Ukiah is a relaxed, walkable hub in Mendocino County with river access, vineyards, great hiking, farmers’ markets and a tidy downtown of cafes and casual dining — an easy, low‑stress place to enjoy multi‑week contracts while still having plenty of outdoor and local-culture options.
For bigger-city amenities and more restaurants/wineries or hospital options on day trips, Santa Rosa (about 61 miles) and Healdsburg (about 46 miles) are within roughly an hour–90 minutes’ drive, giving easy access to flights, specialty shopping and nightlife.