Retiring in Northern California

[gerntz]

I loved funky Monte Rio in the redwoods.

 

[Options]

Are you sure that you want to leave your current home? At least you know what you have there.

Ha

What? Gangs? Graffiti? Traffic? Sprawl? Crime (as in murders) that didn't exist in the East Bay as recently as 30 years ago?

 

[EastWest Gal]

My mom's cousins lived around Sebastepol and Occidental. The area between Sebastepol and Bodega Bay has everything from orchards to homes in the redwoods, to the Pacific Ocean, yet you're close to Santa Rosa, a city of about a million people. It might be less expensive than Healdburg, a tourist destination, which is only a few miles away. Check out the roads in the hills just west of Occidental. I had family that lived there for most of my life (until 5 years ago) and every visit felt like a resort vacation.

You need to check out the roads less travelled to find the gems. They're out there.


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[TimSF]

W

Anyone have any ideas as to a smaller coastal-ish town we might consider that maybe just hasn't popped up on our radar?

Thanks!

RTR

Lots of great suggestions on the thread. We live in the Monte Rio area and it's kind of perfect for us - 5 miles from the ocean, only 25 miles from Santa Rosa, and just 1 1/2 hours to SanFran. There are a lot of quirky little places up here. Take a drive and check them out. We think it's paradise.

 

[38Chevy454]

If you consider south, like SLO, you could look into Morro Bay or Cayucos, or Los Osos. All by SLO and on the coast. Whereas SLO is 20 miles inland. Further north up hwy 1 is Cambria, but that is about the end of general cities along the coast. South of SLO you have the 5 cities area (Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano and I forget the others) that is also pretty close to the water.

I wen to college in SLO, different now then back in 80's, but it was a nice area then. The coastal towns I mentioned above are smaller, and might help you funds go farther. Or slightly north and inland from SLO you have Atascadero and Paso Robles. Not sure if they will help your funds go any further. Also they are not really on the water, being separated by small coastal mountain range.

 

[martyp]

Just buy a smaller house in the east bay. It's got to be cheaper than your bigger house.

 

[Donzo]

I love the Jenner and Gualala area of the coast. It feels so rural and still on the coast. You don't see to much of that in CA! I'm going there for a week in August to beat the inland heat and get my seafood fix

 

[photoguy]

Our house is just around 3000 ft sq and we'd like to get to around 1800 feet or smaller with smaller front and back yards... and pocket the difference.

RTR

Would you be eligible to transfer your property tax assessment (if it's lower)?

I found the Inverness area near Point Reyes to be nice, but YMMV.

 

[haha]

Just buy a smaller house in the east bay. It's got to be cheaper than your bigger house.

+1. This big discontinuities in retirement are a lot to handle, and on the not unlikely chance that you are not pleased by the new circumstances, you are essentially out of luck unless you have way more money than you need.

Regarding tectonic movements in the NE pacific, these were not even understood or even suspected when I came up here. Everything west of I-5 toast? In the ~60 years I've lived on the west coast, all but 50 have been lived west of I-5. Other than now, when I live on one of the hills east of I-5 and a 15 minute walk away, a grand total of 2 years were spent E of I-5.

It sounds like whenever this happens, many cities and towns in the NW will be destroyed, and one wonders if they could recover. Around 1970 I met a guy who had experienced the 9.2
quake near Anchorage in 1964. He was strongly impressed! The most disruptive quakes I have personally experienced were the 6.5 San Fernando Valley quake of 1971 and the Nisqually quake (6.8) of 2001. People were moving from LA as soon as they could get trucks for a considerable time after that. It also coincided with an aerospace recession. And, a 6.5 is a whole different fish from a 9.

Personally, although Seattle suits me to a tee, if one of my son's family and life were not here, I might try to talk girlfriend into decamping. Where to? Maybe Spokane, maybe Reno or Las Vegas, maybe Missoula or Billings. The other plan, let fate decide. One of my favorite writers is the late Walker Percy from Covington, LA. Using southern Louisiana hurricanes he shows that the effects of huge public disasters are not always negative for those who are caught in them, even if they perish. But even if I managed to get her to leave with me, then I to some extent become responsible for her happiness, which might be a bit much.

Ha

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Would you be eligible to transfer your property tax assessment (if it's lower)?



I.

There are only a few counties that permit this transfer via Prop 90:

Alameda, Orange, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Ventura, LA, San Diego, El Dorado, and Riverside, the last time I checked.

 

[Avocadorunner]

Santa Barbara. Great weather, lots of cultural activities and restaurants. Housing is quite expensive, however.

 

[M Paquette]

I love the Jenner and Gualala area of the coast. It feels so rural and still on the coast. You don't see to much of that in CA! I'm going there for a week in August to beat the inland heat and get my seafood fix

There's a reason for that...

While you are there, figure out the drive time to the nearest major medical facility. Check out where the nearest E-R is. (RCMS is open 8-6 Mon-Fri, excluding holidays. That's it for Gualala/Point Arena.)

Check into where the nearest major shopping centers are. "The Sea Trader" doesn't count, and you might get tired of The Surf Market after a while.

A week is one thing. Living there full time gets interesting...

(I was in Fort Bragg for a while, about 1 1/2 hours north on a good day, and the largest town on that stretch of coastline. That got strange, especially when the emergency room was replaced with a helicopter shuttle for a while. ($65/year per household for AirMedCare Network membership, or pay as you go. And pay, and pay some more...)

 

[Donzo]

There's a reason for that...

While you are there, figure out the drive time to the nearest major medical facility. Check out where the nearest E-R is. (RCMS is open 8-6 Mon-Fri, excluding holidays. That's it for Gualala/Point Arena.)

Check into where the nearest major shopping centers are. "The Sea Trader" doesn't count, and you might get tired of The Surf Market after a while.

A week is one thing. Living there full time gets interesting...

(I was in Fort Bragg for a while, about 1 1/2 hours north on a good day, and the largest town on that stretch of coastline. That got strange, especially when the emergency room was replaced with a helicopter shuttle for a while. ($65/year per household for AirMedCare Network membership, or pay as you go. And pay, and pay some more...)

Details - details, sheesh... . Did not really think about the medical care, that could be a real issue. As far as stores it would have to be bi-weekly or monthly trips to Bodega or sebastapol and stock up.
Last time up there in March I went around one of the MANY sharp turns on the coast and almost hit a huge cow standing in the middle of the road. Cars don't even faze/interest them! I'll drive slower, do not want have to pay for a helo trip for me or God forbid a cow.

 

[IBWino]

Details - details, sheesh... . Did not really think about the medical care, that could be a real issue. As far as stores it would have to be bi-weekly or monthly trips to Bodega or sebastapol and stock up.
Last time up there in March I went around one of the MANY sharp turns on the coast and almost hit a huge cow standing in the middle of the road. Cars don't even faze/interest them! I'll drive slower, do not want have to pay for a helo trip for me or God forbid a cow.

FYI, from the Fort Bragg area, the drive to Ukiah is tolerable, and they will soon have a Costco, and already have most everything else you might need (Walmart, Home Depot, etc.).

 

[LitGal]

My Favorite No. Cal. Spot

Ferndale and the "Lost Coast." Though this may be too far away from the amenities you need, Ferndale has a lot of charm. And, if you head west on the sole road to the coast, you end up winding down to an enormous, isolated beach of black sand. It's called "the Lost Coast" because CalTrans could not build a coastal highway through that mountainous area.

DH and I used to love going up there for the weekend. There was never anyone on that beach.......unless you count the cows who sometimes took over the road. That same road winds back through the little village of Petrolia, then back into the state redwood forest.

We always dreamed of moving there, but his job transfer brought us to OH......which worked out well too.

(Whenever friends or family ask for No. Cal. recs of places to visit, we send them to Ferndale and the Lost Coast. They come back with enthusiastic reports. Several of my students went there on a high school graduation trip, and made a movie of themselves performing a medieval sword fight on the beach, with the waves crashing behind them. The only other creatures in the movie were the cows.)

There are almost no houses on that drive. Perhaps a rancher would be willing to sell a couple acres?

Best of luck. I would be envious of anybody who was able to move there.

 

[Brat]

If you are not set on a coastal community take a look at Ashland, OR. Medford is a short drive for medical care, serious shopping, and flight service to SEA/SJC.

 

[calmloki]

If you are willing to swap big rivers for ocean, Portland is a really nice city. I still lobby for retiring there.

The other day we were up in Vancouver checking out an investment. Came across the bridge into Portland and spent 1.5 hours on I5 getting to Wilsonville. This small town boy is NOT used to big city traffic movement on the freeway.

 

[Brat]

If I had known you were coming I would have suggested I-205 from Vancouver, it intersects with I-5 just north of Wilsonville.

I-217 is to be avoided at all costs.

 

[Shanky]

San Juan Buatista. Close enough to Monterey bay for mild climate, 45 minutes from San Jose, 2:25 to Yosemite and big sur area is less than an hour away.


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[RTR2006]

Hi all!!! OP here, checking in after being away for a few days...

THANK YOU!!! for the great comments; they're greatly appreciated. We are heading up to Napa this weekend for a drive-around, and will check out some of the surrounding areas.

We actually drove up to and stayed in Gualala a few years back... It's really small and really far away from almost everything... I'd probably go to Mendocino, but the cachet means housing is not cheap.

There were numerous other places suggested. While staying in Bodega Bay a few weeks back we did go to Occidental for a street festival, and when we asked a local why everyone seemed so happy, her matter-of-fact reply was simple and succinct: "Everyone's high!"



We're still looking, and expect to have fun going through this process. We'll post our progress on the Board.

Thanks again!!

RTR

 

[nuke_diver]

Please note that there is a major fire in the Lake Berryessa area today that has grown rather explosively (about 7000 acres about 5% contained as of today)

It is very dry out here

 

[Huston55]

There were numerous other places suggested. While staying in Bodega Bay a few weeks back we did go to Occidental for a street festival, and when we asked a local why everyone seemed so happy, her matter-of-fact reply was simple and succinct: "Everyone's high!"

Well, there's your solution...Stay where you are and light up!

On the serious side, not that the above suggestion shouldn't be fully explored, have you thought about The Delta? It might not satisfy your water jones, even though it's a large and varied body of water. But, it's a unique (and less expensive) option compared to many of those already mentioned.

I'd also suggest you evaluate the resulting property tax situation to understand the financial consequences of the sell/repurchase route. You may instead want to sell, use your $500k cap gains exclusion, and rent (perhaps forever; see below).

DW and I lived in the East Bay in the 80s, The City in the 90s, and just relocated to Marin after being gone from the SF Bay Area for 15 yrs. So, it sounds like we were looking for something somewhat similar to you. We chose closer in to SF (read: more expensive) and significantly downsized for affordability; a choice of location over space. We think we've found paradise but, need to be here a while longer to know if this will work for us long term. In the meantime, we decided to rent until we're certain - and maybe forever. I say maybe forever because, right now there is a 50% +/- premium in this market to buy versus rent the same/equivalent living space.

Best of luck in your search.

 

[haha]

We think we've found paradise but, need to be here a while longer to know if this will work for us long term. In the meantime, we decided to rent until we're certain - and maybe forever. I say maybe forever because, right now there is a 50% +/- premium in this market to buy versus rent the same/equivalent living space.

One of my sons just bought a horrendously expensive place in Marin. That premium you speak of to me is from 2 things-fear of getting priced out, and speculating on further rapid increase.

A similar thing is going on at a smaller level around metro Seattle, mainly in the prime neighborhoods on the King County Eastside, like West Bellevue, Medina, etc.

Best thing in the world to quell property speculation is an earthquake big enough to scare the hell out of people, but not kill too many of them or destroy the area for years. Serious rioting can help too.

Ha

 

[RTR2006]

Thanks from the OP...

Thanks to all of you who have responded to my questions about relocating within northern California. I did retire several weeks ago, we've gotten some chores out of the way, and we will be looking in earnest once the holidays are behind us.

I was in SLO last week and loved it, and we' be looking at points north, east and west. The future beckons!

Thanks again!



RTR