NORTHERN California!

[wilbilt]

examples of what questions i have:
where in norcal is there agriculture land , chicken friendly mountain people? from what we google we are thinking stockton or redding ,i always thought i would find mobile homes with a little land for reasonable prices (reasonable in this market) in humboldt county but i seem to only be finding properties close to the ocean which naturally is more expensive , we found lots of affordable homes in mariposa and one in lake county - between 50- 89k (even saw some awesome off the grid homes) we want to be secluded , possibly in a fixer upper (a house in need of tlc) , and in a place where neighbors are far and livestock is plenty lol

Forget about Stockton. An urban area with high crime. Not chicken friendly mountain people.
Redding and other areas on the eastern side of the valley are likely what you are looking for. Oroville, Quincy, Challenge, Honcut, Palermo, Bangor, Brownsville, La Porte, Paradise, Magalia, Susanville, Berry Creek, etc. Avoid Chico except for shopping.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Stockton does have higher crime. I also agree with Chico - college party town.

Quincy is beautiful, but may be too far out for you. Closest major shopping area is Reno, at least an hours drive. I have spent a considerable amount of time in Plumas county and am very familiar with it. Quincy also gets a lot of snow. Also, if you need access to a hospital, the nearest one is in Portola - a 30 minute drive in good weather.

 

[JP101010]

Thanks for all your replies . We are now considering some areas inland in Socal.. its not exactly where we want to be but im finding awesome prices on real estate near bakersfield , maricopa and kern county in general. Also its 3 hours from my aunt in OC
( I cant believe googles estimated 9 hour drive from humboldt to orange

)............ as of right now kern county has the least restrictions related to 215 (total opposite of what i thought as far as northern vs southern CA)... either way the search is ongoing, but i still think North CA would be a better fit for us ..

 

[capayvalleychick]

Hi JP101010,
Just noticed this thread. I've lived in CA all my life. First 20 yrs. in San Diego Co. then moved to Davis (mid state but considered N CA) for 19 yrs, then moved 40 miles north to an isolated rural agricultural area known as Capay Valley. I went through total culture shock with each move because people & environment were so very different. In San Diego Co. I lived very close to the beach and never wanted to leave as a child. By the time I was an adult, the entire area had changed. It had become a crowded urban area with no open space, gangs & drugs in the schools. A narcissistic, hedonistic, culture based on conspicuous consumption. I didn't want to raise my kids there, so moved to Davis, a very liberal university town. While I was there, Davis was a smallish town and a good place to raise kids. Davis takes liberalism to an extreme and is known as the People's Republic of Davis. Chickens in backyards are encouraged and they have a coop tour by bicycle each year. (Another note about San Diego-I think the city recently passed a law to allow chickens & small goats in urban yards.)
Davis also started to grow, traffic got worse, ag areas were built upon. We started looking for affordable land and ended up 40 miles away in NW Yolo County. Open space is the norm here, 20 acres is the smallest lot size. Living here is like stepping back in time. Families & kids are more like the old days. There is a mix of people. Lots of organic farms. I think this area has more CSAs/direct farm sales than anywhere in the country. In contrast there are also oldtimers/cowboy/redneck types. It's definitely an ag area, anything ag related is allowed & encouraged. Land prices fluctuate and are low again right now.
I don't know anything about 215 except that the product has been available everywhere I've ever been and there are people here who are patients and have access without issue.
IMO, I would never go back to S CA again. The coast used to be perfect but has been ruined. Bakersfield is awful, hot, ugly, boring. Don't know about Kern or Maricopa but those S CA flatlands go on forever and just don't seem appealing. I saw a nice area around Mariposa when delivering a cow. They do have large predator problems but love that area.
I don't know anything about the Central Coast but it looks nice and most is not so crowded. Upper N CA on the coast, Humboldt, Mendocino are heavenly. I would live there except there is no work for my contractor husband and we can't afford the land prices. Sonoma & most of Napa Counties are also highly desirable but not affordable. Lake County is affordable but is less desirable. Summers are very hot, which is true of most of lower elevation, inland CA. (Redding is one of the hottest places in the state in the summer!) I love the Cobb/Kelseyville area and rural Upper Lake looked like it might be nice.
The foothills on the east side of N CA are nice. Some areas are very crowded. NE CA is dry and desert like and has water problems.
Driving from one end of the state to another is a whole day trip. I-5 through S CA is sooo boring.
About health certificates, I just had to deal with that when selling pigs to different states. You need to check the requirements for bringing animals into CA. Every state is different. The state didn't charge me anything but I had to fill out paperwork and get permits that allow my livestock to be tracked by the government, which I wasn't happy about. What did cost me was paying the vet to come out and fill out a health certificate. She charges $55. per certificate and a $100 ranch call. So if you have a less expensive vet, a health certificate might not be so expensive. I hope that CA is more understanding about pigs than AZ, who did not seem to understand the concept of pet or breeding animals as opposed to meat animals.
I am sorry to hear about your illness and wish you the best with everything.
Kim

 

[Bigtreeschick]

Is there anyone who lives in the mountains of northern california tolumme county?

 

[Bigtreeschick]

Hello Everyone , My hubby and I have a micro farm here in Florida but we may be moving to north CA . We will know for sure within 3 weeks ,I am awaiting test results for a neuro-degenerative , slow progressing terminal illness and may have no choice but to move to a prop 215 state >as this is the only known treatment to delay onset.(trying to keep this post family friendly) not that i would mind , I love CA and spent 2 months out of every summer growing up around orange county where my aunt lives. we want to stay north in Cali and would be wondering if you all would be able to share with me some thoughts on different areas , weather , chicken keeping etc.
BTW we would be moving 9 chickens , 2 ducks , 1 peahen , a Pot belly pig , a giant aquatic turtle and 9 dogs.... eeekkkk ... anybody have experience with going cross country with livestock.. I read that CA needs a health cert for poultry entering the state but thats going to be super expensive .... sooo

lets just say they are southern exotic ground dwelling parrots while they are crossing the California border

examples of what questions i have:
where in norcal is there agriculture land , chicken friendly mountain people? from what we google we are thinking stockton or redding ,i always thought i would find mobile homes with a little land for reasonable prices (reasonable in this market) in humboldt county but i seem to only be finding properties close to the ocean which naturally is more expensive , we found lots of affordable homes in mariposa and one in lake county - between 50- 89k (even saw some awesome off the grid homes) we want to be secluded , possibly in a fixer upper (a house in need of tlc) , and in a place where neighbors are far and livestock is plenty lol
weather wise- im clueless?
bear wise im even more clueless??? we are used to raccoons being the biggest threat so im sure we will need the scoop on bear proofing
any other important considerations on location or livestock issues?
any and all advice is appreciated!

Well calaveras county is nice if u don't move above like 4000 feet then it doesn't snow although cold in the winter and very secluded up here dogs love it. People are kind to chicken owners. Property is mainly cheap for rent and buy. Raccoons and bears are common but barking dogs will keep them at bay. If u don't mind snow u might move up closer to a ski resort called bear valley. Almost no one lives up there. A little town called camp Connell I think... Has quite a few houses for sale very secluded. A friend has a cabin up there I love it! More details if u would like.

 

[redchicken9]

Hi all,
I live in the Sierra Foothills, 25 minutes from Marysville and Oroville, 15 minutes to Penn Valley, 30 minutes to Grass Valley, 1 hour to Auburn, 35 minutes to Lincoln. All places I just mentioned have nice land and a variety of houses with acreage. Some are flatter (Lincoln, Marysville), rolling hills (Browns Valley, Penn Valley), some snow Grass Valley, Auburn. Keep closer to Sacramento and Roseville if you need particular medical services. We're 45 minutes from Roseville, 1 hour to Sacramento, 50 minutes to Chico. Just my 2 cents. We bought for dimes on the dollar in Yuba County. Good-luck!

 

[JP101010]

Well calaveras county is nice if u don't move above like 4000 feet then it doesn't snow although cold in the winter and very secluded up here dogs love it. People are kind to chicken owners. Property is mainly cheap for rent and buy. Raccoons and bears are common but barking dogs will keep them at bay. If u don't mind snow u might move up closer to a ski resort called bear valley. Almost no one lives up there. A little town called camp Connell I think... Has quite a few houses for sale very secluded. A friend has a cabin up there I love it! More details if u would like.

Thanks bigtreeschick and yes more details lol . as of now our plan is to buy a 30ft + travel trailer down here , and buy an acre or more in cali- unite the two and hang out until my disability kicks in- working is getting very difficult. the trailer is self contained and we budgeted for a few solar panel kits etc. homesteading / living off the grid has always been a dream for us. I really would love advice on where to find cheap , raw or somewhat raw secluded land- i am checking craigslist , landwatch.com , landsofamerica.com , and the penny saver

Redchicken- im dying to know how you located the cheap land in yuba!

Also because of the RV and the chickens, pig and dogs and cultivating medicine , im going crazay checking every property i find through municode.com to make sure we are all set , zoned and ready to be left alone haha.

In case anyone is wondering if hubby and i have lost our minds- (9 small dogs & a giant RV) , we may have lol no , we have a plan to make sure we have at least 650 sq feet and 2 bedrooms , the second will be converted from bunks to dog beds , and other than 3 of my little disabled boogers , the rest of them will be romping outside occasionally coming in through a custom doggie door. as for the pig and chickens , we plan to fence in the acre within the first week of our arrival an we are picking up a home depot garden shed for a coop - other than that me , hubby and out furry feathered menagarie will be free range within our land

My appt for my results disclosure is on tuesday the 27th, so we will know for sure if we are moving on that date.

 

[JP101010]

and.. i guess since i researched the fact that i will get stopped at one of the many (16 ) border inspections entering CA that i will have to get a bajillion health certificates for everyone (still have to call CA state vet and verify) which the whole thing wont be so bad , im leaving a job here in FL at an overnight emergency vet clinic so my boss will help me out. on another note i think it was plumas co (?) i read the co ordinance stating all pot bellied pigs must be sterilized - which is nuts because if you acquire a pig over one year of age or older , an honest veterinarian will tell you the odds of that adult male pig making it through surgery are not good and odds get worse as the pig ages-simple castration is not advised because in an adult pig it usually causes a human aversion , aggression and personality changes-- ohh well , percy didnt want to go to plumas county anyways

and another county(i forget which one I have researched soo many its makin my head spin) you can only have 3 dogs- no exceptions- not even the option to buy a kennel license from the county---?!?!?! thats weird too because the last time i checked , i lived in america lmao
I am finding that mendocino and modoc especially are pretty much live and let live- my kinda county!!
right now im finding cheap , i mean cheap acre + --- desert land in kern for like 1-3k and much nicer pine land in modoc for 3-7k

 

[HighNDryFarm]

Have you looked into Butte County? That's where I live. Any questions I can help with let me know. I haven't had any issues with the county. I live in the county outside of the town of Paradise. I own businesses in Paradise but wouldn't want to live in the town limits.