Cities in the mountains near the lake tahoe region (Pollock Pines: house, housing)

[shelato]

I really loved both Alta and Downieville. Downieville has a lot of charm and was kind of in the middle of nowhere, but if needed to go to a doctors appointment or go shopping it might be too far off the beaten path. Alta was off 80, so it was easier to reacg the rest of civilazation if you needed it, but its a town most people drive right by and don't notice. I also thought before the fires, the towns next to Lake Almanor like Chester and Pratville were pretty cool, but i don't know have faired since the fires.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Isn’t eureka pretty remote?

Not much more remote than some of the Sierra towns. That doesn't phase some people anyway. The natural beauty is so exceptional, it draws people in. Eureka has been growing lately. Could be WFH workers, retirees...

It's entirely possible the area will experience enough growth to start drawing more medical personnel.

[Malloric]

Originally Posted by End Game

Considering moving to a quiet, old-fashioned kind of small city out in the mountains. I want plenty plenty of snow and plenty dark at night. Somewhere you won't find a bunch of vacationers driving around.

It doesn't really need to be that close to lake tahoe, but those are the mountains I'm picturing. Got anything?

Best places around Tahoe would be Tahoe, either State Line or South Lake Tahoe. Not much in the way of cities there. Since you don't need to be in Tahoe, I like Grass Valley/Nevada City. It's foothills, not mountains though. Also as it periodically does, it's gone all weird again. People have strong opinions there which right now it's the political BS with the Jefferson separatists and conservatives on the one side and the generally more liberal recent (which means less than 30 years ago) transplants. That's not new though. Before that it was the Iraq War. If you want to live in some Dixie Chicks/Toby Keith drama, it's the place for you. If not, you just have to be to tolerant as that's where you live.

Towns are more prevalent, mostly more foothills than mountains. Burney and Portola I both like. I actually prefer the Trinity Alps but you're really isolated there. Mt. Shasta, Yreka, Weed, Weaverville. Lots of small towns. They're towns though, not small cities. Also the entire are is just always a cigarette butt or lightning strike and strong winds from getting Parise, about 80% of which got wiped out in 2018. Coast as Ruth said is also beautiful. Eureka/Arcata is large enough to qualify as small city. Crescent City as well, smaller city but still kind of a city.

[MechAndy]

Downieville has a special place in my heart.
It’s just a nice area.
I have friends that were full time gold miners there.

One of my high school buddies lives near Twain Harte up in the hills
That place is nice too.
She is retired and works a few hours a week at the school to keep herself busy.
Her place is absolutely awesome and she is the yard duty lady just loving life.

[Hawk J]

My In-Laws used to live at Mi-Wuk Village. It was Beautiful there. Snowy in the winter.
We used to camp by the Stanislaus, higher up.

[DCMann2]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Isn’t eureka pretty remote?

Yes, but we're pretty self-contained up here. No need to leave the area unless either a) you want to or b) medical stuff forces you to go to SF

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by DCMann2

Yes, but we're pretty self-contained up here. No need to leave the area unless either a) you want to or b) medical stuff forces you to go to SF

Nice to see you back on the CA forum! So, you're still in Humboldt? I thought you'd decided a few yrs ago to move away.

[johninvegas]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

My usual disclaimer about wildfire risk: Look at the CA Fire Hazard map and know what you're getting into before buying. Get fire insurance quotes before making offers as premiums have gotten very expensive for small mountain towns. And make sure you are prepared to evacuate during fire season and know multiple escape routes.

That said:

Graeagle, CA
Markleeville, CA
Arnold, CA
Bridgeport, CA (not really "in the mountains" per se, but nice mountain views and a cool little town that may be worth checking out)

Bridgeport really isn't in the Sierra mountains, and really isn't all that close to Tahoe, but on the plus side, the Cal. Legislature really doesn't know that Bridgeport is in California (just kidding, but for all the interest they have in the town it might as well be true). Fun little town their 4th of July celebration is great! Fishing and hunting is nearby and the people are very friendly and welcoming. Lots of ranching around the town. And gas prices are astronomical, before the run up in prices, gas in town was regularly $5.00/gal. I don't know if locals get a break on prices, though.

[Teacher Terry]

I live in Reno and part of the problem with many small towns is that in case of a fire it’s difficult to get out. I love Placerville but fire is an issue there too.

[Snackmaster]

I was also going to mention Graegle until you mentioned renting an apartment. In most of the small towns mentioned, there aren't going to be any apartments. Maybe an occasional house for rent, which you should consider.

The only small cities large enough to have apartments in California would be cities like Truckee, Auburn, Placerville, Nevada City/Grass Valley. Of those, only Truckee is high enough in elevation to get substantial snow.