CA was one of the 9.. (Sacramento, Berkeley: apartment, renting, condo)

[famlife]

You can skip down to the last paragraph if you don't wanna hear the whole dang story. LoL

me and my husband and kids had recently moved to NY from WI for a job. we were met with all kinds of issues regarding homeschooling and vaccination due to NY state law. we basically had to bounce right back to WI within a year because of legal issues that we weren't expecting, that were not issues in WI. however WI is not ideally where we'd like to be, which is why we moved in the first place. we only came back here because we already had connections and a job waiting.

SO NOW, we've educated ourselves on the state-to-state homeschooling and vaccination laws, and have made a list of states that qualify for us. California made the list. so, i've some questions for you Californians :-)

here's our list of some of the things we'd like in our community.

We are a large Catholic family, do you guys know of a Latin Mass in the area?
We're conservative in some ways, more liberal in others.
My husband works in IT, and is preparing to start his own business.
I stay at home and home school the kids, so we'll need some things to learn and do around town, children's activities.
I'd like nice grocery stores, and decent shopping.
A zoo within an hour would be excellent.
We love history, a historical community is ideal.
We do not want to live near a missile base or a place with excessive military presence.
The lower the violent crime rate, the better.
A children's theater would be great.
We like accessibility, good hospitals, etc.. but not alot of nightlife and party atmosphere.
We love to hike and ride bikes.
Snow doesn't scare us, but excessive heat may.
We'd like to be within 30-40 minutes of a city of at least 50k people.
Good middle and high schools are important, as i only home school to 7th grade.

any ideas? i realize that nowhere's perfect, but the closer the better!

Thanks!

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by famlife

You can skip down to the last paragraph if you don't wanna hear the whole dang story. LoL

me and my husband and kids had recently moved to NY from WI for a job. we were met with all kinds of issues regarding homeschooling and vaccination due to NY state law. we basically had to bounce right back to WI within a year because of legal issues that we weren't expecting, that were not issues in WI. however WI is not ideally where we'd like to be, which is why we moved in the first place. we only came back here because we already had connections and a job waiting.

SO NOW, we've educated ourselves on the state-to-state homeschooling and vaccination laws, and have made a list of states that qualify for us. California made the list. so, i've some questions for you Californians :-)

here's our list of some of the things we'd like in our community.

We are a large Catholic family, do you guys know of a Latin Mass in the area?
We're conservative in some ways, more liberal in others.
My husband works in IT, and is preparing to start his own business.
I stay at home and home school the kids, so we'll need some things to learn and do around town, children's activities.
I'd like nice grocery stores, and decent shopping.
A zoo within an hour would be excellent.
We love history, a historical community is ideal.
We do not want to live near a missile base or a place with excessive military presence.
The lower the violent crime rate, the better.
A children's theater would be great.
We like accessibility, good hospitals, etc.. but not alot of nightlife and party atmosphere.
We love to hike and ride bikes.
Snow doesn't scare us, but excessive heat may.
We'd like to be within 30-40 minutes of a city of at least 50k people.
Good middle and high schools are important, as i only home school to 7th grade.

any ideas? i realize that nowhere's perfect, but the closer the better!

Thanks!

I was going to say Ventura or Camarillo, but the missile testing thing may be a problem for you. That may be a problem in many parts of California though. Not sure on the Latin Mass though as I am Mormon. Ventura is home to the San Buena Ventura Mission and as such may have a Latin Mass. It is historical and Catholic. Cool place to take the kids for a visit. Also the area is within 40 minutes of the Santa Barbara Zoo.

[famlife]

thanks for the reply! unfortunately missile testing is a deal-breaker ;-)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by famlife

We are a large Catholic family

That's too bad.


Rent or buy? What is your budget?
What sort of home? Apartment? Condo? Townhome? SFR?

[normie]

American Martyrs in Manhattan Beach is an incredible catholic church. And IMO Manhattan beach mostly fits your description. There's an airforce base about 7-8 miles from there but it doesn't have weapons or anything. Mostly just database and engineers.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by famlife

here's our list of some of the things we'd like in our community.

Here are responses pertaining to Sacramento

We are a large Catholic family, do you guys know of a Latin Mass in the area? St. Stephen the First Martyr Church in Sacramento St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish (http://sacfssp.com/default.aspx - broken link) provides the Latin Mass for all services
We're conservative in some ways, more liberal in others. The city proper is fairly liberal. The greater area is moderate to conservative
My husband works in IT, and is preparing to start his own business. That fits. Lots of state government contracts.
I stay at home and home school the kids, so we'll need some things to learn and do around town, children's activities. Plenty to do for all ages.
I'd like nice grocery stores, and decent shopping. Lots of that.
A zoo within an hour would be excellent. Has its own zoo as well as an adjacent Fairytale Town.
We love history, a historical community is ideal. Very historical thanks to the gold rush, railroads, etc.
We do not want to live near a missile base or a place with excessive military presence. All three military bases closed years ago and no close missles.
The lower the violent crime rate, the better. Stay out of downtown and south Sac.
A children's theater would be great. Lots of childrens performing arts.
We like accessibility, good hospitals, etc.. but not alot of nightlife and party atmosphere. Great hospitals. Stay out of downtown and mid-town.
We love to hike and ride bikes. Hiking and bike trails galore, especially along the rivers.
Snow doesn't scare us, but excessive heat may. That's why air conditioning was invented. It can get toasty.
We'd like to be within 30-40 minutes of a city of at least 50k people. Sacramento is large.
Good middle and high schools are important, as i only home school to 7th grade. Depends on where you settle.

any ideas? i realize that nowhere's perfect, but the closer the better! Hard to say without knowing your budget but FFair Oaks, Carmichael or Folsom might do it for you.

Thanks!

You're welcome!

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by famlife

You can skip down to the last paragraph if you don't wanna hear the whole dang story. LoL

me and my husband and kids had recently moved to NY from WI for a job. we were met with all kinds of issues regarding homeschooling and vaccination due to NY state law. we basically had to bounce right back to WI within a year because of legal issues that we weren't expecting, that were not issues in WI. however WI is not ideally where we'd like to be, which is why we moved in the first place. we only came back here because we already had connections and a job waiting.

SO NOW, we've educated ourselves on the state-to-state homeschooling and vaccination laws, and have made a list of states that qualify for us. California made the list. so, i've some questions for you Californians :-)

here's our list of some of the things we'd like in our community.

We are a large Catholic family, do you guys know of a Latin Mass in the area?
We're conservative in some ways, more liberal in others.
My husband works in IT, and is preparing to start his own business.
I stay at home and home school the kids, so we'll need some things to learn and do around town, children's activities.
I'd like nice grocery stores, and decent shopping.
A zoo within an hour would be excellent.
We love history, a historical community is ideal.
We do not want to live near a missile base or a place with excessive military presence.
The lower the violent crime rate, the better.
A children's theater would be great.
We like accessibility, good hospitals, etc.. but not alot of nightlife and party atmosphere.
We love to hike and ride bikes.
Snow doesn't scare us, but excessive heat may.
We'd like to be within 30-40 minutes of a city of at least 50k people.
Good middle and high schools are important, as i only home school to 7th grade.

any ideas? i realize that nowhere's perfect, but the closer the better!

Thanks!

I know of the perfect place for your family...everything on your list exists in Fair Oaks, CA.. (the only exception would be the heat in the summer-yuck)

It's a fairly small town about on the outskirts of Sacramento.. It's about 50/50 on the political scale (perhaps leaning more to the right of my own comfort level). There is a Latin Mass at one of the two Catholic churches there, TWO zoos within the area, a children's theater in town, bike trails along the river, good schools, etc. It's a really beautiful place-feels very rural but has all the usual amenities/shopping centers etc....and Sacramento proper is only 10 minutes or so away. Oh, and historically speaking...not that far from all the Gold Rush/mining etc type historical parks.

[famlife]

thanks guys!

we'd be renting, as we don't want to be anchored until we've lived there awhile.

my husband makes in the mid 100k's, but we're hoping for more when he's working for himself.

i'll definitely look into the areas around Sacramento, and also Fair Oaks.

Thanks a bunch! I wouldn't mind even more suggestions :-)

[Ceece]

...vaccination laws....

Hopefully you vaccinate your kids?

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by famlife

You can skip down to the last paragraph if you don't wanna hear the whole dang story. LoL

me and my husband and kids had recently moved to NY from WI for a job. we were met with all kinds of issues regarding homeschooling and vaccination due to NY state law. we basically had to bounce right back to WI within a year because of legal issues that we weren't expecting, that were not issues in WI. however WI is not ideally where we'd like to be, which is why we moved in the first place. we only came back here because we already had connections and a job waiting.

SO NOW, we've educated ourselves on the state-to-state homeschooling and vaccination laws, and have made a list of states that qualify for us. California made the list. so, i've some questions for you Californians :-)

here's our list of some of the things we'd like in our community.

We are a large Catholic family, do you guys know of a Latin Mass in the area?
We're conservative in some ways, more liberal in others.
My husband works in IT, and is preparing to start his own business.
I stay at home and home school the kids, so we'll need some things to learn and do around town, children's activities.
I'd like nice grocery stores, and decent shopping.
A zoo within an hour would be excellent.
We love history, a historical community is ideal.
We do not want to live near a missile base or a place with excessive military presence.
The lower the violent crime rate, the better.
A children's theater would be great.
We like accessibility, good hospitals, etc.. but not alot of nightlife and party atmosphere.
We love to hike and ride bikes.
Snow doesn't scare us, but excessive heat may.
We'd like to be within 30-40 minutes of a city of at least 50k people.
Good middle and high schools are important, as i only home school to 7th grade.

any ideas? i realize that nowhere's perfect, but the closer the better!

Thanks!

Sounds like you're describing Piedmont CA to a tee.

The Bay Area long ago jettison just about all of the military presence... we still have the Coast Gard in Alameda and so far any effort to downsize has been met with stiff opposition.

Several zoo's to choose from within 1 hour and choice of Medical is outstanding.

Piedmont has some top of the top public schools and I think the city population is under 12k but is centered in the heart of the Bay Area.

Climate/Temperature meets every definition of mild...

Crime is extremely low... the last time I checked, a while ago... there were zero sex offenders listed...

Lots of open space and parkland nearby... including the East Bay Regional Parks.

The Catholic Church is very active and Piedmont Avenue has a ton of shops and Rockridge/Berkeley shopping is only minutes away.