Is Valley Springs the best small town in the Valley? (Stockton: ski resorts, foreclosure)

[Den Mathias]

I want to have close access to the mountains for winter sports and close proximity to water for water skiing and boating. Valley Springs seems to cover all of those bases. It has great weather and it is close to some larger towns.

Any locals have any insights to the town and the area?

It would appear to be one of the better small towns in Ca, at least on the City-Data info?

Watcha think?

[DMenscha]

A couple of things to begin with. Valley Springs really isn't in the Central Valley, it's just inside the Sierra Foothills. It is kind of a bedroom community of Stockton (about a 40 minute drive away) and lately has been hit with a lot of foreclosure activity. It certainly has proximity to the 3 lakes in the area and is about an hour and twenty minutes from Bear Valley and Kirkwood in the winter (depending on the weather).

I find it too hot, too flat, and too foggy in the winter for my tastes compared to where I live, but I've got a lot of friends that live there and they seem to be happy with it. If I were looking to move to the area, I'd also look at Copperopolis which is about 10 air miles south.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me.

You could also look at Valley Springs - My Community for some more insight.

[Den Mathias]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

A couple of things to begin with. Valley Springs really isn't in the Central Valley, it's just inside the Sierra Foothills. It is kind of a bedroom community of Stockton (about a 40 minute drive away) and lately has been hit with a lot of foreclosure activity. It certainly has proximity to the 3 lakes in the area and is about an hour and twenty minutes from Bear Valley and Kirkwood in the winter (depending on the weather).

I find it too hot, too flat, and too foggy in the winter for my tastes compared to where I live, but I've got a lot of friends that live there and they seem to be happy with it. If I were looking to move to the area, I'd also look at Copperopolis which is about 10 air miles south.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me.

You could also look at Valley Springs - My Community for some more insight.

Thank you for all the great information. I was unsure where the valley ends and the foothills start up. I do want to be out of the Valley summer heat and winter tule fog. A little elevation is always good. I think it helps the air quality also. I have heard of Copperopolis but never visited. I am open to other places but a friend told me the charm of Valley Springs. Another concern is the medical facilities as I am accident prone!

How close is your town to the Skiing? I might want to check it out also!

Thanks again!

[DMenscha]

You're welcome.

There is a hospital in the county seat of San Andreas, about 10 miles from VS and 8 miles from my town.

I'm afraid (not really) my town is on the road to nowhere, but it takes me about an hour to drive to Bear Valley in the summer using back roads to get to highway 4.

The county map located here http://www.co.calaveras.ca.us/departments/bos/redistricting/communityarea_11x17.pdf (broken link) might give you an idea of where things are in the county.

[jribe]

Originally Posted by Den Mathias

I want to have close access to the mountains for winter sports and close proximity to water for water skiing and boating. Valley Springs seems to cover all of those bases. It has great weather and it is close to some larger towns.

Any locals have any insights to the town and the area?

It would appear to be one of the better small towns in Ca, at least on the City-Data info?

Watcha think?

Having lived in the vicinity (sutter creek, jackson) for many years- you'll need to like a slow pace of life. There's really not much to do there at all- you'll need to drive to stockton or sacramento to do most shopping (except groceries). It's a nice quiet place- there has been an increase in crime and drugs (certainly not as bad as big cities though) because of people moving from the bay area. Where will you be working? That will make a difference. Commutes can be awful with so many one way roads, and if you get stuck behind a truck- forget it! Tahoe is about an hour and a half- which is a plus. Above Jackson (30 miles) are areas that snow in the winter (but there's no ski resorts). It's a nice place to live- but you need to like that kind of life basically. There's no entertainment, not much selection in resturants etc...

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by jribe

Above Jackson (30 miles) are areas that snow in the winter (but there's no ski resorts).

Not true. Kirkwood is due east of Jackson on Hwy 88 www.kirkwood.com and Bear Valley isn't too far away on Hwy 4 Bear Valley - Ski and Snow board California's Central Sierra Nevada

[Den Mathias]

Originally Posted by jribe

Having lived in the vicinity (sutter creek, jackson) for many years- you'll need to like a slow pace of life. There's really not much to do there at all- you'll need to drive to stockton or sacramento to do most shopping (except groceries). It's a nice quiet place- there has been an increase in crime and drugs (certainly not as bad as big cities though) because of people moving from the bay area. Where will you be working? That will make a difference. Commutes can be awful with so many one way roads, and if you get stuck behind a truck- forget it! Tahoe is about an hour and a half- which is a plus. Above Jackson (30 miles) are areas that snow in the winter (but there's no ski resorts). It's a nice place to live- but you need to like that kind of life basically. There's no entertainment, not much selection in resturants etc...

I am mainly researching the area for a vacation getaway. I want and need the slower pace of life!

[humboldtrat]

Check out Jackson in Amador county. The elevation is high enough to avoid the valley heat in the summer but low enough not to get none or little snow in the winter. www.amadorcountychamber.com It's not far to lakes and ski areas and there are about 30 wineries in the county www.amadorwine.com .

[Apples&Oranges]

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[Apples&Oranges]

If you are looking for more of a mountain atmosphere, then forget Valley Springs. It's Dry and brown during half the year. And it has very little shopping or restaurants. Downtown Valley Springs is just a couple of strip malls, and the old part of the town is run-down and not attractive.