Can anyone comment on Sacramento area?

[Dennis Kalma]

Hi all,

I am considering a job prospect in the Sacramento CA area.... now that I am in my twilight years and the kids are off in university, the missus and I are feeling adventurous.

Can anyone make a comment if it is a nice place to live, how is it for safety/lifestyle etc?

I spent some time working in La Jolla (liked that a LOT) and had a team working in Fresno (didn't like that place all that much)....so comparisons to those two fine CA locations would be useful...

Thanks

Dennis

PS - how is the Porsche life in Sacramento?

[930addict]

I'm from the bay area but I've been to/thru Sacramento many times. I really don't care for the climate. Very muggy and flippin hot in the summer. I always considered it a place to drive thru.

BTW..I think pcar ownership is the same wherever you go - awesome!

[jim72911t]

I live in a little town about 75 miles north, so this is not a direct assessment, but I've spent enough time there to at least form a misguided opinion.

The good: nice weather, close to the Sierras for skiing/hiking/camping/fishing/etc, Thunderhill is an hour away (plus Laguna Seca and Sears Point are a couple hours in either direction), kind of a cool downtown, nice people.

The bad: I've always considered it to be the "suburb without a city." It doesn't have the charm of a smaller town, yet it doesn't have the vibrant city feel of SF, Portland or Seattle. To each his own, I guess. Plus, the sprawl is getting to be like the Bay Area or LA, with the obvious effects on housing prices, traffic, and the like.

I'm expecting that in the next ten years the drive between Chico and Sacramento will become much like the drive between Irvine and LA, or the drive between San Jose and San Francisco. If you've done either of those, you'll know what I mean.

I've considered looking at job opportunities in Sac myself, so maybe one of the "locals" will chime in.

Good Luck,
Jim

[nostatic]

haven't been up there for about 10 years, but back then the traffic was horrible on surface streets (the rivers slice up the city and there are only so many bridges). Cold in the winter, not and stifling in the summer, and toolie fog other times. It ain't La Jolla...

[PCA 944]

I went to UC Davis for the past year in Davis, which is about 10 miles out of Sacramento. I've actually never been in Sacramento itself but if its anything like Davis, its a pretty safe place that has a small town feel to it.

The weather is often cold with pretty harsh winds during the winter session, but as summer sets in it gets hot (100+ Farenhiet). Nights are usually cold though.

There are a few rennlisters in the Sac area (Serge, Kuhl, BlueCamero) that drive 944's, but the Porsche scene isn't too large.

[Vonzipper]

Look at the Granite Bay area or Rocklin, I think you'll enjoy it

[Westy]

Been here forever, so here ya go.

I don't like the heat, and it's a 100 degrees this week. It's never real cold, and there is some serious fog on I-5 and 99 in the winter.

Sacramento is any other big city,,,we got gangs, we got crime, we got political indifferences.

We are, however, close to the bay area, close to the mountains, and have more streams rivers and lakes within a hour than most everybody except Minnesota. Rafting biking fishing hunting back roads driving shopping etc,,,it's all here. And when I retire I'm leaving this state because after all, it's still California.

Stay out of the entire south area except for Elk Grove. 80 % of Rancho Cordova sucks, and half of Carmichael is the same. Folsom is nice but congested, and very pricey. If you're retired, move east to the foothills and you will love it. Like La Jolla, this place has skyrocketed in the real estate market. West Placer County went up 26 percent last year. If I recall, this area was third in the country in property value increases.

Wait about 4 years and I'll sell you my place. Cash closes the deal. Good luck!

[vash]

you dont want westy's place unless you like to mow lawns. sacto is really hot. i honestly think the downtown area has alot of charm. you can still walk to cafe's. tower cafe has the best chocolate cake i have ever eaten. sacto area may have the best bbq in the state. there is plenty of cultural diversity. like westy states, real estate prices are building up steam. me? if i had too live there, i would commute from davis. you get bonus points because you are a hop/skip/jump from harvey weidman, so no excuse for ugly fuchs.

[widebody911]

Originally posted by vash
you get bonus points because you are a hop/skip/jump from harvey weidman, so no excuse for ugly fuchs.

He even makes house calls!

[cantdrv55]

I lived in Sac (Elk Grove) back in the late '80s but moved to the SF Bay Area due to a job opportunity. However, work takes me to Sac every week, sometimes twice a week so I know the area pretty well.

As others have said, it's hot, maybe even freaking hot if you're not used to >90 F heat. Typical big town with great restaurants, pro-team (Go Kings!), lots of outdoor stuff to do and places to avoid. A hop, skip and a jump to SF, Tahoe, Reno, Mt Shasta and, yes, Fresno. There are at least 10 large hospitals in the surrounding area, a growing int'l airport, light rail for downtown commuting and mediocre bus system. If you're into downtown living, you might want to look into midtown where there are still tree lined streets that provide a good amount of shade because as we've all said, it's hot!

I see people jogging when it's 95 F out. Crazy Sacramentans. I see golfers when it's 100 F out. Crazy golfing Sacramentans. The only place to be when it's that hot is on the river or Folsom Lake. Cool waters, great people watching. Or, you could go Arden Fair, Downtown Sac or Roseville Galleria malls.

If you need more specific info, send a PM.

[ckissick]

Did anyone mention it's hot? Anyway, it's a nice place. As for neighborhoods, Land Park is exceptional. Very nice houses. But it may have gotten pricey lately.

Sacto has an "Old Town" along the river, with blocks of 150-year-old Gold Rush buildings, cobblestone streets, wooden sidewalks, a big paddlewheeler on a dock, and an awesome rail museum.

And you can be neighbor's with Ahnold!

[TWork]

I've lived/worked in and around the Sacramento area for the last 15 years or so. I think whether you'll like the area will definitely depend on what you like to do. As has been said, Sacramento doesn't have the personality of a city like SF, NY, Portland or Chicago. But, its not a bad place to live. We usually get two or three weeks of un-godly hot weather in the summer, but its not too bad. I have never known it to be particularly humid as was mentioned earlier. Despite not having the personality of some other cities, its a large enough area that there's plenty of resources for hobbies (e.g., there are a fair number of stores, etc, such that you don't always have to mail order or drive a great distance to get to things). "Sacramento" is a relatively large area and encompases a number of towns. Where you'll look to actually live will depend greatly on where specifically you'll be working.

As for things to do, there are a number larger shopping malls in the area (Arden, K-street, Galleria), there's some culture (B-street theatre and that other theatre under the tent, can't recall the name). Its very close to Thunderhill -- a great little road track, and Sonoma isn't too far either. Its also near Folsom Lake and the American river -- so good if you either like to boat or go white water rafting. There's a great bike trail that goes from the downtown area all the way up to Granite Bay which is like 30 miles one-way. There's also some of the best mountain biking in the world within a 30 min to 2 1/2 hour drive. In the winter, Tahoe is close for skiing. And, we're relatively close to the Bay Area.

All in all, its not a bad place to be. I'm sure there are more sought after locations, but its a far, far, far cry from Fresno. In general, its probably less of a festive 'hot spot' like the San Diego area.

T.

[Westy]

Come on TWork,,,you live in God's Country,,,,not Sacramento. Now get down to Poor Reds and get some ribs and a beer!!!

[TWork]

Hey Westy! I live up the hill a ways now, but I've paid my dues living in the city. True though, nothing beats living up the hill.

T.