Bonny Doon and other Santa Cruz mountain towns (Fresno, Watsonville: apartments, rentals)

[mamacourt]

Hello everyone,

We are moving next summer and my husband will be finishing his BA and then Master's at UCSC. We have two girls, who will be 5 and 3 when we move, and a cat. I work from home as a web freelance writer.

We are moving from the Fresno area, where I was born and raised...during the summer my mom worked at a camp just south of Sequoia national park and so a lot of my favorite memories are of living at camp for 10 weeks. However...I realize that living in the hills full time is much different. We're coming to visit in February (we drove through a few weeks ago to see UCSC) so we can get a sense of winter weather. Is it terrible? (coming from the central valley we are definitely up for some cold).

We looked at family student housing and realized we wanted more privacy. We still need to be close to UCSC for a while, and have access to schools (although I am really on the fence about homeschooling). I am drawn to the mountain towns based on price (we'll be renting) and location...but I also have some questions about amenities/culture that I was hoping you might be able to clue me into.

We are spiritual but not religious (if I had to nail it down I'd say somewhere between being New Age and being Unitarian). This area is very, very religious and republican which we are not. I have no problem with the "other side" but in this area it's the only option and everything else is pretty much scorned. We're not in your face...but we're tired of either being rejected because we don't go to a church or having to pretend we do to get along.

We'll also want to have the girls in dance lessons, and maybe art and music. I want some privacy and mountain feel but still want to be able to be within driving distance to these things. I also need a reliable Internet connection for my work.

Is that possible? Am I hoping for too much?

Which area would be best for us in terms of commute? I'm drawn to Bonny Doon (maybe it's just the name!) but I know there were fires there recently.

Other people we know who have lived there have suggested Soquel for us...

[coyoteskye]

Soquel is wonderful .. very family oriented, very safe and friendly and close to everything.
However, it's not one of the mountain towns that i assume you are thinking about and finding an inexpensive rental is not easy.
But there are some really lovely and rural areas in Soquel and you can find privacy and quiet but without feeling really isolated and "out in the boonies".
And there are many "neighborhoody" areas (more sub-urban) as well. (same with Aptos)
If i may be so bold, what is your monthly allotment for a rental?
Just so you can get an idea of rental prices in the county of Santa Cruz, here's a link to Craigslist.

santa cruz co apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

Don't forget to click on the little box that says "cats" and if you see any rentals that are way below average, it's spam and will be flagged for removal at some point.
Soquel and Aptos are my two favorite towns in the county.
Aptos is also expensive and like Soquel, there are many places to live where you can be immersed in nature, have peace and quiet but not feel like you're far away from everything.
S.C. proper and Capitola are more sub-urban although there are locations in S.C. proper that are very rural and still very close to shopping, activities, etc.
And again, expensive.

Santa Cruz County, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When you consider living in the mountain towns near Santa Cruz (some are in the actual county of S.C. [like Scotts Valley and Bonnie Doon] and some not [like Felton, Brookdale, Boulder Creek]) remember that, while the thought of living in the redwoods may seem romantic, after a winter of cold and damp and no sun, you may never want to see a redwood tree again.
Living in them is wonderful in the summer but in the winter .... very challenging for some.
It just depends on how much sun will fall on the property during winter months.
Also, many parts of those areas in the mountains i mentioned are not as cheap as one would think.
This is a very "hot" area and finding housing can be very challenging.

And though, in general, i wouldn't recommend Watsonville, there are parts of it (closer to Aptos) that are actually very nice.


Being spiritual but not religious will not be a problem in this county.
It's liberal, open, friendly, diverse and tolerant.
The bus system is excellent and it's a very bike friendly community.
If i were a parent, i'd be glad to raise my kids here.
The nature is very strong here, you can live rurally, and yet there is sufficient culture, activity, etc. so that you can kinda have the best of both worlds.
It's a beautiful place to be ... just pricey!
Hope that helps.

[mamacourt]

Thanks for the comments...I visit Craigslist daily even though we won't be moving until next summer. Our rental cap is $2500.

We have friends who live in Aptos who suggested Soquel based on their experience (not a mountain town, I know). But so far I haven't seen much activity for postings there in the last month besides Western Associates apartments which I've read are terrible to rent from. So far the areas I've listed seem to have some reasonable rates for our price range. Nothing too out of the ordinary from what I've seen...but then again I'm only looking on Craigslist.

Another snag we have is that I am self employed, have been for several years, but I'm the sole breadwinner right now. In all likelihood, we'll be needing at least a few extra months rent to put down as extra security. I know landlords aren't jumping over backwards to rent to self employed people!

I know SC is very liberal...that's why I'm glad we're moving there. But I was wondering about the mountain towns. If that's where people go to escape the liberals, I wouldn't exactly want to live there....

Thank you for your detailed answer and I look forward to reading others input as well.

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by mamacourt

Thanks for the comments...I visit Craigslist daily even though we won't be moving until next summer. Our rental cap is $2500.

We have friends who live in Aptos who suggested Soquel based on their experience (not a mountain town, I know). But so far I haven't seen much activity for postings there in the last month besides Western Associates apartments which I've read are terrible to rent from. So far the areas I've listed seem to have some reasonable rates for our price range. Nothing too out of the ordinary from what I've seen...but then again I'm only looking on Craigslist.

Another snag we have is that I am self employed, have been for several years, but I'm the sole breadwinner right now. In all likelihood, we'll be needing at least a few extra months rent to put down as extra security. I know landlords aren't jumping over backwards to rent to self employed people!

I know SC is very liberal...that's why I'm glad we're moving there. But I was wondering about the mountain towns. If that's where people go to escape the liberals, I wouldn't exactly want to live there....

Thank you for your detailed answer and I look forward to reading others input as well.

There are plenty of liberals up in them thar hills! Seriously, it would be difficult, as a liberal, to feel alienated anywhere around here although there are other "elements" in the mountains.
Plus, they're haunted.
Again, just be aware of the darkness in the redwoods during the winter months because a lot of the homes up there are in the thick of them.
Scotts Valley is less funky (more sun and open spaces too) than some of the other mountain towns but it is also pricey and a bit more conservative (that's relative to S.C. [which is right "next door"] though so it doesn't mean super conservative.)
A $2500 rental budget is a good thing here and you should be able to find a nice 2-3 bedroom pretty much anywhere in the county.
Good luck.

[mamacourt]

Great! Thank you so much for your input. I'm just so used to feeling out of my element. I really appreciate all of your advice. I'm going to be in town in February so I hope to get a sense of the winter weather, although Soquel does sound pretty good too. I'm used to the flat lands being flat and boring...but if you say that Soquel has some trees and nice hidden away spots that could work too.

Actually, switching subjects for a moment, do you have any input on Soquel elementary? From the research I've done it look to be pretty good. Are there two elementary schools that serve Soquel. Any other rental listings I could look at besides Craigslist?

[mysticaltyger]

"Spiritual but not religious" and/or atheist/agnostic. That is pretty much the description of a majority or near-majority of people in Santa Cruz County / Bay Area.

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by mamacourt

Great! Thank you so much for your input. I'm just so used to feeling out of my element. I really appreciate all of your advice. I'm going to be in town in February so I hope to get a sense of the winter weather, although Soquel does sound pretty good too. I'm used to the flat lands being flat and boring...but if you say that Soquel has some trees and nice hidden away spots that could work too.

Actually, switching subjects for a moment, do you have any input on Soquel elementary? From the research I've done it look to be pretty good. Are there two elementary schools that serve Soquel. Any other rental listings I could look at besides Craigslist?

Oh my ... Much (most?) of Soquel is in the hills and redwoods.
Capitola is basically the only town in the entire county that is all neighborhoody / sub-urban.
S.C. proper is mostly that but with rural areas as well.
I don't know about the schools.
I don't have kids and i do notice that the school systems in CA in general are an issue for people.
Soquel is a wealthy and educated community however ... for what that's worth.
I imagine that kind of demographic would support a strong educational system? but i dunno.
I drive past 2 elementary schools in Soquel almost everyday (as well as the high school).
Their all in good locations ... all 3 just blocks from the center of Soquel. There is no "bad" location in Soquel.
Craigslist is the number 1 listing.
Besides the Santa Cruz paper, it's the main source.
Aptos is another town to consider and there are almost always more homes available for rent there.
Aptos is great too although there are a few areas where you many not want to be ... like right next to the highway.
There are much fewer houses for rent in Soquel.
And you're definitely looking at the right Craigslist for S.C. county?
Just in case you're not (cause Craigslist just added S.C. county recently)
santa cruz co apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

[4GvnSnr]

Originally Posted by coyoteskye

When you consider living in the mountain towns near Santa Cruz (some are in the actual county of S.C. [like Scotts Valley and Bonnie Doon] and some not [like Felton, Brookdale, Boulder Creek]) remember that, while the thought of living in the redwoods may seem romantic, after a winter of cold and damp and no sun, you may never want to see a redwood tree again.

Felton, Brookdale, and Boulder Creek are not in Santa Cruz county?

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by 4GvnSnr

Felton, Brookdale, and Boulder Creek are not in Santa Cruz county?

No they are ... my mistake.
I'll see if i can get a moderator to fix that.
Thanks.

[ccpats]

Originally Posted by 4GvnSnr

Felton, Brookdale, and Boulder Creek are not in Santa Cruz county?

A big difference between Bonny Doon and the three other towns is sunshine!! The others are in a valley (San Lorenzo river valley) and in the winter, the sun sets awfully early there. The valley towns (especially Felton) have a bit of a biker reputation.

I lived in Bonny Doon for 7 years, and I loved it there. We lived in the Pineridge neighborhood. One of our kids went to elementary school at Bonny Doon for K and 1, and then we moved to the east coast. It is a charming little school, but is slowly losing enrollment over the years as the school age population of Bonny Doon decreases (for reasons unknown to me.)