Info on moving/living in Cali??

[AuntRayRay]

Hi Cali Mama's

So I am planning to try and move in the next two years and am right now researching areas. We would love to move somewhere where its warm all year, don't like cold/snowy weather LOL And also would like to live somewhere with a bit more friendly/crunchy people. On average here in NJ people are not so friendly/crunchy or accepting of the crunchy, in our experience anyway
We visited Hawaii 3 years ago and LOVED it, but we have section 8 and are not sure if it will be possible yet. I also took a quiz on : www.findyourspot.com as someone from MDC referred me to And the first 4 places were Hawaii and Cali, not surprisingly LOL
So we'd like to live in an area thats kinda like a "small town" feel and a community with some "crunchy" families in it
I like "unschooling" and alternative schooling(free/democratic schools), BF'ing, AP, co-sleeping, GD, organic eatting. Farmers markets and thrift stores near by. Also I have a son with a heart condition and another son with autism so I would also be looking into how the healthcare/hospitals are there.

So what towns would be a good place to research? What are the rents like there for a 2/3brd place? Its $1300 here for a 2brd apartment.
Anyone move from the east coast and love it or not?
I'll research both Cali and Hawaii and then when I decide my sis (she'll move with us) and I will fly out look around and then if we like it my sis will stay and help continue looking for apartments if needed.
Even if its not for another two years or so I'm so excitied to start planning. Section 8 can be tricky and it is a big move so thats why it may take at least two years of planning, but I figure if I'm actively researching/planning one day it'll happen

Thanx mama's!

RayRay~

[Briannasmom]

How about northern Marin county - say Novato? I don't know about rental costs though...
http://www.visitmarin.org/novato.html

Oh, and have you tried out Holistic Moms? It started there in NJ, they've got a bunch of chapters, and I know you'll find like-minded moms there... (www.holisticmoms.org).

Originally Posted by AuntRayRay

Hi Cali Mama's

So I am planning to try and move in the next two years and am right now researching areas. We would love to move somewhere where its warm all year, don't like cold/snowy weather LOL And also would like to live somewhere with a bit more friendly/crunchy people. On average here in NJ people are not so friendly/crunchy or accepting of the crunchy, in our experience anyway
We visited Hawaii 3 years ago and LOVED it, but we have section 8 and are not sure if it will be possible yet. I also took a quiz on : www.findyourspot.com as someone from MDC referred me to And the first 4 places were Hawaii and Cali, not surprisingly LOL
So we'd like to live in an area thats kinda like a "small town" feel and a community with some "crunchy" families in it
I like "unschooling" and alternative schooling(free/democratic schools), BF'ing, AP, co-sleeping, GD, organic eatting. Farmers markets and thrift stores near by. Also I have a son with a heart condition and another son with autism so I would also be looking into how the healthcare/hospitals are there.

So what towns would be a good place to research? What are the rents like there for a 2/3brd place? Its $1300 here for a 2brd apartment.
Anyone move from the east coast and love it or not?
I'll research both Cali and Hawaii and then when I decide my sis (she'll move with us) and I will fly out look around and then if we like it my sis will stay and help continue looking for apartments if needed.
Even if its not for another two years or so I'm so excitied to start planning. Section 8 can be tricky and it is a big move so thats why it may take at least two years of planning, but I figure if I'm actively researching/planning one day it'll happen

Thanx mama's!

RayRay~

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Briannasmom

How about northern Marin county - say Novato? I don't know about rental costs though...
http://www.visitmarin.org/novato.html

Pretty much anywhere in the bay area is going to be expensive. The closer to the city (SF), the more expensive it is, is a general rule.

With 2 bedrooms going for over $2K here, it's a bit beyond your budget.

Like I said in your other thread, most of the places in this area that meet the requirements of being crunchy and relatively cheap are going to be difficult to find Section 8. The areas where you'll find more Sec.8 are not particularly crunchy and rarely cheap.

There are plenty of good hospitals in the area, of course. UCSF, Stanford, Oakland Children's just off the top of my head. The public schools are hit and miss. The more expensive areas have better schools, of course.

To be honest, other than the money and Sec.8 issues, I'd say you're looking more for West Sonoma County (Sebastopol, Guerneville, etc). Small town feel, more open space, pretty darned crunchy. But, that's a pretty expensive area, and with no public transport system, a car is a requirement.

[Eben'sMama]

I am a bit biased, but I love Sacramento. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and lived in the city for several years, have lived in Northern Wisconsin, Vermont, Santa Cruz, CA and Sacramento. I have travelled extensively throughout the US and abroad to some extent and I love it here. Now, I adore Santa Cruz, but it is exceedingly expensive. If we could afford to live anywhere in CA, that's where we'd be, but Sac is great in so many ways:

1. The weather is great. We something like 330 days of sunshine a year, winter overnight lows in the high 30s/low 40s, daytime is in the 50s or 60s most days. We don't get snow, but it is less than an hour away in the Sierra/Tahoe area. It does get hot in the summer, but it's sunny and not humid at all.

2. In the city, there are large pockets of crunchiness, and the neighborhoods feel very much like individual small towns, IMO. Some of the more pretty, crunchy areas are East Sacramento, Land Park and Curtis Park. There's also the city of Davis, about 20 minutes away. There are also some crunchy mamas in Woodland, where my DH grew up, about 20 min away. Fair Oaks is suburban but fairly crunchy, as the largest Waldorf school in the country and Rudolf Steiner College are there. But back to the city of Sac: There are tons of parks, Fairy Tale Town, Funderland, the Sacramento Zoo, lots of programs at the libraries, etc. There is also Mothers Support Network, which has groups, classes, and playgroups for AP/crunchy families. There is also a very active LLL.

3. There is a large community of homeschoolers and at least one Sudbury school. We're a Waldorf family, so I know most about that--there are five private Waldorf schools and at least 2 public Waldorf charter schools within a 45 min radius.

4. There are *tons* of resources for local, organic food. The Sacramento Valley is where most of the produce for the entire country is grown, and there are several organic farms. There's a great NF Co-op, several CSAs, farmers markets almost every day of the week somewhere around the area, plus all the usual stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and even the regular grocery stores have large NF/organic sections.

5. Healthcare. UC Davis Medical center is a world-class hospital and is right in town. UCD is also the home of the MIND Institute, an international leader in autism treatment and research--they have tons of programs and services for families. There are also other hospitals: Kaiser, Sutter, Mercy/CHW, etc. There are, of course, also lots of alternative practitioners in every conceivable discipline.

6. Affordability. You can find a 2-3 BR apt for $900-$1200, and a 2-3 BR house for $1100-$1700, in one of the beautiful areas I mentioned above. We pay $1500 for a lovely 3 BR cottage style home in one of the nicest neighborhoods. It has a remodeled kitchen and bath, fireplace, hardwood floors, mature trees, converted garage/studio in the back, etc. You can sometimes find similar houses for a bit less.

7. Accessibility. There is a decent public transportation system--buses and light-rail, plus there are bike lanes on virtually every street. There are lots of things to do, and if you like the outdoors, there's the American River Parkway--beaches, a 30ish-mile paved bike trail, you're an hour to Napa and Sonoma, 1.5 hours to San Francisco, 1.5 hours to Tahoe, and 3 hours to Yosemite. There's also decent hiking fairly nearby in the foothills.

Hope that helps. Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

Melissa

[AuntRayRay]

Thanks for the replies Mama's!!
Its so helpful to get as much info on the different areas.
Now off to research the areas you guys suggested