My family's ranch is on the other side of the mountains in Colusa County.
California away from the coasts is very similar to other rural places. The SF mindset only extends about as far north as Santa Rosa and Mendocino and the coast are full of hippies. As long as one is inland in the Ukiah, Healdsburg area he is somewhat sheltered from all that. I mean, you're right next to NorCal's NASCAR track. The San Fransiscans only come that far north to browse art galleries in Mendocino and vacation at the Russian River in the summer.
Like most rural areas, Ukiah is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's close to a lot of farmland and lakes that are great for duck hunting and boating/fishing. It is an hour from the ocean, an hour from the wine country, and 2-2.5 from the city.
State income taxes are high but currently property taxes are reasonable (moreso than TX). The real issues will come in the next few years as Arnold has floated raising property tax rates as a way to make up for the budget shortfall. COL won't be so bad in Ukiah... Gas is more expensive, but one saves money on heating and cooling bills. Also, being away from the bay will allow you to avoid the bridges and their ridiculous fares.
Ukiah is getting close to the Mendocino/Humboldt region and CA's pot industry. It's a weird thing having open grow operations in town... They attract unsavory characters and sometimes the blatant violent crime that you don't expect in rural areas. And with the way that the laws are going, I've only seen it getting worse in the past few years.
As I said before, rural CA may as well be Lampassas or Graham TX; it's just that the CA coast controls the direction of the state.
[This message has been edited by billikenag (edited 2/5/2010 11:43p).]
