Any insights on where to live? (Salinas, Berkeley: apartment, how much, houses)

[qZmtrybndZq]

Lucky for me internet makes it easy to check a lot of places
sneaking the cat in for one night is what I can do on the road ...but may need Motel
on the penninsula for a week so it would be up to keeping housekeeping out of the room.
But good idea to check the nearby locale

[LearnMe]

I sympathize with the plight of finding a good/affordable rental, since not too long ago I too made a similar transition...

This is a recent article about how the situation has gone since then in Santa Cruz...

While housing shortages and homeless epidemics have afflicted communities up and down the west coast, a major crisis has emerged in Santa Cruz, the liberal seaside city 80 miles south of San Francisco, known internationally for its surfing and laid-back boardwalk attractions.

With a swelling presence of Airbnb short-term rentals and university students, Santa Cruz has increasingly become unaffordable and inhospitable to many longtime low-income workers and middle-class families, and experts say the tech boom and housing crunch in nearby Silicon Valley is exacerbating the displacement.

By some measures, Santa Cruz is considered the “least affordable” small metro area in the US.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/24/california-homelessness-santa-cruz-housing-affordability

I know this story well, since I first lived in a motel for two months while looking for a rental. I called it the "International Flea Bag motel." Then rented for a year while my wife and I looked for a home to buy, a year because it took that long to find what we were looking for (very frustrating), something livable (and close to the water). Fortunately we finally found a place and though housing here costs about three times the national average, there is a reason for that -- people love it here and are willing to pay the price. We love it here too, worth every penny perhaps, but it would be nice if it took less of our pennies to stay here. Option: we can always go to other areas where the cost of housing and/or living is lower, but what cost for the quality of living? That's the sort of question each must answer for themselves while trying to make the most of what they have to live life as they prefer...

PS: no idea why the font issues or how to fix that, sorry.

[blueskywalker]

It's going to get worse.
The county is way too impacted. An area can only sustain a certain number of human beings before it becomes imbalanced and that's what has happened here.
It has become a bedroom community of Silicon Valley and housing prices increase and rentals increase in price.
Bye, bye v.w.'s and hello bmw's and teslas et al. Idiot entitled a** holes are taking over. It's a shame. Still a wonderful place in many ways but basically, S.C. county (as it was for so long) is done ... over ... finished ... ruined in so many ways. Thanks S.C. Valley. Thanks consumer driven, money hungry, materialistic dominant culture. Way to go.

[qZmtrybndZq]

That is too bad ...I think can be fine in 500 square feet. In January 2016 in cold NY
suburb I decided that the best years of my life were in grad school when I had nothing
but mind was occupied with interesting stuff and I had good friends with
similar interests. Am ownsizing to a studio having thrown 90% of my stuff out.
Exchanging space for better climate ..cut back to nothing and then go forward again.

I should be arriving in a Honda CRV (do not hate me please
not a VW microbus ) Though, I am a techie so if I get back to work I may buy
an Audi A6 a nice clean looking car.

[blueskywalker]

Originally Posted by qZmtrybndZq

That is too bad ...I think can be fine in 500 square feet. In January 2016 in cold NY
suburb I decided that the best years of my life were in grad school when I had nothing
but mind was occupied with interesting stuff and I had good friends with
similar interests. Am ownsizing to a studio having thrown 90% of my stuff out.
Exchanging space for better climate ..cut back to nothing and then go forward again.

I should be arriving in a Honda CRV (do not hate me please
not a VW microbus ) Though, I am a techie so if I get back to work I may buy
an Audi A6 a nice clean looking car.

I'm not sure if your reply was a response to mine or not. My little rant was about Santa Cruz county and not Monterey county.
No problem with techies or even with nice cars. It's just that the county has changed for the worse because there are just too many darn people here and because of the attitudes (entitled, aggressive and obnoxious) of so many (not all) of the Silicon Valley people who have invaded the county.

[qZmtrybndZq]

Ahh was only teasing but I understand ...I returned to a small suburb of NYC 15 years ago in order to assist elderly parents
(the town where I went to HS). It changed dramatically way way too many Maseratis, and Bentleys the teens drive the
BMWs. The new people are obnoxious, though they do bolster the tax base and the Botox industry.

[LearnMe]

Originally Posted by blueskywalker

I'm not sure if your reply was a response to mine or not. My little rant was about Santa Cruz county and not Monterey county.
No problem with techies or even with nice cars. It's just that the county has changed for the worse because there are just too many darn people here and because of the attitudes (entitled, aggressive and obnoxious) of so many (not all) of the Silicon Valley people who have invaded the county.

Depressing, just like everyone who sings tales of old, all so much better than today, but Santa Cruz has been a "bedroom" community (among other things) for many decades now, transformed many times and in many ways since the beginning. Times change, for better and/or worse, generally both. I've been coming to Santa Cruz since I moved from SoCal to NorCal back in the 70's. Always with the thought of living here, finally doing so the past four years, and there are still the hippy types, the VW buses, also the BMW's and Teslas. Nothing all that much to go off the deep end about. Teslas are zero-emission BTW. Again, things get pricey, because the area is preferred as compared to where life is cheap, and I've had to pay more because of our same preferences. Part of the great benefit of living in Santa Cruz is the Monterey Bay, where we can enjoy up and down forever many beautiful spots to the end of our days, as is our plan and as we have been doing, why we're here and very happy about it (though it hasn't come easy or cheap). Also in Santa Cruz we have a homeless problem, largely because Santa Cruz is far more tolerant than places like Carmel and Monterey where the attitude is a bit less accommodating and compassionate toward people who have far less, far more upscale and wealthy in general, far fewer VW buses for sure. I've watched much improve in Santa Cruz over the years as well, though of course everyone who enjoys a "bit of paradise" always wishes everyone else wasn't there to do the same, but having grown up in L.A., the urban development (sprawl) here compared to there is nothing. In fact, I've always been quite impressed with the preserved or restricted open spaces here that SoCal failed to value or make happen. You can still drive a very short distance in any direction from Santa Cruz, other than out to sea of course, and you immediately find yourself in wide open country, farm land, Redwoods, nature, where you need not fret about any vehicles at all. So much in the end is simply a matter of perspective, frame of mind, and ultimately a matter of making the most of where you call home rather than dwelling on the negatives. In any case, Santa Cruz has so many more positives than negatives, as evidenced by the many tourists here (and Airbnb), also those driving up property values, I for one can hardly justify complaining, so I don't. Try not to do that about where others live too. Fact is, however, you just can't find where to live along the west coast without having to pay quite a premium, and this is nothing new. People like living by the water and there is only so much space along the water to be had. Another plus about Santa Cruz as compared to SoCal beaches is somewhat limited access, which helps to keep a good many of a growing population from making it here. Traffic over Hwy 17 to get here from the East Bay anymore is almost prohibitive, but just about the only way to get in or out. I can often walk the streets here on the West side with only a few cars passing, free parking easy to find along Cliff drive, lots of people walking but still benches free for the taking/sitting. Not like in SoCal where metered parking is everywhere, traffic is bumper-to-bumper everywhere. I know, because I still visit family in SoCal, and I'm always glad to be back here when I return; where the water is beautiful, the sky is blue, the bay is rich with sea life, even whales, and the people are still quick with a smile, especially the fellow dog lovers walking their dog like we do ours, or letting them run at the dog beaches. Okay, thanks, enough as it's off to meet family for the Coldplay concert at the new Levi Stadium tonight, over the mountain where we also have pretty quick access to just about anything the wonderful Bay Area has to offer as well, including San Francisco. Hard to beat it here far as I'm concerned, obviously. I should be working for the Chamber of Commerce or tourist information office, you think? Let me know if you're in the area, and I'll let you know how to enjoy yourself here on any budget...

[qZmtrybndZq]

Indeed urban sprawl has changed/ruined many an area throughout the USA. But it can be reversed
What is needed is well engineered architecturally pleasing affordable high density housing.
Easier said then done but leveraging/improving the infrastructure in already dense urban
areas is more preferable then spreading out to the less developed areas. Too many square miles
of urban blight throughout USA. Good to hear that the sprawl is not too bad in Santa Cruz.

[LearnMe]

Originally Posted by qZmtrybndZq

Indeed urban sprawl has changed/ruined many an area throughout the USA. But it can be reversed
What is needed is well engineered architecturally pleasing affordable high density housing.
Easier said then done but leveraging/improving the infrastructure in already dense urban
areas is more preferable then spreading out to the less developed areas. Too many square miles
of urban blight throughout USA. Good to hear that the sprawl is not too bad in Santa Cruz.

All sounds good, but not all that applicable here in Santa Cruz, because there is simply nowhere for new construction to be done. There is growing demand and/or number of people wanting to be here, but simply no new housing (affordable or otherwise), so..., the cost of existing housing goes up. Simple as that. IOW's, the problem here is not urban development but the opposite, significant building restrictions (if you consider that a problem). Hard to keep open space as open space without such restrictions. Right? What I found surprising from the article I posted earlier is that Santa Cruz has no rent control, like so many other areas in the Bay Area (Berkeley for example, where I also lived once upon a time). I would have never figured Santa Cruz not to have long-standing rent control (the only Bay Area county that went Sanders over Hillary). Another reason I consider myself very fortunate to own a home here, and again why I very much sympathize for renters and all they go through as did I once upon a time. The best of luck (and patience) to all of you...

[qZmtrybndZq]

Ahh yes zoning ....once one gets their variance for their third story and a Pool
the next step is to ban all future 3rd stories and Pools for anyone else

What is the story with Marina CA up the coast a bit ....I am starting to do
more searching as my plans have become firm leaving for Monterey 10/20.
Marina rents seem about 300/month cheaper. Also have the fires been
contained? I hope so

Thanks