Great small town (area, about, surrounding)

[Cali-girl]

Originally Posted by compltlyme

I got "I can't stop loving you" out of that... and yes found it a very interesing screen name but figured they are talking about California...???????

lol. I can't tell and neither can my spouse. I wasn't sure because the poster mentioned Colorado. Maybe he/she has a misspelled word in there somewhere.

~Cali-girl

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Te amo no puedo pararme

Whats a great small town in southern [Califorrnia] (a small town NOT a suburb!) that is SAFE, has reasonable cost of living (i mean actually reasonable similar to that of Canon City area Colorado) preferably close to the beach (but thats not a must) and with a good diverse Asian/Hispanic/Black population
also very important is the cost of houses

A first step might be to understand your definition of "small town." By southern California standards that term could be something closer to "mid-sized city" depending on what you're used to. From San Francisco south you'll find plenty of cities smaller than 200,000 inhabitants. What is your ideal "small town"?

Be prepared, however, that the population of your new city will be far from static. You will notice growth and changes from day one of your relocation. Because of this there are two things you should consider about southern California -- city-separation and growth policies.

The San Gabriel Valley, as an example, is a patchwork of small-to-medium-sized cities that run into each other without separation. Each town is quite nice with its own center and character, but the area as a whole is not small. (It's not exactly "suburban sprawl" in the same sense as some place like Palmdale/Lancaster.)

Broadly speaking, cities in the central valley and desert areas tend to grow in leaps and bounds outwards with car-based, low density, new development while coastal cities tend to grow more densely, multi-family dwellings, in-fill, etc. Consider how the growth policies of your chosen locale fit with your ideals.

CA is a wonderfully diverse place no matter where you go, but the denser areas tend to be more integrated. You’ll just have to explore this aspect on a case-by-case basis.

Lastly, California is not cheap. You can make it on a moderate income, but you will have to sacrifice. Hope this info helps you. Good luck!

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by compltlyme

I got "I can't stop loving you" out of that... and yes found it a very interesing screen name but figured they are talking about California...???????

No puedo parar de amarte would be the correct manner of communicating the sentiment "I can't stop loving you" Te amo no puedo pararme seems to say "I love you I can't stand up" or perhaps "I love you not I can stop myself" (the reflexive use of the verb parar is confusing here).

[Woof]

I love you, I can't help it (stop myself).

[compltlyme]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

No puedo parar de amarte would be the correct manner of communicating the sentiment "I can't stop loving you" Te amo no puedo pararme seems to say "I love you I can't stand up" or perhaps "I love you not I can stop myself" (the reflexive use of the verb parar is confusing here).

Steve you are technically correct... if the poster is using "proper" Spanish... however by living in So Ca for as many years as I did and having a hispanic Mom... I hear more people using slang. Even in writing it.

I wish they would come back and tell us what they mean...

[ChefSamantha]

I use to live in Fresno and talk about places that aren't safe! I now live in Modoc County and must say Alturas is the safest place i have ever been! It's a small town but nice i'm currently working on opening a restaurant here. It's also affordable unlike most of cali these days. I would reccomend moving here but would also note it takes some ajustment, it's kind of a culture shock at first moving from a big city to a small town but as long as you have a career figured out when you move here it's great.

[KJinCali79]

Originally Posted by Woof

Weed is in northern Cal .... I lived there for a while, and it's not the nicest place unless you have family there. The only "cosmopolitan" town in the area that is accepting of newcomers is Mt Shasta City.

But in Weed, the median home cost is $264,300 and the median rent is $596 (you can still get studios for $450 there if you don't have high standards).

I lived in Weed for 13 years and it is a great small town. I moved there from Portland, OR in the mid eighties and left in the 1999. I still visit there frequently. Siskiyou County in general does not offer much in terms of job opportunties and nightlife, but it is safe, quiet, and great for outdoors people, and Weed is probably the best place to live in Siskiyou County. It is in the south county (like Mt. Shasta), which means it's green, close to waterfalls, lakes, and mountains unlike the farmland of north county. It is home to the only junior college in the county which provides some sort of opportunity for the appreciation of the arts. It is still close enough to enjoy the restaurants in Mt. Shasta, but you don't have to deal with as many tourists in the summer. It is the most racially diverse town in Siskiyou County, and Weed High School has long been called the most diverse high school between Sacramento and Portland. Perhaps surprisingly, the town has a strong sense of community where people of any background are accepted and work well together, and it is there where I take issue with Woof's comments that Mt. Shasta is the only place welcoming of outsiders. It is true that there are more outsiders in Mt. Shasta which may cause more opportunities to meet people when you're an outsider youself, but that's also why the real estate in Mt. Shasta goes for a premium relative to it's nearby and friendly neighbor Weed.

Many home bargains exist in Weed, but it is a patchwork of neighborhoods to get to know. On the low-end price-wise are the neighboorhoods of Carrick Addition, Angel Valley, Downtown, and Lincoln Heights. In the midrange would be Stringtown, C-Camp, and the older area below the college. The newer area above the college called Bel Air, as well as Woodridge, and Hidden Meadows, would make up the nicer and higher priced areas of town. Incidently, Hidden Meadows has the best views of Mt. Shasta around.

[Woof]

KJ, I suppose you already knew people there, but I went in cold simply because it had the first affordable apartment I could find. I did have a couple of friends, Weed is nowhere near as unfriendly as Dunsmuir has become (they kicked out all the railroad hobos).

I'm puzzled by you calling it green though ..... most of the surrounding hills and also the buildings seem to be very drab shades of brown and yellow to me. There are some woods with springs but they've logged them pretty heavily recently.

[mrvgs]

Doesn't Weed have a high amount of section 8 housing? If I am not mistaken

this is a welfare dumping ground and that came from a close friend who grew

up in Weed. They now live in Redding which is the dumping groung for sex

offenders. Not trying to be negative just trying to point out the facts.

[Woof]

Section 8 vouchers are accepted by landlords in many areas, Mrvgs. One of my friends moved to Santa Cruz with his voucher and got a decent apartment ..... I doubt I could afford to share an apartment there.

It looks a bit dumpy, but Weed is one of the better places to live if you're not rich I suppose. At least it's safe and close to nature, and the tapwater is unclorinated springwater. Good deer hunting too, I got my first deer there.