Small Version of Bigger City - Eureka!
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9/1/2012
Located on the far northern California coast, Eureka is out of the way from the metropolitan madness of big cities. It is coastal, and the weather is like San Francisco. Cool, rainy winters, and very mild summers. A hot day in Eureka in July is 65F. But when the sun is out, and the sky is brilliant, and the ocean air hits you, 65F feels warm.
There's every kind of architecture you can imagine. That makes for a very interesting town. There are Victorians, craftsman, bungalow, tudor, Spanish, and many more styles scattered through out the town.
There is a terrific Old Town - about 20 square blocks of the original port area with really nice Victorian architecture, shops, restaurants, and a nice waterfront.
Cost of living is much lower here than in any of the metro areas of California. In 2012 you can still buy a 3BDR house for $200k. Humboldt county is the center of pot growing territory and that does bring some trouble up and down US 101 which runs down the middle of town, North to South. Yes, there are a fair number of street people along that strip, and crappy motels. But that is NOT Eureka - don't be fooled. People who just drive through on US 101 would not be impressed. The town lies to the east and west.
Eureka has genuine character that isn't simply painted on to a town for tourists. It was a legit fishing and logging town until logging came to an end in the 1980s. The people are solid, hard working, resourceful, tough as nails. Incomes are rather low, and everyone seems to have 3 jobs. But they make it.
It is also in the heart of the Redwoods and you can get into beautiful forests in 30 minutes from Old Town. There is no industry here to speak of, so jobs are all in the "miscellaneous" category. You gotta be resourceful.
RedwoodGuy | Eureka, CA