Wine Country Dream???? (San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Rosa: house prices, neighborhoods, movie theaters)

[zheni]

Please list 3 reasons NOT to move to Sonoma wine country (BESIDES house prices and traffic, that's a lot of places).

Help! I'm obsessed with the idea of country life plus culture (music/food/history/SF blah blah blah...) Is it all just a fantasy???? I need a SLAP!!!

[LetsGoA's]

Yuppies,

'cosmopolitian' people that have so much money they can frivolously emerse themselves in culutre,

beer is manlier than wine.

Let me know if you need more, cause there is more where that came from

[arachnid]

Originally Posted by zheni

Please list 3 reasons NOT to move to Sonoma wine country (BESIDES house prices and traffic, that's a lot of places).

Help! I'm obsessed with the idea of country life plus culture (music/food/history/SF blah blah blah...) Is it all just a fantasy???? I need a SLAP!!! :eek:

1. If you're a young, single person, used to a variety of really sophisticated activities/nightlife - this may not be the place for you.
2. If you're African American and used to a being around a large population of other African Americans - this may not be the place for you. (Unfortunately, we lost a really wonderful work colleague under such circumstances.)
3. Conversely, if you're a Republican from the South - this *really* may not be the place for you! (Based on conversations with other colleagues from Southern states, who found Californians in general to be rude, cold, and snobby.)
4. If you have teenaged kids - aside from a couple of malls and a handful of movie theaters - there's just not a heckuva lot to do.
5. Critical mental health resources here are next to non-existent. This is likely not an issue for many folks; however, if you have family members with a long term psych issue - support here is very scarce.

I've lived here since 1974 (moved with my folks from San Francisco) - and obviously there must be some rather strong positives if I haven't fled the county yet! :) So I don't mean to come across as dismissive or negative. It's a great place if none of the above applies to you, AND you don't mind/can absorb the housing costs and traffic/commute issues. It's definitely got more of a "work to live" vibe than t'other way around, and it's a really brilliant place to raise a young family. There's a state uni here and a very good community college; lots of funky little shops, great eateries and of course, lovely wine.

My recommendation is that you come for a visit, if you haven't already, and try spending a few days trying to emulate a "typical" day for those of us who live here. For example, get up at 5am and jump into the Marin-bound commute south on the 101. :) (Sounds dire, but this is the reality for many folks.) Hit downtown Santa Rosa on a Friday or Saturday night and see what you think of it. Shop for food and household items; shop for clothes, books, music. If you have kids, try to arrange a visit or at least a chat with local schools. Drive around some of the neighborhoods and see what you think - that sort of thing.

Hopefully, this won't come across negatively - because it really isn't meant to! But as the parent of a kid who moved halfway across the world without much research first into what she was getting herself immersed in - I think it's imperative that folks have as many facts at hand as possible before they pick up sticks...:)

Here's the Sonoma County Demographic Report for 2007-2008, which has some useful information as well. Best of luck, whatever you decide!

http://www.sonoma-county.org/EDB/pdf...ma_profile.pdf,

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by LetsGoA's

Yuppies,

'cosmopolitian' people that have so much money they can frivolously emerse themselves in culutre,

beer is manlier than wine.

Let me know if you need more, cause there is more where that came from

Have you spent much time in the wine country? I used to work there, and it's sooooooo not like what you are describing! Boring, yes - but "cosmopolitan?" Only a TINY percentage of people are actually like that, and they're usually pretty cool, so I don't see it as a negative.

[LetsGoA's]

Soo the abundance of volvos and subrarus trecking it from the bay to wine country for a little week end tasting to suthe their cosmopolitan tastes was a figment of my immagination. I digress, Gizmo. She asked for three negatives, I gave her three, yeash. I remember when my mother was into cooking with wines, ugh some of the snobs you run into getting that stuff. Its just laughable. As if any of them know how to get their hands dirty to make the wine.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by LetsGoA's

Soo the abundance of volvos and subrarus trecking it from the bay to wine country for a little week end tasting to suthe their cosmopolitan tastes was a figment of my immagination. I digress, Gizmo. She asked for three negatives, I gave her three, yeash. I remember when my mother was into cooking with wines, ugh some of the snobs you run into getting that stuff. Its just laughable. As if any of them know how to get their hands dirty to make the wine.

You're describing the tourists, not the residents... and when you live in a place, luckily you only deal with tourists on a limited basis. I lived in Tahoe for a few years, and it was so peaceful during off-season and weekdays! But anyway, the REAL people of Napa and Sonoma are pretty down-to-earth, with a mixture of Hispanic families, retired people, and lots of "regular folks." I almost felt like I wasn't in California there, since it has a very small-town feeling to it. Nice place, but I would be bored rather quickly as a young-ish & single person.

Btw, what's wrong with a little wine tasting? Beer is icky, I prefer a good Riesling... LOL.

[gizmo980]

Oh, and to answer the OP's question, here are my three negatives:

1. Gets pretty hot in the summer, and cold in the winter... could be either negatives or positives, depending on your personal weather preferences.

2. Not a whole lot to do! Napa has like 1 movie theater, a bowling alley, and a bunch of strip-malls with chain stores & restaurants... and the locals don't do much wine tasting/touring, as it gets rather expensive and repetitive. Sonoma is a college town, so might have a little more going on, but it's not exactly SF or Oakland.

3. Ummmmm... bad public transportation? Sorry, I can't think of a better #3!

[LetsGoA's]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

You're describing the tourists, not the residents... and when you live in a place, luckily you only deal with tourists on a limited basis. I lived in Tahoe for a few years, and it was so peaceful during off-season and weekdays! But anyway, the REAL people of Napa and Sonoma are pretty down-to-earth, with a mixture of Hispanic families, retired people, and lots of "regular folks." I almost felt like I wasn't in California there, since it has a very small-town feeling to it. Nice place, but I would be bored rather quickly as a young-ish & single person.

Btw, what's wrong with a little wine tasting? Beer is icky, I prefer a good Riesling... LOL.

Yea the wine tasting tourists arnt as bad as your trendy tahoe crowd or your santa barbra/ chico hell raisers. Them yuppies really got this better than you attitude sometimes where they think cause they know wine they know everything.

Wine is cool, just too complicated. All that swirllin, smelling, drinkin it the right way, holding the glass the right way. To much work, im trying to kick back and relax...never saw the point of all that uptight theatrical stuff. I just like to open my drink and drink ya know. None of that fancy stuff. If im too full at an A's game and cant drink beer i just open my flask and hit the whiskey.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by LetsGoA's

Yea the wine tasting tourists arnt as bad as your trendy tahoe crowd or your santa barbra/ chico hell raisers. Them yuppies really got this better than you attitude sometimes where they think cause they know wine they know everything.

My least favorite part of Tahoe tourists was how they couldn't drive in snow - or think they're invincible (drive way too fast), just because they have an SUV. But I was a waitress at the time, and they usually tipped well, so I didn't have much room to complain.

Wine is cool, just too complicated. All that swirllin, smelling, drinkin it the right way, holding the glass the right way. To much work, im trying to kick back and relax...never saw the point of all that uptight theatrical stuff. I just like to open my drink and drink ya know. None of that fancy stuff. If im too full at an A's game and cant drink beer i just open my flask and hit the whiskey.

True, true... I'm not into the "theatrics" of it all, and find that rather pretentious. But it sure tastes good!

[skytrekker]

One of my favorite places to live- when I first visited in 1986 a new home was 100K
Loved the climate- the city of Santa Rosa and surrounding area are what California once was, even in 1986.

Well much has changed- housing is not affordable- job growth has stalled, there are more people- with some gangs and higher crime-though not to the degree of other parts of California.

Lots to do for an adult- the Redwoods in the Russian river area are gorgeous- the town of Guerneville is funky and fun- lots of wineries to choose from- and the wine is very good. Pretty country- mild 4 season climate with enough variation as not to become bored. Proximity to San Francisco is a cat jump-providing the traffic is not tied up.

It increasingly however has become a place of the wealthy and ultra wealthy to live-
not the 'cheap unknown Paradise' it was over 20 years ago- but people discovered it alright- and its no longer inexpensive- it became 'Paradise' for those who can afford it.

20 years ago the dream to 'live in the Wine Country' was an incredibly easy thing to accomplish-certainly no more.

As for wine? 'The elixir' of the Gods- well at least to me- I probably consume too much. Eastern CT reminds me of Sonoma county 30 years ago. Wineries yes- the increasingly milder winters here have expanded the type of grapes grown- additionally the countryside is hilly, with farms, very quiet and peaceful, housing is very inexpensive and Major cities are nearby as is the ocean.