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Old 02-10-2010, 12:13 AM
ms. ms. started this thread
 
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Hi there, Bay Area folks!

I was just offered a job in St. Helena. Frankly, the job would be a great opportunity and I can't see turning it down, but the idea of living in such a small town doesn't appeal to me at all. My husband works from home, so he can work just about anywhere. We are a couple in our late 20's/ early 30's, with no kids yet, and all the feedback I've gotten back is that we'd be bored to tears in St. Helena. I have lived in other parts of the Bay Area, but am unfamiliar with the Wine Country/ North Bay.

Any suggestions on places within reasonable commuting distance that would be a bit more...lively? We're not looking for a San Francisco, but somewhere with shopping, dining, a couple of cozy bars and cafes, etc., would be lovely. We are looking to rent first, since we are unfamiliar with the area. I'd be willing to commute up to an hour each way for the right location.

Thanks in advance!
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Old 02-10-2010, 02:26 PM
 
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I would look at google maps and see what cities are within a commuting distance for you. I would suggest Napa which is just south on Hwy 29 or Santa Rosa which is over the hills to the west. Santa Rosa is about twice the size of Napa and Napa has about 80,000 residents.
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Old 02-10-2010, 07:35 PM
 
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I ditto downtown Napa. You can find a place to rent there and it has more of a city feel. It will still be a 15 min or more commute to St. Helena from there depending on your work hours.
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Old 02-10-2010, 11:00 PM
ms. ms. started this thread
 
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I will definitely check out Napa and Santa Rosa. What about Sonoma? Petaluma? American Canyon? Thanks, all!
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Old 02-10-2010, 11:21 PM
 
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I guess the question is: how much time do you really want to spend commuting? Are you willing to spend up to an hour each way? Perhaps someone else can chime in, but if you are in Petaluma or Santa Rosa (depending where) I'm guessing you will be spending 30-60 min commute one way. One of the biggest logjams is Highway 29, which is the road St. Helena is on. It's primarily a two lane road. Ditto with the Silverado Trail which runs parallel and is the shortcut the locals use. Sonoma is a viable option but will still be 20-30 minute drive. American Canyon is track homes with no center. Vallejo has vacant retail and is a bankrupt city. Some people commute from Fairfield to work in the Napa Valley. It's an area of strip malls, big box stores and track homes. However, you could probably rent a nice house in parts of Vallejo, American Canyon or Fairfield due to all the foreclosures and evictions.

We live in Oakland, and I can be in downtown Napa in 45 minutes as it is a reverse commute. However, it's that last leg up the valley that is time consuming to St. Helena. Trust me, you will grow very tired of driving, especially Highway 29 which can be clogged with tourists.
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Old 02-11-2010, 05:53 PM
 
Location: Northern California
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Wow, this is a tough one. I guess it depends on what scene you are looking for. I can't say you'd be any less bored in Sonoma (small town of about 11,000), American Canyon (bedroom community), or Petaluma (some activity, but its more of a historic downtown surrounded by farms and suburban sub-divisions). As tanglenet said, the commute from East Bay to Napa is an easy reverse drive, but getting that last 15 miles or so from Napa to St. Helena can take 25 mins WITHOUT traffic.

Given your options, I would likely go with Napa. There are a decent number of restaurants and bars and you are that much closer to the East Bay/SF if you want to go out at night after work on do things in the city on the weekend. I wouldn't head up to Santa Rosa, as that puts you further away from the "excitement" in SF/East Bay and you don't get much more in Santa Rosa for the trade-off.

Since you are young and have no kids, you might consider Vallejo. I know its not great, but you could probably find a decent place to rent in a decent area and it would put you closer to the East Bay without getting too far from St. Helena. You would also be close enough to Napa to enjoy whatever "scene" is there as well. The only benefit though would be that you would be closer to the big cities. If being closer to SF/Oakland/Berkeley is not important, than I wouldn't suggest bothering with Vallejo.

Its tough because St. Helena is so small and isolated, but I would start with Napa.
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Old 02-11-2010, 05:56 PM
 
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sonoma is great,but has an overall tourist vibe-the mission square downtown,etc.
yet,there is alot going on for a town of it's size. [key term;it only has about 10k people,i think]. Sonoma does have good restaurants and boutiques,an incredible Whole Foods Market (petaluma and santa rosa also have one,but Sonoma's is the cream of the crop for WF in the far north bay,I think.)
and actually quite alot of amenities. You will find great places to rent,variety of settings-ie,just out of town/more rural feel,in town bungalow or victorian type walking distance to the square,etc.

Napa has a downtown,but it's not usually touted for it's liveability as a whole. Beyond the few restaurants,there are food and winery 'groupies' and a 'scene',and that's about it.

Santa Rosa is an option=there are good and bad areas,and the bad are pretty bad,for a city of it's size especially,and you would not want to be in them. But SR downtown has gentrified and more artsy stuff and restaurants have sprung up in the last decade. SR jr. college also adds to the vitality of the area,and the outdoors and parks are amazing. Luther Burbank Theater gets some great shows,as well.

I wouldn't commute further than that,and even that is a haul depending on the area in SR where you live [think quadrants: NE/SE/NW/SW]. You can always drive to petaluma or marin for social events that you are into.

My advice,though,if the job is great,TAKE IT. Because you may end up loving St. Helena,which is beautiful,and you will not always be at this stage in your life. [ie,of course you are not going to sit around bored,but if you are not into your current job,and do not love where you live now,there are far worse places to be than St. Helena. And in five years or even less,your perspective may have changed and you may want a house with land near st. helena.]

Do you live i SFO now?
I personally do NOT recommend fairfield,american canyon,or vallejo [V. has a gang problem and in general is dumpy,though they have been trying to re-create it and gentrify it.]
These places will not give you vibrancy and culture(more like strip malls and bedroom community feels),and in that case,you may as well live in st. helena instead where at least you would have safety and aesthetics,and a local cafe or two,and occassional culture through visiting other towns/cities in the area. [st helena does have restaurants and cafes,just not many. tourist towns are hard to live in,unless you are in the industry,IMO]

My opinion is to visit petaluma,sonoma city,and santa rosa city. Check their chamber of commerce websites,to get a feel for them. Petaluma has a great downtown with alot going on,depends if you want that commute time or not.

Sounds like a great opportunity-the area is so amazing. Really,it's world class.

Don't live somewhere just b/c you are 'closer to the city or the east bay',b/c you are not living in those places,you are just 'near' them,and you are working somewhere else,further away. You can just as easily drive 90 min. on the weekend as you could 45 or an hour. so no need to live in Vallejo b/c it's 'near' or fairfield. If you really want to be in the east bay,then live in the east bay,for example.

But if you know you won't find SFO per se,and just want something with a few resources,Petaluma,Sonoma,and Santa Rosa are best options,IMO.

Last edited by lrmsd; 02-11-2010 at 07:03 PM.. Reason: typo
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Old 02-11-2010, 06:47 PM
 
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Default I would go with Napa

Napa is going to be your easiest commute. They do have some pretty good restaurants there too. Not sure about the night life anymore as it has been several years since I've done that myself. Napa is a good walking/biking area if you are interested in that. It is also an easy commute to the larger areas such as SF / East Bay / Sacto and Tahoe.

Someone suggested Petaluma but in my mind tha would be quite a commute and actually I beleive it may be (please don't quote me on this) more expensive than Napa.

Would not suggest Vallejo - they are having major problems the least of which is that it is in bankruptcy. Major crime right now!

Sonoma might be ok but a really crappy commute as it would all be two lane and if there is an accident - well you are out of luck. I used to live in Sonoma and it can be pretty fun - though expensive. Much is going to depend a lot upon what you like to do do. Sonoma is another good place for walking and biking.

North Santa Rosa, Windsor and Healdsburg might be places to look. Again your commute is going to take you over the hills - 2 lane roads all the way. But generally less traffic than going 29 from Napa.

My suggestion would be take the job and rent in Napa which is really going to be your best commute. Then you can take your time on the weekends and check the other areas out. Since your spouse works from home it is going to come down to your commute and the things you like to do. someone suggested checking the websites for each area and that is an excellent suggestion. Good luck - sounds like a great opportunity. Where would you be moving from?
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Old 02-12-2010, 10:00 PM
ms. ms. started this thread
 
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Thanks so much for all of your responses! It sounds like Napa, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa will be places to look at. We are currently living in the Sacramento area - so, certainly not too far away! My in-laws are in Oakland, so it will be nice to be closer to them. Anyhow, thanks again to everyone!
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Old 02-17-2010, 10:11 AM
ms. ms. started this thread
 
4 posts, read 27,615 times
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O.k. one more possibility - how bad would the commute be from Benicia? We may have a connection to a rental unit there, and we really like the area. Mapquest says it's 54 minutes, but are we talking an hour on a regular basis, or an hour and a half for a regular commute? Thanks, all!
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