Information on Boulder Creek, CA (Palo Alto, Santa Cruz: rent, crime, house prices)

[thecgmguy]

Hi Guys,

I was curious to get your thoughts on Boulder Creek. My wife and I are considering buying a house there....

So far, we like it because it has cheaper house prices, seems quiet/peaceful, and is a relatively easy commute (I work 2/3 days a week in Palo Alto).

My concerns are:

- Access to health care. Both my wife and I are relatively health so far but I'm wondering what kind of emergency medical services are available? Also, what about prescription medication? Is there a pharmacy in town?

- Power outages. Since I work from home several days a week, I'll need fairly reliable access to internet and utilities. Does the power go off often? Would I need to purchase a backup generator?

- Schools. We're planning to start a family in the next few years. I'm wondering what the surrounding schools are like. Aside from that, can I get your thoughts on what kind of place it's like to raise a family in?

- Crime. As far as I can tell from sheriff reports, crime seems relatively minimal. Is there something I'm not seeing?

- Safety. I'd like to feel comfortable walking with my family to nearby parks or downtown.

Can I get your thoughts?

Thanks,

M

[sonarrat]

I wouldn't call an hour commute on challenging mountain roads "easy." Would be fun if you had a Miata or a motorcycle or something else that was entertaining to drive.

[coyoteskye]

It's very dark and wet in the winter if you're in the redwoods.
And of course, much of Boulder Creek is.
So, if you're buying, i'd take that into consideration.
When one isn't familiar with spending many months on end in the redwoods, it may seem romantic ... especially if you're looking at the property in the heat of the summer.
But man, it gets tough.
I've spent a winter in the thick of the redwoods ... until i did that i didn't realize how difficult it can be.
So, i hope the property you're buying is situated in such a way that you don't lose the sun for months on end.
Check that out if you think it may be a concern.
There are some "interesting" folks up there ... some a bit, how shall i say ... unsavory?
But good people too of course.
And i don't know Boulder Creek well.
I imagine that it depends on your "neighborhood".
I guess much depends on how it feels to you and your wife.
But again, be aware of the lack of sun issue if/when you buy.

[Wisteria]

The cgmguy:
My concerns are:

- Access to health care. Both my wife and I are relatively health so far but I'm wondering what kind of emergency medical services are available? Also, what about prescription medication? Is there a pharmacy in town?

- Power outages. Since I work from home several days a week, I'll need fairly reliable access to internet and utilities. Does the power go off often? Would I need to purchase a backup generator?

- Schools. We're planning to start a family in the next few years. I'm wondering what the surrounding schools are like. Aside from that, can I get your thoughts on what kind of place it's like to raise a family in?

- Crime. As far as I can tell from sheriff reports, crime seems relatively minimal. Is there something I'm not seeing?

- Safety. I'd like to feel comfortable walking with my family to nearby parks or downtown.

Having lived in Felton for the past 13 years, just down the road from Boulder Creek, I will try to answer some of your questions.

Pharmacies -- yes, there is a pharmacy there, and there are two in Felton. So, that should not be a problem. Johnny's Market in Boulder Creek also has a lot of resources. There is also a fire station there (EMTs), so emergency situations are easily handled.

Power Outages -- yes, this is a concern. I have been in winters where the electric can be out for several days or more (usually no more than 5, but more typically one or two) at a time. Many people get back-up generators, although I never had one. A tip: Place a large plastic soda bottle filled with water (allow enough room for it to expand) into the freezer (I used to have several in mine), and it will freeze into a big block of ice that you can easily remove. I used to also put in several smaller bottles filled with water (ice), and could take those out to put into the refrigeration section. Sounds bad, but people do it all the time up there. That's because in California electrical outages occur from trees falling, falling branches, things like that, and they're just not built as well as places like I am from, Buffalo, New York, where I don't remember power outages! So, many people do have generators -- a good idea if you are concerned about that.

Schools: Schools are actually top-rated there. Only San Lorenzo Valley (SLV) Schools and Scotts Valley Schools are considered "good" here. Ironically, they are both mountain area schools. Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and Felton are all served by the San Lorenzo Valley School District. SLVUSD Home Page

Crime: I work in law enforcement and I can say with certainty that many of us live in the mountains because of the safety factor. There is minimal crime -- sometimes teenagers taking mail out of the mailbox, or some teens smoking weed in the woods. No gangs, nothing like that there. Mostly just petty stuff. I think partly the reason there is so little crime up there is because there is not a good bus service to and from the city, so it's mostly people who live up there.

Safety: Same as above. I think you would enjoy those beautiful walks in the woods and to the parks. Downtown Boulder Creek is really pretty, although small, and there are town parades during the year, and art festivals, and things of that sort. Most people in "The Valley," as it is called, easily merge between Felton, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek.

The only negative, and it's all relative, is the rain in winter. It is heavier in the mountains. I recently moved into town because I am older and it was getting more difficult for me alone in a very large property in the woods. However, the summers are gorgeous, you don't get the ocean fog, and it's very safe and quiet. Most everyone recognizes those they meet, and people are very friendly. They're small towns, so you will get to know many families, and teachers, and your neighbors.

I raised my daughter here, and I don't think she realized just how good she had it until she went to college. It is very clean here, the schools (SLV -- all of them: elementary, middle and high) do not seem to have that division of cliques so common in larger towns. At SLV High, I know that the various groups of kids all intermingled: the yuppies, the nerds, the geeks, the sports kids, the musical kids, the goths, etc., all hung out together. My daughter used to remark on that a lot -- she was aware of those clique divisions in other schools, and found it interesting that her school did not have that, and everyone seemed inclusive.

As you said, it is much less expensive to buy a home there than in Santa Cruz. The beauty of it, though, is that within a short drive, you can be at the beaches. So you have the best of both worlds -- well, it goes vice versa, too -- those who live at the beach, can easily and readily enjoy the beauty of the redwoods.

I hope this has helped. Welcome to Santa Cruz County!
Wisteria

[mamacourt]

thank you for your detailed post Wisteria! I have been reading a bunch of Santa Cruz threads and you and Coyoteskye always take the time to craft great answers.

We are moving next summer (hubby will be attending UCSC as a transfer student) and we have two small kids (oldest will be in kindergarten in the fall), so I am scrambling to figure out where we'll be living. The UCSC family housing just wasn't up to our expectations, although the rent was cheap.

I won't rob this thread...I'll eventually start my own...but thanks for the detail Wisteria!

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by thecgmguy

- Power outages. Since I work from home several days a week, I'll need fairly reliable access to internet and utilities. Does the power go off often? Would I need to purchase a backup generator?

I'm fairly certain that Boulder Creek is on county utilities so it should not be any more prone to outages than other places. Of course, if and when they do occur, getting them repaired may take longer.

In any case, I highly recommend getting a battery-powered back and surge protection users like for example: APC back- UPS ES 350.

A unit like this will protect you from surges and it will also give you time to shut down in the case of a total outage. I have one for each computers. Laptops of course have their own battery backup so it may not be as big a deal, but still not a bad idea.

[thecgmguy]

Thanks Guys! I sincerely and deeply appreciate your feedback. I have another additional question but it's somewhat unrelated so I'll ask it in another thread.

[Lost Leaf]

Originally Posted by thecgmguy

Thanks Guys! I sincerely and deeply appreciate your feedback. I have another additional question but it's somewhat unrelated so I'll ask it in another thread.

I thought I would chime in since I grew up in Boulder Creek. There is a drug store in town but not a 24 hr pharmacy. If you need that you would need to drive to Scots Valley for Walgreens. It does rain a lot during the winter and the power does go out at least once every winter and can be any where from 1 to 2 days to get it back on. I remember a couple of winters it was out for like 4-5 days so I highly recommend a generator. Honda makes some nice quite ones. The crime is fairly low, and althogh a small hanful of people are druggies it's nothing major to worry about. It's been quite a while since I went to hight shcool there but it seems the school has improved it's infrasructre with a new pool and track. Hope that helps.

[gretchenhandel]

Can anyone tell me if there is town pickup of garbage in these mountain communities, or do residents have to pay for private trash pickup?

[Wisteria]

I lived in a very remote area of Felton (Lompico) and even we had regular garbage pick-up: Waste Management - Home Page

I think for smaller communities you need to contact them directly, as it's a pretty large company. I had pick-up for regular garbage, recycled and for garden waste. If I had it up where I was, then I'm sure they have it out there -- I've never heard of anyone in Boulder Creek talking about private pick-up. There are companies like that, but Waste Management is the one most people sign up for. Hope this helps.

Wisteria