Are Santa Rosa and Petaluma nice areas to live? (San Francisco: rentals, condo)

[Tired of Chicagoland]

I am not sure where to post this question but figure San Fran is the closest area to them. I was just out last week and visited the Sacramento area and spent some time in Napa and San Francisco (Pier 39 is pretty cool) My family is looking to relocate to CA and trying to find the best place to suite our needs. My wife has a good job offer in Petaluma and I was wondering if anyone is from the area and can give some details. We are looking for good safe schools as we have a 3 and a 5 yr old. Also is it feasible to find good housing from 350k and under for a 3 bed 2 bath house. We would probably be renting for the 1st year until we get a good feel for the area. I have just heard that these areas are having a problem with gang issues and I dont want to bring my kids into that. I am from the Chicago suburbs so the cost of living is pretty comparable outside the higher cost of housing.

What we are trying to get out of CA is the beautiful year round weather, good outdoor activities, (we love hiking, biking, anything) Good friendly neighborhoods and schools. We are open to any city in CA but would prefer northern over SoCa. Any pictures or details from either city would be great!

[cre8lite]

born & raised in santa rosa

i wouldn't ever picture petaluma as a gang infested area. more of a sleepy suburb type of place. does it have crime? sure, hard to find a place that doesn't. but i wouldn't ever describe it as a creepy or terrible place to live.

i'm not sure of the housing prices in petaluma these days, maybe someone else can answer that?

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

For housing prices, look on Craigslist for rentals and realtor.com for houses to buy. Look on greatschools.org for school ratings. Also, check out the local newspaper Home | Santa Rosa News, Weather, Sports and Business | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by cre8lite

born & raised in santa rosa

i wouldn't ever picture petaluma as a gang infested area. more of a sleepy suburb type of place. does it have crime? sure, hard to find a place that doesn't. but i wouldn't ever describe it as a creepy or terrible place to live.

i'm not sure of the housing prices in petaluma these days, maybe someone else can answer that?

Petaluma condo's are generally 350k + SFR start at about 400k and go up from there, it must have gotten gentrified when I wasn't looking, it used to be one of the more reasonably priced areas in Northern California.

[cre8lite]

i know at one point the victorians were $600k+, but not sure how those prices fared after the market collapsed. i know quite a few people from marin/sf area have been migrating north for years, in search of "cheaper" housing, which has just driven sonoma county housing princes up.

the butter & eggs festival draws QUITE a crowd Petaluma's Butter & Egg Days Parade & Festival

City of Petaluma
Petaluma's Visitors' Center | Picture Yourself here

[zdg]

We live in (and absolutely love) Santa Rosa. I can't speak to Petaluma's housing market, but I'd be stunned if you could find a 3/2 in the type of neighborhood you're looking for anywhere near $350k here. A quick glance at Redfind shows a total of TWO houses with at least 3 beds/2 baths on the East side of the freeway (the nicer side of town) under $350k. Double it and you will be in the ballpark.

The Wine Country is very expensive if you're coming from anywhere but Manhattan or San Francisco.

I would assume Petaluma is a little cheaper.

[davdaven]

I work in San Rafael, and many people I work with or interact with in a professional capacity live in Petaluma. It is a family-friendly community with a decent selection of shops, restaurants, etc., plus I have been told the schools are good and there are several community events to attend. I would be surprised if you could find a single-family home for under $400K there, but that's still a good price by Bay Area or Wine Country standards.

Santa Rosa has some "rougher" parts of town in comparison, but it's relatively nondescript overall and I wouldn't bother with it if you would rather be in Petaluma. Besides, rush hour traffic can be a headache on account of all the long-term freeway construction going on in the area.

If you are looking to save a few bucks, you might want to consider Rohnert Park. It's hard for me to recommend because it is so incredibly dull there (other than the new casino), but some people like to raise their families in bland suburbia and Rohnert Park definitely delivers!

[cnote123]

Santa rosa is nice but crime is on the rise and it's getting really congested now. If you move to santa rosa I would look into bennet valley or rincon valley much more quiet. The jc are is more affordable and ok but it's pretty rowdy with college students.

[Rothwells mum]

Petaluma is more expensive than Santa Rosa (the closer to SF you get, the more it costs). I doubt you will find a 3/2 house under 350 in Petaluma unless it is in the less desirable part of the East side. The West side has the downtown and older well kept homes. The East side has some newer construction but lacks charm. Also, the East side has different soil (silt ?) and this leads to foundation problems/ less stability in an earthquake.
We recently left Petaluma and I will say that rents have skyrocketed in the last 5 years. Some of our neighbors were paying 2,700 for 3/2 homes on the West side with few if any updates. The community had a mix of hippies, snobs, and rednecks living side by side.
Something else I found sort of different when we lived there was the amount of stay at home dads w/ wives that had lucrative jobs. Also, many SF residents that moved to p-town once they had kids, and people that were pushed out of Marin County have made the prices much higher.