Sacramento VS Portland (Lafayette, Oakland: transplants, rent, crime)
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Hi everyone. I am having trouble making probably the most important decision of my life thus far. I am determined to move out west. I love California and Oregon. I am looking for a nice city to live in and both of these cities have a lot going for them and I have been to both as well. The trouble is... I like Portland as a city more than I do Sacramento. But I like California more than I like Oregon. The economy and prices seem to be fairly balanced. The job market seems a bit poorer in Portland but prices such as rent etc seem to be a bit higher in Sac. Can anyone give me input on this decision. Outdoor activities, the economy, the healthcare market, utility and gas costs, any pros and cons about the states or cities. I realize that perhaps not everyone has been to Sac but I assume that most may have some knowledge. Any help will be greatly appreciated thank you so much!!
I Have a lot of experience with both cities, and if you like California, stay with Sac. You'll end up a lot happier.
Portland is a loooong days drive away if you got to get your fix, (you could drive up and spend a three day weekend for a few hundred bucks or a little more) but more interesting stuff is closer to Sac, like northern Ca, and Southern Or, the redwoods, better weather, Shasta, Yosemite, Gold Country, Lake Tahoe/Reno the Bay Area, In&Out, etc.
Several CA transplants I have talked to say they love Portland, Oregon, but once you get your fill, it's a long ways from civilization in any direction.
Unless you call Seattle civilized.
Last edited by pdxMIKEpdx; 09-06-2011 at 07:15 PM..
Hi everyone. I am having trouble making probably the most important decision of my life thus far. I am determined to move out west. I love California and Oregon. I am looking for a nice city to live in and both of these cities have a lot going for them and I have been to both as well. The trouble is... I like Portland as a city more than I do Sacramento. But I like California more than I like Oregon. The economy and prices seem to be fairly balanced. The job market seems a bit poorer in Portland but prices such as rent etc seem to be a bit higher in Sac. Can anyone give me input on this decision. Outdoor activities, the economy, the healthcare market, utility and gas costs, any pros and cons about the states or cities. I realize that perhaps not everyone has been to Sac but I assume that most may have some knowledge. Any help will be greatly appreciated thank you so much!!
I've lived in Sacramento for too long, and would be in Portland tomorrow were it not for the "gloomy" 7 to 9 months of weather, depending on whose opinion you read. It's a tough call because of that. Sacramento has hot summers that demand A/C to be livable, but about 8 months of the year in Sacramento are easy going, with snow being very rare.
I have spent about 3 weeks in Portland metro over the past decade but always had a good impression of it. Just a better quality of people, overall. They seem more intelligent, drive more respectfully and have much less of a thug element. Sacramento has some nice neighborhoods just east and south of downtown, plus some of the fancier suburbs, but it has growing legions (you could call it lesions) of shady people. Portland also just looks physically better, overall. It's got a lot more mountain contours and all the greenery, made possible by the wet months.
Portland has much better air quality and better nature content than Sacramento, which mainly has the American River; a narrow corridor surrounded by homes. You have to drive far into the Sierra from Sacramento to see serious pine trees but the Portland area has plenty right there. Portland just feels more like living in an interesting, wildernessy place vs. Sacramento's farm country with a ghetto mix. Look at crime stats and you'll see this is true.
A lot of it got started when people from Oakland CA started buying cheap homes in the south area, and now the once peaceful Elk Grove has been turned into a thug haven. Asian gangs, too. I saw that whole process unfold over the years. Anything very far south of Hwy 50 in the Sacramento area is spotty RE quality of people. Same goes for much of the area north of Hwy 80. But in between there are patches of good and bad within short distances. The worst parts are most of the "south area" (including much of Rancho Cordova), Del Paso Heights and North Highlands. Rio Linda has gotten a bad rap but it's still rural enough to be OK in some parts. West Sacramento was once the pits but it's making attempts to draw better people, and it seems to be partly working.
Also, I am puzzled by the whole story of good jobs being hard to find in Portland. If you go by BLS statistics, Sacramento seems worse off now. The type of employment you can get is probably the main issue.
If you can afford it, parts of the S.F. Bay Area have arguably the best weather in the U.S., and mostly have better air quality than Sacramento. I'd definitely put that area on your list vs. Sacramento alone. Towns like Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Danville, Alamo and Walnut Creek (and Marin County) are prime spots to live if you have the money or can find some way to stay there modestly. If you like a denser city environment, the Bay has plenty of that, also.
I would say Portland... My parents live in Sac and I prefer Portland thus why we moved here vs Sac... Also, the one negative thing about Sac, is that it is in The Peoples Republic of California... I am so glad I am out of that state...
Hi everyone. I am having trouble making probably the most important decision of my life thus far. I am determined to move out west. I love California and Oregon. I am looking for a nice city to live in and both of these cities have a lot going for them and I have been to both as well. The trouble is... I like Portland as a city more than I do Sacramento. But I like California more than I like Oregon. The economy and prices seem to be fairly balanced. The job market seems a bit poorer in Portland but prices such as rent etc seem to be a bit higher in Sac. Can anyone give me input on this decision. Outdoor activities, the economy, the healthcare market, utility and gas costs, any pros and cons about the states or cities. I realize that perhaps not everyone has been to Sac but I assume that most may have some knowledge. Any help will be greatly appreciated thank you so much!!
If you like Portland more than Sacramento, than go to PORTLAND.
If you like California more than Oregon, than go to the Californian city that you prefer more, not Sacramento.
Tiger Beer --- that would be a simple solution, wouldn't it? If there was a city in CA that I enjoyed more than Portland that was also AFFORDABLE. But there just isn't.
Tiger Beer --- that would be a simple solution, wouldn't it? If there was a city in CA that I enjoyed more than Portland that was also AFFORDABLE. But there just isn't.
Yeah, that's why you should go to Portland.
From Sacramento, you'll basically be IN Sacramento all the time...I don't know what it is you like about California exactly - maybe the typical ocean, beach, hollywood, etc. But you have to be in L.A. for that.
Sacramento, you'll get none of the CA that you want (unless there is something about Sac that you particularly like).
Sacramento's a nice city. Not too far from the coast and Bay Area, not too far from the mountains. Friendly people. The American River Parkway is quite nice - sure, there are some houses near it, but it floods so much that there is a large riparian corridor. I'd have no trouble living there. And to the person who mentioned escaping the People's Republic - uh, you moved to PORTLAND, OREGON.
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Unless you call Seattle civilized.
