So this past Saturday night while my husband and I are binge watching Downton Abbey for the umpteenth time my son decides to watch “Murder Mountain” on Netflix. Well, Murder Mountain is about the marijuana industry in Humboldt County is Northern California and it’s about murders and people going missing. S gets all paranoid about it and says he doesn’t want to go to Humboldt State (in Humboldt county) anymore (ok with me, it’s his choice) and wants to void his application? Husband says he is overreacting and it’s not like he’s going up there to grow marijuana and whatnot…Normally, D and I are the overreactors in the family…
Can anyone tell if this is worth getting all up in arms about? We had a family friend who went to Humboldt State and liked and still speaks about it fondly. And my son was originally up for applying and liked what he heard about the school and saw in the brochures. There’s marijuana and drugs at any school…
I think the marijuana is more prevalent at Humboldt St but as you state there are marijuana and drugs at most schools. Many remote schools tend to be more party oriented as there is not a lot else to do.
@JBSeattle you’re right!
I haven’t seen the show, so I can’t really say if he’s overreacting or not. Judging by the summary I read online, I’d much rather stick to Downton Abbey or else I’d also be freaking out…haha! I don’t like horror movies or crime shows…
Often it is safer to live where marijuana is legal and growing is regulated. There is not any more marijuana available in Humboldt county than there was before it was legal and regulated. Now it’s out in the open, there are a lot of state inspectors around and the whole point is to grow it and ship it out.
See where he gets in, and visit and judge for yourselves. If he isn’t looking to get involved in the marijuana trade, it is likely not a concern. And don’t let TV shows drive your family’s emotions or decisions.
@twoinanddone good point!
@intparent exactly! He hasn’t been admitted yet, so we’ll try to go to an admitted students event and see what they say and how he likes it! And you’re right, he isn’t planning to get into the marijuana business, so not a concern at all! I’ll tell him if a show makes you paranoid, maybe don’t watch it anymore…my husband is right, no need to overreact.
I don’t want to cause undue concern since he hasn’t even been accepted yet, but Humboldt County is quite simply a county full of self-described outlaws. It has been since the late 60’s when the hippies set up communes and the first of the pot farms. And even now in the “legal and regulated” environment, the majority of Humboldt County grows and farms do not hold a permit and are thus still illegal enterprises that carry the byproducts and risks associated with operating outside the law.
Aside from those farmers and workers who are working on illegal projects, it attracts “trimmigrants” from all over the world who travel there to try to make money trimiming marijuana and end up living and working on the farms. Quite a transient and less than stable element continually flowing through Humboldt due to the industry. It also has the highest missing persons rate in CA. There are ongoing feuds between farms over land and business interests that results in violence and criminal activity against one another. Their business being threatened by the legalized environment is causing even greater instability as profits shrink and their future viability is impacted.
So as other posters have pointed out, unless your son is interested in that lifestyle there is likely little direct risk to him by attending school there. But to deny the influence and impact of the predominant industry in Humboldt County upon Humboldt State and the surrounding area would be naive. This is a unique area and the marijuana culture in Humboldt County is not at all like any drug influence in any other county in the United States.”There are marijuana and drugs at any school.” Not like this. Humboldt State even launched it’s own marijuana institute in 2012. There is plenty of information out there if you choose to look for it. https://hiimr.humboldt.edu/hiimr-about
@pishicaca good point. I do know that that area of the state is well known for it’s marijuana growing…that’s why they call it the “emerald triangle.”
He hasn’t been accepted yet and while he is interested in Humboldt State, it’s not his top choice…so we’ll see! He’s leaning more towards NAU, Western Washington, and Eckerd…
Wow, who knew? I certainly didn’t. On a related note, some people are susceptible to trying drugs and other things and some kids want nothing to do with it. Living in and around many people who subscribe to that lifestyle if you are not interested could certainly be an issue. I’d personally avoid the area based on the descriptions above. Maybe have him do more research.
@Happytimes2001 I knew that it was a center for marijuana growing, especially in the more remote areas, but I didn’t know about all the crime, etc…
Maybe we can talk more to our family friend who went there…and see what they say.
Our main issue with Humboldt is that it’s so remote and kind of hard to get to…It’s a 7 hour drive from our home in Southern California (mostly up Highway 101, which is a 2-4 lane windy road in that part of the state)…and you can fly nonstop from LAX to Arcata (LAX is about 45-1hr from our house depending on the traffic), but it’s not cheap and there are limited flights. Most flights would involve a layover in San Francisco…
Many of his other schools are much easier to get to and are cheaper to fly to…
@natty1988 Sounds like yet another good reason to avoid it.
@Happytimes2001 yes, and it would be an awfully long way for him to drive back and forth…
I am on child 3. I was crazy researcher with kid 1 as far as safety, police reports in the area, etc. Mind you, we live in the Philly burbs and my kids started taking public transportation alone at 12-13 yrs old. DH thought I was overreacting because, duh, we ARE LIVING in a high crime area.
I have since backed off. The “safety” of a school is now decided once one of my kids narrows choices down to 2 or 3 schools.
@natty1988 , schools are dropped off kids lists just based on “feel.” I wouldn’t be concerned with safety at this junction unless it is a financial concern to keep the school on a list. For whatever reason, real safety or perceived, your son has swayed his opinion enough that he doesn’t want to attend. I’ve seen kids over the years drop schools at this point just based on school colors! Again, unless your family needs to keep it on the list for financial concerns, I’d let Son pare down list.
@Longhaul He has already applied and sent in the application. It’s not one of his top choices, so based on that and how he felt about that tv show, it will probably end of up being a “no.” It is on the list because it’s instate and he was somewhat interested in it before…yep, lots of reasons to drop a school.
@natty1988 I watched this with S17 last night after seeing your post. Scary stuff! That said…unless your son plans on buying/selling/stealing from the locals, I don’t think it’s an issue. The actual “murder mountain” is 2 hours drive from Humboldt State according to maps. It gave a very interesting perspective on the whole legal weed debate. Wasn’t what I expected when I started watching! But the logistics getting there would probably take it off my list anyway.
Your son is the one applying and if he has changed his mind, then he should withdraw his application. People do so for reasons that are a lot less serious. As long as he gets into a few other places, he will have some choices, but he’s the one who has to live with them.
There’s Humboldt county and there’s Humboldt State. Did the tv show focus on the college?
Do you know what goes on in other cities or areas? My college friend’s bf at the time grew mj in the farm or forest areas outside (you don’t want to know which) elite flagship. (Amusingly, he’s now a sought after landscaper.)
People worry about campus safety when the facts and figures refer to places kids don’t go. A kid shouldn’t be traveling to rural areas with turf wars. Or in cities, for that matter.
Would a student drop UC Berkeley off their list because of gang violence in Oakland?
CSU Humboldt is located in Arcata, which is a friendly and very safe and walkable little college town located in a stunningly beautiful part of the state. Majestic redwoods, scenic beaches.
My son had a car while he was there, so I never made the drive until I went up for his graduation. It is a very long drive, but also very pleasant and scenic.
Students typically carpool around school breaks and vacations, so my son rarely made the drive alone. But my son was coming from the SF Bay area, and it’s a 5-hour drive from there. I think you are underestimating drive time from southern California. More like 10 hours.
In terms of distance, Sonoma or Monterrey might be more geographically accessible alternatives for students wanting a residential college CSU option.
What are the stats regarding the crime rate in Oakland. Don’t rely on school stats because they are deceptive-not purposely so. But the crime maps that show exactly where crime occurs are available on the internet. I’d have nixed Binghamton University had any of my kids expressed interest because gang violence is so high and because students are not hurt as byproducts of gang violence. Rather they are the targets of the violence. Scary stuff!
Gang violence in some parts of Oakland is very high – but that wasn’t my point. I could just have easily have mentioned Chicago or Baltimore.
The point is that many students attend colleges that are located near areas with notoriously high rates of violent crimes, but in general the students aren’t hanging out in the crime-ridden areas. So the appropriate question is to look at the college community – both the campus and the immediately surrounding areas where students live and socialize.
As someone else has already pointed out, the Alderpoint/Rancho Sequoia area that was the subject of the document is roughly 90 miles away from Arcata, and about a 2 hour drive. It’s about 20 miles from Garberville, which is the point on US 101 where one would turn off to head that way --so basically that’s as close as most people who are driving to or from Arcata are ever going to get.