Felton/Boulder Creek, or even north-er and cheaper? (Fresno, Santa Rosa: home, good schools)

[LostinNH]

Hi --

I've done some research on the Felton/Lompico/Boulder Creek area, and it seems like the kind of place where me and my family would be very happy. But Northern California is a big place and I'm not as familiar with Points North of SF. Maybe someone out there will have a brainstorm. Here are my particulars:

Small town
Safety
12-step fellowship
Don't care if it's isolated
Natural Beauty
More liberal than not
Did I mention safety? Small-town atmosphere? Fairly reasonable home prices ($400,000-$600,000) for four bedrooms?

We are also Nichiren Buddhists and there are Buddhist community centers in both Santa Rosa and Santa Clara, plus three in the Fresno/SF area, and I would like to be within an hour of one of those.....

I don't know Sonoma at all, but was always under the impression that it was VERY expensive. I don't know which areas have the good schools, etc....I would welcome any comments! I'm going to be in Santa Cruz for a week in March and plan to spend the week driving my a** off!!!!

Warmly,
Bridget