Best small town in California? (San Francisco, Fresno: apartments, to rent, condo)

[azmazkamaz]

Recently relocated to West Hollywood from a small town in SouthWest Florida. To be honest, I don't like it here. Because mainly it is too loud and crazy. I am just not used to living in apartments with neighbors playing loud music at midnight and all this crazy traffic.

I just graduated and will be applying to schools next year, and I am looking for a quite place where I could focus on studying. It has been impossible for me to study in Hollywood, every half hour I hear sirens or people screaming on the streets and it disturbs me. I do not drink or smoke, and I am not into this weekly partying thing.

Can anyone recommend a small, isolated town/city in California, where there is no heavy traffic and the rent is affordable for a student?

[semispherical]

Chico, Arcata, Merced

[saibot]

Why do you want to stay in California in particular? Why not a small, isolated town in some other state?

[Ruth4Truth]

You'll be applying to schools next year? So are you looking for recommendations of good schools in small towns, or are you looking for someplace to live now, as you study to prepare for university admission?

Lots of small towns around CA. Do you want to be near the beach? Mountains? Do you care? What about affordability? Marin County, on the north end of San Francisco Bay, has some wonderful small towns, many on or near the ocean. It's expensive, but picturesque. The Central Coast has some moderate-sized towns, as does the north coast.

[Jaybee]

In general, "small & isolated" eliminates many California "college towns". You might consider Arcata and Humboldt State. Definitely isolated. But, be advised, that part of California is not the quintessential warm, "palm tree" region. Humboldt County is part of the "Emerald Triangle"; three counties where Marijuana production is king. That, coupled with the college, makes for a significant "pothead culture".

[sacreole]

As others have mentioned in this thread, there are only a handful of small or smallish college towns in California. Arcata on the North Coast is home to Humboldt State University. Arcata can be compared to a "mini-Berkeley," with its liberal, hippy vibe. Other considerations would be Davis (UC Davis) and Merced (UC Merced), which are small cities. Now if you really want to get away from it all, there's Deep Springs College outside of Bishop in eastern California:

Home | Deep Springs College

[azmazkamaz]

Thanks for all the responses. I will do a little more research later.
I was thinking about moving back to FL, but after UHAUL quoted me over $1,200 to rent a trailer (I paid $450 from FL to CA), I changed my mind. If I don't find a decent place, I may have to go back there, because the rent is pretty cheap and gas is less than $2 per gallon The school that I went to had free parking, and
I really don't care where to live, as long as I can get my things done and get accepted that's all I care about at the moment. I will be applying to all the schools in the country, so it doesn't really matter where I will live.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by azmazkamaz

Thanks for all the responses. I will do a little more research later.
I was thinking about moving back to FL, but after UHAUL quoted me over $1,200 to rent a trailer (I paid $450 from FL to CA), I changed my mind. If I don't find a decent place, I may have to go back there, because the rent is pretty cheap and gas is less than $2 per gallon The school that I went to had free parking, and
I really don't care where to live, as long as I can get my things done and get accepted that's all I care about at the moment. I will be applying to all the schools in the country, so it doesn't really matter where I will live.

Well, rent is definitely not pretty cheap anywhere along or near the coast. It depends on what standard of living you want (studio? 1-br. apt? Cottage? Room/apt. share?), and other preferences. I've heard that Penske trucks rent cheaper than U-Haul, btw. If you're looking for a place to move to now, to get out of LA, you can look work up the coast from LA; try Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo; if you don't mind a little warmer inland, you can try Ojai, it's pretty nice. If cost is an issue, skip over the Monterey area and the Bay area, move north to Gualala and Mendocino before considering the far north coast, which is rainier. If you don't need to be around the coast, explore small, isolated agricultural towns like Willits up north(scenic). IDK, OP, the possibilities are endless in CA.

[Californiaguy2007]

The Central Valley is enormous and has tons of small affordable isolated towns,so your probably gonna have to travel around to figure out which town is to your liking...if you can afford living in Weho you can more than likely afford a really nice apartment in a nice community in the Central Valley.

I've been to a town called Visalia and from what i've seen it looked like a pretty cute town with lots of trees.
City of Visalia - Home

[sacreole]

Originally Posted by Caliguy2007

The Central Valley is enormous and has tons of small affordable isolated towns,so your probably gonna have to travel around to figure out which town is to your liking...if you can afford living in Weho you can more than likely afford a really nice apartment in a nice community in the Central Valley.

I've been to a town called Visalia and from what i've seen it looked like a pretty cute town with lots of trees.
City of Visalia - Home

I moved to Visalia in the early 90s from So Cal and lived there for nearly 12 years. Visalia would be a good option and is one of the nicer cities in the San Joaquin Valley. The downtown area is pretty cool with plenty good restaurants and brew pubs. Sequoia National Park is 25 miles to the east. Visalia is home to the College of the Sequoias (COS), a two-year community college. In addition, Fresno Pacific University has a satellite center in Visalia and one can take Fresno State courses at COS. When I moved there in 1992, I found a nice studio apartment for $385 before purchasing a condo.