OT: asking about Petaluma

 Marie, where would be a cheaper place to live but easy to get to Petaluma?  I have a new car but am clueless otherwise. 

It depends on how far out you are willing to go. It's really cheap to live in places like Tracy and Manteca, but that's because they get so hot so people aren't willing to live there.

Petaluma has a population of around 55,000. So it's a bit bigger than I was thinking. (I was thinking 20,000+.) Fremont, where I live is 220,000+ It's just a subburb too, not a big city like San Francisco, San Jose or Oakland - the three biggest.

In the East Bay where I live, there is Newark (a hole in the middle of Fremont) and going up 880 there is Hayward, all of which are cheap and Fremont and Union City which are mixed (some pricey areas and some really cheap areas). There are probably some others too but I'm not familiar enough with them to stick my neck out and say which ones are the nicest vs. the cost of living. 

 thanks for all the info, very interesting. I love maps & geography anyway.  now I am thinking about Denver although there aren't any FT jobs I can find. might be able to do something with PRN however. that is my idea of ideal climate & size.

but just thinking about the Bay Area and what that would mean has sort of spurred me on!  

 I grew up in San jose, but moved to Stockton 10 years ago. I dreaded the heat, but it was where we could afford to buy a home. It turns out we got acclimated to the climate here really fast, and haven't had any trouble since that first year. 
Unfortunately, the whole Central Valley seems to be crawling with criminals, so even living in a 'nice' area, I wouldn't want to go out after dark. Houses are at rock bottom prices, with all the foreclosures, but jobs are hard to come by.
Good luck in the job search!
Nita

I live in Benicia, which is about 35 miles from Petaluma, I think. Probably too far to commute, but it's a nice town, about 25K population, by the water....there are lots of little towns like that around. I think you could find something!

Lizanne

 ha, at the moment I communte 79 miles each way. I don't say I like it, however!!!

thanks for the info, Lizanne!

 I live on the Peninsula in the Bay Area.  I would move to Petaluma, to me it's very small; I was born and raised in San Francisco.  Their are smaller towns around and you can find less expensive places to live i.e. Novato, Santa Rosa, or Cotati.  You can go north to the Russian River Area, maybe Guerneville, Monte Rio, or Occidental.  
good luck in whatever you choose.  Linda