: what DO people do that make so much money ? Or all the people working , living somewhere else affordable and commuting into the nice areas ! ?

You've heard of Silicon Valley i assume?
And how do people make the money to afford a second home in the Hamptons?
They all know how to play the game and make the big bucks.
Three cheers for the red, white and blue.

[bellalunatic]

Originally Posted by grapico

well it is pretty cool up here, but the heat is on haha... average list home price is 1.3 mil in my neck of the woods.

What town?

[grapico]

Originally Posted by bellalunatic

What town?

Don't live in a town... I'm between Sebastopol and Bodega Bay near the Sonoma/Marin border. Valley Ford and Freestone are also close.

Originally Posted by Ready2migrate

grapico: what DO people do that make so much money ? Or all the people working , living somewhere else affordable and commuting into the nice areas ! ?

SF is a financial hub much like NYC, SV is the tech capital of the globe... lots of money made
Then others made their money and retired, if they are working many of course commute into SF.

[gtbassett]

I am a teen living in Sonoma, I've lived here all my life so I'll explain what I can about it.

It is a beautiful place, in terms of scenery Sonoma Valley is hard to beat. There are plenty of hiking places to explore the valley. The weather is wonderful and mild. I general the city is bicycle friendly, there are quite a few bike paths along with bike lanes on many roads.

The schools here range in quality based on where they are located socioeconomically. We do have one elementary school, Flowery that is dual immersion, so your child would grow up learning both English and Spanish. The one high school, Sonoma Valley High, is kind of a mixed bag. There are some great teachers there, especially when it comes to taking Honors and AP classes. On the other hand, many of the teachers are pretty mediocre and the Administrators attempt to run the school like a disciplinary institution, they don't mind infringing on your civil rights.

The gangs are NOT a problem. Agua Caliente and Boyes Hot Springs are often made out to be these awfully sketchy parts of town. I have no problem walking through those areas alone late at night. I have a feeling people's fear of the area is completely racist, they see latinos and automatically assume they are gangsters and criminals.

Drugs are definitely a problem. Sonoma has a higher rate of teen drinking and drug use than most towns around it. Hard drugs are not used by the majority of the kids, most stick to alcohol and pot, although some use "thizz" (extacy cut with a variety of drugs) and psychedelics are used to a much lesser extent. Both of the "harder" drug types are really only used by certain groups of teens and not generally accepted by the others. Methamphetamines are a problem, but are only used among adults, I do not know any teens that use meth, and trust me, I know the druggiest of the druggies.

All in all, I would say Sonoma is a great town, I would also recommend checking out neighboring Petaluma, it has a more similar atmosphere to Sonoma than other neighboring towns, but is larger.

[Bulldogdad]

Welcome to a brave new Northern California. Your descriptions of your current living circumstances and what you are looking for put you living in the central valley of California. Most likely Sacramento-North. Closer to your current price range and put you with in striking distance of the Sierra Nevada, the Coastal Range (Redwoods) and Ocean within two hours max drive time to all these areas. Sonoma/Napa Counties are within 60 minutes from Greater Sacramento Area.

[RoadHazard]

Originally Posted by bellalunatic

Ah, no Agua Caliente is in SoCal.

Not according to my map. It's just north of Sonoma.

[RoadHazard]

Originally Posted by Ready2migrate

have you experienced many wildfires or earthquakes where you are? ... I'm definately against living in San Fran or places that get hit big time with either quakes or fire !

I wouldn't worry about earthquakes much. Really, the danger is overrated (IMHO). It's like snowstorms in the Northeast or tornados in the Midwest: sure, it happens, but it's not something you base your life around.

Weather-wise, it gets warmer the farther inland (east) you go. I'd say that east/west makes more difference than north/south as far as climate. You can be pretty far north but still have hot 100-degree summer days if you're inland. The long Central Valley is a good example of that. Same latitude as SFO but much warmer. If weather is a critical factor for you, pay attention to how far inland you are, not how far north. Places like Sacramento, Bakersfield, Fresno, etc. are all good-sized towns surrounded by farms that get plenty warm in the summer and never see snow.