Humboldt State University? (Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville: motel, houses, dorms)

[Sensimilla]

I am considering finishing my degree at HSU next year, spending the next 2-3 years in the area while I finish, and possibly work on a graduate program.

Anyone familiar with the quality of the student housing? I know they offer 21+ and Lifestyle dorms, but I couldn't really find out much online.

Housing seems affordable compared to the other areas of CA, I found houses in the $1,000 range, is that normal? If I don't end up in the student housing, I want to live within a short drive of the school, from what I read there seems to be multiple cities in the area, which are within reasonable driving distance?

And lastly, someone told me it snows in Humboldt?

EDIT - Also, I am a big outdoors guy, if I live near the school will I have a lot of options for fishing/hiking?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Sensimilla

I am considering finishing my degree at HSU next year, spending the next 2-3 years in the area while I finish, and possibly work on a graduate program.

Anyone familiar with the quality of the student housing? I know they offer 21+ and Lifestyle dorms, but I couldn't really find out much online.

Housing seems affordable compared to the other areas of CA, I found houses in the $1,000 range, is that normal? If I don't end up in the student housing, I want to live within a short drive of the school, from what I read there seems to be multiple cities in the area, which are within reasonable driving distance?

And lastly, someone told me it snows in Humboldt?

EDIT - Also, I am a big outdoors guy, if I live near the school will I have a lot of options for fishing/hiking?

I don't know about hiking, but fishing in and around the area is really good. There are lots of good camping places further south as well.

The one thing I am not sure about: the post graduate program, have you checked into it??

Nita

[eureka1]

It does not snow anywhere near HSU,only in the hills. A house in Arcata for $1K would be unusually cheap. Eureka is cheap and even here a 3/2 would go for at least $1200 w/o utilities. Sorry, I'm not familiar with the student housing. I know they're building more of it. You could check with the HSU housing office as to when it's coming online. Good luck.

[Sensimilla]

I think I am going to make a trip up to the area to get a feel for the place sometime this winter.

[bhcompy]

Gee, with a name like that you'll fit right in. It's a wonder that you would choose Humboldt. I can't imagine why

[Sensimilla]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Gee, with a name like that you'll fit right in. It's a wonder that you would choose Humboldt. I can't imagine why

Fantastic observation skills.

Do you have anything positive to contribute, or are you just a troll?

[Grumbler]

Originally Posted by Sensimilla

I am considering finishing my degree at HSU next year, spending the next 2-3 years in the area while I finish, and possibly work on a graduate program.

Stayed for 3 nights at the Fairwinds Motel in Arcata this past June. In many
cases, off campus housing is shared with other students which keeps their
expenses down.

You can check craigslist for housing in that region. We did see a whole lot
of ongoing construction at HSU for the dorms.

If you can live in Arcata, everything is within walking distance or bicycling
distance. There's a bus service btw Arcata and McKinleyville. I personally
wouldn't live south of Eureka as going through the stoplights twice a day
gets old. Depends on what type of congestion you're used to though.

Arcata is actually pretty quiet during the summer months then becomes
an active college town during the school year. Some locals have told me
that McKinleyville would be a better choice as it's more, uh, normal there.

Here's a good source of information for activities in Humboldt County:
index (http://101things.com/e-zines/Humboldt08/ - broken link)

Hopefully, you'll be able head up there this winter, and check things out.
My daughter *might* be an undergraduate student at HSU after HS.

[vaughanwilliams]

Originally Posted by Sensimilla

Fantastic observation skills.

Do you have anything positive to contribute, or are you just a troll?

Probably just a sad,little troll. I lived in Humboldt County, but left many, many years ago. From what I know,HSU is a fantastic school-especially for the Natural Sciences.

[wburg]

I went to school there, and while I graduated nearly 20 years ago I visit every couple of years--whenever I do, I wish I had never left.

There are no jobs. There weren't any jobs in Arcata/Eureka even during boom times over the past 20 years. People with master's degrees work minimum wage fast food jobs, in part because there are no jobs, in part because they love it so much they don't ever want to leave. If you don't go up with a job you will have a hard time finding one, to put it mildly.

It snows about once every 20 years in Arcata, typically for like one day, a half-inch or so, and it melts off by the next day. However, you are an easy drive from snow all winter long in the nearby mountains. In summer (and early fall/late spring) you can go up into the mountains to see the sun shine when Arcata/Eureka are already locked into their cloak of fog and rain.

The ocean is just a few miles away, the beaches are gorgeous. Note that beachwear in Humboldt County means boots, jeans and a heavy coat, but there are also crazy people who surf there, wearing thick wetsuits.

Hiking is fantastic and nearby. There are places on campus where you can take a wrong turn and wind up in the woods. You can walk from pretty much any point in Arcata to the redwoods where there are miles of hiking trails; if you burn out on those, a short bike ride or drive into the hills in any direction will give you more hiking options.

About HSU: A lot depends on your major. They are a good teacher's college, a great college for natural/life sciences, not so great for business & technology. I didn't own a car or know how to drive but I could walk or bicycle just about everywhere I needed to go; back then, the school sold bus tokens for 5 cents apiece, but I recently read that HSU student ID now gets people on all local public transit free.

I recommend looking at some of the other Humboldt County/Eureka/Arcata threads here. I noticed that people tend to polarize about the place--either you fall in love immediately and never want to leave (like me) or you loathe it immediately and can't wait to get out. In general, the big minus (other than the crap economy) is the relative isolation--some call it the "Redwood Curtain." Being 6-7 hours from the nearest major city can be very isolating, and the place really is its own little world. Some like it like that; others can't bear it.

[Sensimilla]

We are looking to get out of the city and go back to living in a small isolated town, it's what we enjoy. We are outdoor enthuasists, we will probably be hiking/fishing 3-4 days a week when we move, not much to do here in Phoenix.

Our main concern is finding work before we move.