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Old 06-26-2010, 05:51 PM
 
3 posts, read 6,669 times
Reputation: 10

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I have been a Chicago suburb girl my whole life. Fall is my fav time of the year. Chicago summers are humid and very hot, winters are long and subzero. I've always wanted to live where it is 50-70's most of the time--part for me, part for my Chow Chow dogs who hate humidity, and part for my elderly parents who will make the move too. I'm also vegan and have longed to live somewhere that offers greater choices than my current city of Wheaton, IL. I embrace environmental consciousness out here from natural lawn care to no VOC paints, etc. -- another thing that Wheaton-ites don't place much value on overall. Some great things about Wheaton is it is very safe, very dog friendly, very open spaced with great parks, and the people are very friendly too.

I just graduated from nursing school. There are no new RN grad jobs to be found in the suburbs.

So I figured...

I've been talking about if for 20 years already (I'm 43)....just do it! But I need help. I want to feel like part of a community but still have some privacy. I like good shopping, good eating, but quaint too. Safety, good schools, good jobs, moderately priced housing, real people with values and respect for others.

Anyone got any ideas? I was thinking Walnut Creek, but heard it's extremely pricey.
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Old 06-26-2010, 06:40 PM
 
Location: Cayucos, CA
215 posts, read 976,658 times
Reputation: 131
Do it now before you get too old. The best place to move to is the central coast. Live in Morro Bay and work in SLO or Atascadero. Good Luck...You'll love it here!
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Old 06-26-2010, 10:41 PM
 
Location: Pasadena
7,411 posts, read 10,385,773 times
Reputation: 1802
If you want "50's and 7o's" year-round then the Bay Area comes pretty close. But Walnut Creek is on the other side of the Oakland Hills and 90F is more likely during summer [it's a very dry heat though]. aguamarina4u pointed out that the Central coast would also fit your temperature preference but it may be too far from the Bay Area. Santa Rosa\ Fairfield\ Vacaville\ San Jose are OK but if you want inner-urban than you would be better off moving to San Francisco\ Berkeley\ Oakland.
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Old 06-26-2010, 10:54 PM
 
2,093 posts, read 4,696,977 times
Reputation: 1121
Quote:
Originally Posted by redchows View Post
I have been a Chicago suburb girl my whole life. Fall is my fav time of the year. Chicago summers are humid and very hot, winters are long and subzero. I've always wanted to live where it is 50-70's most of the time--part for me, part for my Chow Chow dogs who hate humidity, and part for my elderly parents who will make the move too. I'm also vegan and have longed to live somewhere that offers greater choices than my current city of Wheaton, IL. I embrace environmental consciousness out here from natural lawn care to no VOC paints, etc. -- another thing that Wheaton-ites don't place much value on overall. Some great things about Wheaton is it is very safe, very dog friendly, very open spaced with great parks, and the people are very friendly too.

I just graduated from nursing school. There are no new RN grad jobs to be found in the suburbs.

So I figured...

I've been talking about if for 20 years already (I'm 43)....just do it! But I need help. I want to feel like part of a community but still have some privacy. I like good shopping, good eating, but quaint too. Safety, good schools, good jobs, moderately priced housing, real people with values and respect for others.

Anyone got any ideas? I was thinking Walnut Creek, but heard it's extremely pricey.

The Pleasanton or Dublin area would probably suit your needs. They are a bit inland, but moderately price, and not big as the bay area cities. I believe Walnut Creek would be about 30 minutes drive away.
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Old 06-27-2010, 11:23 AM
 
3,463 posts, read 5,260,305 times
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Um, for a vegan environmentalist looking for cool weather, the Walnut Creek to Pleasanton (680 corridor area) would be hell on Earth. Think soccer moms, day spas, SUVs, swim teams, strip malls, tract homes, 95-degree heat. It's about the least vegan sort of place in the whole Bay Area, and the MOST politically conservative. Good shopping and eating, yes -- if you like Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, Cheesecake Factory, etc (all of which are fine in my book) -- but this doesn't sound like what you want at all.

Maybe look at Los Gatos, Mill Valley, Piedmont Ave area of Oakland, or even Lafayette?
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Old 06-27-2010, 01:48 PM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,771 posts, read 104,702,774 times
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i don't know what your housing allowance is, but if you can swing it, you sound like a candidate for Santa Cruz, San Louis Obispo and maybe somewhere in the area around Sanoma.

Now, if you think nursing jobs are hard to find in Chicago, you might have some problems in California as well. Have you done any research, looked at job sites, etc? Can you afford to take a couple of weeks to visit Ca and get a feel for what it is like and what the market is?

I hope you can find what you want. It sounds like California is a good place for you to at least try.

Nita
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Old 06-27-2010, 08:57 PM
 
Location: Pasadena
7,411 posts, read 10,385,773 times
Reputation: 1802
Quote:
Originally Posted by tstieber View Post
Um, for a vegan environmentalist looking for cool weather, the Walnut Creek to Pleasanton (680 corridor area) would be hell on Earth. Think soccer moms, day spas, SUVs, swim teams, strip malls, tract homes, 95-degree heat. It's about the least vegan sort of place in the whole Bay Area, and the MOST politically conservative. Good shopping and eating, yes -- if you like Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, Cheesecake Factory, etc (all of which are fine in my book) -- but this doesn't sound like what you want at all.

Maybe look at Los Gatos, Mill Valley, Piedmont Ave area of Oakland, or even Lafayette?
Tend to agree. The San Ramon & Livermore valleys are strictly suburban and a lot hotter than the OP's preference for 70's. How about the East Bay like Hayward\ Fremont? Also the peninsula towns like San Mateo\ Redwood City\ Palo Alto.
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Old 06-27-2010, 09:06 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,469,913 times
Reputation: 29337
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
i don't know what your housing allowance is, but if you can swing it, you sound like a candidate for Santa Cruz, San Louis Obispo and maybe somewhere in the area around Sonoma.

I hope you can find what you want. It sounds like California is a good place for you to at least try.

Nita
I have to agree with Nita. Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and places such as Atascadero (there's a state hospital there), Capitola, Aptos, even Monterey and environs, if you can afford those areas, sound like good match for you, and especially Santa Cruz.
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Old 06-28-2010, 01:30 AM
 
Location: Danville, Ca
314 posts, read 935,804 times
Reputation: 192
New grads out here in the Bay area are having a very hard time finding nursing jobs. The hospital I work at gets over a thousand applications for 2 or 3 positions.
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Old 07-01-2010, 10:39 AM
 
3 posts, read 6,669 times
Reputation: 10
Well, thank you everyone very much. This was my first post and after I posted it I couldn't find it again until today. I am happy to see such generosity in helping me out here. Thank you so much. This gives me some good research material to go from. So if I hone in on vegan friendly, not too hot, and nursing jobs --- which one would I lean strongest toward. I would be able to swing $500-$650K on a home at most.
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