Circle Oaks, California
| Circle Oaks | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  Circle Oaks Location within the state of California | |
| Coordinates: 38°24′37″N 122°12′39″W / 38.41028°N 122.21083°WCoordinates: 38°24′37″N 122°12′39″W / 38.41028°N 122.21083°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Napa |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
Circle Oaks is a small unincorporated community in the hills to the northeast of the world-famed wine region, Napa Valley. Created in 1964, this wild land interface has thrived since, growing into a small country community outside of a bustling valley. The land layout is purported to have been Frank Lloyd Wright's, the area consists of 1/4 acre lots that are perfect circles; the areas ("triangles") among the circles are considered to be "greenbelt" and cannot be built upon; these greenbelt areas are managed by the Circle Oaks Homes Association.
The HOA fees are 244.00 per lot per year, to increase to 292.00 per lot, per year in 2016. The HOA does NOT regularly maintain the "triangles" but expects homeowners to, unless it regards a dead tree. They do not trim grass, vines or otherwise maintain their "triangles". Fencing is a huge issue as they expect the wildlife to have free range. While in theory, this is a nice thought, the wildlife in this area has access to 1100 acres of forest. Not being able to fence has caused security issues for some as well as mountain lion access to decks and other personal areas. Napa county has a leash law, which makes it very difficult to own a dog when you are not allowed to "fence your yard".
Circle Oaks is isolated and "country" living, but one feels they own their home and rent their property. You are not allowed to have backyard chickens, even though you live in the country, or any other small livestock type animals. The rules are contradictory to the rest of Napa county, including the city of Napa, which does allow backyard chickens. (no roosters)
There is a lot of wildlife in this area, including black tail deer. Anything you plant is food for them. If you like to garden, you will have to find a way to fence off your area or you are just growing deer food. They will jump a 6 ft fence to get to your veggies and fruits.
Most lots are about 1/4 acre circle. Some are steep and mountainous while others are flatter. There is an abundance of trees, wild ferns and other beautiful flora. Circle Oaks is located in a wildfire danger area as well as an earthquake danger area. The community is very aware of fire danger and part of the rules require maintenance of your property to prevent fire danger.
The HOA consists of a manager and 5 board members. They meet about once a month and homeowners are invited to attend.
The water board is separate from the HOA. Your base water bill is 100.00, plus any usage. This is to pay for improvements made by the water board so that Circle Oaks doesn't run out of water. Most people don't have lawns and just let nature take over their land as a result of the water charges. Since our yards are strictly for wildlife usage, it makes no sense to put out expensive landscaping efforts, however, you do get to watch the deer.
There are beautiful views in most of Circle Oaks. The drive on Hwy 121 is tedious with the tight winding road, bicyclers with no clearance and 20mph for a long stretch. But if you are lucky enough to be the passenger you are in for some amazing views of the vineyards, farms, land, trees and more.
References
[[http://www.circleoaks.org/AOPEN/FINAL-%20Restated%20CC%26Rs%2003-10-2015.pdf]]
Declaration of Covenants, Conditions And Restrictions OF Circle Oakes Homes Association
Personal Experience
External links
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