Although I haven't been back to either town in a couple of years, Walnut Creek and Davis were nice when I was there...each one was about one hour away from San Francisco if I remember correctly...I do remember that each one was family oriented.

Maybe you could check out a new Active Adult community known as Rio Vista - around 1-1/2 hours from San Francisco. Lots of activities for retired people, gated community and relatively close to the kids. And by the way, I'm only 57, so it's not anything like a rest home atmosphere.

I live in the area. Housing is expensive here.

You can probably get what you are looking for in Salinas, Morgan Hill or Gilroy...all south of San Jose on Hwy101.

You also get more housing for your money in the Sacramento area...still close enough to drive for visits.

Another great area is Carmel Valley close to the Monterey Peninsula, the ocean and Carmel. The drive from Carmel Valley to San Jose is about 1 hour 20 minutes in non-rush traffic and then about another 1 hour to the city of SF.There is so much to do in this area you will really enjoy your retirement.

Hopes this helps some.

Thanks for the suggestions. The Rio Vista area sounds kind of interesting as do all of the suggestions. Is the Rio Vista area a pictureque area? I should also add that my husband and I have gotten in the habit of going out to dinner at least once a week to a nice dinner (not fast food) so I'd like to have some choices to dine as well. Looking at the map is really quite confusing...I don't know which direction becomes less expensive?? Also, I'd prefer an area that is warmer in the Winter. I'd really prefer So. California but the only reason for the move is to be closer to our son and family. Other than them, we don't know one person in California; though we also want to have our own life as well. Thank you...please keep any suggestions coming. Karen

I'm sure that you'd meet a lot of other retired people in the same boat if you moved to a active adult community. I just looked up Rio Vista and saw that it's a Shea Homes development, which tends to be a fairly decent developer. Good luck in your move. And yes, Sacramento area (near Rio Vista) is warmer in the winter months than most of Northern California.

Karen, if you want to be close to great restaurants and your son and his family, I'd suggest you stay closer to SF. Yes, real estate is high here, but there are plenty of communities in the bay area where you can buy a 3 bedroom house with a nice yard for $600K. We live about 40 minutes south of SF on the peninsula and there are homes here in your price range. Belmont, San Carlos and Redwood City all qualify for having good weather year-round, smaller than 75,000 people and close enough to SF to go there for the evening.

Another option is Sonoma valley, specifically Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. You'll have many good restaurants availble to you throughout the wine country, the weather is nice and you are close enough to SF.

I wouldn't suggest you head out toward Sacramento. The winters are colder the farther inland you go, and the summers hot, hot, hot. Plus, you will be more than 2 hours away from SF.

Rio Vista is kind of in the boonies - not much around as far as restaurants and shopping. Before the retirement developments came, it was pretty much a 1 stoplight town.

Looking at the map, directly north of SF in the Marin area is pretty pricey. Directly south of SF, down the peninsula is also pricey until you get down to the Gilroy area. From there south, real estate prices decrease. Along the coast in the Santa Cruz/Monterey area, housing is also expensive. East of SF is generally less expensive. I think that the Pittsburg/Antioch area is pretty reasonable, and there are some smaller towns sprinkled around out there. The Martinez/Concord area is reasonable, but are fairly good sized cities. Alamo and Danville are smaller, but I don't know how reasonable the real estate prices are.

If you are willing to go farther out, check out the towns along I80 between Fairfield and Sacramento.

To get a good idea about housing prices, check out www.realtor.com.

WE live in Palo Alto on the Peninsula. A lot of our friends are buying retirement property out in Grass Valley, near Tahoe but not up in the mountains. If you could afford Carmel, of course that would be super. Carmel Valley is generally cheaper than the town of Carmel and you might look into Pacific Grove. Santa Rosa is another place to look---really too far out for the commuters but OK for the visitors. I envy you the ability to retire to our beautiful state. Work still claims us to be closer to the city.

Another thought? Aptos?

One thought that comes to mind, not mentioned before, Novato. Just north of SF. My other endorsements are Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Redwood City.

I would not like Salinas, Pittsburg or Antioch, (High crime rates), or Gilroy, too small and out in the middle of no where.

Walnut Creek is a middle of the roader. Bart can take you right into the city. There are lots of cultural activities, shopping and restaraunts, highly developed etc. But it is a town with not history, built out of suburbs.

You should start looking, now is a buyers market. The San Jose Mercury had article about the dot commers having to sell there homes recently.

I spoke with my son tonight and the only area he recommended was Livermore (he's not very familiar with surrounding areas so I'm sure there are more).
Anyone know much about Livermore? Thanks again, Karen

Karen, Livermore is too far from SF to go there for dinner. It gets very hot in the summer, air conditioning is a requirement, and cold in the winter. The housing is cheaper because there are many new developments constantly being built. The traffic to commute into the bay area proper is a nightmare. Considering you are retired and won't need to do the commute you might not mind that. Personally, I like being closer to the ocean, it makes the weather more temperate.

Seriously, you can buy a house for $600K much closer in to SF than Livermore. That is a good chunk of change and might not buy you what you can get in Colorado, but you will get a decent three-bedroom in a nice neighborhood. You should come out and spend some time in all these communities mentioned, talk to the locals and then decide.

Can she get a place in Lafayette (sp)? there is a BART station there they can take right into the city anytime for a visit.

Karen,
Kam's post re Grass Valley got me thinking.... The mother of a friend of mine moved out to California for reasons similar to yours a few years back. She settled in a town in the Highway 49/Gold Country area called Diamond Springs. The Gold Country is "rustic" without the severe weather of the High Sierra, since it is the foothills and not the actual mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Drive time to Sacramento is 1 hour or less, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours to San Francisco, depending on the route. The smaller towns I've traveled through such as Sutter Creek are really pretty. Amador County is a wine producing area, though not nearly as well known as Napa and Sonoma. Just some thoughts, hoping to be helpful.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Our needs are actually minimal. We do want a clean, friendly, well-kept town with access to some shopping (places like the grocery store, a Wal-Mart/Target type store. For the few times I go to a big Mall with major stores, I don't mind driving a bit. We do eat out in a nicer restaurant at least once a week. We seldom go to the movies or theater so again for those rare occassions, we don't mind the drive. I want to be accessible to SF more for the purpose of visiting family /picking up my Grandkids for a weekend etc. My husband love horse racing and I know there are some race tracks in that area so being within 1/2 hour of one of the race tracks would be great too. I'm sure we'll slip over to Tahoe once or twice a year too for the beauty as well as the slots (my favorite vice!)
Thank you, Karen

Karen--if you can swing it financially, I would check into the Peninsula (from Burlingame to Palo Alto). About 30 minutes to SF, these communities have been around for awhile and each has its own charm. The weather is pleasant and you're also about 30 minutes from San Jose.

If you're looking for more home for your buck, I'd go east to Green Valley, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon or Davis. These are an hour or so from SF and also about 30 minutes from both Sacramento and the Napa/Sonoma wine country. Good weather and good central location.

Another vote for Danville! If the prices is right, it is a very cute little town with lots of shops and restaurants. My favorite thing is the Xmas party and tree lighting ceremony the do after Thanksgiving. I feel like I walked into a Rockwell painting. No major chains but you could just head over to Walnut Creek for that kind of thing...also the BART goes into SF from Walnut Creek.

If you can find a nice 3-bedroom home in Danville for under 600K, please let me know how you performed this miracle.

One thing to bear in mind when looking at real estate listings in the Bay Area is that in many locations prices are still being bid way up above the asking price, recession or no recession. One theory is that people who are scared of the market and attracted by low interests rates are still looking at houses as a good investment and are willing to pay accordingly.

Petaluma?

Benicia?

i vote for santa rosa. finding a very nice home in the range of $600K is definitely doable. my friend recently sold her 3 year old, 3 bedroom/3 bath home for 327k in a nice neighborhood. there are some nice restaurants downtown, you're close to wine country which has more good restaurants. without traffic, the drive is about an hour from san francisco. it does get a bit hot up there in the summers however. it's a great family oriented town, and i've really enjoyed my visits there.

I agee with much of L galloga post.
Santa Rosa/Sebastopol are nice and $600K will get you in a nice neighborhood with a decent sized yard especially if you are not looking for a big new home in burb land. Most new housing developments are in so-so areas because the land is scarce. You can get a mansion out in Tracy, but it is hot and too far too visit family.

South of SF is too expensive unless you go to far South to visit frequently--ie. Gilroy.

Lafayette and Danville are terrific, but $600K will not get you too much.

Alameda is worth a look. Small town atmospere, low crime area, nice weather and 20 minutes to SF on BART or Ferry.

I just bought a home in Alameda for less than $450K with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, formal dining room, family room, breakfast nook and hardwood floors. My yard is small but the neighborhood is terrific and I can walk to the bay and see the SF skyline in 5 minutes. There are plenty of homes with large yards and I'm sure your extra $150K will get you a decent sized yard. Homes come on the market infrequently so it may take some time to find the prefect place. Look on the East Side/Fernside/Bay Farm locations.

Novato is also very nice and located well, but I think a tad more expensive, but you might be willing to compromise on size to live in more of a town atmospere.

Petaluma also possible.

Antioch, Martinez area --thumbs down.

Myst you needed to include Benecia inyour thumbs down. Here I'll do it for you. The air is smelly and the view is mostly refineries. Thumbs down to Benecia.

WARNING: If you are serious about retiring in California, make sure you have over $5mil in the bank because the tax and spend legislature lead by Gov "Gray-out" Davis will be in your pockets until the day you die. And even that won't stop them!
Nevada, Texas, Florida or even Washington are better choices.
They are making it too expensive for anyone to live in California, let alone retiring on a fixed income.
It's only a matter of time before they figure out a way to overturn Prop 13 and raise the property taxes back through the roof.
Don't even ask about the new car license fees about to be lowered on us!
Good luck.

Old Geezer,

If you hate California that much, why don't you leave for one of these better states. The fact of the matter is that under Gov. Gray Davis, he actually was able to balance the budget and as a result California had a significant surplus. Only after the energy companies, who are in bed with Pres. Bush and Vice Pres. Cheney, did our surplus disappear because they basically gouged the state incraseing the price for electricity by 300%!! This is all thanks to republican Gov. Pete Wilson who forced deregulation of the power companies which resulted in rolling blackouts.

And in terms of the car license fees, they are very fair. If you buy an expensive car ie: Cadillac, then it only makes sense that you should be paying more to register your car than someone who drives a Dodge. I don't think that anyone who spends over 35 or 40K on a car is going to be concerned with the licensing fees. If you can't afford the licensing fees, then you have no business buying the car.

As far as Prop 13, I feel that too many old people have been getting a free ride. There are many elderly people who are well off and surely could afford to pay higher property taxes, especially given the fact that Caliofornia has a deficit. They sit home all day making more money than most of us who work. I believe that the Prop 13 should be applies in a means tested fashion, whereby those who make below a certain annual income can keep the lower rate.

David, Spoken like a true California Liberal Democrat who likes to wear rose colored glasses. You seem to find a "Bush behind every rock" when it comes to the blame game. California's economy was sliding into the Pacific before the election of 2000, especially the dot.gone industry.
Gov Gray-out Davis just gave it a bigger push with his inept handling of the engergy "crisis".
He showed how skilled a negotiator he is
when he negotiated those great "long term energy contracts".
Care to lecture us on how S. David Freeman fits into this energy picture too?
Care to discuss the Prison Guard Union? Or Gov Gray-out's additional campaign fund raising tactics?
I think you show your true colors when you state "I feel that too many old people have been getting a free ride".
You're an "ageist". Why do you hate old people, especially old people who have 2 nickles to rub together? Is it because they are not dependent on the government?
My house is paid for and I am looking to move out of California and leave it to the really smart people like yourself to run it into the ground.
In the meantime, once again, if you are looking to retire on the West Coast, do it anywhere but California.

Give it a rest guys. No one is going to solve the tax issues for the state of California on a travel forum.

Besides, Karen wants to be near her kids and grandkids. They are in California - not Nevada, Texas, or Florida.

Although I don't live in California (have visited many times) all we hear about is how Gov. Gray is really into everyone's pocket to cover the state deficit. It seems like he just wants to continue taxing everything from SUV's to Cigarettes to raise money for the state. From what I've read, I too might worry about retiring in that state. There are other states that will let you "keep your own money" better than Calif.

There is a newpaper article from a San Jose newspaper that he rejected a company's request for increased dumping into SF Bay over and over again, but suddently there is a $75,000 political contribution and wahla...it is suddenly approved for dumping 5 times what he had earlier rejected. This article was mailed to me by someone who lives in San Jose.
Meg

The Reno area is still only around 3 to 4 hours away from the grandkids. You can still buy a lot of house for that price range in the Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Gardnerville areas. Good airport in Reno also and it's maybe a 45 minute flight to Oakland or SF.
meg is correct about the SUVs in Ca.

David: Gray Davis actually had the highest report campaign funds from Enron, so who's bed was he in?

And as for higher registration fees for more expensive cars, how do you justify this? A Chevy takes up just the same amount of space on the local highways as a Cadillac.

If you want to be closer to your
grandchildren and children, then Martinez if a very nice community. 30,000 people. Great weather. Pleasant Hill is the next city over, then Walnut Creek. In Martinez for $600,000 you can get a nice 3br 2bath home. In Pleasant Hill, $650,000 will get you a 20-year-old home with 4 br (1,800 sq feet)
In Walnut Creek you'll get less than the other two communities and Danville is even pricier! Livermore is too far out, and the commute from the City is
horrid.
My parents live in that retirement community in Rio Vista. It's called
Triolgy. It used to be called Summerset
until Shea bought it. It is about 3 years new, and they've just built several more new homes. They're planning to build way more homes.
Rio Vista is in the boonies, but it's
so country! It's on the Delta, and to
drive to S.F. would be maybe 2 hrs,
depending on traffic, maybe even 1:30
minutes.
There's a web site for "trilogy"
You can get a home there within your price range, and a very nice one for $250 - 300,000.
Rio Vista is isolated to a certain extent, so the nice dinner thing would be limiting. It's very flat.
martinez, on the other hand, if you are on the Martinez/Pleasant Hill border, it's a nice area. Lafayette is really
expensive. $600,000 won't get you that
much.
If you have anymore questions, feel free to e-mail me directly. I'm a native of CA and this area.
Zip realty is a good site to scout different prices. www.ziprealty.com

Petaluma Petaluma PETALUMA!

Don't even bother to LOOK around the peninsula (Burlingame, Palo Alto). One thing you DON'T want is TRAFFIC!
People living in the area get used to it, so forgive them, they are only trying to help. But being from Colorado, and heading into your twilight years, you want to get as far away from T R A F F I C as possible! One of the best places that I can think of for you, still keeping you close to the kids, is Petaluma.

www.petalumachamber.com

Another vote for Novato or Petaluma. In Petaluma especially you are practically in the wine country so you won't need to go to SF for a nice dinner because there are a lot of restaurants around Sonoma. And the town has a nice rural feel (as does Novato) that the South Bay areas lack (well, except for Saratoga/Los Gatos but those are definitely outside of your price range!)

Not sure what the prices are these days, but several years ago I had a great 2-bedroom home in a private community on Bay Farm Island in Alameda.

Not a lot of yard space but great views of the city, lots of walking & bike trails with a ferry service that ran to SF Monday - Friday.

Quiet island town, seemed safe (I am a single female who lived alone) and only 20 minutes from SF via the Bay Bridge.

You wanted to know more about Livermore. We've lived here for 30 years. We like it a lot.

Livermore has many wineries and many of those wineries have restuarants. Main street has many old buildings with neat little shops to look around and many nice restuarants that have outside tables. We also have Wal-Mart, Target, Mervyns, Lowes, Home Depot, Orchard Supply, two Safeways, two Albertsons, and other grocery stores, many chain resturants like Chilis, AppleBees, Chevys, Ihop.

Our library has three branches. You can check out movies, CD's and computer games. They have many computers with free internet access.

Our home is 1500+ sq. ft. 3 bed, 2 bath home and it would go for about $450,000. There are many more expensive areas of town. About property taxes in California, you will be paying 2% of the purchase price for property taxes and it will go up 1% per year.

We are about 10 minutes by freeway to the bart station in Dublin. Some day we hope to have a bart station in Livermore, but for now we have bart busses. We also have a good city bus system. The traffic on the freeways is BAD all over the Bay Area.

About 10 miles from Livermore at the 580 - 680 interchange is Stoneridge mall with Nordstrom, Sears, J.C. Penney, & Macys.

Livermore is hotter than San Francisco in the summer and about 10 degrees cooler in the winter. We get a few days of 100 degrees in July and August. We get a few nights in the winter where we get freeze warnings. Over all it's a pretty mild climate. In the spring and fall we hardly ever run the air or heater. I would suggest a home with airconditioning in Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek or any cities farther to the east.

Utahtea

Traffic to Livermore is awful. You should state whether you are interested in new homes only or older homes. Much of the bay area is filled with lovely older homes in nice locations. If you want a brand new home you may need to live pretty far out (Livermore, Gilroy, Benecia) or settle for new housing developments with tiny yards.

Martinez is far away and there are refineries through that whole area with the odd cloud of toxic waste.

Keep in mind if you move to Marin or North to the nice communities of Novato, Petaluma etc that the it now costs $5.00 to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.

Alameda is a nice island community with easy access to the city, ample walking paths and a mix of newer homes (bay farm) and old victorians and craftsman type bungalows.

Walnut Creek area is ok, but can be heavy traffic --so BART is better option and it is HOT out there in the Summer.

I just can't say thank you enough for all the great help that you all are giving me. There are so many things to consider.
Ironically, someone mentioned rural areas such as Los Gatos. I have been there before and LOVE that area. It's too bad we can't afford that area! I wanted to add some more information about us: we are 57 and 61 years old, speak only English and don't want to be in a heavy Hispanic area. We spent 6 months on an assignment through my husband's work in an area where I heard more Spanish spoken in grocery stores, shopping etc. than English. I really felt like I was living in a foreign country.

I certainly don't mean to sound offensive, I'm just being realistic when I say I'm more in my comfort zone living in a town that is at least 70% white/95% English speaking. I like places that are perhaps a bit more upscale such as Los Gatos (beer budget/champagne taste). A clean, well kept town is a must, size of homes is not as important as the overall cleanliness. I'd love to own a brand new home (probably not possible) but don't want the ity bity lots that go with the new homes and also want a single story. We don't need a large lot but do want the privacy that larger lots afford. Right now we live on a cul-de-sac pie shaped lot that is about 10,000 sq.ft. and it's perfect! The space in between the homes is more important that the actual size of a backyard. My husband does enjoy going to the horse races or to be able to watch the simulcast at off track betting facilities. He also plays golf (and wants me to learn). Moderate heat is not a problem for us but don't want summer temperatures over 100 everyday like Las Vegas. We can live with a few summer days where the temp hits 100, but prefer to not have 3 consistent months of that. I also don't want a neighborhood where there are ALL very young families. A mixture of younger and active adults like ourselves is fine. A town with a "good community feel to it" would be wonderful.

I guess I've shared all I can think of with you. Again, I'm telling you what I'd like in a "perfect world". Thanks again for all the great help.
Karen

Perhaps east bay is what you're looking for Danville, Pleasenton, San Ramon. The home prices are pretty high though so you may be spending all your $600,000 on opne.

My parents live in Walnut Creek, in the Northgate area, and it is exactly what you describe you are looking for. Nice established area...good mixture of ages (probably leans a tad more to your age vs the younger ones), VERY well kept, many houses have been updated and with top of the line items, close to many grocery stores and the hospital, the Pleasant Hill BART station is about 5 minutes away, and there are lots of wonderful paved paths for walking or bike riding.

I agree that Livermore is quite a ways away considering you want to be near your family...and the Martinez, Benicia area is not attractive at all, and there is a larger percentage of hispinics in that area.

Calif,

The car licensing fee is basically a car tax. It is based on the value of the vehicle. As the car's price depreciates, the registration also decreases. The reason why those with amore expensive cars should pay more for registration is that these big SUV and luxury cars use more gas and therefore pollute our air more than a smaller, less expensive vehicle.

Your argument would be like saying we should base property tax on the square footage of the house, and not on its price. That would make no sense.

Old Geezer,

I never said that I hate old people or have anything against them. I just feel that those retired people who are well off should pay their fair share of property taxes. Also, notice I said that Prop 13 should be applied in a means tested fashion, so that lower income seniors would not be driven out of their homes because of higher property tax bills. I don't think that is being "ageist" ,as you claim.

As far as the enrgy crisis, that blame falls squarely on former Gov. Pete Wilson, Bush and Cheney. Under deregulation, PG&E was forced to sell its powerplants to Texas tycoons who in turn gouged PG&E when selling back the electricity. There is evidence that executives in Enron, as well as other energy companies were purposely gouging California for all they could get. As far as the economy in California, it was starting to slow down in March of 2000, but it would not have declined to the extent that it has if it were not for the energy crisis in California.

Karen,

You can check out the Demographics for Livermore. As of 1999 we were Caucasian 83%

http://www.livermorechamber.org/

I don't know why people keep saying Livermore is so far away. We are only 45 miles from San Francisco.

Traffic is bad all over the Bay Area but if you are retired then you can avoid the bad commute times.

Livermore has a senior center but we don't belong...just yet

There are some new single story homes being built that start in the 400,000 and 600,000.

http://www.internest.com/xyz/ShowFeaturedProperty.asp?PropertyID=6003

http://www.centexhomes.com/San-Francisco/NeighborhoodPlans.asp?PlanID=317040

I'm not saying Livermore is the best place to live, I'm just giving information about my home town.

Utahtea

According to the last census, the SF Bay Area is one of the most diverse AND most integrated areas on the country. I think it may be a challenge to find a community that fits your requirements, within your price range, and that is 70+% white.

I don't feel that David speaks for most people in Northern California so don't get too worried Karen.

Most people I know don't care for Gov. Gray because they do feel he is going crazy with tax this and that to cover the deficit and make himself look good. There is way too much government interference in our day to day lives. David sounds like a young, extreme liberal. People who work hard all their lives should be able to reap the benefits of their hard work and savings, not feel forced to give it away to those who choose to feed off of the governement give away programs.
Al

I've never understood the whole "I live on a fixed income" thing. Anyone who doesn't work for himself is living on income that is fixed by someone other than himself. How is my fixed income different from a retired person's fixed income? Don't get me started on those under 65 retirees living in some sun city retirement community complaining about their fixed income. You're young enough to go get a job!

Fixed income means that the income probably wont go up as time goes on, whereas if you work for a salary, you will most likely at least get cost of living increases even if you don't get performance raises.

Many retirees rely on pensions and SS.

I'll have to agree with J. Correa. If a "70% white/95% English speaking" community is a requirement I'll have to revoke my invitation to move to my hometown on the peninsula. California is not Colorado, politically or socio-economically.

I certainly wouldn't disagree with anyone who wants to live in a community where 95% of the population speaks English.....last I checked, this is the official language of the USA.

Now that I think of it, 70% white doesn't seem too unrealistic either. This leaves 30% for Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indian, etc.....
Not sure but this would seem pretty much in line with stats of the entire USA, right?
Karen, I for one think it is better that you are honest and direct in what you're looking for. Peggy

Peggy, you are an idiot. Where did you learn that English is the "official language of the USA"?? We have no official language. In the very near future Spanish will be spoken by the majority of Americans. Crawl back into your trailer.

"In California, Latinos are growing twice as fast as whites," wrote Gene García of the University of California at Berkeley. "The state predicts that the school population will be majority Latino by 2008."

If you can't handle the habeneros, stay out of the cocina. Karen and Peggy, the welcome mat has been rolled up.

<Latinos are growing twice as fast as whites> That must be a drag -- having to by new clothes all the time because you outgrow them so fast.

Spanish will be spoken by a majority of Americans? I on't ink oh.
We Americans don't go in for learnin' any other language than english.

Karen,

The more I readyour post and corresponding replies, the more I laughed.

I moved away from California 6 1/2 years ago. I return 2-3 times a year to visit my Mother. I returned from San Jose yesterday after a week there. You couldn't believe the air quality!! Just awful. Flying in, the Flight Attendent across the isle from me looked out the window and asked me if we were landing in Los Angeles! True story.

Your "wants" are a fairy tale wish. You just "ain't" going to find the "shangri-la" you seek. Anybody who thinks that Los Gatos is in the "country" is really in for a reality check.

Good luck!

Former Californian

Yikes Uncle Sam,...how can you jump on someone for wanting Americans to speak English! I spent 7 months in Florence, Italy and studied prior to arriving to learn Italian well enough for basic conversation and I'm not sure 7 months constitutes LIVING in the country.

Karen, you're not unrealistic to want to live in a town with 95% English speaking people, I feel the same and I live in Boston.....not exactly a small town! Linda

Since when isn't English the official language of the USA???
(this thread seems to be going sideways....)

Ok guys, before this degrades into a political debate AGAIN, let's just look at reality. In Karen's search for a community that meets her criteria, it doesn't matter what should be, what used to be, or what we would like things to be. All that matters is what IS.

I believe that in California, whites make up just over 50% of the population. The Bay Area is more diverse than the rest of the state, so whites probably make up less than 50% of the population here. Finding a community in the SF Bay Area that is over 70% white will be a challenge.

Karen, Check out the following site with demographic stats...

http://ured.com/citysubweb.htm


What you're looking for (70% white, 95% English speaking) is very realistic in many of the areas within 1-2 hours of San Francisco. God Bless, Cara

Linda, Italy is a homogeneous country with an official language, Italian. It is not the United States. Do you realize that the United States includes Puerto Rico? That Spanish was the majority language in California 200 years ago? You can't compare the languages of the U.S. with a country like Italy. Our country is a melting pot of cultures and languages. Our diversity is what makes us unique among nations.

Well, it looks like Marin is the whitest county in the Bay Area. Big surprise there!

X,

Well said.


Al,

Are you retired? If not you will in the future be collecting Social Security, which is a governement program. So I guess that you will be "feeding" off the government like everybody else. All seniors end up collecting from Social Security more than what they put in plus the interest that it has earned. Who pays for Social Security? People like me who are young and trying to save for a down payment for a place to live. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind paying into Social Security because I know that some day I will hopefully be collecting it as well, only if Bush doesn't make it go bankrupt first. The bottom line is that many seniors do not depend on Social Security as their primary income source. Also, people who collect pensions and Social Security do get a cost of living adjustment, so this idea of a "fixed" income is bogus. Even though retired people may not get as significant an increase in cost of living as a working person, they have far less expenses than younger people (ie: no mortgage or rent to pay, no colleges tuitions, no small children, etc.)

I just do not understand Karen's requirement to be in a 70% White/95% English speaking town. What difference does that make? I think what makes California so great is the diversity. In most major cities such as LA, San Diego, and San Jose, Whites are or will soon be no longer in the majority. It is the many different cultures which create the melting pot in California which give a unique character different from what you find in the Midwest or the South.

I know everyone keeps saying white people will no longer be the majority in CA blah blah blah. Seriously, they won't be in certain parts of major cities and some small towns but in each community there are entire sections that are white, white, white. This is not meant as a good thing or as a bad thing, just a fact. Just as there are sections of cities entirely made up of asian or hispanic or african american there are sections that are white. This is how America was settled in the first place. There still reamins sections of the larger cities where certain ethnic groups dominate the landscape. If Karen wants to live in a white area of CA she will have no trouble finding a place as there are many. Get out of your little spce and look around if you don't believe me. East bay-white, North Bay-white etc.

Fact is if you are buying a 3 bedroom home for $600K, the neighborhood is going to pretty whitebread and you won't be smack in the Barrio. I think Danville is about as "white" as you can get, but you sure pay a premium to avoid being offended by people speaking foreign languages. I am white, but my hubby is Asian. You will find that most communities (even the nice ones) have minorities with money--that is just the way it is out here and those people usually make the best neighbors.

New single story homes are hard to come by in the bay area. You are going to have to compromise somewhere.

I live in Pasadena, CA (Southern)...a very diverse city, and am not planning to move up North....with that said though, I would want to live in an area where 95% of the people spoke English and can't understand why so many are jumping on Karen for wanting the same. She already said that they lived in an area where most people did NOT speak English and she doesn't care to go through this again. I'm sure there are many Americans who only speak English that would feel the same as Karen. She is just being honest with her wishes. There is no reason to say rude statements like "we're pulling up the welcome mat....etc" She sounds like a honest and sincere person who would probably enhance any neighborhood.

I don't care if English is a 2nd language or not....but it is ridiculous that there are people who have lived in the USA/California 20+ years and have made no attempt to learn English. Locally, they offer free adult education classes where ESL classes are taught both day and night. It is widely publicized, yet these people refuse to attend the free classes. Now, this isn't right. I feel that California has bent over so far making everything written or spoken in both English and Spanish that the Hispanics in So. Cal don't feel the need to even try to learn English. They function amongst themselves very well without speaking or reading any English. But what future employment opportunities will they have if they don't at least try to become bilingual?

This has never been a issue with Asians. They quickly learn English and emphasize the importance of education within their homes. Consequently, their children excel in schools and most Asians within my community are very cultured, respected and civic minded. I wish the Hispanics would put more emphasis on trying to better themselves....trying to learn English would be a good start. They seem to put more emphasis on having their daughters married by the time the're 18. I understand that I'm talking in generalities and there are many, many exceptions. I do speak from experience though as I work in a large hospital and see it all. It is the way it IS, not the way it has to be!

Karen,

Based on your requirements, please stay out of California.

Sincerely,
A California Native

To A. Californian,

I don't see why Karen should stay out of California.

I'm a native Californian too and have lived in the state for over 40 years.

Utahtea...you can't tell a poster by it's sign on name

David,
Hardly retired.....I'm 31, married with a 3 month old daughter living in Goleta. We're living on the cheap and up to our eyeballs paying off student loans. I do max out my 401k and Roth Ira each year though so when the day does come to retire I'm able. Not too confident in the whole SS system and want to consider that as a supplement.
If I scrimp, sacrafice and save for 35 years, I sure as hell don't want the government to penalize me and reach deep in my pocket because I did plan ahead. That's something all Americans should do. If I work hard and am successful, I should reap the benefits. I'm against Gray for his over taxation, unfortunately choices for a decent Governor don't exist. Al

Al,

You sound like a redneck. I think that you would be better off in Texas or Ohio.

Certainly didn't mean to offend anyone based on my "wish" list. I live in Ft. Collins, CO. which is a very diverse, busy college town. I'm a retired Prof and now do volunteer work with animal shelters and am involved in environmental conservation. I would be willing to withdraw the request of a town that is 70% white (this part really doesn't matter to me). I WILL NOT withdraw my request to live in a town where 95% of it's residents speak English (doesn't matter if it's their 2nd or 3rd language) but I do feel strongly about being able to communicate within my own town.

Thanks to all who have been so helpful. To those of you who want to unwelcome us to California, so be it.
karen

to: xxx (xyz@xx.com),
Just what is it that Al is doing that makes you think he's a red neck.....
paying off student loans, living on a budget, saving for the future, trying to work for the benefit of his family not Uncle Sam....

????????
If he's a red neck, then we should all be so blessed.
Tom

Tom Hughs,

Read Al's post from 8/15. He undoutedly is the same person who posted under the old geezer name on 8/14. He is a definite redneck. Typical low class, undereducated, and uncultured individual who probably drives a pick-up truck with a gun in the back.

xxx, is a troll...ignore.

California has a richly diverse culture. Need I remind you that all Americans (other than Native Americans) were once immigrants and most didn't speak English as their first language. California is the 5th largest economy in the world. That is a characteristic that has been enhanced by it's diversity. I find Karen's requirement that she find a town that is 70% white (sorry, you said it... it's not easily taken back) ludicrous. As far as 85% of the people speaking English, most immigrants to California do speak English at some level. Many native born Californians could stand to be a fraction as educated as the many people who are from elsewhere and to make as many positive contributions.

A Native Californian

Marcy,

You're the troll!!

I have the utmost respect for the Asian immigrants who quickly make it a priority to learn English and stress the importance of education within their homes. I live in Cerritos, CA and we have a large Asian population. They are some of the best students in our schools, even after just several years of speaking English. It is all a matter of priorities, check out their SAT scores and you'll see I'm correct. Not sure why Hispanics can't set the same high standards....

Karen,
I for one welcome you to Northern California...which ever town you ultimately chose. So happy to hear that you do volunteer work at animal shelters, you will be most welcome here to help our homeless 4 legged friends!!
Marcy
P.S. Please ignore so many postings indicating that your "wish list" is unrealistic. I live in Petaluma myself and it sounds like you'd be very content here.

Volunteering at animal shelters and concerned about the environment??? Hurry move quickly, you will fit in perfect and we do welcome you! Karen, please ignore the ignorant remarks made by others.

And by the way xxx (who ever your are!), someone 31 who is up to their eyeballs in student loans, living in GOLETA (U.C.S.B.) doesn't sound like a redneck, undereducated person....quit smokin whatever you're on and crawl out of your rock! Nancy

Nancy,

Get back in your trailer.

Karen, don't rule out parts of San Jose either. Like any large city, some parts are nicer than others but there are some very charming areas as well and close to Los Gatos which you mentioned you like. Jen

Karen, you sure did spark some interesting discussions. I've lived in the Northgate area of Walnut Creek and now live in Danville. Please check out both. They're wonderful. Clean, good weather,low crime, nearby wineries, traffic getting worse, but where isn't it!? Also San Ramon, Pleasanton, Pleasant Hill, and Livermore. And $600,000 will get you a nice home in any of those. Nice "small town downtowns." Great restaurants, quick BART ride to downtown San Francisco, or catch the ferry at Oakland. Tony LaRussa's ARF animal shelter would welcome your volunteering!

Yes, she certainly did spark some interesting discussions. Most interesting of all, in my opinion, is why would someone want to move to the SF Bay Area, a place that prides itself on racial and ethnic diversity, only to specifically choose a community without much diversity?