Sebastopol, California

Moving to west Sebastopol/close to Freestone fire risk?

I live in south west Sebastopol (off Bloomfield) and can attest that the risk of actual fire isn’t what you should be worried about. Loosing power is the larger issue.

When we have fires, it’s usually in some parts to high winds, and when that happens PG&E has been known to turn the power off, some times for multiple days at a time in the very worst cases.

I’ve had to evacuate my house I think 3 times in the last 5 years due to the threat of fire, but I’ve never really felt my house was in any actual danger of burning down. The air quality where I live is fantastic, plenty removed from city pollution. Not much you can do when it’s fire season though, the whole county will be covered in smoke unfortunately.

On a different note, my wife and I love Sebastopol! We’ve lived in SoCo for the majority of our lives (both 26) and have found Sebastopol to be the perfect fit for us! If having your choice of 7 different grocery stores is the kinda thing your into, this is your place!! Lol, locals will get it.

Anyone heard of Forrestville

Live in Santa Rosa or Sebastopol. We moved from the Bay to Sebastopol 12 years ago and love it. It’s a pretty liberal area and very laid back. We’re an interracial couple and live in town. Plenty of different activities to choose from too. Close drive to Santa Rosa and Petaluma for nightlife/entertainment. Just be aware a lot of places close by 8pm especially farther into west county.

Anyone heard of Forrestville

It's cute and very small. Unfortunately their only high school just got closed down so that tells you the dwindling amount of young people there. I would suggest as a WOC you live in Sebastopol, Windsor, or the west side of Santa Rosa. All these are short drives and depending on what part of those cities you live, it's a nice drive with no traffic. I will say my favorite deli sandwiches are from Speers Market in Forestville and there are some great Russian River access points there.

Exploring possible places to live. Would Santa Rosa be a good fit for me? ( description in post)

• 31 yo single woman with no pets
• income will probably be around 80k ( I just graduated and have no experience so I'll be getting the lower end of the salary range)
• I'm hoping to work in a hospital doing in patient occupational therapy but I'm open to other options
• Very outdoorsy person- I LOVE hiking. I plan to get a bike when I move too. I would like moderate walkability so I can wander around on the weekends.
• Looking for a little bit of nightlife, some danceable bars and places to hang out with friends
• Looking for a place with a variety of things to do. I'm finally done with school and I'm ready to explore different things now that I will actually have free time.
• Looking for an LGBTQ friendly area. San Francisco isn't far so it doesn't necessarily have to be a wide dating pool. I want an area where the hospitals and amenities will be safe to access. I'm in Oklahoma right now and my god, the contempt the staff has is terrifying.

The major cities/towns are LGBTQ accepting, if not friendly, but the rural countryside can be so-so/iffy. Guerneville is (I assume it still is) a popular place for LGBTQ, but the town occasionally floods every several years. Sebastopol is another LGBTQ friendly town; it's a great, artsy place with a small-town feel.

Lots of outdoorsy things to do, but I have no idea if the campgrounds have reopened.

However, once you're exhausted the outdoorsy stuff and the wine and beer tasting, I'm not sure what else there is to do. I'm not sure I'd categorize the area as "young and vibrant" (but I'd love to be wrong). Lots of older people here (I think I finally qualify as one). Nightlife is nearly nonexistent, and most places close by 9pm, although there are a couple coffee houses and pizza shops open late. I'm not sure, but I've heard that Petaluma has something resembling nightlife.

Cost of living here is outrageous. Housing is crazy high, food prices are high, and gas prices are going up and up (that $6.30/gal for gas is not wrong -- I think it's going higher, too).

All three major hospitals in Santa Rosa are just about on top of the huge-*ss earthquake fault that runs roughly parallel to 101. I think they say that there's a 33% of a huge earthquake happening in the next 50 (or was it 100?) years.

And then there's Fire Season and the possible evacuations.

3 Things to Know About Living In Sebastopol | Sonoma County Breakdown