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Old 04-01-2014, 09:19 PM
 
2,145 posts, read 5,068,771 times
Reputation: 1666

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulemutt View Post
Despite Sebastopol's smaller size, it is an excellent consideration. It is so close to Santa Rosa really as to be almost a "suburban" neighborhood. Even a better possible choice than Petaluma IMO. Bit of a commute into the actual Bay but a snap to SR. Also very accessible to the Russian River recreational getaway towns all well known as very gay friendly and utilized. Excellent thought.
I agree with this 100%.
Sebastopol always feels bigger than its size and has plenty of amenities. Lots of interesting school options, such as waldorf and creative arts charter schools in addition to good public schools. It's kind of a bohemian/ family town combo though pretty low key-but hopefully the OP knows that nor cal has that bohemian flavor. All of CA is very different from Boston/NE which is more conservative in terms of dress and a reserved manner. [I'm originally from the boston area, have lived both so cal and nor cal].

Fairfax in Marin county is a beautiful spot that might be of interest (great schools and good for families; though it's smaller town, it's close to San Raphael, a larger city. Schools are hit or miss in San Raphael, but nearby Mill Valley, Larkspur etc. has excellent schools. Marin is gorgeous; you won't get as much for your money vs. Sonoma county.

Other options if you want to look in southern CA: Encinitas and Carlsbad areas of north county San Diego.
Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach and Dana Point areas in Orange County.

You could also check out Davis, a college town near Sacramento that also has professionals, and is family friendly with good schools, progressive politically and active community involvement. Seems like a place where you'd 'feel like part of the community', as you mentioned.
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Old 04-01-2014, 09:22 PM
 
2,145 posts, read 5,068,771 times
Reputation: 1666
Quote:
Originally Posted by clongirl View Post
Just about anywhere in the San Francisco/Bay Area. I particularly recommend most of the towns in Marin County and the towns in the East Bay like Lafayette, Piedmont, Orinda....also Alameda. All very safe, small, and educated communities. The public schools and family amenities are all excellent in these towns. There's a 25 minute BART ride into San Francisco from Lafayette/Orinda since of course job centers are important. I think Alameda has a ferry to get into SF- very cool to take a boat to work!
These are awesome suggestions!
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Old 04-01-2014, 09:44 PM
 
Location: Overlooking the vineyards, olive groves, cattle and horses in the hills of San Miguel CA
167 posts, read 336,047 times
Reputation: 253
Default +1 on Sebastopol!

sorry... 'the *rest* of the Bay Area...

As previous posters have pointed out, the Sebastopol/Santa Rosa/Petaluma area on the Marin/Sonoma border is another strong candidate that meets virtually every criteria on your list... particularly Sebastopol which is an amazing place to still find in 2014 NorCal!
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Old 04-02-2014, 12:10 AM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,476,200 times
Reputation: 38575
I second, triple? the idea of moving to Davis, Ca. I used to live there, owned a condo there. Many of my friends there were gay couples with kids. Very family friendly, fairly small, lots of entertainment, good schools, bike friendly... I love Davis.

You can either work for the university right in town (UC Davis) or commute to Sacramento without too much fuss. There are commuter buses, and at one point I took one to a job in Sacto and it wasn't all that bad.

My best friend still lives in Davis, and her husband works for the university. I'd move back there in a heartbeat if I could find affordable housing. I moved to Redding, as it's affordable. But, Davis is a GREAT town for families.

The students will complain about Davis being too boring, but they just have to go to Sacramento, if they can't find enough excitement in Davis.
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Old 04-02-2014, 09:57 AM
 
Location: TOVCCA
8,452 posts, read 15,033,072 times
Reputation: 12532
Interesting that no one has suggested Central Coast around Santa Barbara or anywhere in the Los Angeles area.
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Old 04-02-2014, 09:59 AM
 
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
5,888 posts, read 13,000,204 times
Reputation: 3974
the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach
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Old 04-02-2014, 11:54 AM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,476,200 times
Reputation: 38575
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightlysparrow View Post
Interesting that no one has suggested Central Coast around Santa Barbara or anywhere in the Los Angeles area.
Good point. We seem to be a tad top-heavy on this forum - as in lots of us in Northern CA. I have only driven through Southern CA a few times, so I can't offer any advice, really, south of Monterey.

Funny, I've lived in CA for most of my life, except for about 25 years total in other places. I just turned 58, so that's 33 years in CA, and I've rarely seen half of the state - it's just that huge of a state. I've lived all over northern CA, though.

But, you're right. We need more Southern Californians to pipe up on this forum.

Hope you all have a nice day. We finally got a sunny day here in Redding, and it's supposed to be more rain starting again tomorrow. So, Jackie (my dog) and I are off to the river after I finish my coffee, where she can burn off some of her rat terrier energy, and I can stretch my legs, too. No doubt my car will be full of mud afterwards, but we've got cabin fever and we can't waste this reprieve in the deluge!

Cheers!
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Old 04-02-2014, 11:58 AM
 
Location: Mammoth Lakes, CA
3,360 posts, read 8,385,976 times
Reputation: 8595
How about Mammoth Lakes? I have a second home there. No more beautiful town in California (do Google images to see for yourself). Extremely liberal and gay friendly. PERFECT.
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Old 04-02-2014, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Mountains of Oregon
17,633 posts, read 22,624,498 times
Reputation: 14388
There is some good Bass fishing in Clear Lake, by Nice, CA...

Nice, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://www.google.com/search?q=Clea...w=1333&bih=571
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Old 04-02-2014, 06:18 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,476,200 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawk J View Post

There's something creepy about that Clearlake area, even Nice. It's a very poor area, really small town. I looked at buying up there at one point and spent a great deal of time driving around looking at property. It was just too "deliverance"-ish for me.
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