Life in Healdsburg? (San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Petaluma: fit in, best city, real estate)

[zheni]

Hi - I am looking for a new start in California. I am dreaming of living in a beautiful place that is more culturally interesting than here. I like what I've read about Healdsburg. Is it just touristy, or could it be nice place to live and get involved in the community? I am an artist and my husband and kids love outdoors/mountains/country life, but want to take advantage of SF, too. What is it like to live up in wine country? Are there better towns to consider (Sonoma, Glen Ellen, Forestville...)
Thanks!

[zheni]

Doesn't anyone have anything to say about Healdsburg????

Please - I'm obsessing over a house I found there.....!! Help! talk me out of it!!

[arachnid]

Originally Posted by zheni

Doesn't anyone have anything to say about Healdsburg???? :)

Please - I'm obsessing over a house I found there.....!! Help! talk me out of it!!

Okay, sooo...prolly should have read this post first before my blithering reply on one of your prior posts...:-P

As an artist, I should think you'd fit in well. The Sonoma County ArtTrails event is very popular and lots of fun (and the organization itself might be a good way for you to network with other artists?):

ARTrails | Welcome to ARTrails Open Studios 2007

If your kids and hubby are sporty types, they should have no problems either (lots of sports here, and very well organized and family oriented). Plenty of bike paths and parks as well.

Healdsburg's a bit of a mixed bag. Yonks ago, when I was young, it was a sleepy farm town with nothing much going on when it wasn't picking season. It's greatly gentrified since then (it's entirely possible, for example, to wander into one of the boutiques on the town square and shell out $300 for a pair of women's jeans.) The weather is quite warm in the summer and can be scorching in dog days of August, but you're not terribly far from the Sonoma Coast beaches, the Russian River, or Spring Lake, if you need to cool off. (Plenty of municipal pools as well, and of course, many folks have their own.)

Be prepared to love wine and food - it's a major topic of conversation here, and while it's probably helpful to know a little something of both, we're not really snobby about it.

Sounds as if one of the big things you'll need to look into is employment for your husband. If he works as a cop, in healthcare, the wine industry or in IT, my guess is that he'll find employment within the county fairly easily. Can't really address other areas but hopefully the demographics report link I left for you might be helpful in that regard.

Hope this is helpful to you. :)

[zheni]

Thanks, Aracnid! Yep, the husband's work part is next hurdle. He has his own publishing business, and I wonder how difficult it is to start up in Sonoma, and California in general. Regulation hell? Taxes, etc seem pretty daunting. No place is perfect, I guess. But I am glad to hear that there are "regular folks" up there, not just tourist industry, so maybe finding employees with various job skills will not be impossible.

Food, wine, art, music, fishing, camping, growing things...this is why I can't get this idea out of my head. Do you know any other places with this mix I should consider? You seem to know this area well, maybe there are others I should know about (I am in the midwest, but originally from San Francisco.) I am open to other options!!!

Thanks again!

[arachnid]

Originally Posted by zheni

Thanks, Aracnid! Yep, the husband's work part is next hurdle. He has his own publishing business, and I wonder how difficult it is to start up in Sonoma, and California in general. Regulation hell? Taxes, etc seem pretty daunting. No place is perfect, I guess. But I am glad to hear that there are "regular folks" up there, not just tourist industry, so maybe finding employees with various job skills will not be impossible.

Food, wine, art, music, fishing, camping, growing things...this is why I can't get this idea out of my head. Do you know any other places with this mix I should consider? You seem to know this area well, maybe there are others I should know about (I am in the midwest, but originally from San Francisco.) I am open to other options!!!

Thanks again!

Getting some solid info about self-employment is really key for your family - maybe it would be helpful to post another thread, asking specifically about that in CA?

As far as other cities that might fit the bill - Santa Rosa's been mentioned before and I think that's a really good suggestion. You might also want to look into Sebastopol and Petaluma? Sonoma is quite nice but whew, it gets hot in the summer. Glen Ellen's a cute, tiny town (as in: great place for you and the hubby to have a quiet weekend getaway at a quaint B&B). Forestville's okay; I don't think I would move there myself. Guerneville is a perfect fit if you're into food, wine, art, music, fishing, camping, growing things, and you're a gay male. :)

Again - I really recommend a trip out here if you can swing it. You might also want to follow the local news to get a bit of a feel for day to day life (the Santa Rosa Press Democrat is online).

As a last caveat - and I'm sorry I didn't think to broach this earlier - California's in a bit of budget crisis right now (sort of a terminal state of being with California ;), but this time it's fairly serious). There are some pretty alarming budget cuts likely to be made, and amongst those are funds for education and state parks. Since you have kids, these are two things you might want to take into serious consideration before a potential move out here.

Anyhow - best of luck - hope this helps.

[mariob]

I think sebastopol might be a good choice for you, its very artsy and bohemian, it is also home to Oreilly and Associates one of the top technical book publishers. Message me directly if you have any specific questions about growing a start up business in Sonoma County or California for that matter. I am owner and coowner of 2 California S Corporations and a Real Estate Broker so if you need any help finding your dream home I can help with that too.

Mario Bertacco
Sonoma County Native

[zheni]

Thanks arachnid and mariob and - Lots of food for thought - I appreciate so much the insider info from you all. I hope to get out there next month and snoop around. I've visited a few times, and my family is originally from SF, but I need to take a look-see with the perspective of really living there. Thanks again for all your insights!

Just one quick weather question, since a trip out will be hit or miss - is the Russian River area perpetually foggy like the coast? It looks so beautiful, but I also need sunshine...

[Den Mathias]

Originally Posted by zheni

Thanks arachnid and mariob and - Lots of food for thought - I appreciate so much the insider info from you all. I hope to get out there next month and snoop around. I've visited a few times, and my family is originally from SF, but I need to take a look-see with the perspective of really living there. Thanks again for all your insights!

Just one quick weather question, since a trip out will be hit or miss - is the Russian River area perpetually foggy like the coast? It looks so beautiful, but I also need sunshine...

Did you ever make the move?

[crazylegs5150]

I too, have been thinking about the move to Healdsburg area. Originally from northern Ca. and very familiar with the surroundings , I simply LOVE Sonoma County. Such a geographically diverse area with lots of hills, beaches, hiking trails, and of course great food and wine. Things I value deeply in life. Currently, my wife and I find ourselves in a state of "limbo" living in central FL, and we yearn for the time when we can get out of here and head back west. ANother area that one MIGHT want to start researching and looking into is Oregon. Yes, I know many Californians are abandoning and heading north, but when you look at many of the same factors , OREGON holds a lot of the same things. For example, I love hiking and mountain biking and Oregon is covered in trails and places to camp. One of the big reasons we want to get to Sonoma Co. is the food and wine culture and the abundance of farmers markets seemingly everywhere. Oregon has those same things too. A ton of wineries across the state and if growing your own produce is what you would like to do, the Williamette Valley is a great place to do so. Yes, OR. does get rain and is cloudy A LOT. That is probably one of the biggest deciding factors for me as we need some sun. However, with the SEVERE economic cluster**** that California finds itself in now, it makes me a litte more hesitant to head to the Golden state just yet.The flipside to that statement is that Oregon has a high unemployment rate (as it usually has) which coincidentally enough is the same as California's righ tnow. AS of this post date both are sitting at almost 11 %. You take the good and the bad. What I love most about Sonoma, aside from the 4 seasons, is the proximity to SF which is THE BEST city. Depending on traffic (which can be nightmarish) it is only a little over an hour away so if you want to ee that concert or sporting event, a short drive away is all you need. No place is perfect. Each has their own faults and I guess you just have to ask yourself what is most important to you. Is sun more important then paying higher taxes and fees on everything? If so, then maybe Ca could be good for you. If not, look into oregon which has many is not all of the same redeeming qualities as CA minus the insane taxes ( that were recently put into place to subsidize the states deficit) . Sure it gets rain and is cloudy but if you can handle that then it might be worth the look around. We are still on the fence. Having only been to Oregon in the summer, we could EASILY not think about Ca. 80 degrees and sunny skies was perfect. Not having seen the world famous dreary skies though in winter/spring leaves us pondering still though. Just food for thought.

[Macrina]

Healdsburg is at the top of my short list for where I'll be moving. I have friends living there, and think it's a great little town. Over the years it's gotten 'trendy' but hopefully not to an unbearable state. Will be going to visit in a few weeks.

Ten years ago I lived in Santa Rosa and loved it, though by now I'm not interested in living right in it. Healdsburg is close enough by, but also far enough away and with lots of green spaces in between. Works for me!