Name: Arcata, CA
Rating: 0.0

( 18 Ratings )

Living in Arcata, CA

Ranks better than 67% of areas Follow

Population

18,266

Median Age

27.5 Years

Arcata Area Facts

Arcata has a Livability Score of 67_/100, which is considered good
Arcata crime rates are 21% higher than the California average
Cost of living in Arcata is 8% lower than the California average

What do the locals think about Arcata?

44%

Family friendly

44%

Public transit is accessible

81%

Walkable to grocery stores

19%

Yards are well-kept

75%

Lots of parks

81%

Walkable to restaurants

Friendly neighbors

Safe at night

Pet friendly

Streets have sidewalks

38%

A quiet area

56%

Sense of community

Based on 16 votes from AreaVibes users. Take the poll

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Arcata Reviews

Write a review about Arcata Tell people what you like or don't like about Arcata…

Isolated, fight tooth and nail for healthcare 1 rating By Anonymous ( Apr 24, 2023) I would not move here if you ever need to see a doctor or a vet.

Most doctors are not taking new patients and the ones that are have a 6+ month wait list. Same applies to dentists just to get a standard cleaning/check up. Same applies to vets if you have a pet.

Arcata is just ...Read More very very isolated. The only highway in or out is the 101. The nearest cities (outside of eureka) are literal hours away. SF is a 6 hour drive. Eugene is 5. Portland is 7.

The local airport is very limited and extremely expensive. It’s almost a thousand dollars cheaper to drive 6 hours to Sacramento and fly from there then it is to fly from Arcata.

The isolation also drives the prices of everything way up because the cost of imports are sky high due to how difficult it is to get in and out.

The crime is obviously bad but that’s every city on the planet so there’s no need to dig into that. At least there’s not a lot of gun violence.

The local community is alright. There’s a nice farmers market every Saturday and the local climate makes it so that there’s a lot to choose from year round.

Unfortunately, housing is completely dismal. Most of the rentals are Airbnbs where you pay up to $2000 for what’s worse than a studio apt. And that’s if you can find housing at all. If you move here, have something long term lined up first, if possible. Otherwise you’ll spend thousands on airbnbs every month until you finally find an apartment.

There’s not really many attractions in the area outside of hiking. Obviously there’s tons in the way of hiking. There’s a lot of beautiful parks around in every direction. But besides that, there’s honestly not that much to do. Recreation is very limited.

The food is also awful. There are a few decent diners, Mexican restaurants, and breakfast spots but if you’ve had good food in other cities… keep your expectations tempered. There’s not much to choose from, it’s all very expensive, and honestly not good at all for the price.

Almost every business is closed at 5:00pm daily and closed completely on Sundays so if you work m-f 9-5, you have to get everything done on saturdays. Not a big deal but it can be really annoying.

In short: I love the hiking but that is the only real positive. Read Less

College town in an enchanted forest with enlightened citizens 4.5 rating By chongkwang ( Jun 07, 2011) Strikingly beautiful nature (without the car jams of Big Sur) surround this enlighted, tolerant forward-living community. Arcata is about 300 miles from any city (Portand OR to the north and San Fran south) so it is the community center for all the surrounding old growth forest c ...Read More ommunities. This feels like the epicenter of environmental health. Humboldt State University is in the forefront of Environmentalism and the people who are drawn here are natural born stewards of environmental leadership. I find it like a mini european village full of tolerance and quality of life connected to nature. The weather in Arcata is mild and a bit cool and foggy year round but 10 minutes inland towards the amazing Trinity Alps you get warm sunny summers and snowy winters. Town square has everything a traditional college town would have including two cinemas, co-op groceries, pubs, shops, park, vegetarian options are plentiful. Up the road 20 minutes is College Cove Beach where lush ferns under a canopy of towering redwoods on waterfall cliffs meet the Pacific ocean. Slugs are big and yellow, clothing is optional, hair is plentiful and drums accompany the waves. Activities abound in and near Arcata: River camping on the mad river, watching the salmon at the hatchery, seeing theater at the University, visiting Victorian village of Ferndale, having a lumberjack meal at the Samoa Cookhouse, "city stuff" in Eureka, watching the Kinetic Sculpture race, dubbed the "Triathlon of the Art World." where homemade machines tackle mud, sand, water, gravel and pavement to the finish line, and my favorite affordable retreat in a private outdoor wooden hottub in a finnish forest atmosphere at the Finnish Country Sauna & Tubs. This is a lush paradise for people who love living in a tolerant community of nature lovers. Peace! Read Less

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