Relocating from NC to CA...Need Help!!! (San Jose, Sacramento: real estate, rental)

[NCNeuroRN]

I am an RN in the coastal area of Wilmington, NC looking to relocate to the an area in Northern CA. So far all of the hospitals that I have applied to are in the range between Sonora and Sacramento. I have relatives that live in Angels Camp. My husband and I, along with our 3 kids... 3, 5, and 8, have focused our attention on the Placerville area largely based on what we have seen so far of the mostly rolling hills, leafy trees (but that has only been on Craigslist ads).... I would love to get any info that some one might have on the particulars of this area. Mostly school info, good areas to live, availability of ammenities, etc. Also, some of the hospitals that I have applied to are in the cities to the north of Sacramento... I am wondering about the commute, any information on hospitals to stay away from or those to be more interested in, etc.
Basically any and all information that would be helpful to a family of 5 with young kids. Our goal is to get a place with acreage to hopefully have a horse or 2 with good schools close by (we prefer christian, but public is ok)...we are going to rent at first and then see what happens...Also, any info on rental agencies would be appreciated also!!!
Thanks!!!

[Mossy]

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Placerville is a truly nice place with down to earth folks. I love NC though. How come you want to move out to N. CA? Unemployment is high here and even new nursing grads can't get jobs unless they are in LTC. Do you have a job already?

[jjeska30]

That is funny I was just thinking the same thing. I was just looking up real estate all over N.C. on craigslist. I am born and raised in So.Cal, now live in Florida.
N.C. sounds like such a beautiful place to live. I hate to turn this around on you, but if you feel like it can you tell me, "?what is Wilmington like???"
OK regardless, like Mossy says, careful what you do becuase things are bad everywhere, even Cali.
Take Care and Good Luck!!!!

[Jimbo15]

I lack personal knowledge about the merits and demerits of the local hospitals in the area. But if you were going to move to Sacramento, I think Placerville is one of the nicer communities in the region. Its an old gold rush town. Its pretty, lots of trees, away from the hustle and bustle of the region, but close enough if you needed to say catch a flight somewhere across the country.

That said the local employment situation is fairly rough right now (12%), so I wouldn't move out here right now unless you had a job lined up before you came here.

[NCNeuroRN]

Thanks for the info... I am definetely not planning on moving out until I have secured a position with a good hospital. As for why we want to move away from NC... well, the pay rates here, even for nurses, are notoriously low. I can make about 2.5-3 times what I am making now in CA. Housing and all of that other cost-of-living stuff is more expensive here in the Wilmington area b/c it is a resort area, lots of high priced housing around. Plus we have been here for 10 yrs now... its time for something new!

[humboldtrat]

Check out Jackson in Amador county, about halfway between Placerville and Sonora. Lots of rolling hills with wineries in the area and the high Sierras with skiing a short drive to the east. The hospital there is Sutter Amador Hospital

www.amadorcountychamber.com

[Mossy]

Granted nurses get paid more out here but the cost of living makes up for it!

[jchabrier]

We moved to Roseville, CA (25 North of Sacto) in 2004 from San Jose. There are some great areas around Sacramento. If your work places you north of Sacramento, I would recommend you look at the communities of Loomis and Auburn. Loomis is just North of Roseville on Highway 80 and has an excellent high school with Del Oro. Not sure about Auburn schools. Definitely a great community to own horses.

El Dorado county is nice too, but I'm not as familiar with the area. With family in Angels Camp, El Dorado, Shingle Springs, and Placerville are probably good areas to look into.

Good luck with your move! Feel free to call if and when you decide to purchase a home. I'm a mortgage broker and I can help with the financing.

Jim

[ElectroPlumber]

We moved out here from Eastern NC three years ago. You are right about wages being too low in NC. It's one of the reasons why we moved out here. However, the cost of living eats up most of the increase you get in pay.

I know nurses can get jobs just about anywhere, therefore, I'd take a look at moving to Raleigh and working at WakeMed or one of the other hospitals there. Raleigh has all of the amenities that Northern CA has except that the weather here does have the edge.

California is a different kind of place from the south. Not all bad by any means, but definitely different. A lot of people from the south just can't get used to the California way of doing things, especially when it comes to the approach to state government. Right now, state services have really been cut and most of the state parks were supposed to have been closed to save money although I think that they may stay open now. You never know from one day to the next what the next crisis is going to be.

[wandering101]

[quote=ElectroPlumber;11318420]
California is a different kind of place from the south. Not all bad by any means, but definitely different.

Can you expand on that a bit for someone that might be considering moving from California to N. or S.Carolina? Someone from the Carolina's might want to move to CA for the higher pay. What would make me want to move to the Carolina's even though the pay is generally lower. I ask because I have given some thought to moving to the South. Employment isn't an issue. Quality of life is an issue.