Leaving NYC - looking for Northern Cali urban/suburban area with SUN & views (Los Angeles: transplants, homes)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by melbklyn

Home prices around 300K - 500K for 3BR would be great but I know CA is expensive!

What line of work are you in?
Where are you going to work?

[melbklyn]

I would love to be near the coast or the mountains. What's a good starting point? Was checking out Boulder, CO, they say they have 300 sunny days a year. What are some places in Northern California?

[melbklyn]

I have a small business & work from home with my computer. Would probably just a get a part time job to make friends and get out & about - not for income. As far as house prices go...anything under 1M is possible but I am not picky & do not like to be in exclusive areas. Need a forward thinking type community - middle working class is fine - that's safe & positive - coast would be great if I can afford it! What about the fog? Does it go away by noon?

[jbunniii]

You might look into Santa Cruz. When Silicon Valley is baking it's usually 20+ degrees cooler there, and it doesn't get as much fog as the other coastal towns to its north or south.

Elsewhere on the coast you will be under the fog blanket, especially in the summer. It does (usually) burn off by noon, but rolls in again later in the afternoon. It's not a dense, cloying fog like I have experienced on the east coast - I find it rather refreshing and miss living on the foggy side of San Francisco. But you do get used to things sort of having a gray tone at certain times of the year, which some may find depressing.

You can also live on the bay side of the peninsula: from Redwood City north it doesn't get as hot in the summer as it does further south. You will sometimes get fog but not nearly as much as on the coastal side because the mountains hold it back much of the time. Downside is that many of the towns up there have very expensive houses (i.e., not much less than a million, often for a smallish house). Consider maybe South San Francisco or San Bruno and parts of San Mateo and Redwood City for more reasonable prices.

Another possibility is to live in the mountains between Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz, under the redwood canopy. You don't get as much sunshine there and depending on where you are you might get fog. It can be a long drive to get to civilization, but the weather up there is seldom hot and houses are a lot cheaper in some of the towns. You may have to rely on satellite internet, though, which might not be satisfactory for telecommuting.

[coyoteskye]

jbunill recommended santa cruz.
I typed out a long post last night about santa cruz and then i hit the wrong key, lost the post and was too tired to do it all again.
But yeah, santa cruz.
Consider the entire county.
From (roughly) may through the end of october the weather is beautiful.
Fog rolls in and out but, for example, i'm about 5 miles in from the coast and the fog may or may be around in the morning when i wake up but it burns off usually by mid morning and always by noon at the latest and then may or may not come back in this far in the evening.
If you're right on the coast you'll be dealing with much more fog but it's lovely and good for your hair and skin .
And even right on the coast, it rolls in and out (it' not predictable) and there are days, even in the summer, when you won't have any fog.
There are many areas in the county where there is no fog.
Temps in the summer are generally between the mid 70's and mid 80's.
Rain comes in november and winters are wet but there are many beautiful days between the rainy stretches and i've walked on the beach in just a t-shirt in february although that's exceptional.
But we don't get walloped with water as many points to the north.
San Francisco is less than 2 hours to the north, San Jose is just over the hill (bad traffic at rush hour) and Monterey, another town you might consider, is less than an hour to the south.
Santa Cruz is tolerant, liberal, open, friendly and diverse.
There are a variety of ways to live here .... real rural, semi rural, sub-urban (many lovely neighborhoods throughout the county) and urban ... not like nyc obviously but enough of a city vibe in Santa Cruz proper if you need or want it.
There are many living situations in the midst of the redwoods which may seem romantic until you experience an entire winter without sun.
So, though the redwoods are beautiful, as someone who experiences s.a.d., i would not recommend a housing situation like that.
Again, when you think Santa Cruz, think of the entire county ... not just S.C. proper.
It's a very integrated county and each town easily flows into the other and there's a great bus system that serves the whole county.
UCSC is here.
A good enough music and night scene.
Lot's of single guys (or girls if that suits you) in 20's and 30's.
Beautiful and powerful nature and good beaches.
It is expensive here although, needless to say, home prices have gone down but it still isn't cheap.
Finding a good home for less than 6K might be a challenge although i'm a renter so i'm not that tuned into the housing market but i think that a few years ago the average home prices was 7-8K.
So, yeah, consider Santa Cruz or Monterey to the south and MtnSurfer can let you know all about that area.

[18Montclair]

Look at El Cerrito, Albany, Alameda, sometimes you can get a deal in Berkeley.

Also, in Oakland check out Dimond, Laurel, Lower Glenview, Adams Point, Cleveland Heights, or the area around Piedmont Avenue. Price will be tricky but if you can find a home in the above mentioned areas, that would be a great deal and fit your requirements to a T.

These areas I mention are nice and relatively safe but more importantly either on or very close to BART lines, and also are all close to or part of the Bay Area core.

[hydro]

I don't think that anything exists meeting your requirements. The first problem is the part where you are leaving NY because of "too many people"- generally I don't think of CA as being short of people (although there certainly are counties which are NOT densly populated). However, suburban/urban equals people.

The weather specifications really put the possibility of meeting these criteria seemingly impossible.

Negative, but true?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by melbklyn

I've lived in & around NYC my whole life (37 years). I now call NYC "my abuser". It changes you. There are TOO MANY PEOPLE!! The weather is impossible for me as I have SAD & need more sun than a sunlamp can offer...so I'm planning my escape!
Portland, OR (SE Hawthorne area) has a good vibe that I like a lot but the weather negates that. Not an option.
Lived in San Fran for a few months - not really into it - need more suburban space & nature.
I am sure there are places in Northern Cali that would be better.
Looking for a temp of 55-75/80 max cooler is better than hotter (as long as the sun is out - i'm fine).
The coast is foggy (it was in San Fran & I've heard it's all over the coast) so inland may be better but maybe 2-3 hours from coast.
Also, would like to be somewhere where 35-55 is average age with good education levels (by NYC standards - a GED is a good education! lol & a progressive community (which I've heard exists in a lot of CA towns.)
Population - smaller city? urban/suburban?
Home prices around 300K - 500K for 3BR would be great but I know CA is expensive!
I would rent for awhile just to be sure so rent amount around $1000 for a 1BR (this is $450 less than the 1BR I am currently living in, it's not even in Manhattan but Brooklyn!).

Thanks to anyone who gets through this giant post! You advice is appreciated!

of course the first things first: what about a job, if you are not working and do not have a job lined up what will you do for money?

yes, much of Ca is progressive and diverse, it sounds like someplace life Sonoma County or even east of Sacramento (like Placerville) would be fine, but the employment picture isn't that great.

You know, not to change your mind all together but it sounds like someplace like Albuquerque might fit your needs even better. Lots of people with SAD have fallen in love with ABQ. Just a thought.

As for wanting uban, progressive, etc and not too many people, I think you need to realize all you are looking for probably doesn't exist in our world.

Nita

[Hawk J]

My older brother still lives in Prunedale. He Loves it there. It is hills & forest. Not very far from Monterey & Moss Landing & Salinas.

There is some morning fog but it usually burns off late morning. In the summer it gets up in the 80's, maybe 90's...............


My sil lives in Gilroy, farther inland, for 30 years. It's warmer thar in summer. I've always liked it around San Juan Bautista area..............


Best O Luck on where you choose Bro.

[melbklyn]

Thanks everyone for the info. I am a telecommuter so work is not an issue. I am just looking for more sun than NYC, more natural surroundings (I currently live in a gray world) & less than 2 million people.
I heard Boulder, CO has over 300 day sof sunlight. I'm visiting Boulder in September & Santa Cruz in October. I prefer living closer to the coast, but sun is my main need & I'd prefer it not to get over 90ish degrees.
While I know nowhere will be "perfect" - I'm just looking for a better life. I'm planning on exploring many of the places & neighborhoods mentioned here. I really appreciate all of your help.