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As for buying, I'd actually recommend renting for at least a year before buying something. That way you can get a feel for the area and know where you really want to be. Arcata is definitely the center of culture in Humboldt County with the highest percentage of artists, musicians, artisans, etc. but Eureka has a nice artistic scene as well and is generally far more affordable than Arcata.
I personally don't care much for Arcata or Eureka but there are parts of Eureka I'd live in long before any part of Arcata, and of course your preferences could be different. The presence of the college in Arcata has a huge influence on the local politics and culture there and I had had quite enough of the "college town" thing after living in Chico for a year.
As for the weather, I think people tend to exaggerate. I was quite comfortable in a short sleeve shirt and jeans from about late March until around Halloween when the rains started. Last year was abysmal for rain but this year seems to be a bit more towards normal. We had four straight days of overcast/rainy conditions this week and today is the first time we've seen the sun since I think Monday. December and January tend to be the rainiest months at around 10" each, but October, November, February, and even March can have totals between 7-10" quite easily as well. Average yearly rainfall totals in Humboldt are around 40" and it generally falls between late October and late March/early April.
Morning and evening fog is pretty much a daily occurrence during summer, though it generally burns off between late morning and early afternoon. I'd say most summer days bring a solid 3-6 hours of direct sunlight though there are some days of an hour, half an hour, or no sun at all. Temperatures typically range between 62-67 during summer and late August and all of September are the warmest/sunniest time of year.
From what I've heard from long term residents, the fog has been greatly reduced over the past 20-30 years or so which is concerning for the redwood ecosystem that relies heavily on summer fog for water. Long term residents have also said that summers are getting warmer and sunnier and this year I recorded 3 or 4 days of 80 degrees which is typically very rare, so the climate here is definitely changing, and rapidly.
That said, Humboldt is a really great place with its fair share of problems. Work is hard to come by and generally low paying, the homeless/trimmigant population is a serious issue, marijuana grows and meth labs pose threats to the environment and peoples' safety, and crime is also a serious issue. On the flip side most people are generally awesome, there's tons to do all the time, it's absolutely gorgeous, and it's comfortable temperature-wise pretty much year round. I absolutely love Humboldt County as does my fiancee, but this is definitely a "love it or hate it" place of the country with seemingly no in between.
i want to walk out my door and into the redwoods. where should i live?
thanks, everybody for your continued help!
please keep dialing in...i love reading what you have to say, aside from the info.
still looking for a realtor i can love!
does anybody know when's the best time to come to get a feel for winter, and when's best for summer? also, when the fare might be lowest to catch those seasons...
and a cheap place to stay while i'm there.
also:
can you guys tell me where is the best area to buy that i can be close to redwoods, i mean right up against them, if possible? and still have easy access to an arts community?
unfortunately, i'm redneck-ophobic...used to urban gangstas but not sure i'd know when it's time to run from a redneck...don't think i can read them, if that makes sense. had a little experience down south in the blue ridge mountains, kinda scared me.
i saw some properties that were much more wooded further from arcata, but i'm worried i'd be isolated from any creative/intellectual community, and also maybe frightened.
plus, i'm a psychotherapist. hope to build a practice out there and see patients in my home. don't think country people are that up for therapy...was hoping to attract the college and new graduate crowd, same people i work with here in nyc
so, to respond to some of your very helpful comments:
temps around 60 are actually my favorite.
don't know about continuous gray, though, but i guess you can't have everything. if i had my big tree people (i think of plants and animals as people, so sue me. dog people, bird people, tree people, human people...), i
might not mind the rain so much
due to the poor hot globe these days, it rains much of the winter in nyc now too. used to snow instead.
but from what i understand, it stays green all winter in arcata area?...
here it is bare. makes it a bit sadder. plus all the damn pavement and grime. the snow's magic at first, but within a day it's covered with black, greasy dirt, gray slush and dog pee, and there are huge dirty puddles at every crossing, sometimes so deep you have to slog through them because the sewers clog.
i did check the rainfall statistics, though, and arcata had quite a bit less rainfall than portland, unless i remember wrong?
anyway, anything at all you guys have to offer about moving would be wonderful. even answers to questions i didn't think to ask.
thanks, everybody for your continued help!
please keep dialing in...i love reading what you have to say, aside from the info.
still looking for a realtor i can love!
does anybody know when's the best time to come to get a feel for winter, and when's best for summer? also, when the fare might be lowest to catch those seasons...
Winter: Either December or January when it's coldest and rainiest. If you can handle that then you're golden. Summer: June and July are the foggiest, August is not quite as foggy as June/July, September is the warmest and sunniest. So I guess I'd say June/July to see if you can handle the fog? Honestly though anytime between early July and late September would give you a pretty good feel for summer though.
and a cheap place to stay while i'm there.
That I don't know about, sorry. The only places I know of that are cheap are on Broadway in Eureka and those places are VERY sketch and wouldn't recommend anyone staying there. You'll have to do some more research into that one.
also:
can you guys tell me where is the best area to buy that i can be close to redwoods, i mean right up against them, if possible? and still have easy access to an arts community?
Generally the further north you go the better the redwoods, though SoHum (Garberville, Redway) is wonderful for redwoods. Those places are very far from Arcata, though. In mid-county your best bet is probably eastern McKinleyville, eastern Eureka, and Blue Lake. Generally speaking the development of the coast means the redwoods were all cut down for the cities so you have to seek them out elsewhere. Personally I wouldn't want to live right under redwoods anyway because then mold becomes a serious issue, and you're potentially cutting down even more on your sunshine. Take a long hike through the redwoods on a sunny summer day and you'll see what I mean.
unfortunately, i'm redneck-ophobic...used to urban gangstas but not sure i'd know when it's time to run from a redneck...don't think i can read them, if that makes sense. had a little experience down south in the blue ridge mountains, kinda scared me.
The "rednecks" here that you speak of are not like the rednecks of Appalachia/the South, generally speaking. People here are pretty forward thinking for the most part and I don't think this is a concern at all. There are definitely sketchy people to be sure and some "git off mah land!" types but more often than not people are friendly and pleasant.
i saw some properties that were much more wooded further from arcata, but i'm worried i'd be isolated from any creative/intellectual community, and also maybe frightened.
plus, i'm a psychotherapist. hope to build a practice out there and see patients in my home. don't think country people are that up for therapy...was hoping to attract the college and new graduate crowd, same people i work with here in nyc
Again, I think your concerns here aren't really all that valid. Even in "good ol' boy" Ferndale which is through and through a farming/cow town people are progressive and cool. Ferndale, Eureka, Arcata, and to some extent McKinleyville, Trinidad, Blue Lake, Fortuna, and Rio Dell are pretty much one giant community and we look out for each other. SoHum is its own thing and the folks in the hills to the east (Willow Creek, Hoopa) are their own thing as well.
so, to respond to some of your very helpful comments:
temps around 60 are actually my favorite.
don't know about continuous gray, though, but i guess you can't have everything. if i had my big tree people (i think of plants and animals as people, so sue me. dog people, bird people, tree people, human people...), i
might not mind the rain so much
You can't have the comfortable temps without the gray/fog/rain. That's just the tradeoff you have to be willing to make for the greenery and comfortable climate. Believe me when I say that the good days (and there are plenty!) are so, so worth it.
due to the poor hot globe these days, it rains much of the winter in nyc now too. used to snow instead.
but from what i understand, it stays green all winter in arcata area?...
Yes it's green in the winter. It's been very green here since the first rain of the season fell in September, and it will remain green until mid to late July, depending on how long the spring rain lasts. The wild grasses die off in summer but there are still lots of flowers and other things that keep the scenery pretty during the dry season.
here it is bare. makes it a bit sadder. plus all the damn pavement and grime. the snow's magic at first, but within a day it's covered with black, greasy dirt, gray slush and dog pee, and there are huge dirty puddles at every crossing, sometimes so deep you have to slog through them because the sewers clog.
i did check the rainfall statistics, though, and arcata had quite a bit less rainfall than portland, unless i remember wrong?
Portland and coastal Humboldt have roughly the same rainfall totals spread out throughout the year in roughly the same pattern. Portland does get warmer in summer and colder in winter though because it lacks the moderating influence of the ocean like coastal Humboldt has.
anyway, anything at all you guys have to offer about moving would be wonderful. even answers to questions i didn't think to ask.
My responses to your questions are in bold.
A major thing to consider when deciding whether or not to move here is how well you deal with isolation. I don't mean isolation from one neighbor or town to another, but general isolation. We're "behind the redwood curtain" here and a solid four hours driving distance from the Bay Area and two and a half to three hours from Redding. We essentially have an island economy and as a result prices for gas and other commodities are higher than in many other parts of the state. Drive across the border to Mendocino or Del Norte (and that's pronounced "nort" around here) and gas prices can be 25 cents cheaper than Humboldt.
Medical care here is okay but not great, and a lot of people have to travel to the Bay Area or Redding for specialized care.
Again though, I find Humboldt a wonderful place to live and there's nowhere else I ever want to live.
A major thing to consider when deciding whether or not to move here is how well you deal with isolation. I don't mean isolation from one neighbor or town to another, but general isolation. We're "behind the redwood curtain" here and a solid four hours driving distance from the Bay Area and two and a half to three hours from Redding. We essentially have an island economy and as a result prices for gas and other commodities are higher than in many other parts of the state. Drive across the border to Mendocino or Del Norte (and that's pronounced "nort" around here) and gas prices can be 25 cents cheaper than Humboldt.
Medical care here is okay but not great, and a lot of people have to travel to the Bay Area or Redding for specialized care.
Again though, I find Humboldt a wonderful place to live and there's nowhere else I ever want to live.
Just wondering, on one of your comments. September is also the warmest month in the Bay Area, because the fog disappears for that months, so temps soar. Is it the same in Arcata? The end of the summer fog means warmer temps and sunnier weather?
Just wondering, on one of your comments. September is also the warmest month in the Bay Area, because the fog disappears for that months, so temps soar. Is it the same in Arcata? The end of the summer fog means warmer temps and sunnier weather?
For the most part, yes, though coastal Humboldt is still cooler than the Bay Area. A 75 degree day in the Bay Area usually translates to a 68 degree day in Humboldt. Like I said in one of my earlier posts we had 3 or 4 80 degree days this year (including one on April 30th, lol) and a handful of days between 70 and 75. When the mercury gets out of the 60s all the locals start to complain, and I'm quickly getting there myself. And this is coming from someone who grew up in a desert!
oh, man, sorry to hear it's so gray! how many months of the year would you say it has been like that in, say the last 5 years? (because the changing climate truly IS an issue...we used to get snow most of the winter here in NYC, but now it just rains from november through march, maybe not as much as there, though).
cool temps are fine, though. i like the cold, not much of a summer girl, in fact i've always thought of 63 as my favorite temp.
am really looking to have redwoods in my back (and maybe front) yard...is there a best part of eureka or arcata for that? and somebody said blue lake, too.
i've seen much prettier properties further from those places, but being from nyc i'm kinda scared of "rednecks'! not scared of urban "gangsters" that much, but country outlaws freak me out...can't read the body language, i guess, and maybe the unfamiliarity...don't think i'd know when i should run...
Jean, I have an idea for you to research: Russian River communities of Forestville, Guerneville, and Monte Rio. One of California's terrific redwood groves is smack in Guerneville. Google "Armstrong Redwoods", and "Russian River", as well as those town names.
Guerneville, is about a 90 minute drive to San Francisco, and is the center of the Russian River vacation area. It is a small town with lots of little shops and characterful visitor accommodations. While it is not a "gay" town, per se, it is very well known and patronized by the Bay Area's gay community - thus a very tolerant, liberal place. Lots of artists. It is also near Sebastopol and Healdsburg, two very nice, upscale and larger liberal towns. And near big Santa Rosa as well.
The Russian River in this area runs through a fairly steep canyon. The three towns mentioned are in the canyon. And redwoods abound even on private properties in there. Real estate is surprisingly available in a wide range of prices, include some quaint, funky places in your price range. The reason for this is the lower priced places are to be found on terraced canyon hillsides with tiny access streets and the daily hours of sun are limited due to the canyon.
The range of temperatures is much warmer in the summer than up in Humboldt. Climbing into the 80's frequently for months - BUT along the river, in the canyon, under the redwoods *it stays blissfully cool* So you can be as warm and sunny as you like by seeking out the sunny spots, and as cool as you like by staying home under the trees. There is plenty of sun in winter, as well, and mild temperatures. Also much less fog. Way less.
I am not dissing Humboldt or suggesting you wouldn't be happy there. It's a great country up north. DCMann's post are right on. But I think you would be well served to compare. Options for your counseling practice will of course be far greater close to the Bay Area. Also, while there is lots of fun cultural life up north, there is an endless access to far more in the Bay.
So, a contrast for you to study and see how the "redwood curtain" isolation stacks up against the Russian River / Wine Country / Bay Area.
Have fun researching
Oh, and don't be too sucked in by "inches of rain" stats. There struggle isn't with inches of accumulation up north. It's a challenge of the persistent gray, overcast skies, and pretty much constant damp that goes with.
If you aren't familiar with CityData's city stats pages, they contain good climate summary charts as well as lots of other valuable information. Here's a link to Guerneville's CityData page: //www.city-data.com/city/Guerne...alifornia.html
Scroll down until you see the climate graphs.
Also, Guerneville is where you should center your search. Forestville has properties that might work well for you but there is no actual town there. Monte Rio is - well - hmm - just a wee bit sketchy by comparison to the other two towns, but I wouldn't rule it out.
I like this website for historical weather data. I searched for Arcata for you. Scroll down to the calendar, then you can scroll left and right to previous months, different years, etc., and see the weather data for yourself.
FWIW, Redding has also been cloudy and rainy this week. So, it's not just the coast right now as far as clouds and rain goes. Though, I've been following Crescent City weather forcasts, since I'm moving there next week, and it will get sunny here in Redding, but will start raining again in CC after Thanksgiving.
See, I feel like Arcata gets plenty of sun in the summer months. Maybe it's just been an odd trend my two summers here, but there's been tons of sun and some fairly warm (for the area) weather--mid to high 70s. Having moved up from Fresno, where it's not unusual to spend several days above 110 degrees, Arcata summers are a blessing.
Winter is long and grey, but it's not as if you never see the sun. I saw some yesterday, in fact. But, yes, it is pretty grey here right now.
It might be possible to cheaply sublet a small apartment over the winter break. I don't know what would be available or for how much, but a lot of rentable places are empty from mid-December to mid-January.
LOL, I just read my previous post and saw that I typed "Ashford, OR," instead of "Ashland, OR." Woops!
While we're on the subject of correcting spelling, that's "whoops".
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i want to walk out my door and into the redwoods. where should i live?
