Arcata, California

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This is the best place to go if you’re a hippie.. well, besides the Haight-Ashbury. It’s located in Humboldt County, which is pretty well-known for it’s marijuana growing. The community is great, there are always festivals going on about the earth, such as the Mushroom Fair, the Hemp Festival, North Country Fair, everything you can imagine. I love it here! The people are so supportive of you.. they’ve even made a law which states that women can indeed go topless around the plaza in the centre of town. ; )

Arcata is a totally unreal place to check out and LIVE too! The rents are cheap and it seems everyone is way laid back, with Humboldt next door and being amongst the greatest redwoods in the world, how can you go wrong!

0 thoughts on “Arcata, California”

  2. I journeyed through Arcata, Cali from SoCal moving up to Portland, Or. Boyfriend has friends in Trinidad, Ca…which is close….and man…talk about a nice break from reality and the sad mainstream of life today. Time doesn’t matter….everyone is nice….my fav place to be!!

  3. as soon as i get out of school id like to live for a while in a place like this, its just so sad to have to live with all the angry people in the mainstream

  4. There’s great camping at Orick Beach, about 40 minutes north of Arcata along Route 1. You can find drum circles there. The last time I visited, the state park was allowing maximum two weeks free camping. Hopefully it hasn’t changed. The beach is right there and those old-growth redwoods aren’t too far either.

  5. ARCATA IS NO LONGER FREINDLY KIDS. YOU CAN NOT EVEN CLOSE YOUR EYES WHILE ENJOYING THE PARK IN TOWN. I DON;T KNOW ABOUT YOU KIDS , BUT I LIKE TO LONGE IN THE SUN WHICH MIGHT MEAN THAT I CLOSE MY EYES TO SOAK UP SOME RAYS. IN ARCATA THOUGH YOU WILL GET A TICKET FOR THIS. MY WIFE WENT TO THE COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS. IN HUMBOLDT SHE CAMPED IN HER BUS AND WAS HASSLED ALOT…WHERE CAN PEOPLE JUST BE FREE??? I HAVE LIVED IN TAOS NEW MEXICO IN 93′ AND HAD A GREAT TIME. LOTS OF LOVE THERE. MAUI FROM 94′ – 00′ THE ALOHA WAS ALIVE THE FIRST FEW YEARS, BUT GOOD THINGS DON’T ALLWAYS STAY GOOD… LOTS OF PEOPLE ON THIS BLUE BALL LOOKING FOR THERE NIRVANA ALSO..TAKE THE GOOD TIME AND RELISH THEM….ALOHA AND LOVE TO YOU ALL….

  6. I’ve been to many of these so-called hippie places listed here. Arcata is a true hippie town. From the local newspapers, to the music played in the post office, to the multiple co-ops in the town, this community has everything for the peaceful minded. Its very hard to not fall in loce with Arcata, and then to walk away from it. I am in love with this town, as I’m sure others are, aslo.

  7. Well, i dunno where to start. Yes Arcata is (was) a nice place to visit.
    Specially Travelling through. Ive seen Arcata atleast once a year for 5 years now. Like water grinding through rocks. Its always changing. Fortunately, the center of town hasn’t been modernized.. and has pretty much stayed the same with a bunch of small family owned stores. There was a great beach to camp at maybe a mile or 2 north.. But over the years… tweekers ‘n such have taken over. In just a few years (and some tears) The beach went from a clean pristine, long streach of beach, to a haven for tweekers, who selfishly throw their trash where ever they think is good, even though theres a dumpster provided. Last time there I picked up over

      30 rusty nails

    and shards of

      glass

    just in the area we decided to camp in. Must have been hard to break glass on the sand huh ?!? Ive seen many GIANT peices of redwood driftwood. soaked in gas and light on fire. Sometimes burning all the way, sometimes leaving an ugly burnt stump sticking out of the sand, and sometimes not burning at all leaving a huge blackened peice towering out of the sand. The driftwood used to be all over. This past year, I saw none. But aside from the bad… The city of Arcata has a laundry day, which is free. Also many places will feed you for free. Even hot food. But one of the best things about that city is… if you live there, the town will provide you with a free bike. (Wow wish they did that everywhere) Ofcourse the city is green friendly… but look out since Humboldt has gotten soo much media… Some folks are out to help spread the wealth with great deals… even free kickdowns, and some will try to sell you fresh buds… FRESH isint good.. make sure its dried.. and cured. (crisp to the touch but springs back when squeezed 🙂
    Safe travels.. and learned be your journey.. haha

    Much love to everyone. Always like contacts… currently im in the sespool of northern virginia. hah its not that bad, or atleast i keep telling myself that. If you are Anywhere close to that, infact, if you are anywhere in the country give me an e-mail liltoad420@aol.com
    I love to travel.

  8. I live in Arcata and I love it so much. It is the most awesome place to live and I am definitely going to make this my home for at least a little while until I get the urge to move on again. It is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen and the people here are also super friendly. And Humboldt State is the best place to go to school!

  9. I visited Arcata,Ca in 1998 and even lived there for a few mounths;it is truly a good hippy town,was ;and still is one of my favorite places,as in agreement with one out there;I’m not into the tweeker thing,been there along time back,further south though,I do expect to be out there this summer or early spring,it is a beautiful area,also a few miles north on Pacific coast Hwy;Mckinleyville is worth going to.I Love Humbolt Co.Love you to Girl,you know who you are ;I wished I knew were you were,Peace ,Love ,Happiness always….Me mark

  10. I’m heading to arcata the first of march and will be happy to report my finding as soon as i get there. if anyone along the way has a place to stay it would be great to meet up with some heads from this forum.
    peace pipe

  13. Hello I live in Southern Cali. and I love Humboldt sooooo much I promised myself if I ever moved again it would be up there . Well now that I have a family im looking to move up there . I have found some cheap places to live but I CANT SEEM TO FIND ANYWHERE TO LOOK FOR JOBS. Does anyone have any tips. Thanks so much
    Kitty .
    please email me any info
    kirstenperrin@hotmail.com

  15. Arcatans revolted against hippies, travelers, tweekers, etc. about 5 years ago. Don’t expect to spend time in public spaces without being hassled by poice and residents.

  18. Reorchestra is hittin the NW this week:

    tue 8/5 Ashland Creek, Ashland, OR (FREE!!)
    wed 8/6 Mt Tabor Theater, Portland, OR
    thu 8/7 Rumours Lounge, Eureka, CA
    fri 8/8 Caspar Inn, Caspar, CA (near mendocino)

    Reorchestra is electric african funk + jazz from
    Berkeley/East Bay Area, California. getcha groove on.

    https://reorchestra.com

    peace

  20. looking for a place in or around arcata. a two or one bedroom something, hopefully in the sticks. looking for work-i’ve got expirience in metalsmithing and ceramics, but anything would do. my girlfriend has childcare and restaurant exp. living in ZION (utah) and hoping to migrate to the area for the winter. we need any kind of help available.
    brit027@care2.com

  21. I have done many travels but have yet to visit Arcata. I have a friend that lives there, says its great. The only thing that I question: Many “hippie” places are cool to hippies, but here comes the “Infamous Bi-racial Lesbian”. Even the coolest hippie places have given me grief.. And of course, my white male friends seem to not eer notice it.. How is the cultural mix (practically had crosses burning on my lawnin Phoenix Arizona).

    Rama Starfish

  22. i am so thrilled! i am getting accepted to humboldt state. as i am the only vegan and hippie in my school, i am majorly thrilled. i live in smoggy so-cal, so im hoping that this will teach me the real meaning of peace and love. yay!! love for all…..

  24. Geez, whatta bunch of dreamers!!! Hey, I’ve been living in the northwoods since 1977, and I’ve watched it go from Hippie lovesville to Yuppieland. When I bought my first 20 acres with forest and a creek and arrowheads scattered around and people claiming they saw Bigfoot, land was $600 an acre. Now it’s $4500 to $5000 an acre and climbing fast. Back then you all had to police yourselves, and we did, with guns when necessary. Now the Sheriffs Dept. is everywhere. So are the helicopters, for those of you dreaming of planting a pot crop. Forget it. And, most of the land parcels, which are usually 20 and 40 parcels, now have houses built on them where back in ’77 the land was pretty much empty. I’ve owned a number of those parcels and built 5 houses myself over the years. So you can figure anyway $200,000 to buy a somewhat remote 20 acres with cabin and a spring or creek. The price goes up from there. Hippies? What are hippies? I used to wear beads and bells, but all things pass. There are no hippies in the woods anymore, just a bunch of hardened mountain people who survived the coke and the crank and the copters. And lemme tell ya, dredlocks suck. Mountain people with dreds have little critters crawling around on their scalps. Who wants their own portable mini-ecology? Not me! Work? Nope. No jobs. If you aren’t already a part of the mountain economy, and want to be a part of it, then either go there with an independent income or pray to be born into it in the next life.

  25. Yeah, humboldt rules-blah-blah. But Arcada is far removed from the main hippie axis of Southern Humboldt county, hours away! The vortex of Garberville/Redway, home of Reggae on the River and The Mateel Community Center is the true source of Humboldt’s ‘cool’ reputation. The Arcada area is a small island surrounded by the great redneck majority of Eureka, a famously unhip place. Download the Arcada alternative paper (See Google) and read the new reports. Sure are a lot of ripoffs and junkies and a**holes running around! It’s a college town all right, and perhaps one of the hippest, but next to UC Berkeley it’s a blip on the world hip richter scale. It’s the capitol of political correctness (a.k.a. Humor Impairment). If you really want to get something out of the north woods go to Oregon. California is seriously overcrowded, overhyped, overpriced, and more overbearing as time goes on. Attention potheads-Pot is now decriminalized in a lot of states, from Mississippi to Maine. See the norml website. In Alaska you can grow ALL YOU WANT at home! If you really want a feel for Humboldt before actually moving there, buy a ticket to Reggae on the River or the next Hog Farm Pignic. You’ll meet a lot of folks from all over and you’ll get the lowdown on where it’s happening and where you’re just going to waste your time. Jobs? You MUST be kidding! Why do you think they grow so much WEED? By the way, pot is legal for ANYONE to grow at home (for private use) in Mendocino County, just south. In Humboldt it’s NOT without a prescription. If you’re a musician, Arcada has some bars w/live bands. Southern Humboldt and Mendocino are wastelands for working musicians. Those college kids have the bread to burn!

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