Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First of all, let me say that I know very little about Humboldt County except for what I read online last night, so I truly hope not to offend anyone. We visited a few years back but it was just the whirlwind tourist thing. Anyway, what I read was scary. It basically said that armed and paranoid pot growers run the entire economy and will put you in a "deep grave" if you make the mistake of driving past their property during harvest season. I realize this is (hopefully) the author's creative exaggeration, but it does make me wonder. My husband is being interviewed for a job out there. We're a family of politically moderate folks from North Carolina, near Asheville. We go to church (Methodist) but are NOT fundamentalist bible-thumpers. I was raised by my grandparents on a small farm. We do NOT smoke pot. I accept that plenty of other folks do, but it's not for us. Yes, we're southerners with moderate accents, and I know that can be an instant stupid label. I'd like a few private acres for a small hobby farm with a garden, fruit trees, poultry, etc. I love being part of a small-town community with pot-luck dinners, craft festivals and the like, but I like it "wholesome" (drug-free). I have two small children whom I hope to raise with values similar to my own. I want to have a social life and close like-minded friends, but I REALLY don't want my kids to join the pot culture. Can happy, fulfilled kids be raised, have friends, and date in Humboldt County without the influence of marijuana?
You might get more responses in the general California forum (Sacramento is pretty far from Humboldt County) but having lived up there for a while, I would offer the following advice: Look at McKinleyville or Fortuna, or some of the farther-out parts of Eureka. There are plenty of conservative people in Humboldt County, they just don't make the news as much, and generally they don't live in Arcata or Garberville.
As far as your kids go, it's hard enough to raise kids without the influence of marijuana anywhere, in Humboldt County it will be worse. Your best bet is to educate them and be honest with them, I think.
It's beautiful, beautiful country up there, and in many cases folks from across the political spectrum maintain a sometimes uneasy truce and generally get along okay. One feature of living there is relative isolation from the rest of the state: they call it the "Redwood Curtain."
For better or worse, Marijuana is the economy of far northern California and you need to accept that if you want to live there. There is exactly zero chance of your children not being exposed to the Marijuana culture if you live in Humbolt, but only slightly less of a chance in say, LA or SF. The difference, is that you are being exposed to the pot GROWING culture which is distinctly different than the pot smoking culture. Pot growing, smoking, and selling is a way of life in those areas in a way that it is not in other parts of Northern CA, OR, or WA.
Lets just say, many years ago, a family with 3 kids, ages 15, 11 and 10 decided to take a job in Eureka, after living in So Ca, the bay area and Sac. They too were a slightly to the right of center family, but not overly conservative. There are many positive things to say about Humbolt County but, for this family it was a year of close to HELL. Maybe I am over exaggerating, but there are so many negatives: the area is a pot smokers paradise, there is no decent shopping or entertainment, not a lot for kids to do and the weather is pretty foggy and cool most of the time, or it is raining. As for a garden and fruit trees, there are some, lots of wonderful wild berries, but because the weather is so cool most of the year, it is almost impossible to grow a garden. I hate to be so negative, but we had been forwarned that it wasn't for us. We didn't listen, yes, the job sounded like something we would enjoy and we thought it would be a good place to raise the kids. We were never so happy to leave a place in our lives.
As I said, there are some positives, it is pretty, if you like crab and salmon, you can eat your heart out and there isn't a lot of money so no one feels the pressure to "keep up with the Jones". Other than that I would think about this before jumping.
I also recommend posting this in the larger CA forum. Ppl who live up there will not normally think to look in this forum.
I have heard some good points from both sides from ppl who like the area and those who don't. I think Nita's words are a sobering warning of what could happen in living up there. You may want to PM her for more specifics. Its always better to go in with eyes wide open. I had a friend who lived in McKinleyville with his wife and two young children while he was in the Coast Guard. They seemed to like that area. Although they were pretty nomadic and leaned a bit left of center, though definately not wild partiers by any means.
I think things will vary quite a bit from neighborhood to neighborhood. Some parts are down right seedy IMO. I think this is in part due to the lack of jobs and weaker economy up there. I mean what industries do they have really? Then there is the strong drug culture and liberalism. There are just alot of spacey dudes roaming around up there. If you visited and drove through Eureka you know what I mean. It is one of the last refuges for the hippies of the 60s and that 'free' way of living.
I was just up there a couple of weeks ago and it was beautiful. See my thread in the CA forum - California the Beautiful. And that is the other extreme in this dichotomy of an area well known for both incredible beauty and strange ppl with their drug culture.
Is everyone a pot grower/smoker, spaced out person? Of course not. Is this liberal drug culture too pervasion to live in if you come from a more conservative, traditional family values kind of a background? I don't know. You are really the only one who can answer this question. Everyone has a different tolerance for things or openess to making 'different' types of friends. It would almost seem like a polar extreme from living in the south. But again that might be ok with you. I think it would be important for you to find a church and network of friends with shared values for your family to hang out with.
Either way it is guaranteed to be different and potentially a wild ride which could be fun for you depending on where you end up living.
Derek
Last edited by MtnSurfer; 06-13-2009 at 04:25 PM..
You will not escape the "influence of marijuana". However, marijuana doesn't equal violence for most people. The kids in the most expensive and nicest areas down to the worst will have, for the most part, tried it at least. However, this doesn't mean your kid will be a total stoner.
I'm not sure there is such thing as a drug-free place. I'm in Birmingham now, and crack and meth is a huge problem. In the more suburban areas, crack might not be so big, but there os nowhere that meth isn't. I'd much rather that my kid had a joint now and then compared to getting involved with meth.
In other words, the negative effects of drugs are everywhere in the US. Hopefully, with some good parenting, and good luck, your kid will turn out well. Even if s/he tries a little pot. Try to give the kid the tools (and also realize yourself) that although they are of course connected, the average kid's occasionaly use of pot has little connection to the violence you hear about. You will have to become at least a little open to some of these ideas or you will be in opposition to much of the local cultural norms.
A personal friend of mine married a woman from Humbolt about 20 years ago. She lived in a rural situation and supported her young son by working for a pot grower trimming buds. My friend was an ex alcholic who became an avid pot smoker in later years He bought a rural 32 acres adjacent to state land. It seemed that most of the pot growing was not done on private land but on government land. He grew a few plants for personal use and he made a little extra income selling to friends he encountered in his actual career as a professional clown. He also told me that those who grew pot for profit were very protective of their crops and certain areas were booby trapped and there were armed guards to chase of poachers.
As far as this affecting your family, the truth is that you can get pot anywhere today. In fact, I would bet that as soon as the government can figure out how to get the best cut of the profits, it will be legalized. So your children are going to be exposed no matter where you live. You just have to instill in them the values that you think are best and let them live their lives and make their own decisions when they become adults. That area in CA is really beautiful and would make a great place to live. If you don't mess with the pot growers, you will probably never know they are there.
A personal friend of mine married a woman from Humbolt about 20 years ago. She lived in a rural situation and supported her young son by working for a pot grower trimming buds. My friend was an ex alcholic who became an avid pot smoker in later years He bought a rural 32 acres adjacent to state land. It seemed that most of the pot growing was not done on private land but on government land. He grew a few plants for personal use and he made a little extra income selling to friends he encountered in his actual career as a professional clown. He also told me that those who grew pot for profit were very protective of their crops and certain areas were booby trapped and there were armed guards to chase of poachers.
As far as this affecting your family, the truth is that you can get pot anywhere today. In fact, I would bet that as soon as the government can figure out how to get the best cut of the profits, it will be legalized. So your children are going to be exposed no matter where you live. You just have to instill in them the values that you think are best and let them live their lives and make their own decisions when they become adults. That area in CA is really beautiful and would make a great place to live. If you don't mess with the pot growers, you will probably never know they are there.
Hate to burst your bubble, but from what the OP is asking, I don't think your example of your friends experience is going to sway her to want to live in Humbolt county and pot isn't the only problem in the area. There are lots of things. It is very pretty and the seafood is great, that is about it unless you are very, very, liberal...I don't think someone coming from NC looking for a place that is semi conservative will fit into the Eureka or Humbolt county scene.
Oh, I will add another positve, the homes in Eureka itself are awesome especially the old Victorians.
Hate to burst your bubble, but from what the OP is asking, I don't think your example of your friends experience is going to sway her to want to live in Humbolt county and pot isn't the only problem in the area. There are lots of things. It is very pretty and the seafood is great, that is about it unless you are very, very, liberal...I don't think someone coming from NC looking for a place that is semi conservative will fit into the Eureka or Humbolt county scene.
Oh, I will add another positve, the homes in Eureka itself are awesome especially the old Victorians.
Nita
Hi Nita,
I appreciate your honesty about your views of the area. And now you really have me wondering as well. So please do tell. Why was it such a hell living there? I honestly would like to understand it a little more. It also sounds like this young mom is looking for similar things for her family which you guys were when you moved there - basically a decent place to raise a kids and to make some friends. I wonder this when visiting the various areas up there myself.
I spent some time in Trinidad (just above McKinleyville) a few weeks ago and it was such a beautiful place. I couldn't help but wonder what it might be like for the residents. I parked my car in a lot off the beaten path to do some hiking and there were 'at least' three signs warning that it was not safe to park there due to recent break ins. So I found a more public place to park further away. But what a coastline.
I mean I know it can be different things for different ppl. And some neighborhoods are worse than others. I am just wondering what it was like from your experience if you are ok with sharing some of the cons.
Thanks,
Derek
Last edited by MtnSurfer; 06-13-2009 at 10:34 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
