SperlingViews - Eureka, California

I've lived in Eureka for six years now. The prices on housing are totally out of control. Good paying jobs are few and far between and the pittance wage paid by the chain stores doesn't even begin to cover actual cost of living here. Tweekers abound. This town is completely full of them. It's full of potheads too, but you don't have to worry about one of THEM robbing you the way you do with tweekers. The main strip going through town, the 101, aka, Broadway, is drug and gross motel central. Druggies walking the streets all day and night. Not a place to let kids run and play outside. The weather is pretty lousy. It's always cold and overcast, foggy and windy. Eureka stays under a cloud while surrounding towns are sunny. The summers are anemic, with high temps around 70 if you're lucky. It rains ALL winter and spring, and it gets old fast. Everything is always wet and moldy. By the time this place dries out in the summer, it's raining again. Crime is pretty high, as it seems to be all over America's dying small towns. The only plus in this place aside from the remnants of Victorian architecture that pocket the town, is the redwoods region it's self. You can drive 10 minutes out of town and be in the forest. If you want to move to this region, and you have the cash, I suggest places like Freshwater, McKinleyville, Ferndale, Fieldbrook, Hydesville, and Trinidad. Those are super cute places that are close to Eureka and are lovely to live in. The trouble is, you'll need to basically be a millionaire to live there. If you're a working class person, you're stuck here in crappy Eureka. After six years of this place, and no hope of being able to afford ANYTHING else here in super expensive Humboldt County, we're ready to leave. The exodus away from this place of high crime, drugs, no jobs, and crazy living expenses continues unabated.[read more...]

Beautiful redwood and beaches! You are five hours drive to any big metro-area to any direction. Target and Costco are the big retails in town. There are not a lot of jobs here. Homeless people are part of downtown Eureka and Arcata. Don't move here if you want to raise a normal family with young children. It takes more than a year to get a popular dentist appointment. The wait to see a reputable pediatrician is more than six month and they direct you to the ER if you haven't established a doctor-and-patient relationship. Don't be fooled by the non-profit label, they are out to get your last penny. See my review for Health care. [read more...]

It's a remote part of CA, beautiful and quiet. If you are young and healthy, have no fear. But if you are ready and looking for a retirement home, beware of the limited heath provider choices. A normal chest X-ray would cost $500+, not including physician's fees. If you have advanced cancer or other serious illness, be prepared to be bankrupt and donate your life savings to the local hospital if you don't die prematurely by surgery or radiation. Ultimately profit must be made somewhere and the local hospital is probably the greatest industry in town not counting marijuana related economy.[read more...]

this place is the biggest craphole i have ever lived in my life it is never above 60 rarely 55 it is windy foggy and cloudy almost everyday litterally there are hotels lining the down town street that you could never imagine staying in unless you were homeless or a hardore drug addict it would honestly be cleaner to sleep outside the streets and parking lots are full of trashe there are tweekers junkies and homeless everywere the state supplies them with foodstamps and other homeless checks monthley not caring at all about that there using the states money to buy drugs this place sucks all i do is smoke weed and i could not stand it in thsi shithole it is by far the worst part of humboldt county u can drive 8 miles inland tho and the weather is wonderful eureka sucks though i honestly have been to almost everytown in humboldt county and there are sum that arent really towns but there all ok but when you enter eureka for your first second you get a wierd gloomy dark wierd vibe that is not good at all fuck this palce[read more...]

The Redwood Coast of Northern California stays between 45 and 55 degrees teh vast majority of the year. Extended periods of sun and warmth are few and far between. There is alot of fog. [read more...]

I too used to live there. Every since the day I left I cannon wait to go back. The environment, the people, the things to do. Like walking out your from door to the beautiful redwoods. If you are looking for a "city evironment" then this is not for you. When I lived there, there were so many people who were from there that moved away for whatever reason and sure enough they came back. Their words" no place is like here, this is where you want to raise a family" Maybe it is not for you, but I am counting down the days to my return behind the Redwood Curtain. GO HIPPIES!!!![read more...]

i think you all are being unfair i lived in eureka for 7 years and i loved it, yeah the housing cost suck but eurekas beaches and redwood forest more than make up for that. The people are cool too like my friend Bob White.[read more...]

Do not come here. I only live because I have to for my job. I will leave as soon as I can transfer out. The people are ignorant. They voted to keep out a Wal-Mart. I guess they didn't want the unemployment rate to go down here, but no matter what major store you walk into like Staples, Target or Kmart the people cannot help you anyway because they are all stupid. You cannot even get a good cable company here in banjo pickin country. I guess not taking a shower is a requirement. The hippies make me sick.[read more...]

We moved up here from Phoenix, AZ three years ago and have yet to regret anything! The value of the cost of housing is reasonable, jobs are plentiful, and the natural beauty of the area absolutely incredible! I've travelled many other parts of the country but find this area a cut above the rest. We love the culture and laid back feeling of the area. We are here to stay![read more...]

Slum town, old town, fog, wind and city click. I grew up here. Lady lives downtown, one of the slums in Eureka since they put in the mall. So many changes have happened. Why homes are so high priced is beyond me. Part time jobs are always available. Professional jobs are few and far apart and usually you have to know someone. For a small town there is a lot of gang activity, druggies all over the place with hippie attitudes taking over from Arcata. Want your children taught by hippies? Good place to move from. I was away for awhile but spent the last thirteen years there and then moved. Get involved? Unless you kiss some tail, you'll always be an outsider. Suppressed area in every way except the people with money run the place and they'll tell you so![read more...]

I lived in Eureka for 10 years. It's got a beautiful environment and nice people, but housing costs are insane. Another negative about that part of California in general is that there are many, many methamphetimine addicts. While I feel sorry for people with this addiction, it really degrades the quality of life in the area when such a large proportion of the population is addicted to such a horrible drug. Other negatives are the high gasoline prices, limited educational opportunities, and difficulty obtaining health insurance (five years ago, the State of California allowed the HMO's to "dump" all the rural areas -- so all that's available are generally poor quality PPO services.) If you have a bundle of money though and can afford it... it's still a great place to live. I remember hearing the surf off our deck, watching my dogs running in the yard, surrounded by redwoods.... very idyllic.[read more...]

Eureka was the first capitol of California & was built in 1850 from the profits of gold & lumber. After the gold & lumber resources were exhausted, Eureka was pretty much forgotten about by anyone who needed to make a living. The last few decades have left many of the working age people who live in the city of Eureka in poverty & without economic opportunities. The other areas in Humboldt County are not quite the same as Eureka & in fact the towns north of Eureka (Arcata,Mckinleyville & Trinidad) are actually pretty expensive to get into. The entire Humboldt area attracts people who are interested in Art,Nature & Education ,therefore you will find alot of people here who either don't want to or don't need to work including students,artists,homeless,hippies and the retired. If you are an average joe who is interested in the average American lifestyle-this is NOT the area for you, if you are an artist or eccentric who's interested in the funny, odd or unique-you may like it.[read more...]

Living in Eureka was a five month nightmare. Seduced by the redwoods, my boyfriend and I moved up from Sacramento eager to live in a coastal climate, liberal environment and with low cost of living. What we found was dirty, depressing, drug ridden city and constant conflict between the loggers and the tree sitters. The house shortage is unreal, we lived in an apartment that was really awful and our landlords were nothing short of exploitive. The housing was almost as bad as the job market. The market is so competitive and there were so few jobs that people felt lucky just get minimum wage work working crazy hours. I finally found a job only to lose it one day later because the owner had already hired someone else when the manager hired me. Eureka is riddled with drug addicts, and not the kind you would associate normally with Humboldt. I would frequently find hypodermic needles in the gutters and city parks, also the white Supremicists like to hang out in Redwood Park. This is unfortunate because it is a beautiful place where people bring their children. The bottom line is, there isn't much that's good about Eureka. It is a very depressing and very economically depressed place. If you want to move to Humboldt County, choose Cutten, Arcata, Fortuna or one of the other lovely little cities along the coast (Ferndale is adorable). I still love Humboldt and its gorgeous redwood country, but Eureka was not good to us, and we moved back to Sacramento 5 months after we arrived.[read more...]

Yes, Eureka has the ocean and the redwood trees. But that is it. It is located in the middle of Humboldt County, which is the pot capital of the world. It has a high welfare population. The drug meth is starting to take over. I have lived here all my life and I am moving this summer. You CAN NOT afford to live here. The housing prices are crazy. Nothing is less than 300,000. You can not be a young family and make it in Eureka. The gas prices are the highest in the nation. why do we pay 3.10 a gallon. It may be a nice place to visit for a day, cause there is nothing to do here, but do not move here, you will be sorry.[read more...]

I just want to say I totally disagree with the negative comments previously posted here. My husband and I moved to Eureka in 1998 from San Francisco, and it was the best thing we ever did. We run an internet-based business, live downtown, and are actively involved in the community. And that's the key--getting involved. Yes, Eureka has issues, but what city doesn't? If you're just going to sit around and gripe about it, nothing's going to change and yeah, you should go to Colorado or wherever, who needs you here? But for those of us that care about this town and maintaining the unique quality of life that Eureka is known for, we choose to use our skills and know-how to make it better. And it has, things have improved 1000% since we got here, thanks to hard work, investments and the care and concern of our neighbors and business associates. The downtown area is flourishing, homes are being restored, and things are looking up. So, come to Eureka if you want to live in a place where people do smile and say hello and you know your neighbors, your bankers, and your community. [read more...]

After having relocated to Eureka from the Bay Area and living here for nearly two years, my entire family is very excited about our relocation plans to Colorado. The City of Eureka and Humboldt County do indeed offer a few advantages to first-time visiting tourists such as a handful of unique restaurants, boutiques and stunning looking Victorian structures. It also has access to a nice marina and the ocean with incredible access to the most beautiful redwood trees on earth. On the flip side, the town has: an overall run-down look of neglect in several neighborhoods; homelessness; beggars; drug users; high unemployment; very few job opportunities; no decent stores to buy good clothes, lots of hippies, rednecks and malcontent individuals; a laissez-faire attitude and concern when it comes to the rampant growing, using, selling, and distributing of marijuana and other illicit drugs very openly and freely with little or no fear from law enforcement; an openly hostile and unwelcome attitude towards new businesses or residents from outside the area, particularly when it comes to new businesses or ideas that threaten the status quo; a tremendous feeling of isolation and remoteness pervades the entire town on all levels and is evident in all aspects of daily living and business enterprise.[read more...]

Welcome to Eureka! a Beautiful place to live and raise a family. Of course I am a local politician, but don't hold that against me, it's only been for the last four years of my 59 years here on the earth. I went to all the grammar schools , Jr. Highs and High School and still visit weekly with old school friends. (reminds me a a couple of good stories, but there is not enough space for them ) There is so much going for our area, considering that the tax base of the lumber industry and fishing industry have all but dried up. Unfortunately we are a very strong governmental pay check with a city and county presence ( we are the County seat ), State, via Cal Trans and a Junior College and a State University,both of good enrollment. Have a few things drifted our way,yes. Do we have entities and people working on all our problems ( and who doesn't have them )a resounding, YES! Do we have State mandated progams and a City Budget that is still recovering from the State of California raids to cover their debt. Come to Eureka to see for yourself and give me a call at 707-441-4171 and I will give you a personal tour. There are lots of people trying to help make this a better place to live, just like in your own backyard, I am sure, but in my eyes, Eureka is a great place to live. Mike [read more...]

This is a comment on a comment: AC, your report regarding Eureka, CA gave me the best laugh I've had in days! If nothing else, at least wonderful wittiness, as demonstrated by your post, is fostered from there. Could it be a result of "something in the air up there"?[read more...]

Ulysses S. Grant became an alcoholic and had a nervous breakdown here (Fort Humboldt). If you live in Eureka for a while, you start to understand why. Grant was probably driven to win the civil war for fear he'd be sent back here if he lost. It's very isolated . . . 5 hours drive to Sacramento, 5-6 to San Francisco and 8-9 hours to Portland. There are limited flights out of Arcata ($250-$499 to San Francisco), but it can be hell getting out of the airport in foggy weather, and if you have to get out at short notice, sometimes impossible. Humboldt State University has some good concerts, and but local entertainment and activities are for the most part awful. The city is on the ocean, but developed in such a way that there is limited water access. A stinky factory and several ugly industrial sites line the waterfront. Luckily, the coastal fog that blankets the city 10 months out of 12 shields one's eyes from the horror most of the time. And, if you dislike sunshine and summer heat, you'll love the cold spells that pervade through most of July and August. Happiness is guaranteed in Eureka if you are a pot-smoking, overgrown hippie who enjoys hot yoga and folk dancing, or an inconsiderate, loud redneck with a bullet-ridden pick-up truck that doubles as a meth lab. It doesn't really matter what you do for a living, but if you have one of these mindsets, you will probably be an immense social success here. You will soon gather a huge collection of friends and family who are exactly like you. [read more...]

I've lived in Humboldt County my entire life (19 years). It's beautiful, there is no traffic, and the people have not yet discovered vanity. Jeans and a sweatshirt pretty much do it for the year-round 60 degrees. Eighty degrees in June is just as shocking as the 70 degrees we sometimes experience in December. If you like sunshine, don't come here. It's foggy and rains from November to June with a break in May. Eureka does smell. Thanks to a local wealthy family, it's starting to look nice, but these nice-looking buildings have nothing to offer, such as jobs and recreation. It's all local businesses. That's why Eureka was the only town in America to reject a Walmart. Although, we recently received a Target. Other than the outdoors (which get old) there is nothing to do here. I'd say, if you're looking for a laid-back, beautiful place to live in an expensive, crappy house, this is the place for you. Otherwise, look elsewhere.[read more...]