LESS expensive in California? (Los Angeles, San Francisco: real estate, renting, crime)

[ArielE]

Hello all,
Here's my question: Are there any nice cities in California with a nice mild climate and that are affordable?? My price range for real estate is up to 300,000, but I'd prefer to stay below 250,000. Most of the places that seem extremely nice in California would laugh at these prices: Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Arcata, Mt. Shasta area.

I'm a Minnesota native who may have to move to a warmer climate because my husband really wants to. Right now we live in northern Minnesota, and of course, it's very cold. We are young professionals in the medical field, we both really like the culture in Minnesota and so weather is really the main object for moving.
We plan to have a family soon and would like someplace safe and family frinedly. The climate and scenery in California seem to be perfect -- I love the mountains, the ocean, rivers, parks, warmer winters, mild summers.

We've lived in Portland and liked it there but want something a bit warmer.

Other things that I hope to find are walkability (being able to walk outside and get around on foot to some degree without superhighways surrounding me), hills, and liberal politics. We both speak Spanish and my husband is from Cuba so we'd be ok with lots of Spanish speakers as well. It doesn't have to be a picture perfect place, just one where us ordinary folks can afford to buy a home!

Please help! Any suggestions would be much appreciated, I don't want to end up in hot and flat Florida just because it's cheaper (and my husband likes it)!! Any information would help and please share and compare your experiences with other regions as well. We've lived in three places: Portland Oregon, St. Louis, MO, and Duluth, MN... all of which we've liked except the weather has been less than perfect.

[Fiddlehead]

Well, my favorite town in California is Chico. It has mild weather, with hot summers. The hills / mts. are right nearby to the east, and there is a large park, Bidwell Park, that is fabulous for walking,etc. It is in the Sacramento Valley about 100 miles north of Sacramento. Check it out. I met my wife there, and we loved it!

Plenty of hispanic culture too, and I suspect you could find a house in your range, provided you can find a job.

[Charles]

Oxnard or Port Hueneme

Lots of Hospitals (St. Johns and Pleasant Valley)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,0.445976&z=12


Five minutes from plenty of nice beaches and harbors and golf courses
Plenty of beautiful cycling areas near Ventura, Moorpark, Santa Paula, Fillmore
Homes in your price range
Hispanic culture in many parts of town, excellent Mexican restaurants
Perfect weather
An hour (weekend driving, not commuting) to Santa Monica/West Los Angeles
Ten minutes to Ventura
Thirty minutes to Santa Barbara

These two towns have some scrappy neighborhoods but they also have decent neighborhoods.

You could also try Fillmore, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Santa Paula

[sunshine7793]

I'l look carefully at those words hispanic culture and just they mean. The city of Thousand Oaks is considered to be fairly safe with a crime index of 114, but it has little hispanic culture. Chico has a crime index of 349, Oxnard 251 and Port Hueneme 216. But these places do have more hispanic culture.

[sunshine7793]

Didn't finish my thought. You probably won't find anything in Thousand Oaks in your price range. And it will be hard to find anything in California for $300K without considerable hispanic culture.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by ArielE

Hello all,
Here's my question: Are there any nice cities in California with a nice mild climate and that are affordable?? My price range for real estate is up to 300,000, but I'd prefer to stay below 250,000. Most of the places that seem extremely nice in California would laugh at these prices: Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Arcata, Mt. Shasta area.

I'm a Minnesota native who may have to move to a warmer climate because my husband really wants to. Right now we live in northern Minnesota, and of course, it's very cold. We are young professionals in the medical field, we both really like the culture in Minnesota and so weather is really the main object for moving.
We plan to have a family soon and would like someplace safe and family frinedly. The climate and scenery in California seem to be perfect -- I love the mountains, the ocean, rivers, parks, warmer winters, mild summers.

We've lived in Portland and liked it there but want something a bit warmer.

Other things that I hope to find are walkability (being able to walk outside and get around on foot to some degree without superhighways surrounding me), hills, and liberal politics. We both speak Spanish and my husband is from Cuba so we'd be ok with lots of Spanish speakers as well. It doesn't have to be a picture perfect place, just one where us ordinary folks can afford to buy a home!

Please help! Any suggestions would be much appreciated, I don't want to end up in hot and flat Florida just because it's cheaper (and my husband likes it)!! Any information would help and please share and compare your experiences with other regions as well. We've lived in three places: Portland Oregon, St. Louis, MO, and Duluth, MN... all of which we've liked except the weather has been less than perfect.

What you want may not be easy to find, but I am sure there is something. You mention $300,000, how big are you thinking? That in itself may not be easy but it is possible. I would think about Chico, like someone else suggeated. Don't pay too much attention to the crime index as in many cities, crime is pretty much centered around one location, not the entire city.

The biggest problem you may have is finding an area that is nice, walkable and safe with a high percentage of Spanish speaking people.

Nita

[coyoteskye]

The average price for a home in Santa Cruz, for example, is between 8 and 9K!
Here's a link to a post that provides "heat maps" for CA real estate.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...me-prices.html

[Bluesbabe]

I know a lot of people will bristle at this but I'm going to suggest somewhere in the Central San Joaquin Valley because it is a mid-point distance to the coast, Bay Area, hills (if you're into camping), and some arts, various cultural (lots of Spanish) and entertainment in Fresno.

You wouldn't have the "excitement" of Santa Cruz, San Fransisco at your fingertips everyday, but you could find housing to meet your specifications and, like I said, you are reasonable distance to many things.

You would probably prefer Redding's climate over Mt. Shasta. Different recreation in that part of the state, with beautiful forests, and a different ocean-line from the touristy ones in the central and southern part. The caveat: It's a long distance to metropolitan culture (not exactly a hop, skip, & a jump to San Francsco), although Sacramento is not that far.

California's pretty rich in Hispanic culture just about anywhere. But as another poster suggested, you should do your homework on crime statistics first.

[humboldtrat]

Check out Fresno. I think you could find something for about $300K (I don't know much about Fresno real estate, but I think $300K or less might be doable). Fresno (or one of the surrounding towns such as Clovis) certainly has Hispanic culture. Fresno is about 2 hours or less from the ocean or the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite Nat. Park.

[coyoteskye]

Sorry but i do not understand how, if anyone read the o.p.'s post, they would suggest the central valley, Fresno, etc.
She "loves the mountains, the ocean, rivers, parks, warmer winters, mild summers", wants liberal politics and good weather.
I assume that she's likes clean air as well and that "mild" doesn't mean suffocatingly hot.
Since the coast is not affordable, winters are too much winter in the mountains and since she has needs that the affordable areas won't fulfill, then it seems that CA is not a good option ... imo.
Or O.P. consider finding a coastal area that really suits your needs and renting until you see what's what in this big state.