Reviews & Comments
Salinas, CA
Nice moderate climate; but too expensive. -
9/8/2006Salinas has a cool, foggy summer and a nice warm "Indian summer" in the fall. Look at Sperling's Comfort Index (78) and you'll see that it's a very comfortable climate in which to live. However, the cost of living (esp. housing) is outrageous. We were fortunate enough to have purchased our house 16 years ago (for 204,000) and it's now worth around 800,000. But, that just means we have to stay in this house and can't move to another neighborhood unless we're willing to forego our current property taxes of $2200 per year and have it jump up to 8 or 9 grand per year!
People complain about the gangs in Salinas; but I've lived here 16 years and have never had a problem with my house being robbed, or witnessing any other crimes. Look at Sperling's Crime Index for Salinas (6-7) and you'll see it's comparable to smaller, "quieter" communities in other states such as Brandon, FL.