Help me decide where to live - Mill Valley, San Rafael, Santa Cruz, etc (San Diego: for sale, real estate)

[applesnkids]

We currently live in southern California (Orange County, don't throw flames) and love some aspects, but are looking for a change. We've considered farther south in San Diego all the way up the west coast even to Seattle area. While there is a ton of info here about each city, every situation is unique and I'm hoping you all can help me sort through what would be a good fit. We've lived here our entire life and feel like we need a change and either we do it now, or wait until the kids are done with school. That's our dilemma. We want to make sure we're raising them in the right spot.

Ideally we want a non-tract home in a beautiful area somewhat close to water/ocean where we can walk to a few shops & restaurants. We have two kids, 7 & 9 so schools are important. They currently attend a charter Waldorf school and we like it, but how hard is it getting into one of those in the SF area or just north? If public charter Waldorf isn't an option, a very good public option would be our second choice.

We visited and loved Pacific Grove & Santa Cruz, and have driven through north of SF which seems beautiful and a better location for jobs and a large city nearby but we don't know much about each area north of SF. Absolutely LOVE the city of SF but don't want to live IN the city for cost reasons & noise. Not sure if Pacific Grove & Santa Cruz are even categorized within this thread -- but jobs might be an issue, unless there's a ton of companies I don't know about. We love the vibe of both these places, but are open to other places I may not know about. We could easily live in Palo Alto/San Jose area because of jobs, but I'm not sure if that's for us...vibe-wise it seems very similar to Irvine which we DON'T want, but maybe there's something near that that would be right.

So here are some requirements:
- Near things to do, walkable is best; restaurants, activities, outdoor sports (surfing, biking, snowboarding, running, trails...we know we can't have it all so that's fine)
- Jobs nearby. My husband can probably work for himself anywhere, but we want the back-up option of an in-house job...web industry which can be pretty much any medium/large company or web agency
- Great schools, public Waldorf preferred, regular public second choice
- Beautiful area, nature within reach
- Quiet neighborhood, yet fun (we live near PCH right now and it's very loud at 2 a.m. but love the activities)
- Weather is a consideration...we wouldn't want it completely grey every day, some days are fine
- Budget: Ideally $1m or under. We're very comfortable in the $800 - $900k range and are okay with something needing slight cosmetic work. 3 br, 2 ba 1500 sq + ft with a small yard is fine.
- Young families & cool people! No, not hipster cool, although that's fine -- but let's try and stay away from pretentious folks. Nice yuppies are okay, but we want to steer away from silicone & injections.

Thanks in advance for being kind in your responses!

[Ruth4Truth]

People do live in Santa Cruz and commute to San Jose, just fyi. You can't get into Mill Valley for 1 mill or under. Try Fairfax, San Rafael or Novato. If you like the feel of Santa Cruz and Mill Valley, I'd recommend Fairfax, north of Mill Valley. Check out the town's website, to get a general idea. Small community feel, creative residents, quirky local festivals, great for kids. There are a variety of private schools, Waldorf, and good public schools in that part of Marin.

Check real estate agencies in those areas online, to get a better idea.

[applesnkids]

Thank you for your reply!

I thought there were a few homes that would pop up at or just under $1m in Mill Valley
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Mill-Valley.../home/12131657
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Mill-Valle...41/home/900703
etc...

I'll check out Fairfax...never considered it! Thank you!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by applesnkids

Thank you for your reply!

I thought there were a few homes that would pop up at or just under $1m in Mill Valley
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Mill-Valley.../home/12131657
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Mill-Valle...41/home/900703
etc...

I'll check out Fairfax...never considered it! Thank you!

Very nice! Good work! The first one isn't technically in Mill Valley, it's up the mountain from there, so it isn't walkable, but it has access to Mill Valley schools. The 2nd one looks great, if you don't mind living by the freeway. I like your can-do attitude, though!

LOTS of options in Fairfax, btw. I just checked. Starting at under $700,000.

[applesnkids]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Very nice! Good work! The first one isn't technically in Mill Valley, it's up the mountain from there, so it isn't walkable, but it has access to Mill Valley schools. The 2nd one looks great, if you don't mind living by the freeway. I like your can-do attitude, though!

LOTS of options in Fairfax, btw. I just checked. Starting at under $700,000.

I did a quick search of Fairfax. It looks super cute. Is it pretty easy to get to the city and other areas or is it kind of wedged in the mountains/forest area (I'm going off a map here)?

And this is probably a question for the Monterey board but is the commute from Santa Cruz to San Jose completely unreasonable during rush hour to/from? I know nothing about traffic patterns up there, but can only imagine as we drive to LA every so often. UGH.

I know I'm jumping around, but what about Dixie schools? I love Eichler homes and they always seem to promote the Dixie schools...I assume they must be good but any insight? Is that a nice area of San Rafael and is there anything nearby to walk to?

[Ruth4Truth]

Traffic all around the Bay Area is a nightmare during commute hours. I can't speak specifically of the Santa Cruz--San Jose commute. I avoid commute hours.

RE: Fairfax--easy to get to which city? If you're talking about SF, you have miserable GG Bridge traffic at commute hours. There's a commuter bus, though. You can also take a ferry from Sausalito or Larkspur.

Yes, Mill Valley also is wedged up against the mountain, with the bay on one side, and ocean nearby. This is a good thing. Think: Redwoods! A more rural feel, while being close to urban areas. Hiking trails, etc. But also--traffic to get out of town. It's a slice of heaven, as long as you don't have to commute.

I found this. I envy you, being able to make a move. I'm drooling, here.
182 Meernaa Avenue, Fairfax CA For Sale - Trulia

[applesnkids]

Oh that's adorable. I would probably love that area. I love older homes with character.

Don't be too envious because this is all in theory right now. To move would be hard considering our life is here and there are kids involved, and all the areas we like are pretty expensive. But we're trying to really think this all through and end up where we ultimately want to be, and in a great place to raise kids. Orange County has its pros, but sometimes a lot of the people/traffic/lack of variety of things to do get to me. I love coastal living here, but with that comes a huge price to bump up to the next size home. Right now, we're in a 1400 sq ft 2 br (kids share) and we know we'll want another bedroom. And at this size, the cost for this area is already very high, relative to non-CA residents, I suppose!

We know we don't want to eventually retire in Orange County, so why stay now? We really see ourselves retiring on the central CA coast if budget allows. Then again, with CA prices the way they are, maybe out-of-state would be best. It's certainly a love/hate relationship!

[applesnkids]

We also travel quite a bit with the kids. Not internationally with the kids at the moment but we do a lot of weekend trips. I feel Northern CA has so many options, from wine country, to Big Sur, to the forest, the coast...I just absolutely love Northern CA and what it has to offer. There are some great weekend getaways here (Palm Springs, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Mammoth) but we've done them all about a thousand times. You only live once!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by applesnkids

We also travel quite a bit with the kids. Not internationally with the kids at the moment but we do a lot of weekend trips. I feel Northern CA has so many options, from wine country, to Big Sur, to the forest, the coast...I just absolutely love Northern CA and what it has to offer. There are some great weekend getaways here (Palm Springs, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Mammoth) but we've done them all about a thousand times. You only live once!

Yes, NorCal has a ton of great weekend and vacation options! Yosemite, Tahoe, the Trinity Alps, lots of forest all around. Lots of beaches. Berkeley is fun to explore on weekends, and Sausalito. Sailing on the Bay! The Boardwalk in Santa Cruz--great for kids!

Welcome to NorCal!

[davdaven]

Santa Cruz sounds like a good fit, assuming you don't mind a bit of a hippie beach vibe like you would get in a place like Ocean Beach (San Diego) or Venice. I qualify this since you are in the OC, and well frankly, I'm from San Diego and OC people have a terrible reputation... So if you want uptight rich white people, steer clear of Santa Cruz with every ounce of your being.

Pacific Grove seems like more of a retirement town to me, and Monterey is pretty touristy. Neither has a strong job market. At least with Santa Cruz you can easily commute to San Jose by taking the Highway 17 Express bus. Also, the weather in Monterey and Pacific Grove simply isn't as nice (warm, clear, etc.) as it is elsewhere (SD, OC, LA, SB, SLO, Santa Cruz, East Bay, etc.).

If you want to focus on the Bay Area, I recommend Alameda. It is a diverse community with a slight beach vibe to it, but life there doesn't revolve around the beach. It is safe with good schools and comes in below budget. IMO, Alameda is the ideal spot in the inner Bay Area to raise a family without sacrificing culture for white picket fences.

Marin County would work for you if you like more of the rich white person vibe. It's a little pricey for what you get, honestly, and you would have to get used to there being less restaurants/nightlife, less culture, fewer grocery stores, lack of commute alternatives (e.g., there is only one through street in most towns, limited bus service, and no trains), and so on.

Honestly, if you can manage the job market and would rather get away from the big city crowds, I see no reason why you shouldn't cut out the middle step and just move straight to San Luis Obispo. It has a lot going for it, including the price point, and it seems like you would be happiest there assuming the schools are to your liking.

P.S. For as near and dear to my heart as San Diego is, I don't think it'll have what you're looking for. And although I love Santa Barbara to death, I've turned down moving there twice because it's so expensive. With a $1 million cap, you'd end up stuck in Goleta instead.