Working in the Pocket.....Where to Live? (San Jose, Sacramento: cul-de-sac, apartments) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

dabeastro · 06-09-2010, 10:42 PM

Hi all. Fantastic forum. Hoping for some ideas about where to find a rental in the Sac area. Job offer in the pocket right off of Greenhaven. Wife requires that we have a driveway and a decent backyard (no apartments/condos). I require that I do not have to commute more than 30 minutes in light traffic and that I don't have to worry about burglary (only crime I am really concerned about. Kinda eliminates the Pocket. I have seen the crime maps.) Not concerned with schools as we have no kids.

Coming from a great college town like Fort Collins, CO, Davis is an obvious choice, but the rent for single family homes seems a little out of my 1500/month limit. I have also been considering East Sac, Loomis area, or maybe even as far as Cameron Park. Perhaps even south on 5 outside of Sac.

I have lived in some great places (Chicago, Down East Maine, Florida, San Jose, Indiana) and I know Sac pretty well from the past several years of traveling there for work. Honestly, I have not seem a side of the area that really appeals to me and without a great place to call home, I am turning down a very lucrative job offer. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

wburg · 06-09-2010, 10:59 PM

The Pocket is a pretty nice neighborhood--have you looked at the stats within the Pocket specifically for burglary?

You might look at Land Park, which is just a bit north.

dabeastro · 06-09-2010, 11:40 PM

I've looked at the stats and while they are not terrible, they are not great. I've lived in some pretty bad areas in the past and I always felt safe, but always kinda worried the house while I was away. As a kid, my parents got cleaned out twice in San Jose. Not really concerned about other crime, just kinda shy about break-ins. Don't really care about the stuff, just about what someone may do to/with the dogs.

Land park looks interesting. I have never been there but I will drive through in a few weeks. I am taking my wife out for an exploration trip. Being a long hair who loves bikes, I probably should just bite the bullet and move to Davis. I have looked for rentals and like any college town, I see lots of apartments and few houses below 1800/mo. Anyone have experience with finding great deals on homes in Davis? The dogs make everything even more fun....

wburg · 06-10-2010, 08:57 AM

If you're a long hair who loves bikes, why not look at some of the central city neighborhoods? There is a very active cycling scene in the central city, steadily improving bike-lane programs, lots of community rides, and lots of cyclists, plus the terrain is pretty ideal. If by "long-hair" you mean "liberal," the central city neighborhoods are generally the most liberal in the region. Plus, you would be within comfortable biking distance of the Pocket, so you could bike to work. Due to proximity to Sacramento State, the downtown satellite campuses, Sac City and Davis, Midtown tends to have a very college-town feel. I'd recommend looking at the neighborhoods on the eastern edge of the central city: Boulevard Park, New Era Park, Newton Booth or Poverty Ridge.

Within Sacramento, the Pocket is considered a pretty nice, very safe neighborhood. If it is a target for robberies, it is because it's an affluent neighborhood, and burglars tend to go where the good stuff is.

dabeastro · 06-10-2010, 09:26 AM

Thanks for the suggestion. I would live in those neighborhoods, no problem. However, no drive ways or private yards. Wife requirements. She hated street parking in Chicago and needs to have her own planting area.

Not really long hair as in liberal, but long hair as in enjoys access to open space. I am one of those thinking moderates that both sides hate.

I'll give the pocket another look and talk with a couple of friends who live there. I would for sure prefer to live that close. On the other hand, this would only be a 2-3 year location. So maybe the long commute from areas north of Rocklin would be justified by what I'd get for my money. Too many decisions.

wburg · 06-10-2010, 10:04 AM

No driveways or private yards? Maybe you're thinking of a different neighborhood--there are plenty of driveways and private yards in Midtown, especially in the neighborhoods I mentioned. Some are not obvious because parking and garages are often in alleys.
There are some small lots with no off-street parking, but other than apartments and condos, the single-family houses all have front and back yards.

Both Midtown and the Pocket are walking distance to rivers, parks and bike trails. I'm one of those decline-to-state types too, and personally find Davis' brand of liberalism a little galling.

As to what you'd get for the money, a round-trip copmmute from Rocklin to the Pocket is 50 miles. That's 250 miles a week, or over 35,000 miles over 3 years. . Assuming you drive a Prius, that's around a thousand galloms of gas, ten oil changes and an extra set of tires, not to mention about whatever 1500 hours of your time (probably an hour commute each way) is worth.

bluevelo · 06-10-2010, 02:41 PM

I'm kind of mystified here. There are plenty of places in Midtown you could rent with a driveway. There are places here in Tahoe Park that you can rent for $1000 with a yard and garage.

Before you jump up and down about crime, we live in a cul-de-sac in Tahoe Park near Broadway, near the Med Center, and we've had a neighbor - kind of a dumb painter guy that works for the state - that regularly leaves his garage door open with his Harley and tools in there and nothing has ever happened. The neighbors next to him have 3 girls < 6 and are exhausted all the time LOL and often forget to close their garage door at night.

The reason nothing gets ripped is everyone *has* a dog... like you. They did a survey several years ago of 500 inmates in Ohio prisons for burglary and they were asked "what's the best deterrent?" and their overwhelming answer was "get a dog".

Yesterday, my GF was home early and we had a freakout by the mailman because our 20# terrier mutt mix was out with her in the garden... he's afraid of his own shadow but will protect her, was growling a bit and this mailman freaked out to the point he whipped out his pepper spray and started yelling at the dog (which was nowhere near him BTW). She's filed a complaint with the USPS - the guy was beyond rude and reasonable - but my point is a dog makes a big difference.

Also, you almost *always* get ripped by people that *know* you. So try and find a place that has good neighbors and friendly people, and it will police itself.

But dude, given your comments, I find it hard to believe that you've regularly traveled to SMF on business. The whole town is *not* Oak Park or South Sac.

bluevelo · 06-10-2010, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wburg

If you're a long hair who loves bikes, why not look at some of the central city neighborhoods? There is a very active cycling scene in the central city, steadily improving bike-lane programs, lots of community rides, and lots of cyclists, plus the terrain is pretty ideal. If by "long-hair" you mean "liberal," the central city neighborhoods are generally the most liberal in the region. Plus, you would be within comfortable biking distance of the Pocket, so you could bike to work. Due to proximity to Sacramento State, the downtown satellite campuses, Sac City and Davis, Midtown tends to have a very college-town feel. I'd recommend looking at the neighborhoods on the eastern edge of the central city: Boulevard Park, New Era Park, Newton Booth or Poverty Ridge.

Within Sacramento, the Pocket is considered a pretty nice, very safe neighborhood. If it is a target for robberies, it is because it's an affluent neighborhood, and burglars tend to go where the good stuff is.

All good points. Also, if he's in Midtown, its pretty easy to follow the bike lanes over to West Sac and the separated bikelane that's cantilevered to I-80 on the causeway over to Davis. Its a bit of a haul, but its a very nice ride from Midtown to Davis to Winters for lunch... all flat (except for overpasses) and back.

Unless you really want to bike everywhere all the time... there's not a darn thing wrong with Davis but you can save at least $300-$400 a month staying in Sacramento, and you'll get a nicer rental house for your money.

Mr. Ozo · 06-10-2010, 05:41 PM

I would highly recommend you look at living in the Pocket if your are planning on working there.

wburg · 06-10-2010, 07:19 PM

bluevelo: He isn't in Midtown, his job is in the Pocket and he's looking for a place to live. And yeah, the Pocket is pretty nice as far as neighborhoods go. As the above poster mentions, dogs are an effective deterrent to burglars, and alarm systems give great peace of mind in that regard.