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tad brunton's review of Healdsburg California
Are you thinking of moving or relocating to Healdsburg, California? Would you like to know what the quality of life is like living in Healdsburg?
| Weather | | Safety | | Neighborhoods | | People | | Healdsburg, like a lot of towns near the California coast, has a Mediterranean climate. It's pretty comfortable all year round, temperature wise. It rarely snows and frost hits the town only once every few years for a day or two and then vanishes for several more years. Rain happens, but mostly it's sunny. No hurricanes or tornados like back east and once in a while there is an earthquake, but that can happen anywhere in California. Healdsburg is in the middle of wine country and the weather has to be ideal to grow grapes. | | This town has no murders or gang problems and suffers only from minor thefts and burglaries. Basically, anything that is left out and unattended or unlocked is fair game for opportunists or thieves, as they are commonly called. Leave your unlocked bike in front of the store while you hurry in for one minute and chances are it will be gone when you come out. Leave you car window rolled down or the doors unlocked and anything of value left inside will simple vanish when you return. Guaranteed. | | There are plenty of very nice places to live in Healdsburg, if you can afford them. Some of the homes in the southwest areas of this town are safe, secure and affordable if you have several million dollars to spend on housing. Between Westside Rd on the east and Mill Creek Rd. on the west, there are plenty of gated communities that cater to the well-off and the homes come in all styles, from Victorian Modern to ranch style. The places that are less expensive, that is, apartment rentals, are located generally to the east of Highway 101, between Healdsburg Ave. to the south and Passalacqua Rd. to the north. This area, like all of Healdsburg, in general, is pleasant, but apartment living can produce less of a vested interest in community than homeowner lifestyle can. | | The majority of people in Healdsburg are white, but that seems to be changing rapidly with the Hispanics moving into higher numbers. The townsfolk seem to be a bit wary of strangers, whether you're in a suit and tie or shoeless with long hair. It is a small town, however, and although it has a rustic and quaint charm about its appearance, the suspicion with which one is looked at can be a deterrent to wanting to live there. The exception to that is the art shows and other public events on the weekends. Everybody is welcomed at these, presumably because of the jingle of money in the pockets. If you've chosen to live in Healdsburg, for whatever reason, you might want to spend several weekends there and walk around the town. See who you're dealing with and they can see who they're going to deal with. | | Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life | | Downtown Healdsburg is a pleasant shopping experience. you can spend the day walking around town, stopping into the different boutiques and having lunch at one os many eateries. Very safe, and a lot of very nice things to see in one day. | | Willi's Seafood and Raw Bar is popular with the locals and tourists alike. So is Zin Restaurant and Wine Bar. | | The public schools in Healdsburg are poorly rated according to greatschools.org and the highest number reached is eight out of ten. Most schools here rate much lower. | | The Healdsburg Bar & Grill is a good night life hangout. They also have pretty good food. A lot of people like the Bear Republic Brewing Company for dinner and finding their soul mate. Finding true happiness and your soul mate can be done and has been done in Healdsburg. Have faith and you it will happen. | | Noise | | Compared to other places | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions | | Except for a few bars, Healdsburg pretty much closes down early each night. The only noise pollution will be Highway 101, if you live twenty feet from it, and the aforementioned bars if they have live music. | | Windsor and Geyserville are two neighboring towns of Healdsburg. Windsor would be the choice of many people to live in rather than Healdsburg or Geyserville. Windsor is a little bigger and a bit more friendly than Healdsburg and Geyserville is simply too small to fit one more person in its city limits. Just kidding, of course, but it is small and the population doesn't even reach a thousand. Not a lot of community amenities in Geyserville and plenty in Windsor, plus, they have an airport named after Charlse Schulz, of "Snoopy" fame. When you find that out, you naturally look at that town differently. It means they appreciate humor, people and flying. And the town is pretty relaxed and it's close enough to Healdsburg that if you ever really needed to go there you could get in and and leave all in under ten minutes. | | Healdsburg District Hospital will tend to you when you're not up to par or if you have an accident. It's not a trauma center or a major medical center, but they can fix you up initially and get you to where you need to go if necessary. | | There are over a hundred wineries located near Healdsburg. Visiting these world-class wineries is the thing to do when you're visiting this town. Hire a car if you're going to any wine tastings, or better yet, go with a group in a small, very comfortable bus. That way you won't have to drive and you can wine taste your way back to your hotel without worrying about inconveniencing some poor Highway patrolman who might feel the need to pull you over if you were at the wheel. | | General comments | | | | | | | | Driving through this little town the first time is a pleasant experience. Everything is in its place and it is a clean city. (It's a short drive, by the way, if you simply take the main street). The shops are neat and tidy and there are people walking around and others tending to their businesses. By the time you've driven through it, though, Healdsburg has lost its charm and rustic appeal. You have the funny feeling in your gut that somehow you have just been part of the reality series and movie, "THE TRUMAN SHOW," where everything is make believe and nothing you see is actually real. Maybe the analogy should be "THE STEPFORD WIVES" instead. You can decide when you get there. | | | | | | |
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