Eureka, CA (Redding, Arcata, McKinleyville: college, moving, air pollution)

[eureka1]

What Ruth said. IF you can afford to live in a nice part of Eureka AWAY from the freeway, you'll be fine..Under no circumstances should you even think of moving here (or anywhere) without a thorough visit. For housing look in Cutten or Bayside. Good luck!

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, here's another thread on the area, and the DCMann poster links a reference thread he started with info on several towns, with descriptions of each, pro and con. He describes Fortuna, within an easy drive of Eureka, as more sunny than other towns in the area, for example. See also: Ferndale, 15 miles from Eureka.
//www.city-data.com/forum/calif...xes-poets.html

Here's the link to his reference thread:
//www.city-data.com/forum/calif...ead-first.html

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by dcisive

The higher percentage of "Section 8" participants the higher the percentage of issues you'll find in a given area. It's not about disliking them, it's a statistical fact. Yet another Socialist idea gone wrong. The homeless situation up there in the Eureka area is hardly unique, but is indeed a significant issue. If you get a population that doesn't work, doesn't want to work and prefers living off the land or worse yet a life of theft to support drug habits it is like a cancer growing worse as time goes on. Just look at Seattle, San Francisco, L.A. Portland and all up the coast. I'd say move on as I don't think Eureka will end up pleasing you in the end. I used to travel there all the time having clients in town for my work as I traveled 22 States. It's gone down hill steadily over the last 20 years to be sure.

Yes. All cities with vibrant, roaring economies, and exhaustive cultural and entertainment venues to go along with access to spectacular outdoor adventures in mild to excellent year round weather. And this dynamic does push marginalized populations to homelessness as collateral damage. Deal with it ...or perhaps try Omaha Nebraska.

[DCMann2]

Snow exaggerates. CC does NOT have the same weather as Eureka; CC is cooler, foggier, windier, and rainier than Eureka. It isn't much different to be fair, but the difference is significant enough to both notice and make a difference. CC is also more isolated than Eureka and the latter is a bit more self-contained. We can get pretty much anything we need in Eureka no problem with one major exception and that is medical care. The medical care system in Humboldt is mediocre at best and residents often go to Redding or San Francisco for specialized care. Redding is some 2 1/2 hours from Eureka and SF is about 4 hours away.

The people are fine. Yes there are lots of pits and yes there are lots of homeless people and yes there is crime, but most crime is property crime and not violent crime; people bust out windows for items to sell to support their addictions.

Huge influxes of money are pouring into Humboldt from the state and feds to help us build new housing for homeless folks. There are currently several new places going up as I type this. Affordable housing is a big problem.

Cannabis is a major part of the culture. With its legalization we are currently going through some growing pains as things balance out, but overall legalization has been good for the area.

Personally I love Humboldt, but eventually we will probably be leaving because career growth for two young, well educated people can be a bit dodgy, but I will absolutely miss it. I love the fog, the sea, the rain, and the redwoods, but it's 100% a love it or hate it place. Choose wisely.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by DCMann2

Snow exaggerates. CC does NOT have the same weather as Eureka; CC is cooler, foggier, windier, and rainier than Eureka. It isn't much different to be fair, but the difference is significant enough to both notice and make a difference. CC is also more isolated than Eureka and the latter is a bit more self-contained. We can get pretty much anything we need in Eureka no problem with one major exception and that is medical care. The medical care system in Humboldt is mediocre at best and residents often go to Redding or San Francisco for specialized care. Redding is some 2 1/2 hours from Eureka and SF is about 4 hours away.

The people are fine. Yes there are lots of pits and yes there are lots of homeless people and yes there is crime, but most crime is property crime and not violent crime; people bust out windows for items to sell to support their addictions.

Huge influxes of money are pouring into Humboldt from the state and feds to help us build new housing for homeless folks. There are currently several new places going up as I type this. Affordable housing is a big problem.

Cannabis is a major part of the culture. With its legalization we are currently going through some growing pains as things balance out, but overall legalization has been good for the area.

Personally I love Humboldt, but eventually we will probably be leaving because career growth for two young, well educated people can be a bit dodgy, but I will absolutely miss it. I love the fog, the sea, the rain, and the redwoods, but it's 100% a love it or hate it place. Choose wisely.

It's always a pleasure when you contribute. I had a question about covering the distance to the Bay Area. I read there are weekly flights from the local airport north of Arcata. How reliable is the schedule, considering the heavy fog and the rain so common there? Have there been any safety issues?

Do you see the area as growing in population? McKinleyville is said to be growing pretty quickly, and I read that Ferndale (IIRC) has grown significantly since the last census or two. I'm wondering, if there's growth, could that eventually result in an upgrading of medical services?

Thanks for dropping by.

[vnmcls]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, here's another thread on the area, and the DCMann poster links a reference thread he started with info on several towns, with descriptions of each, pro and con. He describes Fortuna, within an easy drive of Eureka, as more sunny than other towns in the area, for example. See also: Ferndale, 15 miles from Eureka.
//www.city-data.com/forum/calif...xes-poets.html

Here's the link to his reference thread:
//www.city-data.com/forum/calif...ead-first.html

Thank you!

[TheTimidBlueBars]

As a non-Californian who's visiting Eureka for the first time right now, I can't speak to what the housing situation is like. I will agree with earlier commenters that a lot of the buildings are in pretty bad shape and there are a lot of weirdos walking around, and seem to be an above-average number of cops making the prowl. Between the old Victorian architecture, the grid plan, and the general sense of stagnation and crime, I feel more like I'm in a Rust Belt state like Ohio than in California.

One thing I'm pleasantly surprised by is how good the food scene is for a town of 26,000 people that's not a suburb of anything. Beyond the usual fare (American, Mexican, Chinese, etc.), I've seen pho, an actual Japanese restaurant (not just sushi), an "Asian subs" place, and a couple organic food stores. I wonder how this town 5 hours from the nearest major city became so cultured.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars

As a non-Californian who's visiting Eureka for the first time right now, I can't speak to what the housing situation is like. I will agree with earlier commenters that a lot of the buildings are in pretty bad shape and there are a lot of weirdos walking around, and seem to be an above-average number of cops making the prowl. Between the old Victorian architecture, the grid plan, and the general sense of stagnation and crime, I feel more like I'm in a Rust Belt state like Ohio than in California.

One thing I'm pleasantly surprised by is how good the food scene is for a town of 26,000 people that's not a suburb of anything. Beyond the usual fare (American, Mexican, Chinese, etc.), I've seen pho, an actual Japanese restaurant (not just sushi), an "Asian subs" place, and a couple organic food stores. I wonder how this town 5 hours from the nearest major city became so cultured.

Well, it is somewhat comparable to a rust-belt area; it's a defunct logging-belt area. WA State has towns like that, but they're much worse off, and are a lot smaller. Eureka is the county seat, and has a community college nearby, which helps support some of the population base. The WA State ex-logging towns don't have the signs of resurgent vitality you're seeing, because logging was all they had, and nobody's interested in moving there for retirement, or as a base to work from by internet, unlike Humboldt, which is more scenic. I hope you'll be touring other parts of Humboldt as well, for comparison.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by vnmcls

Hello! I am thinking about moving to Eureka and wanted to see how bad does the wind get? Ive been to Cambria and SF and many times when I was on the coast the wind was so strong it was difficult to stand. Does Eureka get winds like that? Also, I see all those horror stories about the crime, how dangerous it would be for a single woman to live there?

As for the, we lived there many many years ago and don't remember the wind being as bad as lots of other places in Calif, even the bay area. Now, as for crime, I am sure if one takes precautions it will be fine, but to be honest, for me, I would not live there, especially as a single woman. Have you visited the city or the area? It sounds like you have not. I would recommend you spend some time there and make sure this is right for you. Do you have a job, do you have a budget, how do you feel about pot smoking and growing everywhere? These are questions you will have to answer.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Trekker99

Hopefully more people who actually live in the area will share experiences instead of the usual "2H" club (Humboldt Haters).

We are not H2: we are trying to be objective. We lived there for a little over a year and it was not for us. the weather alone was a downer even though some talk about the wind, it wasn't the wind that we hated, it was the constant over cast for starters. Add to that the poverty and it isn't a place for the average Joe or Jane. We lived there before the economy started down hill. Yes we, like the OP moved there for a job opportunity.