Need help finding an area to live (Most likely North CA)..Please read! (Sacramento: apartments, rent)
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.
My husband and I have decided we're moving at the end of January.. We've tossed around different places, from the Gulf Shores, AL area to different places in Texas, to California, to Florida... And we seem to keep coming back to California. I've been researching my butt off, and have read a million threads on here, and decided to finally just post one of my own because I haven't come across as situation that is like mine. I've noticed that people on here can be harsh when asked about moving to CA, but I decided to take my chances and see.
We have 2 kids, ages 5 and 2. We live in Louisiana right now and have our whole lives, and have always wanted to get out but fear has held us back. We're both kind of uncomfortable with change and the unknown, but we're also just sick of this place and ready for a change and we know that there's no better time than the present. Yes, we have jobs here, but they're not great, nothing special or high paying that we couldn't find anywhere. So I'm not really worried about the job situation. We'll find something just as good as we have now anywhere we go.
We have no interest in buying a house anytime in the near future. We've lived in apartments/townhouses, and that's what we'll be looking for in CA. Where we live (Monroe, LA), a 2 bedroom apartment in a decent place will cost you between 500-650 a month. We moved in with relatives last month to pay off some bills and save up some more money before we move. We don't have to have jobs lined up before we move because we'll have about $10,000 saved up just for this move, so we can go a little while without having to worry if we can't find a job right away.
So, now on to what we're looking for. I have a friend who is living in Humboldt County and thinks it's the best place ever. She's encouraging us to come there, but I'm not so sure about the place. I don't really know anything about it. The only thing that I absolutely have to have is a 2 bedroom apartment, in a safe place (my friend told me that North CA is nothing like South CA in terms of gangs), with a good school. I don't care if we're on the coast, I don't care about if there's tons to do.. I don't know what the wage range is for jobs there, so I'm not sure how much rent we could afford. Here, we both make between $9-10 an hour, and were fine with $500 a month rent. I do office work, he works with mail printing machines. I'm guessing we could probably afford up to 600 or 650 rent.
So...Can anyone help me out with some ideas on places to read about? I've been looking at Humboldt County.. I looked at Bakersfield briefly, but found nothing but negative things. We've got 5 months to pick a place, so any help you could give would be appreciated!
Sorry this was so long, I have to give tons of details lol. Please don't respond with just negativity. I've read the posts with all the negative things about how it's so expensive and so hard to find a job, and how people just want to live there and are picturing it through rose colored glasses, but that's really not the case with us. We understand how expensive it is and all that, but we're just desperate for a change. Like I said, we have enough money saved up to live off of for awhile. If it doesn't work out for us, we can always move somewhere else. We've definitely thought to put aside money for moving expenses in case that happens. But I'm the type that, once I have my mind set on something, I have to try it for myself to ever be happy. Even if I would have been better off listening to people who told me it was a bad idea, I'm not satisfied until I see for myself. You only live once, right?
Unless you are working in a large town you are best to watch the obituaries for job openings.
I love the whole state, the north even more so. But work opportunities were poor when the economy was good.
Actually all I've read are people who have unreasonable expectations (like wanting to live in L.A. in a safe, cheap neighborhood) or having a specific occupation they're looking for. We're pretty flexible. Most of the family is in Louisiana. That's one of the main reasons we've stayed here as long as we have. I've said before that if I hadn't had kids, I would have been gone already. But we've stayed until we just can do it anymore. I talked with my mom about that last week. She would rather us not move off, because she's been a huge part of the kids lives since they were born. But at the same time, she understands that it's always been my dream to move away and she can't stand in the way of that. I pointed out that my siblings have moved away, and they're the ones who never wanted to, and that I'm the one who has always wanted to but never did and she agreed that I need to do what I need to do to be happy. So this is what we're doing.
Kids are resiliant. They'll adapt to change. They're young, they don't have any close friends here. They'll be okay, and my parents will probably end up keeping them a good bit in the summers so they'll still see them.
No, I haven't researched the demand for our skill sets because it's something you can find a job anywhere doing. It's office work. Pretty much every business has a need for that. If all else fails, I've been the manager of a restaurant before and could always go back to doing that. My husband has done plenty of manual labor in his life, and could always go back to doing that. Or hell, maybe he'll get the chance to follow his dream of working with computers. Who knows. We'll figure it out in the months that follow after we move.
As for childcare, I'll either have to find a daycare or an individual, or we can work opposite shifts so that we don't need daycare.
I thought I explained my situation and what I'm looking for pretty well. I don't need to be questioned about what I'm going to do when I get there. All I need are suggestions on areas to read more about. That's it. So if anyone is willing to throw some cities out there for me, I would really appreciate it.
Believe me, the job situation sucks where I live now. A lot of the big employers have shut down. I work for the state right now. I know how hard it can be to find a job, but that's okay. Even if it's a crappy job. A crappy job in CA would be a lot better to me right now than a crappy job in LA. I just need change. Change would be good.
I can think of one small mountain community that raising kids in would be nice as we have already done that and moved on. Paradise CA is a very nice, quiet little town with Chico down the hill for bigger shopping and hopefully jobs. I have to tell you that office work is about dead in the water, not that you can't break that glass ceiling. Our friends have grown children who can't find work doing office work or manual labor and they have contacts. You might blow through your savings rather quickly and find yourself very stuck someplace that you have few connections. Rents there are reasonable and you can find some gummy mobile homes in the pines for little money. Best of luck to you.
I'd be happy to respond to your post, without all the negativity. I totally understand where you're coming from on that. You want suggestions, and you want to know the truth, but much of the negativity is subjective. I know this because I left California 6 years ago, and cannot wait until I move back next year.
I've lived in many different parts of California, so I can give you some ideas to think about. I grew up in Pasadena, lived on the coast since I was old enough to have my own place. So those stints would include: Redondo Beach, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and then San Luis Obispo. I also lived in the Bay area when I was younger, and have friends in other parts of the State.
If you aren't planning to buy a home, and not everyone does, then it opens things up much more for you! I say you're wise to avoid Bakersfield (sorry to those from that area.) The heat and the dry landscape is just to hard for most people to bear unless they grew up there. It's also very isolated. Humboldt County is very lovely, but again, you're so isolated up there, that you feel as though you live on an island. It takes a very specific type of person to thrive there... though it's gorgeous!
For my money, I'd suggest the following areas to check out, with the caveat that only you know what climate you might like: Chico and Davis. Cute towns, near Universities, semi-agricultural, but my friends have told me they are great places to live. It gets HOT there, but there is not that humidity that you have in Louisiana. It's a few hours to Sacramento, etc., and not too far from Oregon (which has amazing recreational opportunities.)
Which brings me to the next idea: Medford, Oregon. There are some larger companies there, the weather is NOT the typical Pacific Northwest rain you'd expect, and the proximity to the Nation's most beautiful forests and beaches is a huge bonus. I find people there to be very nice, and there's lots of outdoor activities. I wouldn't go any further north, as then you hit the 9 months of gloom that the PNW is famous for.
Back to California. I also heartily recommend San Luis Obispo area. Yes, some parts are pricey when you want to buy a home, but the North County (Paso and Atascadero) are reasonable by California standards, and very livable. Low crime, extremely friendly people, and lots of fun thing to do. I happen to love the lifestyle there because it's an odd mix of agriculture and beach culture! If you like farmer's markets year 'round, lots of beaches, and cute restaurants, it's awesome.
If you're a beach person, and are not looking to buy a home, then Ventura is a good choice, too, though I think San Luis Obispo is more livable.
If you choose one of the cities in California that are along the 5, then you can expect a lot of heat and dryness, and less foliage (unless you're in towns like Chico or Davis that have their city trees.) If you don't mind the heat (like 100 in the summers), then Hanford in the Central Valley is a nice community, too.
I hope some of those suggestions help! Southern California has lots of great things about it still, regardless of some of the negativity you see here. But if you're just starting out and can go anywhere, why not move to the best place you can? If you can identify a few more criteria for the move, we can help you narrow it down a bit.
As far as my California experience. I am Southern Cal native. After living all over California, my husband was offered a job that required us to move near a big city, other than L.A. We had family who had just moved near Seattle, so we moved to a town there 6 years ago. You know, a person can never know until they live in it, whether or not they can handle the 9 months of gloomy skies in the Pacific Northwest. there was a great joke about this, living in Seattle is like dating a supermodel, but she has a cold all the time. So, I truly have been pining away for the easy and warm friendliness of California. The people in the PNW are very nice and polite, but there is a warmth that the West and South have, that is tangible. I also miss the fresh produce year 'round, and being able to be outdoors whenever I'd like. As far as cost of living goes. Yes, you can absolutely buy a fancier house in other places than California, but unless you love where you live, it doesn't matter if you have granite counters and 2,500 sq feet of house. The cost of living, outside of how much house you can buy, is actually equal to what we paid in California. There is no income tax up in Washington, but you pay more for property tax, more for food, more for heating, and other costs. I think it evens out! Business taxes are better up here, for sure, but it's all about where you want to be when you wake up on a Saturday morning.
There are good and bad things about every place you go. We all have things that are most important to us, and often we don't know what they are until we move away. And others find what was missing in their lives by moving away.
Oops.. I'm rambling!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amanda8210
My husband and I have decided we're moving at the end of January.. We've tossed around different places, from the Gulf Shores, AL area to different places in Texas, to California, to Florida... And we seem to keep coming back to California. I've been researching my butt off, and have read a million threads on here, and decided to finally just post one of my own because I haven't come across as situation that is like mine. I've noticed that people on here can be harsh when asked about moving to CA, but I decided to take my chances and see.
We have 2 kids, ages 5 and 2. We live in Louisiana right now and have our whole lives, and have always wanted to get out but fear has held us back. We're both kind of uncomfortable with change and the unknown, but we're also just sick of this place and ready for a change and we know that there's no better time than the present. Yes, we have jobs here, but they're not great, nothing special or high paying that we couldn't find anywhere. So I'm not really worried about the job situation. We'll find something just as good as we have now anywhere we go.
We have no interest in buying a house anytime in the near future. We've lived in apartments/townhouses, and that's what we'll be looking for in CA. Where we live (Monroe, LA), a 2 bedroom apartment in a decent place will cost you between 500-650 a month. We moved in with relatives last month to pay off some bills and save up some more money before we move. We don't have to have jobs lined up before we move because we'll have about $10,000 saved up just for this move, so we can go a little while without having to worry if we can't find a job right away.
So, now on to what we're looking for. I have a friend who is living in Humboldt County and thinks it's the best place ever. She's encouraging us to come there, but I'm not so sure about the place. I don't really know anything about it. The only thing that I absolutely have to have is a 2 bedroom apartment, in a safe place (my friend told me that North CA is nothing like South CA in terms of gangs), with a good school. I don't care if we're on the coast, I don't care about if there's tons to do.. I don't know what the wage range is for jobs there, so I'm not sure how much rent we could afford. Here, we both make between $9-10 an hour, and were fine with $500 a month rent. I do office work, he works with mail printing machines. I'm guessing we could probably afford up to 600 or 650 rent.
So...Can anyone help me out with some ideas on places to read about? I've been looking at Humboldt County.. I looked at Bakersfield briefly, but found nothing but negative things. We've got 5 months to pick a place, so any help you could give would be appreciated!
Sorry this was so long, I have to give tons of details lol. Please don't respond with just negativity. I've read the posts with all the negative things about how it's so expensive and so hard to find a job, and how people just want to live there and are picturing it through rose colored glasses, but that's really not the case with us. We understand how expensive it is and all that, but we're just desperate for a change. Like I said, we have enough money saved up to live off of for awhile. If it doesn't work out for us, we can always move somewhere else. We've definitely thought to put aside money for moving expenses in case that happens. But I'm the type that, once I have my mind set on something, I have to try it for myself to ever be happy. Even if I would have been better off listening to people who told me it was a bad idea, I'm not satisfied until I see for myself. You only live once, right?
Amanda. If you and your family feel like moving than do think about it. One never knows if it will work out or not. I sold my house in March. Had I sold it a few years earlier when I knew I hated that house and didn't want to live there, I could have walked away with a lot of cash instead of less. Instead I stayed and endured more harassement from two nasty neighbors who were fast friends.
Humboldt county is considered a bit hippy-ish. I was there 15 years ago and kind of liked it from what I remember. It is a bit isolated up there. You have to drive to get to other towns but they have a state college there.
Look also into:
Redding. further north on Interstate 5.
Chico. about 1 1/2 hours north of Sacramento. Nice town. College town.
Ukiah. closer to the coast and south of humbolt county. I hear the area has grown quite a lot.
Yuba City. Property has tanked in Yuba City since the housing bust. I hear they over built there. I'm not fond of the town. Not the greatest feeling there for me. Closer to Sacramento with more larger town problems I think.
You can also look into Paradise. In the same county as Chico. Cute town in the trees. Fire danger there though. Avoid Oroville in Butte county. It's the county seat but other than that and the lake, a lot of trash.
we know that there's no better time than the present.
Really? Many people would say that the middle of an economic depression with near-record unemployment is the worst possible time for a discretionary move for someone with young preschoolers to support.
My only advice would be to save up enough to live on for (whatever given area's median ((c-d probably has this info)) AT LEAST a year (even more would be far better).
This will give you a necessary cushion if you are unable to find employment within that time frame. FYI (and I'm just telling it like it is and not being negative)..you must know that there are Californians with 5 times the experience (even people like graphic designers, IT, upper management, etc) that are considering the same low wage, typical low wage/low earning jobs. Employers are at an advantage to be outrageously picky and will find people that are far overqualified to work for pennies and not have to offer health care benefits. Believe me. there are Californians here that are trying to pay their mortgage, take care of their kids and need the employment.
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.
Business taxes are better up here, for sure, but it's all about where you want to be when you wake up on a Saturday morning. 
