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Old 10-30-2011, 02:48 AM
 
Location: Alderwood, Washington State
109 posts, read 160,004 times
Reputation: 103

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Ok, say you wanted to live a little ways away from the bay area proper, but yet still be close enough that you could get there within a reasonable amount of time- and wanted to remain (proximally) along the west coast.. which county would you choose to live in: to the north, sonoma or mendocino counties, and to the south, santa cruz, or monterey counties? that's 2 counties northwards and southwards to pick from. Also, the reasons for your given choice would be great, along with your agerange if you don't mind.

The reason I ask-- I'm in Novato now but on a temporary basis... I'll soon need to rent a small place for myself and need to choose where. I'm 37 - Part of me, likes semi-solitude, nature and the peace that comes from living in less-populated areas. Then on the other hand, I like to be close to a redbox, foodstores, and an accessible poole of women...

I was thinking maybe Santa Rosa or thereabouts, since that's the northmost end of the goldengate transit line - hit the park n' ride and have a ride into the city for 10$ most anytime I'd want. There may be a similar transit line in the other counties, but those, I don't know so much about. But man, Mendocino looks like the most beautiful place on earth

Anyrate, thoughts appreciated
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Old 12-03-2011, 11:05 AM
 
Location: Pomeroy, WA (Near Lewiston, ID)
314 posts, read 486,808 times
Reputation: 489
Mendocino is too far too commute. I suppose you could do Ukiah, but, like Santa Rosa both are inland and you'd still have to travel to get to the coast. Maybe Half Moon Bay? I know it is in San Mateo County, but it feel like it has a different pace that the cities over the hill and it is right on the water. Plus the Pumpkin Festival in October can't be beat.
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Old 12-03-2011, 01:25 PM
 
Location: Springfield, Ohio
14,668 posts, read 14,629,286 times
Reputation: 15376
SR is about an hour from SF/Oakland, and would probably be my first choice (though I'm a bit biased having family there). Its main drawback is not having a straight-shot road going westward to the ocean, though driving through Sebastapol or Guerneville (also possibilities) to get there aren't the worst options either.
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Old 12-03-2011, 05:36 PM
 
6,438 posts, read 6,912,956 times
Reputation: 8743
It's hard to beat Santa Cruz for scenery, weather, and both upscale and downscale college-town ambiance. However, you'll pay a fortune to live there, since the tech crowd in the south Silicon Valley has decided it's possible to commute "over the hill" to work.
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Old 12-03-2011, 07:59 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,073,932 times
Reputation: 2958
Santa Cruz is definitely a pretty cool area and has a good mix of areas that are fairly dense near downtown SC and more rural areas like Bonny Doon or Ben Lomond etc. But there's basically no jobs there and the commute to San Jose sucks.
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Old 12-03-2011, 08:20 PM
 
Location: San Francisco, CA
326 posts, read 529,110 times
Reputation: 226
My favorite "coast" area is Monterey/Carmel but its definitely too far to commute to anywhere from.

I know you currently live in Novato, but have you considered other parts of Marin? Pricey, but arguably worth it.

I would also second Santa Cruz. Aptos is right next to Santa Cruz and is very nice as well. I'm not too big a fan of Half Moon Bay but it could definitely also be a pretty good candidate.
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