Traffic Congestion
Forget spending half of your life gridlocked in your car. Our population density is low enough that traffic congestion just does not happen. On a morning or evening commute through downtown Eureka it is unusual to be stopped at more than a few traffic lights.
If your favorite recreational activity is spending a day shopping at the mall, you will be disappointed here. Yes, we do have a mall, but other than Walmart and Kohls there is little reason to go there. We also have a Target and Costco. But what we lack in chain stores we make up in local shops. Old Town Eureka and the Arcata Plaza have a number of interesting small independent stores. We are also proud to be able to support four independent bookstores selling new books as well as two used bookstores. Most of us try to patronize local merchants as much as possible and rely upon online sources for the rest.
Smog
The prevailing westerly winds off the Pacific Ocean keep our air quality generally excellent. The lack of heavy polluting industries and automobile congestion further keeps our air quality good. A recent report stated that our air quality is the top 2% of the state of California. Lately there have been too many tragic forest fires in California, including some inland of us. Sadly, the smoke sometimes spreads as far as the coast, but the prevailing ocean offshore winds generally keeps the smoke further inland.
Throughout much of our country one suburban community merges imperceptibly with another, with only a road sign to separate them. However, the several communities around Humboldt Bay developed independently and are still separated by greenspace giving them individual identities. Most of our residents choose to live close to the hospital in Eureka, the county seat and shopping center or our region. However, within easy commuting distance are Fortuna the “Friendly City”, Ferndale the “Victorian Village”, Arcata the “college town”, and Trinidad the “seaside town”. In addition to each community having a distinctly separate “feel”, each town has a separate micro-climate.
If you thrive on that big city “buzz,” you will probably not be happy here. However, with that “buzz” also comes the congestion, competition, and the cost of being in a major metropolitan area. What we feel that we offer is a nicer place to live with an overall higher quality of life. San Francisco, a world class city, is a 5-hour drive away, too far for a day trip. However, it is near enough to make an occasional weekend trip to get a dose of “city culture.”
If you have read this far, we trust that we may offer the kind of residency training in the type of community that you are looking for. If you have further questions, please feel free to reach out to us at familymedicineresidency@stjoe.org
