Working in Napa..living ????

[scarletfire]

I agree that St Helena is very pretty. My recollection of Vacaville was it hot as blazes and nothing to do. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

[Hobart]

What about upscale? The original poster mentioned that they live in a very upscale community now in Florida. Isn't Marin, specifically, Belvedere, Tiburon, Ross and Mill Valley the most upscale neighborhoods anywhere on the Napa side of San Francisco? The entry level house in Belvedere Tiburon that I can see from MLS searching is about $2.5 million! Nothing else mentioned prior in this thread comes close to that in terms of being upscale. Am I right?

Now, which of those communities Belvedere, Tiburon, Ross or Mill Valley are best for children. In terms of scholls, from what I have read their have the best public schools in the state no? What about neighborhood feel for raising kids, which of those towns do you think are best?

Opps, I see that they are about 1 hour drive from Napa. Well...maybe worth a look for that O.P. That loves upscale, bu then I thought NAPA was already very upscale. Not a place to raise kids? I suppose when a lot of nice houses are vineyards with minimum 10 acres, each house is too far form the next to visit your friends "in the neighborhood".

[staceybeth]

Hmmm..... When I said "upscale" (maybe a poor choice of word) I only meant a neighborhood that was in a nice SAFE place/town. I apologize if my description seemed offensive...... That was not my intent. Everyone has made some really nice suggestions on this posting. Actually-- I have heard of Marin County and that is one of the places I plan on visiting when I get there. I'm not sure if you were insulted by me (OP) or the posters that replied to me.? But in any case- Thank you for your reply. The truth is....I'm only looking for advice not looking to make ANYONE upset. I guess I need to make better choices when choosing my words....Next time I will say-- "a nice city with nice homes that is safe to raise a family in...."

[scarletfire]

Stacey Beth, I don't think you said anything that was offensive so please don't worry about that. Also, as you may have seen if you've perused real estate websites, prices for upscale in the Napa area are pretty steep compared with FL but there are lots of nice areas around there to pick from so hopefully you'll find something you like. Also, while there are certainly many wineries in Napa there are also neighborhoods too so you don't really need to worry about your neighbors being miles away as a previous poster suggested might be the case. My step-daughter lives in Napa and it's a pretty neighborhood with lots of families. I don't really know what the schools are like there, I'm sorry I wish I could share data on that. You can go to Schooldigger.com -- Search and compare elementary, middle, and high schools. and enter a town to see various school rankings.

[staceybeth]

Scarletfire- I hope I didnt offend anybody. I was trying to figure out if the poster above was angered by my wording or angered at the suggestions I was getting???? Thanks for replying and I will check out the School web-site you included. I am not a snooty person- just a Mom that wants the best for my children.....even though i can't afford it....ha ha. I have to laugh or I'll cry.

[staceybeth]

BTW- I am not in the 2.5 million dollar range. Not even close........

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by Hobart

I thought NAPA was already very upscale. Not a place to raise kids? I suppose when a lot of nice houses are vineyards with minimum 10 acres, each house is too far form the next to visit your friends "in the neighborhood".

It is well known to people who live in the area that Napa has a gang problem in its schools. It is definitely a district to avoid if you are moving into the area.

From the minutes of the Napa High Parent Club(2/27/07):

" Q. Are the teachers aware of the gang members? A. Teachers have been trained and send suspected gang members to Office Chapman Q. Where are the gang hangouts on campus? A. The Surenos hang out on the North side of the Cafeteria and the Nortenos take the south side of the cafeteria.


Napa confronts its gang problem


District Attorney

[checar]

I said West side, but actually it is the East side of Sonoma that is better to be on, and closer to Napa for the job.

Napa has good neighborhoods but also some places I wouldn't want to live, myself.

You might look into Petaluma. It has a cute downtown with antique shops, cafes, etc. I think they call it egg town or something like that because of its agricultural hey-day...pretty nice town. 25-30 minutes to Napa.

[elcapitan]

I was born and raised in St. Helena. It is the most "upscale" town in Napa County, but not in the Marin County sense. There many wealthy people that live there, and many that are not. But the real locals are not into displaying their wealth in flashy ways (the tourists do however.)

Growing up in St. Helena, we always considered Napa and it's schools ghetto. St. Helena was much safer. The majority of students went directly to fairly high ranking universities directly after high school.

As kids, we could ride our bikes to the farthest corners of town to visit and play with friends. It was always safe, and the only thing the local kids needed to be careful of was the tourists after a day of wine tasting.

It is still a very small town. Most kids who grow up in small towns like to complain that it is too small and there is nothing to do. It is a wonderful place to raise a family if you can afford it. It is a real life Mayberry, but with more sophistication. I am 25 now, and I have nothing but fond memories of growing up there.

[prairie guy]

Staceybeth, I lived in that area for years very happily before moving to the Midwest. I think if you are accustomed to a top public school in FL, you need to be very careful of public schools in Calif. as well as the murderous traffic in the North Bay.

I disagree with posters who suggest you commute to Napa from Marin County; tho Marin has excellent school districts, they are only south and exclusive of San Rafael and too far to commute. Santa Rosa, Vacaville and Walnut Creek all push a grinding commute and the first two have ordinary schools at best. Fairfield and Vallejo are good commutes but have outright bad schools. I strongly agree with Capoeira--avoid the Napa Valley School district, which then rules out American Canyon.

I agree you should look at St. Helena and even Calistoga in the north Napa Valley--those towns have school systems separate from the Napa Valley district. Problem is they are small districts and might not offer everything your children need--but some kids thrive in small schools, some hate it, your call of course. It depends on how much you can pay for a house in either of those towns--and how long you can look for something in your price range. Alternatively, buy less expensive housing in American Canyon or the nicer areas of Napa and Yountville--there's many fine choices--and use the savings on housing to pay for private school (again, pending your finances.)

Another option worth investigating: I agree that east side Sonoma town is very nice and an easy commute to Napa from that neighborhood. The schools are better than the run-of-the-mill Calif. public district, as are Petaluma's, tho to me the commute is again just too far from the latter.

Sorry for the long post, but I have to caution you that Calif. schools have deteriorated badly over the past 30 years. I don't know how Florida is, but in Calif., there is no way you can just assume that all will be well in whatever school is nearest where you live. Check all districts thoroughly.

Side note: there will be plenty of youth sports opportunities anywhere in the Bay area. I believe that was one of your questions.

That said--awaiting you in the North Bay are many fantastic academic and cultural options for your family, untold professional challenges for any ambitious employee, and an exciting, dynamic lifestyle. Welcome this opportunity and welcome to the area (even though I don't live there anymore!)