Relocating to Oakhurst, CA - Any one have any good tips? (Fresno: 2014, hotels)

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by diana de armas

R there scorpions that get into home in coarsegold?

You will find them in the Sierra on occasion, but they're not common. I remember at our home in Mariposa County (just a bit north of Oakhurst) I was walking through out kitchen in flip-flops. I hear a crunch, looked down and I had stepped on a small scorpion (about 2" long). Thank goodness I had the flip-flops on! My folks had a house up there for many years and that was the only one I saw - either in the house or outside of it.

[eccotecc]

Hi Diana,

As Beau mentioned, scorpions are rarely encountered, but they do exist and are often found under wood that has been left laying around. More frequently than not, you'll probably see black widow spiders. Heavy clingy webs are a good indication they're around. A good rule of thumb is to always wear gloves when working outdoors.

Regarding scorpions, as Beau mentioned, they're small, black, reclusive, and hard to see. Since they are seldomly seen, I doubt if folks give much thought to them. However, when seen they give a person pause to think how important it is to be wearing gloves.

[Zachj7]

Spent lots of time in Fish Camp which has it's own huge hotel despite having a population of 50 or so. Fish camp is about 12 miles away from Oakhurst. For anybody looking at Oakhurst, one important thing to note is that it's at a lowish elevation and doesn't receive snow compared to Fish Camp which gets dumped on.

[eccotecc]

Zach,

Fish Camp is the only place I've ever seen where folks shovel their driveways with front end loaders.

[FreedomBelle]

Originally Posted by Zachj7

Fish camp is about 12 miles away from Oakhurst. For anybody looking at Oakhurst, one important thing to note is that it's at a lowish elevation and doesn't receive snow compared to Fish Camp which gets dumped on.

How is the air quality in Oakhurst? I'm guessing it's better than the valley (e.g. Fresno), but given its location does it still have problems with pollution from ozone and small particulate matter, esp. compared to other nearby locations at higher elevations (e.g. Fish Camp)?

[eccotecc]

I would venture to say air quality is pretty good in Oakhurst except if there is a wildlands fire. The air is usually clear and the sky is very blue.

[FreedomBelle]

Originally Posted by eccotecc

I would venture to say air quality is pretty good in Oakhurst except if there is a wildlands fire. The air is usually clear and the sky is very blue.

Is the air quality monitored there (i.e. do you know if data is collected)?

[eccotecc]

FreedomBelle,

I'm sure all the air in California is being monitored. I'm pretty confident air quality statistics could be found somewhere online.

[FreedomBelle]

Hmm. I found this, but I'm skeptical of how the data is presented since when I plugged in Fresno for comparison, Fresno comes out looking better than the U.S. average (which seems implausible for some measures):
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

I tried to understand the raw data from the state Air Resources Board (Air Resources Board - Homepage), but I'll need a lot more time to make sense of it (I don't even recognize all of the listed locations in Fresno County, let alone Madera or Mariposa).

[chuckmann]

Originally Posted by 1hiawatha

I don't recommend moving to Oakhurst if you're more liberal minded. This is "tea party" country for sure. Unless you're a republican Christian you're not going to have a lot in common with people up here. We lost our only department store and now the movie theater is most likely closing. Few jobs and hardly any that pay more than $8 hr. Crime is up and there is an underground meth colony burglarizing their community Many families are on government assistance. The scenery is nice. Home prices are way cheap right now. Not too bad a place if you're looking for an inexpensive second home near Yosemite. Not a good idea if you're trying to earn a living or raise a family.

My wife and I considered moving to Oakhurst several years ago, neighborhood 2003. We decided against it precisely because of the meth problem. At the time my wife was an attorney, working for one of the public defender subcontractors who cover a number of California rural counties. As such she had a lot more access to info, mainly from case files.

In fact, there is no rural area in California that is NOT infested by meth. You pays your money, you takes your chances.

I loved Oakhurst, and many a time I chose to drove home to the Bay area from Fresno via Highway 41, then thru Mariposa down to 99. But because of our kids, we chose to stay where we were because of the meth issue.

Maybe in your circumstance you would not be effected by the meth community. Just do not enter blind. IMHO.