Best cities in Cali if you are gay and not rich? (Santa Rosa: apartment, renting) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

artsyguy · 09-05-2006, 05:58 PM

I doubt by the time I finish my degree I will be rich. But I love the idea of being near the beach and having lots of sunshine and beautiful weather.
And I know Cali is more liberal and gay friendly. So let me know what cities are good for a gay person who really doesn't make hundreds of thousands a year.

grimstuff · 09-06-2006, 11:20 AM

If you want the beach AND sunshine, forget about northern CA. There are communities on the central coast of CA that are more open to alternative lifestyles, etc. The place I would suggest to you is Santa Cruz. Its not extraordinarily expensive as is San Luis Obispo where I live, and has a more balanced population. I don't know if it specifically has a gay community, but I'm sure you won't be a fish out of water there. San Luis Obispo might be nice for you - its not that expensive if you are renting and finding an apartment isn't hard especially if you start with a sub-lease in the summer and carry over in the fall, as a lot of students leave in the summer and there are hundreds of units empty all summer long.
They just had a GLBT festival thing here, so I know the town wants to be welcoming and everything, but the reason I suggest Santa Cruz is because it seems more of a more "real" community with more diversity and inclusive land uses, etc.

cleosmom · 09-06-2006, 11:22 AM

Talked to a friend who used to live near Calistoga and she says Guernville (sp?), 40 minutes west of Santa Rosa. Its got artists, third generation hippies and well "gays". She gives the gays credit for going in cleaning up and taking over

It's 13 miles from the coast and tons of little towns nearby.

grimstuff · 09-06-2006, 11:36 AM

Guerneville is definitely the biggest gay community outside of the Bay Area, but it is inland from the coast and isn't as sunny. However, it is a beautiful area, that's for sure.

cleosmom · 09-06-2006, 11:55 AM

13 miles is considered inland?

I was thinking Idaho being over 900 miles to the coast would be considered (extremely) inland

grimstuff · 09-06-2006, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleosmom

13 miles is considered inland?

I was thinking Idaho being over 900 miles to the coast would be considered (extremely) inland

Well, its inland through mountains, which may make it feel less coastal than a town actually on the coast. Plus, its not like the coast is warm or anything. The water is cold, the beaches are gravelly, and the wind is pretty much constant. Its a beautifual area, but in more of a rugged sort of way. The reason I recomended Santa Cruz is because it is an actual beach town, whereas Guerneville feels more like a semi-rural community in the hills.

UB50 · 09-06-2006, 12:34 PM

West Hollywood also has a large gay community. Studio City is another area with a lot of gays.

artsyguy · 09-07-2006, 04:54 PM

Well I do not have to live right on the beach. I just wanted to be able to drive to the beach within an hour or two period. And Grimstuff are you saying the beaches are not that good ?

The most important part is being with other gay people and around liberal or moderate people. The other part to this is affording an apartment and living in near perfect climate and weather. Are there any nice little cities outside of Santa Cruz that might have less expensive apartment rates?? BTW I just looked up Santa Cruz and it looks like a perfect city!

Need_affordable_home · 09-08-2006, 01:55 AM

I have visited san Franscio and its a great place for gays. Rainbow flags everywhere! Lots of fog and cool breezes though. Not cheap either

grimstuff · 09-08-2006, 01:10 PM

Quote:

And Grimstuff are you saying the beaches are not that good ?

The beaches in northern Ca differ greatly than the beaches in southern CA. In the northern part of the state the sand is usually gravelly, the water quite cold, and the wind steady. The beaches in southern CA get more and more nice the farther south you go. This is due to several geologic and marine conditions, one of which is the fact that the ocean current on this side of the Pacific goes from north to south, carrying the cold water down. THe water gets warmer and warmer the farther south you go. In any case, you can still get in the water, just wear a wetsuit if you are surfing. Santa Cruz has some nice beaches and water isn't as cold as it is farther north.

Like I said before, I don't know if Santa Cruz has a large gay community, although it is liberal minded and I'm sure would provide you the kind of atmosphere you need to thrive. It is a college town (UCSC), so there are a lot of young, open-minded people. It is a very creative community, with artists, writers, painters and so forth. As far as other town around there which are less expensive, I do know that Santa Cruz cannot develop as much as it would like for reasons of geography and water supply, so that may attribute to the higher rents. So it may be advantageous to look into some nearby cities, although there arn't a whole lot of choices around Santa Cruz, as the area is isolated by mountains.

If warm beaches arn't a necessity, I would research Guerneville again, as a poster suggested above. It is a nice little town and is just a few minutes drive to the coast. Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, and Petaluma are the bigger cities inland, so there is stuff to do if you get bored out in the hills. Plus, it is a very active gay community unto itself.

Good luck on your place-finding!