Somewhere in Northern California???

[PeixeGato]

Originally Posted by jencelo

My husband and I are thinking to move to Northern California. However,
we are not sure what fits the best for our needs. We have no kids for
now. I am 30 years old and he is 35.

-Not cold (preferably warmer than San Francisco)
-Active town with local shops and restaurants
-Close to San Francisco (within an hour)
-Bike-friendly
-Close to the beach (within 45 minutes)
-Organic produce/farmers markets

BTW, are we going to have foggy mornings/nights no matter where we go in that area?

Thanks!

You just described just about anyplace in the Bay Area except for San Francisco (and that's because you said you wanted warmer than SF). What is your budget? Do you want suburbia or more of an urban feel or a small town that is geographically separated from the greater metro area (I know you mentioned "town", but that term can be rather generic)? Do you want to live in walking distance to the grocery stores, restaurants, etc? Are public schools important to you? Are you looking for areas with a lot of families or more singles and married couples without kids? Do you want ethnic diversity in your location or is that not important?

The good thing is that you have a lot of places to choose from!

[MtnSurfer]

Definately check out the Monterey Pennisula - Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel and Pebble Beach. It meets all your criteria unless you want more traffic like the other big cities.

[zugor]

Here's a link to the USGS website with info on SF Bay Area earthquakes, especially the Hayward Fault, which they say could have a 6.8 - 7.0 quake any day now. Loma Prieta in 1989 was bad enough for me and the epicenter for it was 60+ miles south.

Quakes are generally followed by firestorms, that's what really did in SF in 1906.

It was one factor in my deciding to leave the area and move to VA when I retired in 2005. The other was the fact that I knew the housing bubble could not last much longer and today houses in my old neighborhood in Oakland are selling for $150,000 to 200,000 less than what I sold for.

October 21, 1868 Hayward Fault Earthquake

Here is a 2 part article from the East Bay Express 2005

East Bay Express | News | It's Not Our Fault

East Bay Express | News | It's Everybody's Fault

[AcquireProperties]

I would recommend the east bay near Mt. Diablo. I think you'd like Walnut Creek, Danville, Pleasanton,or San Ramon. It's inland enough that it doesn't get as cold as the SF. Mornings are foggy in the winter but goes away early. There's a nice small town feel in Danville and Alamo, and great shopping/ culture/ nightlife in neighboring Walnut Creek. Its really some of the nicest places in the Bay in my opinion. Moderator cut: Realtor ad

P.S. biking is huge around these parts, plenty of scenic backroads and trails around Mt. Diablo. You see bikers all the time.

Moderator cut: Realtor ad