What's Sacramento Like??
 

I've never been to Sacramento before but after being layed off my job of 20 years, I'm considering applying for a job which requires relocating to Sacramento. After all the horror stories about the outrageous prices in Northern California, I'm a bit concerned. I currently live in Orange County, CA which isn't cheap either, but certainly much cheaper than the northern Ca. bay area etc. Appreciate any comments about the beauty, priceing, safety, culture of Sacramento. (Sorry to have to admit that I've never even visited my own State Capitol) Craig

Well, last week it was bloody hot! But other than that.....<BR><BR>Sacramento is close to lots of the best of Northern CA like SF, Wine Countries (Napa, Sonoma and Foothills)and Tahoe etc. <BR><BR>Lots of newcomers do not move into the city of Sacramento but prefer the smaller cities and towns around it or the suburbs of Sac, some of which have been incorporating recently, eg: Citrus Heights. Newcomers who prefer city living and can afford it choose to live in McKinely Park are or the Fabulous Forties or places like Land Park.<BR><BR>Sacramento is very much a government town. Our news is much more oriented to what's going on at the Capitol than most other places in CA. <BR><BR>I grew up in S CA and much prefer N CA.

I grew up in Sacramento and now live in the Bay Area. Some generalizations from my experience--Sacramento is a lot more family oriented than the Bay Area. Now that I have a family this isn't such a big deal, but for a single it can be a drag to see these people of 25 years old with two children everywhere. Also, I find the people in the Bay Area to be "sharper" than in Sacramento--that's a huge generalization, of course there are some pretty hip and smart people in Sacramento too but when EVERYONE in the Bay Area works in high tech it seems a little "duller" in Sacramento. Were I to move back, I would live in the Fabulous forties for sure, what a great area! I've never been one for the suburbs personally. There is a lot to do in Sacramento, and some good restaurants, and it's nice and close to SF, Napa and Tahoe. If I were you I'd spend about a week in the area checking it out.

Is the Fabulous Forties a city?? Never heard of this when we visited this area 2 years ago.??

The Sacramento housing market is no where as high as the Bay area and Silicon Valley. A lot of people actually like the area. It's going to be warmer than many areas of OC, but nothing an a/c can't help with.<BR><BR>Southwest Airlines has cheap tickets between OC & Sac, so why not hop there over the weekend and give it a look around.

Unique perspective Monica. I find that most people who live in Sacramento are not originally from Sacramento. They move from all parts of California and the other 48. So maybe it attracts the leftover dull people who flee the really sharp ones from the "City".<BR><BR>We don't have the same level of homeless problem that San Frnacisco has. You'd think with all those "sharp" people someone could come up with a solution to those problems.<BR><BR>There are all the regular things to do, like regional theater, small art galleries and good restuarants.<BR><BR>It's a good deal cheaper to live in Sacramento than in other northern California locations though prices continue to climb. It seems pretty safe but there are pockets of areas that have higher rates of crime than others.<BR><BR>The downtown area is loaded with trees and the city seems to promote this.<BR><BR>The Kings are a great NBA team to cheer for and the Rivercats stadium is located near Old Sacramento and the river.<BR><BR>There's a lot to like about Sacramento is you are "dull" enough to live here.<BR>

For a look at Sacramento in the '70s - check out Eight is Enough reruns on Nick at Night. ;-)<BR><BR>But seriously, you should visit and check out some of the sites like Old Town Sacramento. I take Bay Area newcomers there while on the way to places like Tahoe and they can't believe they've never heard of it after visiting. <BR>

The Sacramento area is agricultural.<BR>While the city is more diversified in its economic base, the mentality of people there is more rural in the sense that it's more family oriented, less fashion and trend oriented, etc.<BR>High end hotels and shopping wouldn't prosper in Sac.<BR>It is very warm in summer, cool in winter, and even gets snow on rare occasion (something like 13 recorded dustings of snow in the county over the past 100 years).<BR>Best asset is proximity to lots of other neat areas (Tahoe, Yosemite, Bay area, etc)

Thanks for the comments. I'm a big <BR>Lakers Fan....can't imagine becoming a Kings fan. hmmmmm.... Lordy Lordy! Really appreciate the help out there. Thanks so much. Craig

Ok craig, now that we know that about you, you may not move here. Crime in the vicinity of YOU will rise dramatically during Basketball Season! :)

Carol, The Fabulous Forties is a section of houses that are fabulous. They are located on the streets numbered in the 40's between Folsom Blvd on the South and what H? on the North. Is H too far? Maybe J. Well you get the idea.

Monica,<BR><BR>You must be from San Francisco with your arrogant attitude putting Sacramento down. You must also be the same person who bashes San Jose, which by the way in the only "real" City in Northern California. San Francisco is nothing but a homeless and hooker infested town. Who in their right mind would want to live or visit such a place?

as long as you leave the stupid shiny yellow Kobe or Shaq jersey and pants behind you will be OK. There are - unfortunately - actually a lot of Lakers fans here. <BR><BR>BTW the fab forties are the premier neighborhood inside the city limits. Called that because they lie on 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th etc streets The closer to 45th St the posher it gets. Housing in the city is VERY diverse - from the high end fab 40's, Land Park, McKinley Park, Greenhaven to low end neighborhoods like in any city. <BR><BR>The fastest growing areas are south of town in Elk Grove/Laguna (commute getting very bad), north of town in Natomas (surrounding Arco Arena) and in south Placer county (Roseville, Granite Bay (Where most of the Kings Players live - so you should avoid al all costs)

Curious as to ballparking what one might get for say $500-$600,000...?? Size is not as important as location. Kids are grown but have 2 dogs and 3 cats. My wife would divorce me before she's give up these guys. What's the price range in the Fabulous Forties?<BR>Thanks, Craig<BR>P.S. I suppose I could leave the gold jersey in So.Cal.

Half a mil will go pretty far in Sacramento. Someone in my family just bought a brand new house - 4 br, 3 ba - right near a golf course for about 250K. The development is brand new and just south of town. I think that property values in town are a bit higher.

You'll have no problem finding a nice 4 bedroom, 2 bath home in Sacramento for that price range.

Don't you think you're jumping the gun? If you're just considering applying for a job, there's a huge chance that they'll never even call you for an interview not alone a need for you to worry about an offer. A friend of mine told me that last week she posted an ad for a mid level position and received over 1,000 resumes in the first 48 hours.

Sorry to say Craig, homes in the fab forties are for sale few and far between and usually more than $600,000. There are two for sale one on 46th between H & J $679,000 and one on 47th between H & I 639,000. The Fab forties are located in the 95819 zip code.<BR><BR>Not to knock your relatives J Correa, I'm sure their home is lovely, but I would never live South of Sacramento. Ugly area, too many homes, very densely populated which is reflected in the price $250,000 is pretty average.

I like to think of Sacramento as the Cincinnati of California. Pleasant on the surface, but somewhat backwards and inbred, too.

Jim, sorry but I live in San Jose. Nice place to live, not so nice to visit. Sure we have our problems too, what city doesn't. Why can't I state my opinion about a place I grew up in without being slammed. So I live someplace else now and have a different take on what it's like in Sacramento than you do?! Hey, that's why I don't live there now and you do. To each his own.

I used the word "applying for a job" losely....they've offered me the same job somewhat on going during the past 2 years (as recently as 3 weeks ago). I was reluctant before because I still had 2 kids at home and was reluctant to relocate.... and was already employed. What a difference a year or two can make. I'm 99% certain that this job is mine if I choose. My other option is to sell O.C. home, scale back and retire early.<BR>Thanks again, Craig

Just curious as to where you're planning on scaling back to? $500K doesn't buy much anymore, particularly if you need a yard to house all of those animals. And with the stock market so shaky, your 401K can disappear overnight. I have a number of friends who now feel that they retired too soon.

Don't think Kali knows anything about Sacramento. Monica's opinion, now that we know she's from the SF-wannabe town of San Jose, is useless. Monica you can't claim to know a town just because you grew up in one of its neighborhoods. You have to live in a place as a grownup (dull or sharp, is up to you) before you really know what a place is all about. The thing about growing up in a palce that has changed as much as Sacramento has over the past 20 years, is that the natives never leave their little enclaves, thus leading Kali to believe they are like him/her and his/her friends-inbred.<BR><BR>

Craig<BR>I've lived in Sacramento for the past thirty years and watched the city grow up. Its changed pretty dramatically in that time. Like a lot of cities, Sacramento has a lot going for it and a few things against it. For one thing, it has is a lot of affordable housing. You'll be able to find a great home in the $500-600 thousand dollar range. Sacramento also has a modicum of cultural activities. There isn't any major kind of nightlife, but there are several cultural venues. The community center has regular theater performances, the Music Circus operates in the summer and there is a reasonably good ballet company. The Mondavi Performing Arts center is opening up in Davis, just a couple of miles away, that is going to be a world class arts center. For sports, we have the Kings and one of the nicest triple A baseball parks in the country. The weather isn't that bad. It does get hot in the summer, frequently in the 90s and a couple of weeks in the 100s, but generally the Delta breezes cool off the area in the evenings making them especially pleasant. Its also a very dry heat, so the humidity is almost never a problem. The winters are generally mild with only an occasional frost. With the heat of the summers, one thing the city does have going for it is lots of trees. The city's location is great. Lake Tahoe is only 2 hours aways for winter and summer activities, plus gambling if you're into that. Its about 90 minutes to SF and about an hour to the wine country. Perhaps the worst problems for Sacramento are the traffic and smog, although if you are from southern California, it won't seem that bad. There isn't any major crime problem in Sacramento, except in a few small areas of town, which you are unlikely to have any contact with on a regular basis. When it comes to selecting housing, it makes the most sense to locate somewhere near where you work. If its downtown, you might look into the older areas like the fabulous 40s, old Land Park and or Curtis Park. If its elsewhere, you might want to check in that particular area. As I said, there will be many very lovely homes in your price range.

Craig may be interested in other areas around Sacramento as the neighborhoods do vary. <BR><BR>Davis is getting expensive and they have lots of restrictions but the homes are nice. <BR><BR>ElDorado Hills is very nice but the CC&R's are very restrictive. They're running out of water but they continue to allow building.<BR><BR>Placer County, which includes the cities of Rocklin and Roseville and the community of Granite Bay, are fairly well-planned communities with lots of new building going on. They'll be filled up pretty soon. <BR><BR>Elk Grove and Laguna, south of Sacramento, are being built up so quickly that the infrastructure, like schools and parks, can not keep up.<BR><BR>Craig, you probably need to check out the various areas before you think about moving and see what the commute, if any, would be like. It sounds like you're not employed by the state so it's likely that the location of your business would not be downtown. Going downtown from the east is not the only problematic commute. Going east along Highway 50 in the am and west in the pm has started to get messy too.

Thanks Tony,<BR>You mentioned smog...Although So. Calif is notorious for smog, where I live the air is actually very clean (about 7 miles from the Pacific, in Orange County). Is smog in Sacramento anything like the terrible smog in say LA, Ontario, Riverside (if you're at all familiar with So. Cal)?? Thanks, Craig

I grew up in a suburb of Sac (Rancho Cordova) and now live in Colorado. The one thing I really miss about Sac and Northern Cal in general is the WATER! You have the American River for rafting, the Sacramento River for water skiing and Folsom Lake for picnics, beaches and more water skiing. Many people have backyard pools as well. I never thought I'd miss the water so much until I moved to a place with a hot, dry summer and no water in sight. *sigh* Nothing beats water sports on a hot day. <BR><BR>What part of town is your employer located in? If I were to move back to the Sac area today, I'd look in the Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Shingle Springs, Cameron Park areas, or even further up the hill on highway 50. Maybe even Auburn/Grass Valley on highway 80. The commute can be grim, but hey, you live in OC so you know what that's like.

Born in San Francisco, lived there for a bit, moved down to San Diego county and lived in Carlsbad, now living in Riverside with a husband who works in Orange County and a friend I visit quite often in Sacramento, Carmichael in fact.<BR>I have to say I LOVE Sacramento!! Prices for houses are NOTHING like OC. It is more laid back and a good place to raise a family but is also diverse and has lots of activities. Picture all the great things, shopping, dining sports and so forth of OC without all the SNOBS!!! Best of both worlds IMO. Close to Tahoe, the City, close enough to the beach but a bit less congested then So Cal. Worth a serious consideration IMO.

X,<BR><BR>You say that San Jose is a "wanna be SF town". No city would want to be like that sorry excuse for a homeless encampment you call SF. San Jose has much better weather than San Jose, has plenty of culture, restuarants, shopping, and nightlife, as well as great parks, and is close to the Monterey Bay and surrounded by picturesque mountains. No need to go to SF for anything unless you are homeless, a drug addict, or like foggy weather in the summer.

Craig<BR>The smog is bad sometimes in the summer, but its not like LA where you can see it. Generally, the valley breezes blow a lot of it into the foothills to the east of Sacramento which end up having a worse smog problem than Sacramento. Except for the summer, the rest of the year really isn't a problem. As this is probably the worst time of the year, you really ought to fly up and spend a few days here and see what you think.

Definitely come up and spend a few days. After all, one person's paradise is another person's armpit.