Questions about Sebastopol

[marckell]

My wife and I are considering a move to Sebastopol. We have a
5-year-old and a 1-year-old. For us, the compelling reasons to
move include the "greeness" of the city, the public Waldorf
school, the proximity to larger cities (Santa Rosa, San Francisco),
and the weather. I work at home and house prices are not an
issue. We've only passed through the town a few times, so we're
not as familiar as we should be, but plan on a long-term visit
in the spring.

My questions:

- Does anyone have recent experience with the Waldorf school?
- How are the parks for kids?
- Where do you go for local groceries?
- What is the general weather in fall and winter? Can kids get
out all year?
- Is there a "family scene", like mothers meeting at a community
center or park?
- Are there public swimming pools nearby?
- If you live near town, is it possible to walk to most places?

And if you are or know of a young family in the area, I'd love to
trade e-mails to get your further opinion!

Thanks!
mk

[quirkypixie]

There are 2 public Waldorf schools. It would help if we all knew which one you are most interested in.

[Jessi Beckman]

Hello,

I have lived in Sebastopol my entire life. It is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I am not very framiliar with the private schools in the area because when I was growing up I went through Sebastopol's public school program. People in the community have spoken highly of the waldorf schools.
There are several parks in the area in the city limits there is Ives

[Jessi Beckman]

Ives park has a playground, baseball diamond and is where the public pool is located. Libby park used to be the home of the Super playground. The Super playground was recently torn down due to age and is currently being replaced with new equip. there is a duck pond and volley ball court there. Ragle is just out of the city limits but most people don't know that because it is right on the edge. I can walk to it from my house. ragle has a playground area and dog park area. there are soccer fields and a baseball diamond and lots of hiking trails with great views. I usually shop a Safeway but there are several stores in town. Whole Foods is very popular they are more organic and carry specialty items. Fiesta is also very nice for produce and meat. we have a community center that is very active. Sebastopol has its own Volunteer fire department, Police department and Hospital. we have things happen just like any other city but Sebastopol is a very safe town to live in. If you live in or around the city limits you can walk anywhere in town. if you would like any more information just ask me. when you come to visit check out our chamber of commerce they can probably give you information also.

[Tars]

I've lived in the Sebastopol and Sonoma County area off & on since the early '70's and steadily since 1985. I grew up in a small town. I'm convinced that there is no better place to live, and to raise children.

Having said that, and since everyone will want to present the positives, I'll give you what I think are the negatives of living here. The positives outweigh the negatives by many magnitudes.

The problems with Sebastopol mainly involve vehicle traffic. Look at the sebastopol.org website, and ytou'll see that there are 6-7 thousand residents. But that's very misleading. In reality, several times that many people live, work, and travel through Sebastopol daily. the population figures are based on the old city limits; the city goes way past those now. There's very high population density in the communities around Sebastopol. The main access highways to those communities go right through the middle of Sebastopol. People use them every day to go to & from work. I guestimate that there're more like 50,000 people through here most days.

Traffic is horrendous at peaks hours especially. when the schools let out in the afternoon it's especially jammed. You said you work at home, that's good (so do I!). But be aware that if you don't want to experience all the obnoxious aspects of traffice, you'll want to plan your travel carefully.

That may even be the good news. These are the good old days. Lots of building and new residents in the west county, served by Sebastopol streets. Precious little road improvement gets done; no new infrastructure that I know of. If this current growth rate continues, in ten years Sebastopol may be in terminal gridlock.

Also, research your living possibilities for your budget in this area. Of course property values are high, since it's a desirable location. Rentals are largely full, and there's a lot of competition for whatever becomes available.

Good luck!

[amywt]

My family and I are recent transplants (3 yrs.) to Sebastopol from the Bay Area and it has proven everything we hoped it would be. My husband works from home and we have a 2 yr.old and a 5 yr. old. We are regulars at Ragle Park and Doran Beach, both located within close proximity to Sebastopol. There are family friendly hiking and biking trails. On the whole, people are inclusive and friendly.

You can also live the rural life not too far from major grocery stores, small fruit stands and there is a wonderful support for local artists and growers of local products.

The Waldorf school I think you are referring to is Sunridge Charter School which is part of the Twin Hills School District, a little west of the town center. Although my kids don't attend there, I know many who do that couldn't be happier with the school and program. My son attends Apple Blossom School which is also part of Twin Hills District.

In terms of housing, I can't help mentioning that I am a teacher who dabbles in real estate on the side and I would be happy to show you available properties anytime you were in town. You might also want to check out the website greathomes.org which features all of the properties listed on the MLS. I am enclosing my contact information below. Good luck!

Amy Taganashi
Rolling Hills Mortgage and Real Estate
(707)921-8188