"Humboldt hack" and winter climate in Eureka area (Redding: houses, living)

[PaulAshe]

For climate, environmental, and cultural reasons, my wife and I are considering moving to the Eureka area, leaving Asheville NC. While Asheville has lots of appeal and we've lived in this area for 16 years, my wife, a Californian by birth, finds the winters here too cold.

The Humboldt Bay area has the perfect climate in terms of temperatures, but the wet winters make me concerned about mold and respiratory illness.

I've heard of the "Humboldt hack" -- a chronic winter cough -- but it's unclear to me whether this stems from the climate, housing with inadequate heating and ventilation (causing mold), or smoking too much pot.

Do any long-time residents have perspective on this question?

[Mr5150]

Having lived on the North Coast, the mold problem is most common in the summers due to the constant coastal fog. Never heard of winter induced coughing. Probably the coughing comes from smoking too much pot.

Beautiful area.

[nightlysparrow]

I visit friends there now (and lived there many years ago). No matter where I go there, everything smells vaguely of mildew---car floor mats, people's clothes, curtains in homes. I have commented on this, and my friends say they don't smell a thing.

A hot day in summer there is 75 degrees, and it's humid, and winter never gets cold enough to freeze it, so the growth of mildew continues year-round.

[Tulemutt]

OP ... if you are looking for moderate temperatures year round without the moldy wet, look at the central coast towns of Cayucos, Morro Bay, Los Osos.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I lived for a couple years in Crescent City, CA, north of Eureka, and moved away just over a year ago. I have never heard of a hacking cough problem.

The winter weather is severe, although not normally icy cold. It's severe in storms from the ocean. It's very normal to get winds off the ocean in the winter upwards of 60mph and sideways rain. It's intense. There is a lot of wind, and it's very damp and cloudy and rainy. So, even though the temps might not be super freezing cold, it's a damp cold that goes right through you.

I like to walk every day, so when I lived there, when the weather was super intense or rainy, I'd go to the woods. You do take the chance of limbs falling on you, but the trees will break the wind and the rain. You still need to dress for it in layers and you'll get wet, but at least the wind isn't knocking you over.

I also ended up low in Vitamin D, and the doctors there test the locals for Vitamin D deficiency, because there isn't enough sunshine. No big deal to take Vitamin D, but you should know that that is how cloudy it is.

So, if you're the kind of person who doesn't feel motivated on a cloudy, rainy, chilly day - you aren't going to feel like doing anything for most of the year. I found it a very beautiful area, nature-wise, and I loved being able to take my dog to parks and beaches off-leash, where we sometimes had the entire place to ourselves. I had learned when I lived in the PNW for many years, that you just get dressed for the weather and go out anyway. But, it can really take a toll on you.

I personally, don't like the Eureka area. I don't like the pot culture there. I believe in to each his own, but it's like that area got high in the 70's and never stopped. The homes have gone to ruin, there are lots of white tattooed people with dreadlocks and pit bulls - I've never seen so many pitbulls in my life in one place. Lots of homeless people. I just find it depressing and way too weird. And I was a young hippy in the 70's, but I like to think I grew up. It just feels like Eureka/Arcata never grew up, and never got sober enough to just do simple things like mow their yards or paint their houses. I find it sad and creepy.

[eureka1]

IT's damp here, which is one reason why we don't have fires. The description No More Snow gives of Eureka is not recognizable to me, but then I have lived here for years and Snow has apparently never lived here at all. Right now EVERYONE is hacking because of the fires in Redding and Oregon.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by eureka1

IT's damp here, which is one reason why we don't have fires. The description No More Snow gives of Eureka is not recognizable to me, but then I have lived here for years and Snow has apparently never lived here at all. Right now EVERYONE is hacking because of the fires in Redding and Oregon.

Just curious if Eureka has gotten a whole lot better in the last 10 years with the severe drug and homeless issues resolved. More Snow’s statements are fairly accurate. Unless things have changed.

Do you work for the local Chamber of Commerce?

[PaulAshe]

Thanks for the responses. In spite of the attractively moderate temperatures, the comments I've heard most frequently (and keep on hearing) about the Eureka area evoke images of stagnation. Part of me wants to believe that Humboldt is a quiet Redwood haven (which no doubt it is), but there seem to be too many reports of the area being cut off in a sad way.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by PaulAshe

Thanks for the responses. In spite of the attractively moderate temperatures, the comments I've heard most frequently (and keep on hearing) about the Eureka area evoke images of stagnation. Part of me wants to believe that Humboldt is a quiet Redwood haven (which no doubt it is), but there seem to be too many reports of the area being cut off in a sad way.

Bear in mind CA is huge many areas to look at. Coastal Mendocino is less isolated than Eureka with a similar and less wet climate. And if you don’t mind four seasons consider the Gold Country of eastern CA.

[PaulAshe]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

Bear in mind CA is huge many areas to look at. Coastal Mendocino is less isolated than Eureka with a similar and less wet climate. And if you don’t mind four seasons consider the Gold Country of eastern CA.

I lived in the Bay Area for 13 years, but never had any prospect of becoming a home owner - that's why we moved to North Carolina. The idea of moving back to CA is not because it has some intrinsic appeal and the options when it comes to affordable housing are very limited.

I've looked at listings in places like Sonora and Grass Valley and on balance, they aren't preferable to remaining in Asheville. The climate here really isn't that harsh - Jan 47/26 hi/lo and July 84/64. Not as sunny as CA but 212 days of sunshine spread across the year and 45 inches of rain evenly distributed, no hurricanes, rarely any forest fires, and no significant drought. Add to that the fact that Asheville itself is thriving as one of the most desirable places to live in the U.S. and it's not as though staying here is an endurance test.

So, add all this together and it means we have very limited options when it comes to finding somewhere else that would be preferable. Most people would say, be grateful for what you've got (and I can't argue with that) but my wife often feels like she can't endure another winter here.

Being close to retirement age, if we relocate it would be with the hope/expectation that that would be our last move and given that neither of us are of a mindset where contentment would come from a nice view and pleasant temperatures, there are lots of other considerations to keep in mind.

My rule of thumb when I look at house listings and research locations is to imagine: if we were living there and looking at a listing of our current house and a description of Asheville, would we be thinking, that looks like a better place to be living? So far, every time I've done that, it's been obvious we're better off staying put.