moving to petaluma (San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma: buying a home, neighborhoods, buying)

[phoenixsinger]

I'm thinking of buying a home in Petaluma in the Adobe Creek Golf course community. Some friends say Petaluma is awful, other friends say it's great. So...what's good about it and what's bad about it?

[bellalunatic]

Petaluma is a great town. Why Adobe Creek Golf course community? Have you looked all over the place in P-town?

[cypressclub]

hi, my son and I are thinking of moving to Petaluma. I used to live in San Francisco in the 90s and want to come back but this time a bit outside the city, so we are looking forward to any input we can get ;-9
CY

[Archan]

Petaluma is a nice town from what I hear. I have been there a few times. I do think that you have to factor is the proximity to the surrounding area. You are close to Napa/Sonoma, Bodega Bay, Point Reyes, and of course the rest of the bay area.

[shikibu]

Petaluma is two towns. The west side is delightful, with historical character, a vibrant downtown with small shops, pedestrians, and very respectful new development.

Much of the east side is ugly, soul-less development tracts and strip malls.

[formercalifornian]

Love, love, love Petaluma! Lived and worked there during the late 90's to mid-2000's. Kids were born there. Fantastic access to some of the most gorgeous areas of the state. Nice people, great food, fun things to see and do all around you. Every weekend was an adventure. What's not to like?

[Shamrock47]

I really liked P-Town! When I lived in Sonoma my wife and I would sometimes frequent the movie theatre there. Sometimes we'd go during the weekend there'd be absolutely no one there. I think one night we even had the entire theatre to ourselves...kinda like a private screening! lol!

[binju]

it's a really nice community - we lived there for 7 years. West side where all the fun is - I found the people on that side of town to be a little more interesting and diverse. East side is newer homes, nicer ones along Sonoma Mountain Parkway, but many nondescript neighborhoods full of homes that are kind of ho-hum. The schools in general were what caused us to move. I found them to be average at best and the private options were nearly all Christian - not our cup of tea. Basically our three kids weren't challenged, there was no real curriculum plan for kids who were falling ahead of the pack, but lots of help for the majority of kids who couldn't keep up - that really set the tone. Resources were painfully scarce and it was clear that had we stayed, they would have suffered in the long term. We didn't see high school grads going anyplace remarkable (disclaimer: I graduated from UCLA, my husband from Brown) and the economy was pulling more $$ from the schools than ever. Nice teachers overall, but not always the best/brightest bunch. Marin is more expensive, but the level of education is unbelievably higher. A lot of people will argue with me and say there's nothing wrong with Petaluma schools, etc. but frankly there wasn't enough right with them to make us stay.

I was happy/sad to see the city is allowing a Target to get put right in the middle of town - while it's going to be really convenient, it's also going to pull business away from the awesome downtown which is already suffering to stay afloat. I used to shop in the little stores on Kentucky street, a great book store, card store, clothing stores, cafes.

[bellalunatic]

Originally Posted by binju

it's a really nice community - we lived there for 7 years. West side where all the fun is - I found the people on that side of town to be a little more interesting and diverse. East side is newer homes, nicer ones along Sonoma Mountain Parkway, but many nondescript neighborhoods full of homes that are kind of ho-hum. The schools in general were what caused us to move. I found them to be average at best and the private options were nearly all Christian - not our cup of tea. Basically our three kids weren't challenged, there was no real curriculum plan for kids who were falling ahead of the pack, but lots of help for the majority of kids who couldn't keep up - that really set the tone. Resources were painfully scarce and it was clear that had we stayed, they would have suffered in the long term. We didn't see high school grads going anyplace remarkable (disclaimer: I graduated from UCLA, my husband from Brown) and the economy was pulling more $$ from the schools than ever. Nice teachers overall, but not always the best/brightest bunch. Marin is more expensive, but the level of education is unbelievably higher. A lot of people will argue with me and say there's nothing wrong with Petaluma schools, etc. but frankly there wasn't enough right with them to make us stay.

I was happy/sad to see the city is allowing a Target to get put right in the middle of town - while it's going to be really convenient, it's also going to pull business away from the awesome downtown which is already suffering to stay afloat. I used to shop in the little stores on Kentucky street, a great book store, card store, clothing stores, cafes.

LOL! And where did you move to?

[Beullah]

I've only heard very positive things about Petaluma. One of my kids' former teacher remarried, moved to Petaluma, and loves, loves, loves it.

Good luck!!