Relocating to Travis AFB (San Jose, San Francisco: apartment, renter, crime rates) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

alovely1 · 01-07-2007, 12:10 PM

We're being assigned to Travis AFB for four years and neither my husband or myself have ever lived in CA. We're not sure if we'll live on base, rent, or buy. We have a 5 yr old, so a quality school is very important. Some neighborhood characteristics that are important to us are: multicultural, family oriented, nearby shopping/entertainment, fairly close proximity to the base, mid-upper middle income, lower crime rates. If we bought, we would be selling at the end of our assignment with no interest in renting out. On paper, Vacaville seems to be a good fit. Are there particular areas where military tend to live, though we're not beholden to those areas. What's the weather like? We're an allergy prone group. Would love to hear all your opinions, I need to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. We realize CA is "like" any place else, it's what you make of it and knowing where to go and not to go. We plan to travel and explore all that we can for the time that we're there. I understand that knowledge is power and that's why I'm asking the experts!

izzy · 01-09-2007, 12:05 PM

I lived in Suisun for 15 years. That is where the base is located. Suisun is a very windy city. Our trees use to grow leaning over.

The wind would whistle under the front door. Use to flood along the highway 12 section of town. Don't know if they have fixed that. It has grown a lot over the years. There was a large section of wildlife reserve on the other side of the highway. Was surprised when they built homes on that side. I think there is still quite a bit of reserve out there. When we moved there in back in the 70's we bought a brand new home for $35,000. Now homes are at least 10 times that. A friend of ours still lives there and is buying a home in Fairfield for about $450,000.

Suisun is very multicultural. I think Suisun is not quite "mid-upper" anything. You might find some nice neighborhoods in Fairfield, next door to Suisun.

Vacaville was always a nice town. Haven't been there in about 10 years. Vacaville most likely has the nicer schools in the area. Suisun schools were always "questionable". My kids have fond memories of Suisun. But when we lived there there was still cow pastures and farms. Last time I went through there it is all homes and shopping centers.

Izzy

gizmo980 · 01-10-2007, 03:23 AM

I will be moving to that area soon (this month), and have been looking around Travis AFB as well... I've found a lot of cheaper rentals in that neighborhood, but was also wondering about it's "quality". Though I live in a terrible neighborhood now, so anything will seem nice - plus I'm hoping the base keeps things on the safer side. My job will be in Suisun, and so far I haven't been able to find much in that actual city... I'm a renter with a dog, so my experiences might be different from yours.

I've also heard that Vacaville is nice, but I personally want to avoid going that far east, since my friends & family are on the Peninsula (around the Bay). If the location & distance from Fairfield doesn't bother you, I'd suggest looking into that town. It's not as multicultural as Fairfield & Suisun City, so I guess it depends on how important that factor is. It is fairly inexpensive, safe, and an easy drive to Sacramento for your "big city needs". Vallejo is another option closer to SF, but I have heard mixed things about it... seems it's not the nicest place, which is why housing is a bit cheaper. Anyway, you might want to go read my thread called "Vallejo/Fairfield?", where I got some good advice from others. And come say "hi" if you ever go to the library - LOL!

gizmo980 · 01-10-2007, 03:29 AM

Oh, and to answer some of your other questions -
I don't know much about the schools, since I don't have kids yet... but others have said the Vacaville schools are good, if I remember correctly. As for shopping, there's a HUGE mall in Fairfield, which I plan to hit immediately after moving.

It's a "Westfield Mall", which we have in San Jose, and I've always loved shopping at those. There are also outlet malls in Napa and Vacaville, where I've gotten some great stuff in the past... and finally (for entertainment needs too), you can always drive into Sacramento or San Francisco!

izzy · 01-11-2007, 05:48 PM

Hi,
As far as Vallejo goes. It is not a pretty city. Most of the areas I have been in are run down. There are a lot of street people and I would not like to live there. My mom lived there for about a year and I worried about her.

If you are considering vallejo really, really, research it. I would pick Vacaville in a heart beat before Vallejo. Fairfield is okay and Suisun is a step down from Fairfield. But still way better than Vallejo.

Izzy

gizmo980 · 01-13-2007, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by izzy

Hi,
As far as Vallejo goes. It is not a pretty city. Most of the areas I have been in are run down. There are a lot of street people and I would not like to live there. My mom lived there for about a year and I worried about her.

If you are considering vallejo really, really, research it. I would pick Vacaville in a heart beat before Vallejo. Fairfield is okay and Suisun is a step down from Fairfield. But still way better than Vallejo.

Izzy

(Sorry to "hijack" the thread, though it will apply to the original poster too.

) Just wanted to say thanks for posting those tips, and that I'm going apartment hunting this weekend... focusing on Fairfield/Suisun, but will check out Vallejo & Vacaville too. Do you happen to know about the Travis AFB neighborhood specifically, like around Tabor & Travis roads? I'm also looking at the area around Suisun library, which is on Sunset ave...

izzy · 01-14-2007, 05:52 PM

Hi,
I haven't lived in the area for many years. But we raised our boys there for about 15 years. We left around 1990. I often pass through there on my way to Vallejo to pick up my mom from the bus. I drive by our old house and can't believe how narrow the streets are and how rundown the houses have gotten. That isn't all of Suisun...just our neighborhood. We were on Nadel ave.

So it might be best to get info. from someone who still lives there. But I felt when we left the schools were getting rowdy and the neighborhood was getting crowded with bay area folks moving there for cheaper houses.

There are a lot of nice homes on the other side of hwy 12 next to the wildlife reserve.

Appts...not sure. But I will ask my friend who still lives there.

Izzy

Imissthefall · 01-14-2007, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alovely1

We're being assigned to Travis AFB for four years and neither my husband or myself have ever lived in CA. We're not sure if we'll live on base, rent, or buy. We have a 5 yr old, so a quality school is very important. Some neighborhood characteristics that are important to us are: multicultural, family oriented, nearby shopping/entertainment, fairly close proximity to the base, mid-upper middle income, lower crime rates. If we bought, we would be selling at the end of our assignment with no interest in renting out. On paper, Vacaville seems to be a good fit. Are there particular areas where military tend to live, though we're not beholden to those areas. What's the weather like? We're an allergy prone group. Would love to hear all your opinions, I need to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. We realize CA is "like" any place else, it's what you make of it and knowing where to go and not to go. We plan to travel and explore all that we can for the time that we're there. I understand that knowledge is power and that's why I'm asking the experts!

Hello. I don't know anything about Travis AFB but you might want to go to www.cinchouse.com and post a message there! Good luck!!

fbcobrn · 01-14-2007, 10:58 PM

in case you dont already have it, this is Travis AFB wbesite:
http://public.travis.amc.af.mil/ (broken link)
Great Commissary and the building and remodeling on base over the last few years is amazing in the wake of Calif. base closures. David Grant Hospital is big just off the majot part of the base, and is supposed to be the premier Cancer facility in No. Calif. Anywhere in the area is close to shopping, waterway activities, short drive to the Sierra Mts and winter snow, Monterey, Santa Cruz, etc. Great area to live in general to get out and site see.
Good luck.

vwrobinson · 01-31-2007, 04:25 PM

Hi, alovely1

I grew up in Vacaville from 1973 - 1986, joined the Air Force and got stationed there at Travis from '86 - '96.
I noticed no one mentioned anything about allergies in the thread.
I have an allergy to Dill Weed pollen and the valley that Cordelia, Suisun, Fairfield, Vacaville etc is in was considered the worst in the nation for pollen.
I had the worst experience in school, I could hardly ever concentrate in class because of sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose....always looking for tissue....I hated it. But there are better drugs now-a-days and I never got shots for it.
So just a heads up, for your allergy sufferers.