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Old 01-23-2016, 10:34 PM
 
4 posts, read 12,706 times
Reputation: 10

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hello, we are trying to narrow down our search for the next place that we can relocate to. my wife and I are retired now and as soon as our younger kid leaves for college we will hopefully be moving out west (from Florida). we have done some traveling through Sonoma county and the central coast, and we love the scenery, small town feels, and weather. Just wanted to find out some more information about the pros and cons of living in the Monterey/ pacific grove area vs Healdsburg or Sebastopol as those are some of the destinations we are most considering. a little more about: we want some place with a small town feel, walkable to shops/ restaurants, and outdoor activity nearby as well as a vibrant arts community.
thanks
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Old 01-26-2016, 09:55 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
1,722 posts, read 1,740,991 times
Reputation: 1341
Quote:
Originally Posted by richreiter View Post
hello, we are trying to narrow down our search for the next place that we can relocate to. my wife and I are retired now and as soon as our younger kid leaves for college we will hopefully be moving out west (from Florida). we have done some traveling through Sonoma county and the central coast, and we love the scenery, small town feels, and weather. Just wanted to find out some more information about the pros and cons of living in the Monterey/ pacific grove area vs Healdsburg or Sebastopol as those are some of the destinations we are most considering. a little more about: we want some place with a small town feel, walkable to shops/ restaurants, and outdoor activity nearby as well as a vibrant arts community.
thanks
Congratulations! You've chosen 4 great places to live. It's unusual that someone from out of state has the appropriate communities in mind that match what they're actually looking for.

I suggest that you post this on the main California forum. I bet you'll get a lot more responses. The Monterey County forum is not visited or posted on that frequently as you can see. I'm the only person who has responded in 3 days. That's not good. And i'm not familiar enough with Sonoma County to be of much real help but i sense that the two communities there will meet more of your criteria than either Pacific Grove or Monterey. That's just my sense though. Post on the main forum and wait for some more helpful responses. Good luck.
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Old 03-03-2016, 02:40 PM
 
Location: CA, OR & WA (Best Coast)
472 posts, read 525,989 times
Reputation: 433
I think the big difference between the two is the weather. PG is coastal so its foggy and overcast and temps are typically much cooler than Sonoma. The best time of year for PG is September & October (less foggy), the best time for Sonoma is Spring time before it gets really hot.

So if you like the heat go for Sonoma, if you like it mild and cooler go for Monterey/PG.
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Old 03-03-2016, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,480,254 times
Reputation: 38575
I love Pacific Grove. It's so quaint and walkable and you can just walk to the ocean. It's just gorgeous and there are a lot of events and a farmer's market, etc. As far as the fog, you don't have to drive far at all to get out of the fog. You can just drive over to Monterey, even, normally.

I don't know Sebastopol. I am pretty familiar with Santa Rosa/Rohnert Park. I like this area, because there is a lot to do and the weather is nice, and the ocean is still within driving distance.

I've heard that there is a growing homeless problem in Sebastopol, and that traffic can be a pain, if I recall correctly, when the tourists are out an about. You might want to search the Santa Rosa newspaper for articles about Sebastopol:

Home | Santa Rosa News, Weather, Sports and Business | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat

I'm on a waiting list to move to a senior place in Rohnert Park. For me, I'd rather live there than PG, even though I love PG, because there is so much to do in Rohnert Park/Santa Rosa - great senior centers, day bus trips to shows in SF, tons of recreation classes, etc. Also, there are a lot of other services like dentists who take Medi-Cal, etc.

My impression of Monterey County is that is smaller population-wise and not as well-funded as Sonoma County.

So, as far as living, personally, I'd choose Sonoma County with the proximity to everything Santa Rosa has to offer. And I'd take trips to PG :-) But, I'm ready to move back to a bigger city. I'd rather live in Santa Rosa than Sebastapol or even PG. I miss being able to drive a couple miles to any kind of shopping I want and a great senior center.

As far as an artsy community, I don't know if one is better than the other. Carmel by the Sea is very artsy, and not far from PG.

BTW, I've heard that Petaluma is cute and walkable. I haven't been there, but you might want to check it out, too.

Welcome to CA and have fun deciding!
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Old 03-05-2016, 05:38 PM
 
Location: Northern Colorado
4,932 posts, read 12,755,796 times
Reputation: 1364
Sonoma County is alot more crowded.
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Old 03-05-2016, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
1,722 posts, read 1,740,991 times
Reputation: 1341
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city View Post
Sonoma County is alot more crowded.
It's more relevant to the original post to compare the population of Monterey/ pacific grove area and the population of Healdsburg and the population of Sebastopol.
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Old 03-06-2016, 11:06 AM
 
Location: Northern Colorado
4,932 posts, read 12,755,796 times
Reputation: 1364
Quote:
Originally Posted by blueskywalker View Post
It's more relevant to the original post to compare the population of Monterey/ pacific grove area and the population of Healdsburg and the population of Sebastopol.
Is this person never planning to go into town to shop, dine, get groceries? Then they won't have to worry about it, but if they plan to live in civilization then they will probably venture into Santa Rosa.
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Old 03-06-2016, 11:13 AM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
1,722 posts, read 1,740,991 times
Reputation: 1341
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