Nice/Safe Place to Live near Humboldt State Univ? (Eureka: rentals, house)

[D_Light]

I've been offered a temporary full-time teaching assignment at Humboldt State. I've been combing the internet to see where the best place to live is, but most of what I come up with is at least 3-4 years old. I'm a single female with elderly chihuahuas and have to take them out at night. I also need mold free housing. Many factors are at play in finding the right area and place to live. I can definitely afford rents I'm seeing, and can even afford to rent a house, but I but prefer reasonably priced and don't need all that space. Safety is my biggest concern after everything I've read about the area.

Which neighborhoods and cities are the "nicer" ones right now? I don't mind a drive to get to work - 20-30 minutes might be ok if the neighborhood is good. Close to the university might be nice though since I'll want to feel a part of the community.

Thanks so much!

[OwlKaMyst]

As long as you stay out of Eureka, you should be ok as goes safe. Eureka is basically the 'problem child' of the area with the meth users.
As goes mold free, that is a bit more of an issue if you want to be close to the campus as it is right on the coast.
Having said you do not mind a drive, you could check out Fortuna which is south, but all freeway to Arcata. Or you could go a little more 'country' and check out Blue Lakes.
Also, I do not recall the name of the road, but it is between Eureka and Arcata and leads to Kneeland. There are homes spread out along the way and it is away from the coast enough that it is not in the fog 24/7/365.
I lived past the Kneeland airport, it was an hour drive, but that was due to being in the mountains and on a dirt road. It may be only 30-40 minutes to the post office in Kneeland, so may want to check that out as well.

[eureka1]

Eureka is perfectly fine if you stay away from the areas right near the freeway. I live in Cutten, perfectly safe. The dogs and mold issues will be a problem. Because of HSU it's a landlords'
market here. Try going thru a realtor like Coldwell Banker. I'm a landlord and no one wants to rent to tenants with pets but your chances are better with dogs than with cats. THIS IS A DAMP AREA so I don't know how you avoid mold. Maybe someone else can help with that. Best of luck,

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by D_Light

I also need mold free housing.

Consider buying one of these:

Home Dehumidifiers, Free Shipping | AllergyBuyersClub

[DCMann2]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Consider buying one of these:

Home Dehumidifiers, Free Shipping | AllergyBuyersClub

Definitely invest in a dehumidifier. I bought one a couple years back at Costco and it's 200 bucks very well spent. During the winter it pulls a ridiculous amount of moisture out of the air which really helps keep the mold down. One is perfectly adequate for our 1600 sq. ft. house.

Anyway, I'd probably suggest Blue Lake or McKinleyville. Arcata is meh overall and Eureka is too unless you're on the periphery like eureka1.

[D_Light]

Thanks for the great tips - everyone.

I was looking at Blue Lake and didn't see any rentals online. I'm flying in next week to take a look around and any suggestions as to where to find rental listings in Blue Lake are appreciated.

Thank you so much!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by D_Light

Thanks for the great tips - everyone.

I was looking at Blue Lake and didn't see any rentals online. I'm flying in next week to take a look around and any suggestions as to where to find rental listings in Blue Lake are appreciated.

Thank you so much!

Include McKinleyville in your itinerary of places to scope out. Neighboring Arcata, but not as slumlord-ish, more family-oriented. With any luck, our poster in McKinleyville, Dragonslayer, will see the thread, and will tell you all about it, in relation to your concerns and interests.

[Carlyee3]

I spent 30 years on the Faculty at HSU. It was convenient to live in Arcata and go home during the day between classes.

Mold is a epidemic problem in that weather, so don't know what you can do other than the dehumidifier route.

Warmer, less foggy abodes would be in Blue Lake and Fieldbrook. But the numbers of rentals will be scant. Might look in Craigslist to see what comes up. But as someone mentioned, you will be competing with the students and that will be tough to find a nice place not overrun by 10 students to a house or apt.

Housing has always been a tough nut to crack for new faculty. Nice homes are very expensive and limited.

Best of luck.

[DCMann2]

Lack of good housing is definitely a problem here, but the students are gone now so it should be a bit easier now. Still though, you might have to settle for something less than ideal until something better comes along.