Coastal counties in CA affordable to live on teacher salary (San Francisco: real estate, rentals)

[Petoskey]

I'm wondering if there are any small cities or large towns (population 6,000-25,000) with lower crime in one of the counties on the coast of CA (lower Mendocinio and south) with above average or better schools, with a safe, walkable downtown area that have homes to rent or buy (min 1600 sq ft 3 bed/1 bath) in a safe neighborhood affordable to a family living on a teacher salary as the main source of income? My husband and I are very good with money and over the years have been able to live much better than most in our income bracket because of our careful spending. Please note that I'm only interested in Coastal Counties. I know we can't afford to live right on the coast but I don't want to be any farther than a county away from a large body of water if we can afford it since I'm coming from Michigan and am used to being surrounded by water which I love. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[bhcompy]

Well, hard to say what is "affordable" as teacher salaries vary from 35k to over 100k. But at least in the southern part of CA, the only real affordable coastal area that may fit your need that I can think of would be Oceanside, but Oceanside isn't known for great schools. Maybe look inland around Santa Barbara? Buellton and such? Affordable, safe, and a short drive to the coast

[Petoskey]

Thanks for the response. By affordable I mean rent or a mortgage for a 3br/1b 1600 sq ft home in a safe neighborhood with decent schools around $1400.00-1600.00 per month plus utilities that don't exceed 300.00 a month. Is that out of the question in a coastal county?

[Pushing60]

About the only place I can think of might be Fort Bragg north. Take a look at Fort Bragg, Humboldt County and even Crescent City.

[Petoskey]

I would really prefer living further south of the Fort Bragg area but it was one of the places I had looked at as an option in the past. I didn't think there were any towns south of San Francisco in coastal counties that met my criteria that I could afford to live in but I thought maybe with housing prices down that now I could find a place. How about rent in the $1700.00-1900.00 per month range? Does that open up any more areas?

[UB50]

Housing is the biggest expense in California.

What does your husband teach? Does he have a job lined up?

[Petoskey]

Yes, I realize housing is the biggest expense in California which is why I'm posting here trying to find safe areas that have the most affordable housing. I realize my original post wasn't worded in a way to get the specific information I was looking for which is why I responded with a more specific question of are there any coastal counties that have rentals available with a min of 1600 sq ft 3 beds/1 bath in safe areas with decent schools in the range of $1700.00-1900.00 per month. I would really appreciate suggestions of large towns or small cities (population of 6,000-30,000 give or take) that might meet these criteria. I would prefer areas from Sonoma county and south. I'm thinking I may get more responses if I repost this in a more specific California area heading. I'll give it a while longer before doing that. Thanks to those of you who have responded so far!! )

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

This has been said numerous times on this forum, but it's worth saying again. Shangri-La is expensive. Market dynamics ensure that. There are 37 MILLION people in California. Think about that. Every square inch of the state that has the most desirable features (good climate, low crime, good schools, walkable/bike-friendly urban planning, etc.) is crowded. That competition puts a lot of market pressure on the real estate there.

If you want affordability, you'll have to decide what concessions you're willing to make to the Universal California Ideal. If you can cope with hot summers, there are places in the central valley that are less expensive. If you can deal with 200 days of rain a year, the far north coast has more affordable real estate.

But the bottom line is...if you're looking for what everybody else is looking for...then you need to have the financial resources to compete with the 37 million other residents who would like to live in Shangri-La also. There's no hidden nook of paradise that nobody knows about and is unaccountably unpopulated. If there's a city or town where housing is not in high demand, then there's a reason why.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Petoskey

I'm wondering if there are any small cities or large towns (population 6,000-25,000) with lower crime in one of the counties on the coast of CA (lower Mendocinio and south) with above average or better schools, with a safe, walkable downtown area that have homes to rent or buy (min 1600 sq ft 3 bed/1 bath) in a safe neighborhood affordable to a family living on a teacher salary as the main source of income? My husband and I are very good with money and over the years have been able to live much better than most in our income bracket because of our careful spending. Please note that I'm only interested in Coastal Counties. I know we can't afford to live right on the coast but I don't want to be any farther than a county away from a large body of water if we can afford it since I'm coming from Michigan and am used to being surrounded by water which I love. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Two things to consider, the lower the cost of living and property values, the lower the teacher salaries as a rule; add to that even teachers certified in CA are having trouble getting jobs, especially in the areas of the state you would be interested in. Now, are there cities and towns that would work for you, probably and they are usually really pleasant.

Nita

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

In Ventura county you could try Fillmore, Santa Paula or even Moorpark for small town / city atmosphere. Rents in Santa Paula and fillmore would be close to what you want to pay. These cities are inland although they are within a short drive to the ocean. Something to consider is that you may be able to adjust your figures. You could pay more for rent and less for utilities. On the coast we seldom use air conditioning. When I was a kid I didn't even know that homes came with AC. In Oxnard where I live you could find a home to rent for less than $2,000 in some parts of the city. I have seen 3 bedroom 2 bath condos for as low as $1,550 a month. Our utilities, water, sewer, and trash bill is $125 a month on average. Something else to consider is that within many large cities such as Ventura the geography of the land can mean a city that is really several towns within the city. You could devide Ventura into seperate communities with their own flavor and identity.

On the other hand, jobs will be a problem within the local school districts. Many are financially in trouble. Many have laid off newer teachers. Our sons middle school has eliminated all elective classes for next year. Not a good time to be a teacher in California. If you are willing though, many private universities such as University of Phoenix are hiring instructors. For many of those classes they have either an online presence or a learning center at cities all over the state. Just a thought.