moving and going back to school but Sonoma county or San Jose area? (Los Angeles: appointed)

[mir86]

I've only been to the bay area once and that was 3 years ago, and we stayed in Central Marin County and ventured up into Sonoma county. so I've seen the north bay area and loooved it! Now I'm looking to go back to school in the area (first the JC then possibly sonoma state U). I plan to go on craigslist.com or roommates.com to find people my age to live with. Currently though, I'm debating between Sonoma county or San Jose. I plan to come visit the area in October and then making my move in November. This way I can check out the area and meet roommates and stuff.

Here's where my dilemma comes in: I am a white 23 year old single female and I grew up in Tucson Arizona, which is a slow snowbird/military/college town. I like the quietness of it here and the somewhat outdoorsy vibe and the people here are pretty diverse, but I feel that its time to leave.

With that said, I want to live in a quiet place, but also a place that has stuff to do in the areas, where there are people my age who are nice/friendly and have similar interests. Not too concerned about dating at the moment since I want to focus on myself right now, but living in a place where dating (once I want to get out there again) isn't too impossible as well would be nice. I'm not a major outdoors person, but I do love being outside and being active and walking/hiking/recreation here and there without having to deal with the hustle and bustle of the city.

I lived in Los Angeles for a year and moved back last summer. I hated LA, too busy, too urban, super rude and untrustworthy people, and just very overwhelming for a 21 year old girl from Arizona, lol. clearly "the city" is not for me!

So! from reading on the san jose forums and then reading the posts on here about sonoma, I'm getting mixed feelings about both places. Sonoma county sounds like a comfortable, more affordable place to live and close enough to S.F. if I want more excitement. I'm just worried about being the only single female there and not being able to meet that many people my age since it does seem to be an "older" area. I've been looking into the areas between Santa Rosa and Petaluma with a possibility of San Rafael if I found anything affordable enough. Also, a lot of the posts on these forums about north bay have people saying how it is not a good place for a young, single person to move to since they say there isn't much to do and everyone is married. When I visited, I saw a lot of young people in Marin, but also lots of families and also noticed that everyone was happily married (something unheard of in Tucson, lol), but like I said, I was only there once, so I don't know how accurate my judgement was.

Now, San Jose is a place I have never been to but from what I hear, there's a lot of people my age, some nightlife, shopping, outdoors, close to S.F. and so on. Sounds great, except, I just have been reading on here that the people aren't so nice and that lots of people don't speak english (I'm from Tucson..half this town speaks only spanish, tired of it!). Although I get along with everyone, I am very shy at first in new environments and around new people so that really worries me. I am just worried that san jose could wind up being a place I dislike the way I disliked L.A...which the people of L.A was the big reason why I left. If that ends up happening, I could wind up moving to north bay afterall.

Here's where you all come in: based on what I just stated, where is a better place for me to go? is Sonoma really that Slownoma?? hahaha and are the people of san jose really that awful? How would I meet people in either of these areas? Also would it be hard to find a part time job to work while I'm in school in either of these areas? most of my experience is in retail/waitressing but I really would like a waitressing position somewhere.

Sorry that was long. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[Stacy From Cali]

Well from what I understand the nomer "Slownoma" was specific to the town of Sonoma not the entire county LOL!

There are lots of single young people here. Finding a place to live near Sonoma State would put you where you eventually want to be...I would look in Cotati first. Its a cool little place with lots of students and places to hang out.

As far as stuff to do, well that depends on what you like. If you are into super-hip clubs and bars then you might be disappointed. But really if this is the case you should think about moving to San Francisco instead...maybe to a place near SF State (the inner sunset district)...and then make it your goal to attend school there instead (you will be charged out of state tuition unless you wait a year...it used to be two!).

Jobs are hard to come by right now because unemployment in the state is sky high and social service programs are being cut. But be willing to drive and you will probably be fine.

[mir86]

thanks! that really helped!

I loooved the city, but I would never want to live there and I'm not too concerned about super hip clubs. Its too urbanized, lol. I've kinda gotten over the club scene so as long as there are some things to do at night locally, then Sonoma county is a good fit for me.

I thought people were talking about sonoma county as a whole! haha..that scared me there!

And yes, I plan to get my residency (car registration, voter reg, etc.) so I can get in state tuition. In state in cali is almost half price of what in state in AZ is! crazy! our residency here takes 2 years so good luck to all of you moving here and wanting to go to school!

Anyways, thanks for your help, it really helps with my moving decisions!

[rah]

I have a friend who went to Sonoma State University, and he wasn't too impressed. He transferred to San Jose state and loves it down there. He's originally from SF though, and he's somewhat into things like clubs and stuff, so that definitely will have skewed his opinion. If you're cool with living a little more slow paced and less hectic lifestyle, in a less populated area, then Sonoma county would be a good choice (though as with my friend, some people would find it boring). San Jose on the other hand is a full blown city, with about 1 million residents, and 1.8 million in the entire county. Sonoma County as a whole has only 450,000 residents.

[kiwilover70]

I am a former Sonoma State University student.It was some time ago but I grew up in the county(Sonoma) and still have family there. There are alot of students who live in Cotati ,Rohnert Park area.There was not alot of things to do in the neighboring towns so we did drive to the "City" fairly often to hang out.But there is no problem finding other students near by.San Jose is in a much closer proximity to "happenings" but a much bigger ,much more"city" city then the towns surrounding Sonoma State. It was a great school when I attended and would recommmend it. Prices definatley increase as you head towards the City so if you can try to stick in Sonoma county and not head into Marin county you are probably better off.

[mir86]

thanks for all the awesome tips! keep them coming!

[mir86]

I have a few more questions that have come up:

Where do people go to warm enough beaches from Sonoma county? do they head down to Santa Cruz? Also for good shopping (I gotta do that every now and then)..do people head to south Marin or S.F. for that? I know in Tucson we have ok shopping but as a girl, I get tired of seeing everything I own on another girl here, lol so pheonix was always a better option for that. Also, is Sonoma very rural or is it a mix of urban/suburban and rural? And my final question, how different is the weather there compared to So cal? I remember it was always colder at night, and the winters were cold and rainy but tolerable. I lived in Cali for just a year and the heat when I came back to AZ was a huge shock of a reminder! not looking forward to this hot summer coming up!

[Stacy From Cali]

Well you simply can't compare the NorCal beaches to the ones in SoCal. Northern California beaches are cold, including Santa Cruz. You would probably have to go all the way down to Santa Barbara (or at the very least SLO) to find a warm beach.

Weather...well it depends where in LA you lived. I lived in Redondo Beach and went to school downtown and the climate difference between those 15 miles could be as much as 20 degrees. It gets hot in the summer in Sonoma but it always cools down at night. In towns like Petaluma (where I am now) there is usually a breeze that whips up at around 4pm, bringing cooler ocean air. Its great.

What are you looking for in terms of "good shopping"? Petaluma has a bunch of boutique-type stores (which I am not fond of personally...I am more of a consignment/ import store shopper). There are cooler stores in SF...high fashion downtown and more funky stuff in the Haight and Hayes Valley areas.

And finally its definitely a mix of rural and urban with Santa Rosa being the most urban. The towns are really just that...towns...usually with a defined downtown area surrounded by housing. This includes Petaluma, Sebastopol, Sonoma, and Cotati (and Napa).

[mir86]

ya I figure I won't be able to swim in the nor cal beaches at all, but if I can at least lay out and play in the sand, I'd be happy.

I lived in the valley when I was in L.A. and went to school downtown as well (FIDM) and it was pretty hot in the summer and winters were tolerable, more so than in Tucson. When I visited Marin a few years ago, we went in late August and it was super cold at night and foggy until 1 ish in the afternoon which is when I remember it got warm enough. I do remember the winds too.

As for "good shopping", since I can't really afford high fashion, just unique little boutiques or stores you don't commonly find in AZ. A mid price mall/shopping center I guess is more what I'm looking for.

Thanks for the tips!