Living in any small town has its advantages and challenges, and the Ukiah Valley
is no exception. However, in my humble opinion, our history and geography give us
unique advantages that make living here better than most places.
Much as I love this place, I am not blind to the downsides. Although we have nice
restaurants, we could use a little more variety. Our nightlife is not what you’d call
vibrant, according to those under the age of 30. And our job market isn’t exactly robust.
Housing is deceptively expensive compared to the median income in our
community, but I think that’ll change over time (primarily as money from the marijuana
industry fades from memory and circulation). Also, the new real estate development,
Bella Vista, south of town will provide much needed senior housing as well as family
housing.
As long as our local government officials resist the urge to “fix” the economy with
subsidies, the free market will determine which private sector jobs can flourish here. As
a businessperson who works with organizations statewide, I can tell you we have
escrow and title insurance services through Redwood Empire Title that compare
favorably with any statewide. We also have excellent insurance and banking through
Mark Davis Insurance and Savings Bank of Mendocino County. I never have to go out
of the area to get high quality support for these types of services. And if I want to see
any of these business partners in person, it only takes about five minutes to drive from
my office to theirs. If it takes ten minutes, then traffic is worth complaining about.
When I go to a restaurant or grocery store, I invariably run into people I know.
We can have a brief conversation about the weather, religion, politics, whatever. In
Ukiah, while there are some exceptions, things remain cordial even if we disagree.
Although the country is clearly divided, the division here feels easier to
overcome. We know we’ll see our political adversaries at school pick-up, at the next
table over in a restaurant, or in front of us in line at the grocery store. This helps us
pause before saying something that will make life awkward when we’re out and about.
We also see each other in a broader context. By that, I mean that in a small
community we are given an opportunity to know many sides of someone. We see
people on the other side of the political fence who are coaching Little League and
volunteering at the Humane Society, and no matter how much we disagree politically,
we can’t help but realize that we all love dogs and kids and baseball. It makes it hard to
dislike someone with the same intensity.
So, why is Ukiah a great place to live? Why invest in a home here and plan a
future here? I could mention that we have wonderful weather, mild winters and hot
summers (which I like). We are two hours from San Francisco with all the metropolitan
activities and resources you could hope to find. We’re just over an hour from one of the
most beautiful coastlines in the world, and we’re about fifteen minutes from all sorts of
recreation, whether you enjoy boating and hiking or fishing and hunting.
But really, one of the best reasons to move here is because in a community like
ours, we are faced with the reality that life is messy, and we learn to get along with each
other. As much as I may disagree with someone politically, when I see them encourage
my kids on the sports field or donate to my favorite charity or volunteer to take care of
dogs, it’s hard to dislike them. We are all complex. Calling someone either good or bad
because of one aspect of their life limits the ways we can relate to each other.
Given all the divisiveness in our country today, I think the sense of community we
foster here and in small towns across the country may just be the thing that keeps
America together.
If you have questions about property management or real estate, please contact
me at [email protected] or call (707) 462-4000. If you have an idea for a future
column, share it with me and if I use it, I’ll send you a $25 gift certificate to Schat’s
Bakery.
Dick Selzer is a real estate broker who has been in the business for more than
45 years. The opinions expressed here are his and do not necessarily represent his
affiliated organizations.
