MOVING to Santa Rosa area from Indio (better known for Coachella) area..what am I in for?

[SLA74]

Was trying to think of more specific good areas....anywhere towards Spring Lake/Annadel is probably good, especially to be close to trails, etc. Maybe look around 4th St/Highway 12 on the east side of Santa Rosa heading towards Sonoma. Also northwest SR is alright...not as nice as NE Santa Rosa but decent. There might be some pockets of not-so-goodness but nothing really scary. A friend of mine who I met on this site by helping her decide whether to move to Santa Rosa a couple years ago made the choice to come here and found a place (The Villages off Piner Rd) she likes in that area. Pretty much the only areas to truly avoid are near the fairgrounds (immediate vicinity) and south/southwest Santa Rosa (southwest of 101 and Highway 12). I do have some friends that live in new developments in that area and are ok with it, but there's a lot of sketchiness and crime that I've witnessed personally and would never choose to live in that area even if it was the only place I could afford. As a renter you probably have more options. As for a/c most of what you'll find doesn't have it, unless it's a new modern fancy complex, but mostly it's unnecessary. We bought portable freestanding air conditioners for the living room and bedrooms upstairs that vent through the window for the times when it's useful, which isn't a lot of the time but nice during those occasional hot spells. Anyway, most of what you'll find in terms of places to live is totally fine and every city has its pockets of badness, so don't let that worry you. Honestly this is such a nice and lowkey city. I've never felt unsafe here and it really is beautiful all around.

I do agree the cost of living has skyrocketed since I've been here. I remember when we were looking for places when we first moved here it was pretty common to find decent 2 bedrooms going for around 1000/1100 a month (late 2009). We ended up in a really nice dual master/2.5 bath duplex with a yard and garage in a nice/desirable part of the city for only $1395/mo, which was only $100 more a month than what we were paying for a 1 bedroom apartment in a decent part of L.A. We have since moved (on the same street) to a 3 bedroom since the management company of our first place kept jacking up the rent (by the time we left in mid-2013 it was up to $1550). The place we are in now is great and has a huge yard, and we've been lucky to not have any rent increases in the nearly 2 years we've been here. But yeah, talking to people it seems like the cost of everything has gotten ridiculous here.

[AzMama3]

OMG seriously? Referring to that area of Rincon Valley as "seedy" and drug infested is laughable. I will admit the apartments right there across from Oliver's aren't considered luxury or even "nice" but this is overall a family, kid friendly area of Santa Rosa with schools, churches and parks all around. The crime there is nothing like crime in a big city. Personally If I were to move back there (I grew up in Rincon Valley and now live in Phoenix) I'd move right downtown. Off College Ave or 4th street. There are a ton of 4plex buildings or old homes that have been converted into apartments. Look down by the junior college. You can get a 1 bedroom for about the same as you can in Rincon Valley. Santa Rosa is a quiet town. Quaint. Not a ton to do, but once in awhile there are some fun things going on. Great hiking, walking, dog parks. Oh, Montecito Park has a large dog park and paths for walking too(in Rincon Valley) I would definitely say take the job and see what life has to offer up that way. It is a very pretty town.

[Hypersion]

I moved here about two years ago with my SO and we like it. If you don't care about school districts I would get an apartment or maybe even a small house on the northwest side of town. A lot more for your money and more interesting stores and restaurants in the immediate area.

The East is nicer but a lot more expensive and I don't think it really much safer but the schools are much better in the east so that is where I bought.