Moving to Humboldt county (Eureka, Arcata: how much, neighborhoods, elementary school)

[wombatmonkey]

Sounds like my husband is getting stationed in McKinleyville. Can anyone share some good areas near there to live? A commute of 30 to 45 minutes is OK if necessary to live in a nice area. We will get about $1,500 for housing, but are willing to pay a bit more than that a month. How much should I expect to pay for decent housing? Glancing through local property management ads and craigslist there seems to be a wide range.
We have three kids, two who will be in elementary school. Are the schools decent? Should I look into private school? We are coming from an area on the east coast with very good schools.
I'm originally from Northern California, and have visited the Eureka area many times, but never with the thought that I might live there some day. I do know about the abundance of pot usage in the area, are other drugs a big problem as well?
Thanks!!

[eureka1]

There are innumerable posts on Humboldt county if you use the "search forum" button. The McKinleyville schools are very good, Arcata likewise. Yes, drugs are an issue but most of us learn to live with it. If you don't have pets you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a place.If your family is into outdoor activities (hiking,kayaking) you will love it here. Welcome to Humboldt and thank you for your service.

[wombatmonkey]

Thank you!
I did a search after posting this and found a lot of great information. I'm thinking McKinleyville sounds like our best bet.
I am curious about the mountain areas though. Are they close by? Are there nice towns to live in there? I grew up in the foothills and really miss living in the mountains (well the foothills would be considered mountains where I live now at least)
Unfortunatly we do have a cat and dog, so finding a place might be an up hill battle. I've noticed a lot of ads say no pets. We didn't have that problem here. The security deposits are high there too.

[eureka1]

I would suggest for getting about "mountains". You'd be dooming yourself to an awful drive and our roads arent the best in the winter. You can go to the mountains for weekends or ski on Horse Mountain but I don't think the'res much housing stock there or schools or other amenities. Maybe someone else could add more.. Finding a place that will take your animals is going to be your biggest challenge. A huge deposit may help.

[TheDragonslayer]

McKinleyville is very pet friendly, I do not think you would have a problem here finding a house.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by wombatmonkey

Sounds like my husband is getting stationed in McKinleyville. Can anyone share some good areas near there to live? A commute of 30 to 45 minutes is OK if necessary to live in a nice area. We will get about $1,500 for housing, but are willing to pay a bit more than that a month. How much should I expect to pay for decent housing? Glancing through local property management ads and craigslist there seems to be a wide range.
We have three kids, two who will be in elementary school. Are the schools decent? Should I look into private school? We are coming from an area on the east coast with very good schools.
I'm originally from Northern California, and have visited the Eureka area many times, but never with the thought that I might live there some day. I do know about the abundance of pot usage in the area, are other drugs a big problem as well?
Thanks!!

The stereotype of Humboldt County is very accurate. Unless you are very 420 friendly, I would NEVER raise kids there. I have some friends who went to a university there and visited them a few times, I'd easily say the majority of residents use the stuff, young and old.

[wombatmonkey]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

The stereotype of Humboldt County is very accurate. Unless you are very 420 friendly, I would NEVER raise kids there. I have some friends who went to a university there and visited them a few times, I'd easily say the majority of residents use the stuff, young and old.

I appreciate your comments, but as a military family, we raise our kids wherever the Coast Guard sends us. Thank goodness I have amazing kids and I'm not to worried.

[Nightdiver13]

In addition to McKinleyville, you might also consider Fieldbrook, Westhaven and Trinidad. While rents can be slightly higher these areas, they are beautiful. Within McKinleyville check out the areas west of the 101, which give easy access to the Mad River bluffs, the Hammond trail, and Hiller Park areas (there is a dog park in Hiller Park). A couple other McKinleyville neighborhoods to look into are the Azalea Avenue area, which is the south-eastern bit of McKinleyville, and Dows Prairie, which is in the north-eastern part of McKinleyville.

I'd say that all these areas are very family-friendly, and even though my wife is a teacher, I have a hard time saying which schools are "the best". Everyone has differing views on what constitutes a good educational experience, and what works well for your children may not work for others and vice versa. I will say that Trinidad and Fieldbrook primary schools generally get high praise.

You asked about drug issues, and while of course this area is notorious for marijuana, meth is another drug that is prevalent around here. I don't agree with the previous poster that the majority of residents are smokers, but rather that the marijuana culture is much more visible here. As with any area, there are multiple cultures that exist here, and there are plenty of folks that don't indulge in marijuana use. I certainly wouldn't consider this a bad area to raise kids.

When the fog and mist start to get to you, just remember that sweet sweet sunshine is a quick drive east! Good luck with the move.

[wombatmonkey]

Originally Posted by eureka1

I would suggest for getting about "mountains". You'd be dooming yourself to an awful drive and our roads arent the best in the winter. You can go to the mountains for weekends or ski on Horse Mountain but I don't think the'res much housing stock there or schools or other amenities. Maybe someone else could add more.. Finding a place that will take your animals is going to be your biggest challenge. A huge deposit may help.

Thank you! I will focus my attention on other areas then, the last thing I want is my husband to have to commute on dangerous roads!

Originally Posted by TheDragonslayer

McKinleyville is very pet friendly, I do not think you would have a problem here finding a house.

That's great to hear! Thank you!

Originally Posted by Nightdiver13

In addition to McKinleyville, you might also consider Fieldbrook, Westhaven and Trinidad. While rents can be slightly higher these areas, they are beautiful. Within McKinleyville check out the areas west of the 101, which give easy access to the Mad River bluffs, the Hammond trail, and Hiller Park areas (there is a dog park in Hiller Park). A couple other McKinleyville neighborhoods to look into are the Azalea Avenue area, which is the south-eastern bit of McKinleyville, and Dows Prairie, which is in the north-eastern part of McKinleyville.

I'd say that all these areas are very family-friendly, and even though my wife is a teacher, I have a hard time saying which schools are "the best". Everyone has differing views on what constitutes a good educational experience, and what works well for your children may not work for others and vice versa. I will say that Trinidad and Fieldbrook primary schools generally get high praise.

You asked about drug issues, and while of course this area is notorious for marijuana, meth is another drug that is prevalent around here. I don't agree with the previous poster that the majority of residents are smokers, but rather that the marijuana culture is much more visible here. As with any area, there are multiple cultures that exist here, and there are plenty of folks that don't indulge in marijuana use. I certainly wouldn't consider this a bad area to raise kids.

When the fog and mist start to get to you, just remember that sweet sweet sunshine is a quick drive east! Good luck with the move.

This is great information! Thank you! I will look into the neighborhoods and areas you mentioned. After talking to a few other families we are feeling better about our move. We lived in Astoria Oregon before moving to the East Coast, and while drugs (meth) were prevalent there as well, we still very much enjoyed life there.
Do you happen to know if you can live in McKinleyville and send your kids to Jacoby Creek? Is that in a completely different area? That particular school was recommended to us from a very trusted source.

*Just a side note. I do know the difference between to, too, and two, but apparently not in my post above. I'm not sure how to edit it either. How embarrassing!

[TheDragonslayer]

Originally Posted by Nightdiver13

In addition to McKinleyville, you might also consider Fieldbrook, Westhaven and Trinidad. While rents can be slightly higher these areas, they are beautiful. Within McKinleyville check out the areas west of the 101, which give easy access to the Mad River bluffs, the Hammond trail, and Hiller Park areas (there is a dog park in Hiller Park). A couple other McKinleyville neighborhoods to look into are the Azalea Avenue area, which is the south-eastern bit of McKinleyville, and Dows Prairie, which is in the north-eastern part of McKinleyville.

I'd say that all these areas are very family-friendly, and even though my wife is a teacher, I have a hard time saying which schools are "the best". Everyone has differing views on what constitutes a good educational experience, and what works well for your children may not work for others and vice versa. I will say that Trinidad and Fieldbrook primary schools generally get high praise.

You asked about drug issues, and while of course this area is notorious for marijuana, meth is another drug that is prevalent around here. I don't agree with the previous poster that the majority of residents are smokers, but rather that the marijuana culture is much more visible here. As with any area, there are multiple cultures that exist here, and there are plenty of folks that don't indulge in marijuana use. I certainly wouldn't consider this a bad area to raise kids.

When the fog and mist start to get to you, just remember that sweet sweet sunshine is a quick drive east! Good luck with the move.

I am right at the Hammond Trail and School Road, I take walks down to the bluffs, over to Hiller Park and yesterday morning when it was below freezing I took my neighbors dogs on a walk to the beach. I can and have walked all the way to Clam Beach on the trail and that is over 5 miles and I have ridden my bike all the way to Arcata. Many of the gardens I maintain are in upper McKinleyville, or east of 101 and it is warmer and often out of the fog.

This is another reason I like living here. But I suppose one can get great sunsets else where too. This was Saturdays sunset from the field across from us.