Moving to Sacramento...

My cousin lives in that area and so I e-mailed her for advice. She wrote back asking what AREA of Sacramento you will be moving to as it is so BIG she couldn't possibly narrow down any choices for you. So if you know approximately WHERE in Sacramento you will be going, let me know and I will see if my cousin can get some more detailed info for you.
M.
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Lincoln, El Dorado Hills...

Hi C., One of my best friends lives in the Sacramento area. She looked all around before deciding on where to buy, schools, etc. She has one daughter age 7. She is not on mamasource so I emailed her your question. Here is her response:

Sacramento is pretty big so you should narrow it down to where you and / or your husband will be working. If it is downtown, there are some fabulous beautiful old homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, and East Sacramento (which is just east of downtown). These neighborhoods have charming homes and tree-lined streets, lots of parks, unique coffee shops, etc. They are very desirable areas and are priced a bit higher than some other areas. For a similar feel with a lower price you might consider Hollywood Park.

I know a real estate agent that works in these areas and is a really good guy. He would be very helpful in recommending the right neighborhood and informing you about the going prices. http://www.markpeters.biz/default.aspx?ID=11296

If you prefer newer areas, with lots of shopping malls, big new neighborhoods, etc. you might consider Folsom or Roseville which would be a commute to downtown.

And there are a lot of nice areas in between. Sacramento can be kind of patchy with some rough areas bordering some of the best areas so it's important to know where you're looking.

Feel free to contact me if you have more specific questions.
Mikan
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I used to live there, 5 years ago. And I had to laugh at your "safe" criteria. I did like sac. dont get me wrong, and I miss it at times. I loved the cultural diversity, the charming old homes, wonderful resturaunts, tree lined streets, the river, Expo, the way the city supports their Sacramento Kings!, the shopping is wonderful, and Sac is affordable. There really is so much to love about that city. But traffic was horrible and while it is unfair to generalize... most big citys have their fair share of crime. (I grew up in the Bay Area.) Sac is very interesting how it is organized. You have wonderful land park, curtis park, T street areas, and around the corner from those neighborhoods the businesses/homes have bars on their windows, with gun shops and pawn shops around... The crime and gangs are NO JOKE in sac. I taught down at 65th and lemon hill, and I saw a very different side of sacramento teaching where I taught so I may be biased. Sorry if I scare you but most of the neighborhoods are interspersed with good and bad areas and fast moving streets. Its not really set up in family friendly tracks or neighborhoods, but that is also a part of its charm. I lived in the Arden area, and then in the Med center area--near T street. The Ghetto bird (police helicopter) was just a norm most weekends in both neighborhoods. So my suggestion is, visit the place! I dont know what you can afford, those nicer areas are pricey but there are plenty of surrounding areas that are probably a bit "safer" than the actual big city of sacramento. Maybe a bit more family friendly, kids running in the culdesac type of places would be cities like Rocklin, Roseville, Elk grove, Folsom, El Dorado hills perhaps. But again, the traffic is a nightmare all around sac and the surrounding cities, so If your hubby is working in the city it might not be a bad idea to live there, walk or ride a bike to work! It really is a neat place but I dont think anyone can lead you in a specific direction, that is something you have to get a feel for yourself. Visit before you make that leap! Good luck and Enjoy!

Bye!!!!
Happy trails.

My parents have lived about 20 minutes north of Sac in a city called Rocklin for the past 18 years and absolutely love it. Just to let you know, the summers get mighty hot and the winters mighty cold but it seems like a nice place to live. Best of luck!!

I live in So. Calif,however, most of my family lives up in No. California...Auburn, Rocklin, Roseville, etc.

My sister and her husband live in Rocklin and it's a very nice area. I don't know how close to downtown Sacramento you need to be, but it's a quick drive into Sacramento from Rocklin.

Check it out.

My brother lives in the Natomas area,and it seems to be safe and good for children. There are A LOT of kids there. He went thru 4 BIG bags of Halloween candy this year. I dont' know much else about it. My brother is a bachelor, so he bought there for other reasons.

While I don't live in Sacramento, I grew up in California, so I can say that Sacramento is a pretty big city and has many lovely suburbs around it. My sister-in-law lives in Auburn and loves it. I have an uncle and his family who live in Folsom. They also enjoy their area. My best friend lives in the Rocklin/Loomis area and she actually has a horse property.

If you have a job in Sacramento, be aware that the traffic on both I-80 and I-50 is brutal during commute time. I've driven through this and, well, it's one example as to why California has a bad reputation for traffic.

Good luck with your move.

I have relatives who are very happy living in Elk Grove and in Folsom... (three different sets) I think budget is going to impact this decision for sure!!

Huggles!!
~S.~

We used to live in the area...we miss it!!! We lived for a few years in Folsom and then moved to El Dorado Hills. It really depends on what side of Sac want to be close to...the Hwy 80 side or the Hwy 50 side. We lived on the 50 side. I still have family who live in Elk Grove. Its all really nice and I hope you love it as much as we did!

Hi C.! My very good friend has been up there for years with small children (more like pre-teens now) and bought her first house in Elk Grove. She was happy there, but has gone on to be happier in other neighborhoods, since. It kind of depends on your budget.

Contact me privately with a price range of what you're looking for and I'll put you together with my friend for more information. My email address is T. at living90045.com. Why does the email address look odd? It's because I don't want the big bad spam bots to scrape it and sell it to a million lists. Just reformat it to regular email format and you'll get me.

T.

Hi C.!!

I was born (1975) and raised in Sacramento!!!! Actually Citrus Heights!!!! Oh my gosh...wish I was moving back.
I can tell you all kinds of things, places that are great to live etc. Email me privately and we can talk! Cost of living is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper. You don't have the ocean. But you are 1.5 hours from San Francisco and you are 1.5 hours away from Lake Tahoe. It's the best of both worlds. Summer gets HOT!!!! make sure you get a house with a newer furnace with air conditioning. You can not live without it there. Summers get up to 110 degrees. Don't get scared....you got lots of places to go swimming and there isn't humidity. It's not that bad. I could go on and on and on. Email me and I will help you best I can. I'm excited for you!!!

E.