Sebastopol and Guerneville - Why Are They Not Mentioned

Hi,
New to these forums ... and just trying to find a Small Liberal town with Organic Farms and a sense of Social Justice ...
I note that Guerneville and Sebastopol are not mentioned on the City Profiles page. I have not been to either town and am very curious. Nearby Santa Rosa, CA was ranked the #1 "Foodie" town recently, based in part on the number of organic farms!

From the net, they are both very socially liberal, pro-gay rights:love:, with organic farms, and Sebastapol is even a Nuclear Free Zone with Solar Panels lining the Streets! Why are they not mentioned on forums?

Also, why is there so much bad press about many towns here on this forum as being snobbish, and unable to provide affordable housing, and house the homeless (such as Ashland, Oregon)? Coming from a City with a metro of 4 million, the standard approach here is to build homeless shelters, both private and public, and both secular and religious. And, people are never snobbish, and there are (were!) plenty of jobs. Are these factors not the case in small liberal towns?

Also, why are there so many articles of boobie-trapped Mountain Bike trails in California, Oregon, and New Mexico from illegal pot growing operations? Since Medical Marijuana is legal in both states, why is there an underground economy of illegal marijuana? Isn't it easy in all three of these states to get a card?

If trails are too dangerous in Marin and Sonoma Counties then I would not move there.

Also, where can I find a place that isn't run by the Rich and the Elite? For example, Santa Fe, Ashland, Flagstaff, and Sebastopol all are very rich, with no middle class.

Sebastopol voted for an Urban Growth Boundary, to keep the Poor out of town, and only the Rich can afford to live in the City limits.

Whereas Guerneville does not have such a boundary, and housing is cheap and has appreciated over the last year - about $250,000 per house, and only $20,000+ for a quarter acre lot.

 

I think you're right. How about Joshua Tree, California? That is, the Town of Joshua Tree, California. I don't hear anything Joshua Tree, either. I've been through there several times, never spending that much time. However, it could evolve into a low cost art community for starving artists and writers. You can rent a cabin on 5 acres for $500 a month - although having not seeing one of these, I cannot endorse their quality. Anyone lived there?

Crestone, Colorado is another place, that you never hear anything about (although I haven't checked this web site, yet).

On another note - Why is it that the Very Elite Rich have taken over places like Boulder, Bend, Santa Cruz, and Ashland with their Urban Growth Boundaries and Expensive Mansions and Condo Towers?

Guerneville does not have an urban growth boundary and housing is cheaper than Seattle, Boulder, or Portland !

I mean, what starving Artist or Musician can afford to pay $2000 for a tiny condo, on the 10th floor of a condo tower over Boulder?

The alternative is a cabin on 1 to 5 acres in Guerneville or Joshua Tree, CA.

Without access to land, how can the hippy movement SURVIVE ?

 

Yes indeed - your words " Creative and Flexible" are what I've been trying to do for quite some time, since discovering that the Elite Rich have taken over Boulder and many other places ...

Like many cities, Boulder residents established their very own private urban growth boundary in the 1960's, to allow only the very rich and elite to live inside the city. It's a very hip place if you're trendy, but if you're like me and don't follow trends, it doesn't work. And if you're into organic farms, they're all outside of town...

Durango (on the western side of Colorado) - does NOT have an urban growth boundary and is MUCH cheaper - and has better weather and is more relaxed than Boulder.

Nederland, CO is a mini-Boulder type place at 9,000 feet above Boulder but I don't like it due to the winters. Salida, CO is another mini-Boulder.

Santa, Fe, NM is now controlled by the Rich Elite, however, there are cheaper and much more Liberal places nearby that are still down to earth (like Placitas, NM near Albuquerque, and areas in Santa Fe County).

I have not been to Sonoma County. I suspect from what I've read that the Russian River towns like Guerneville and Interior communities like Sebastopol are lesser known places that are much more laid back that cities that The Elite Rich have taken over.

I may actually retract my comment(s) on Ashland. Their urban growth boundary was established by the State of Oregon, by State Law.

Since the Ashland residents love organic farms, I am not so sure that the alternative and liberal folks who moved there in the 1960's would have elected to separate Agricultural from City land, as State Law requires (for every city in Oregon).

If you've been through there, you know what I mean. The town just ends, with all these homes (urban sprawl) jammed against farmland - a very unsightly view of rooftops on tiny lots, and then farmland. Not very aesthetic....and I don't think the Artistic community there likes it.

 

My responses in BLUE BELOW

 

....I just found this link to the Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce. You can buy 5 acres for as low as $6000 so there is no elite in charge of the real estate there ! :sunny:

Anyone been there?

http://www.joshuatreechamber.org/community.html

And they have an art community and one or more health food stores. Would they welcome organic farmers ? On that note here are Trulia Property Prices -

http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Joshua_Tree,CA/FARM|RANCH,LOT|LAND,INCOME|INVESTMENT_type/2_p/