Reply to Would you move to Monterey, CA?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We currently live in Monterey.  Schools are not great, even Carmel Unified and PG Unified offer far less than just about any district in DMV. Things like busses to and from school or afterschool activities do not exist here.  Unless you have the money for Stevenson, you will be underwhelmed. Most of the other private schools in the area are mediocre at best.  The local community colleges are wonderful and are partnering with local public high schools offering dual enrollment which is promising. There are tons of opportunities if you look for them, STEM programs for girls and boys, sports, though much smaller than DMV.  No lacrosse but water polo is big. I really like that at the high school level, kids can join any sport without having played it prior. It’s a small community so everyone gets a chance to play.  Local music and theater options for kids and adults are plentiful if you or your children are interested in that.  Monterey Jazz Festival is wonderful and they have a great student program. It’s beautiful, there is a farmer’s market somewhere nearby every day of the week, hiking, camping, water sports etc.  We now have paddle boards, surf boards, boogie boards and an array of wetsuits and swim year round.  We live within walking distance to the beach and downtown Monterey.  It’s a very walkable, bikeable area.  My teens easily meet with their friends to hang out, volunteer at the Aquarium, go to sports games, meet at the Sports Center etc They take thier bikes or walk mostly.  
The weather is great, about 65 degrees all year long. It took me a while to get used to the fact that we keep our sliding glass door open without a screen.  No reason to worry about bugs.  
We get fog but live in the sunbelt of Monterey (and husband and I also work in the sunbelt) so even during “June gloom” we get our daily sun.  Pacific Grove and Carmel are foggier than Monterey.  Carmel Valley is a great close year escape if you need sun.  
Monterey Peninsula is a little bubble.  Traffic is so much better than DMV.  There is some, but it takes both me and my husband less than 10 minutes to get home from work everyday.   
We go into San Jose or San Frnacisco for shoes/exhibits several times a year.  For example Went to Hamilton in 2017 and we went to a Foo Fighters concert this week in San Jose.  Jerry Seinfeld is in town in a couple of weeks at a local theater here and we have tickets to go.  
It’s a small town so everyone knows everyone, there is good and bad with that.  Also, this area is not very diverse.  PG and Carmel are virtually 100% white.  The only diversity in the area comes from DLI and the Naval Postgraduate School as the military is far more diverse than the local
Community.  Monterey County overall by population is majority Hispanic, but Monterey, PG and Carmel (along with Big Sur)  are mostly white.  The rest of the county is mostly Hispanic.  Monterey County has the highest unemployment rate in the state.  It’s not perfect.
Housing is ridiculously expensive.  Really crappy 2 bedroom homes rent for over $3000 a month and sell for close to $850 to $1 mil in Monterey.  PG and Carmel are higher.  Monterey Salinas Highway can be cheaper but the traffic is a bummer if you are commuting to Monterey for work.  Seaside and Marina are less expensive but not by very much.  There is new housing in Marina and Seaside.  A 4 bedroom will cost about $1 mil in those areas and you will want to send your kids to private schools unless you do a charter and your kids applies and attends MAOS at Monterey High.  It’s not Silicon Valley, but it’s expensive. Housing is more affordable and newer in Salinas but you pay in the commute.  Gang violence is an issue in Salinas in some areas too.  
I still wouldn’t trade it for NOVA.[/quote]

This is OP - thank you for this detailed overview.  Where you live within Monterey sounds ideal.  One question, where exactly is the “sunbelt” in Monterey?[/quote]

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