Moving from NYC to California - looking for socially conscious, laid back, non-materialistic small town (San Diego: school, university)

[NYCtoCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

One thing I don't believe has been addressed I find crucial as you clearly have young children to think about and yourselves as well. The issue is air quality. While great strides have been made since the 1950s to clean the air and do better going forward it remains problematic and as the car-centric population increases will continue to be problematic in many places. While I know you have some reservations about coastal weather, coastal air is usually cleaner than most places, especially the further north you go. It's something you may wish to look into and consider.

I know. What does some hill person in the Ozarks know about it? I was born in San Diego, lived in La Jolla, was mostly raised in Newport Beach, lived in the Inland Empire, spent some time in the Central Valley and my last 20 years, out of about 50 in CA (I'm now 68), were in Sacramento.

Best of luck with your search. CA offers many options. I second what another said about renting first.

Oh yeah. Check out private schools. I think you'll be glad you did.

Thank you! Yes, we should consider air quality. Most areas are a step-up from Manhattan, but that's not saying much. Thank you!

[NYCtoCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Fran66

Not trying to be contrary, but I think that almost any other city's air quality is better than NYC's. (Yes, I know about Dallas and Houston -- I said almost any other city's air quality. And, after all, she's not doing to be living in LA proper either.)

You beat me to it. Yep, what I was thinking. Pretty much any place is better than Manhattan, but it's still worth taking into account.

[Fran66]

I don't know why but I just 'felt' you lived in Manhattan. Yes, I know NYC has been a nightmare for the past year (or more). That doesn't mean that another place is not going to have a disaster in the future. OK is having earthquakes (brought on by fracking, it is thought). NM is in a drought (not as bad as CA) that 5 consecutive years of normal rainfall wouldn't pull us out of. CA is having wildfires all over the place. I have to admit that I 'freaked' when I saw TV footage of Carlsbad burning. My ex-BF had to evacuate his house. I remember when Camp Pendleton caught fire -- a big one -- that threated underground ammunition storage -- that was in 70-72? -- but from then until the Carlsbad fire -- I don't remember anything close to the fire San Diego County just had. (Because they are in a DROUGHT.)

I have a writer friend in Upper Manhattan, and he and his family (wife and two young ones) are staying put. He wouldn't live in CA if he was paid to do so, and his wife is on board. He thinks NYC schools are MUCH better. Of course, that's really neither here nor there.

I'm not moving back until the CA drought lets up/ends. It's going to kill me not to do so, but I'm not going back until then. [BTW, I lived in Northern CA for 5 years -- within an hour's drive of SF, and I would move back there -- and I think things may be better there -- but I don't want to live there. And, like you said, if you friends/relatives are in Southern CA, you may not want to live in Northern CA either.]

[DinsdalePirahna]

I moved from NY to SoCal about 22 years ago. The change was very easy.

Even though you say you don't like SoCal, you need to understand it is nothing like what you see on TV. South OC tends to be a little bit full of themselves, but even then it isn't that bad.

In you case I would recommend looking at communities such as Seal Beach -Mayberry-by-Sea- probably one of least pretentious communities in coastal Southern California.

After that I would look at Laguna Beach or Leucadia.

[Fran66]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I moved from NY to SoCal about 22 years ago. The change was very easy.

Even though you say you don't like SoCal, you need to understand it is nothing like what you see on TV. South OC tends to be a little bit full of themselves, but even then it isn't that bad.

In you case I would recommend looking at communities such as Seal Beach -Mayberry-by-Sea- probably one of least pretentious communities in coastal Southern California.

After that I would look at Laguna Beach or Leucadia.

I agree with you re the towns. But I don't think OP is going to get 'acreage' in those places.

[NYCtoCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Fran66

I don't know why but I just 'felt' you lived in Manhattan. Yes, I know NYC has been a nightmare for the past year (or more). That doesn't mean that another place is not going to have a disaster in the future. OK is having earthquakes (brought on by fracking, it is thought). NM is in a drought (not as bad as CA) that 5 consecutive years of normal rainfall wouldn't pull us out of. CA is having wildfires all over the place. I have to admit that I 'freaked' when I saw TV footage of Carlsbad burning. My ex-BF had to evacuate his house. I remember when Camp Pendleton caught fire -- a big one -- that threated underground ammunition storage -- that was in 70-72? -- but from then until the Carlsbad fire -- I don't remember anything close to the fire San Diego County just had. (Because they are in a DROUGHT.)

I have a writer friend in Upper Manhattan, and he and his family (wife and two young ones) are staying put. He wouldn't live in CA if he was paid to do so, and his wife is on board. He thinks NYC schools are MUCH better. Of course, that's really neither here nor there.

I'm not moving back until the CA drought lets up/ends. It's going to kill me not to do so, but I'm not going back until then. [BTW, I lived in Northern CA for 5 years -- within an hour's drive of SF, and I would move back there -- and I think things may be better there -- but I don't want to live there. And, like you said, if you friends/relatives are in Southern CA, you may not want to live in Northern CA either.]

NY is a f**king awesome city. It's truly energetic, innovative, inspiring, and keeps getting better (if you're wealthy, that is). We just don't want to raise a family here. The people are smart, yes, and the schools are great. Our future teenage kids are going to kill us when they realize we sold our apartment in Manhattan to bring them to the boonies. Anyway, we're doing it. We're just not sure which boonies we are going to end up in. You're right that it should be a boonies that has running water.

[Fran66]

Originally Posted by NYCtoCalifornia

NY is a f**king awesome city. It's truly energetic, innovative, inspiring, and keeps getting better (if you're wealthy, that is). We just don't want to raise a family here. The people are smart, yes, and the schools are great. Our future teenage kids are going to kill us when they realize we sold our apartment in Manhattan to bring them to the boonies. Anyway, we're doing it. We're just not sure which boonies we are going to end up in. You're right that it should be a boonies that has running water.

You have a great sense of humor. I mean that seriously. Not sarcastically.

Don't romanticize the 'boonies'. But as long you have enough money to move back to Manhattan -- take some risks! Who knows -- not everyone who was born and raised in NYC and moved out was homesick all the time afterwards. I just know and have known too many people who were homesick for the rest of their lives. Just up close and personal, my mother moved from Chicago, in her early 30s, to go with my stepfather to Southern CA -- and she never, ever stopped missing Chicago. But, you know, seriously, maybe she was missing an 'era' that has long since gone. "Little Italy" on the South Side is LONG gone -- it was gone when I visited on my honeymoon in the late '60s. My former elderly landlady moved from NYC 30-40 years ago and has never stopped missing it -- but as she always said: the NYC I miss doesn't exist anymore. I also know that the San Diego I'm homesick for mostly doesn't exist anymore -- I just don't have any illusions. I'm going back primarily for the ocean, a few friends and the culture in Southern CA.

S0, anyway, before I write a book (and I could, because I live in a retirement city with LOTS of retired transplants) -- you may very well be just fine, wherever you land.

[NYCtoCalifornia]

I wasn't born in raised in NYC (you probably caught that already - I was born and raised in Canada - but just want to be sure that's clear). I've been in NYC for 10 years, my husband has been back and forth between NYC and SoCal for decades. He's pretty easy-going and is letting me call the shots on our new hometown. He just wants a swimming pool and some privacy. I lived in rural Canada during my teen years and I know what it means to live in the middle of nowhere. I can take it.

We feel like it's time for us to take some risks. The last year has been rough for us personally (not rough for NYC, NYC is doing better than ever - for the rich). Anyway, we only have one life to live and we want to make the best of it.

I truly appreciate all the comments. Good and bad. The bad are funny. I'm excited to travel down the state of California in October and let it all sink in.

Originally Posted by Fran66

You have a great sense of humor. I mean that seriously. Not sarcastically.

Don't romanticize the 'boonies'. But as long you have enough money to move back to Manhattan -- take some risks! Who knows -- not everyone who was born and raised in NYC and moved out was homesick all the time afterwards. I just know and have known too many people who were homesick for the rest of their lives. Just up close and personal, my mother moved from Chicago, in her early 30s, to go with my stepfather to Southern CA -- and she never, ever stopped missing Chicago. But, you know, seriously, maybe she was missing an 'era' that has long since gone. "Little Italy" on the South Side is LONG gone -- it was gone when I visited on my honeymoon in the late '60s. My former elderly landlady moved from NYC 30-40 years ago and has never stopped missing it -- but as she always said: the NYC I miss doesn't exist anymore. I also know that the San Diego I'm homesick for mostly doesn't exist anymore -- I just don't have any illusions. I'm going back primarily for the ocean, a few friends and the culture in Southern CA.

S0, anyway, before I write a book (and I could, because I live in a retirement city with LOTS of retired transplants) -- you may very well be just fine, wherever you land.

[NYCtoCalifornia]

This is how we feel about NY these days.

Don JeVore - New York City Doesn

[sacite]

Originally Posted by eccotecc

I'm including a couple google maps with drive times.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Seba...8.440429?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Seba...2417!3e0?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Seba...6814!3e0?hl=en

You may technically be within the city limits of those cities but no way you will be in downtown Petaluma in less than 30 min from Sebastapol dude. And that is without traffic. I could not even get to downtown Petaluma in less than 20 min on a straight shot from Rohnert Park with absolutely zero traffic. I lived in Sonoma County for 25 yrs. You may technically be inside the city limits of Santa Rosa in the time alloted by the Google map but I am not sure what you'd do in rural farmland out there unless you own property.

Anyhow, the OP does not seem interested in this area anyways (hense the nonresponse) so it is probably a moot point. Sebastapol is a nice area nonetheless but it is not conveniently connected to anything really. I once worked with a CPA who lived in Sebastapol and commuted to SF. He moved to rural Minnesota after about 6 yrs because he could no longer take the 2+ hr commutes each way. Traffic is almost always a factor anywhere in the bay area.