Suze,
Do NOT listen to all those sorry comments you've just read. They are all a bunch of jealous naysayers espousing the usual "Welcome to California, Now GO HOME" line of drivel. NONE, and I emphasise, NONE, of the comments above has come from anybody who lives in NORTHERN CA. NORTHERN CA has a low population. Trinity has only 13,000 residents, the second smallest population in a CA county. Humboldt is bigger, maybe 75,000 and most of them in Arcata-Eureka area
For those of us who DO live in NORTHERN CA we consider Lost Angeles BEGINS at Highway 20 (look at a road map.) Jillian Jiggs is down in Excremento where reside all the Socialist jerks that have turned this state into the People's Republic. She's right! A good place to be from!!!!!
Suze, you have not said anything about what you like so here are some options. If you like hot summers, cold winters and dry conditions try the high desert in Lassen and Modoc Counties. Too nasty for me!
If you like four seasons, warm to hot summers, mild winters with little to no snow, and growing conditions suitable for year round gardening with a few easy conditions try Trinity, Siskiyou, or even Shasta Counties. Siskiyou is wetter and Trinity is drier. Personally, my homestead is in Trinity County on the Trinity River, but when I get fed up with the heat or the homestead, I drive "over the hill" into Humboldt County and the summer long high overcast conditions that means the record heatwave was 78 F or so and go fishing. Not that far!
If you can't deal with the summer heat, like the ocean, and can put up with the afternoon winds, try going behind the Redwood Curtain into Humboldt or Del Norte Counties.
One of the very best kept secrets of NORTHERN CA is the little valley along highway 36 just east of Rohnerville. It is protected from those determined afternoon winds, yet is close to the coast, has plenty of water, but not enough to drown you, is warm enough to grow anything, snow is so rare I've seen it only twice in a long lifetime.
As everyone has mentioned land is expensive, but then that is the price we all get to pay for Mr. Magoo Greenspan destroying our dollar by printing so many of them. Pass them on quickly to those who are foolish to want to collect them and get yourself in the hard money crowd.
As also mentioned Redding can be most ugly in summer time. When you find ALL the cows hiding in the shade of trees at 0700 hours you know the day will not be kind and gentle. Those are times to head for the Redwood Curtain!
I've only just touched on the high points. There is MUCH to recommend NORTHERN CA as a place to live. If you want more, just ask.
bearkiller