Looking into relocating to Cameron Park or Folsom area (Sacramento: foreclosures, low crime)

[Caffreys]

I am will be coming from Tacoma, WA and the reason for that is to be closer to family in the Bay Area. Cameron park and Folsom appear to be safe with excellent schools. Does anyone have any good or bad information on thses area's. It there a better area near by. My price range is up to 550k. Are these low crime area's and how is the employment in these area's. My wife is in the finance field and i am a disablied veteran. I need to be near a VA medical center. Thank you.

[markas214]

Not a resident but one thing I learned was that depending on where you choose your electric bill could be double. Find out which utility company is supplying electricity in the area you are interested in.

[KidBlue]

This web link will let you search for VA health services by zip code. Cameron Park's zip code is 95682 and Folsom is 95630:

http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/ZipSearchResult.asp

Both Folsom and Cameron Park (CP) are nice areas to live. You may be able to find a home for $550K in El Dorado Hills also. You will probably find more homes in CP in your price range. Most of the areas around CP are rural and most of the homes are newer and are on acreage which drives up the cost (Rescue, Latrobe, Shingle Springs, Diamond Springs).

You won't have any problem in CP or Folsom with crime like in Tacoma. You would have to look into Rancho Cordova to find similar high crime areas. The further you get from Sacramento into the foothills, the more conservative and white the population gets. Not sure if this is a concern for you. Other areas you might want to look into are Elk Grove, new homes in Mather, new area of Natomas (flood area though), Roseville, Lincoln, nicer areas of Citrus Heights/Orangevale, and West Sacramento (used to be a bad area but has bezillions of new homes now). Let me know if you have more questions. Your wife should be able to find work in these areas (my financial planner lives in CP and has an office in Citrus Heights). Roseville has a lot of financial companies.

Nice to help someone out in reverse. I'm looking to retire somewhere between Shelton and Hoodsport (haven't decided yet) and have gotten lots of help from western WA folks.

[KidBlue]

Markas214 beat me to my post. Sacramento has the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) which is usually cheaper than others. Some areas around Roseville have small utility companies. Folsom, CP, and the rest of the foothills have Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). Your power bill will most likely bite in the summer (our's is about $400 a month for a 2,600 square foot home keeping it at 78) but in the winter you can recover (we pay about $200 per month in the winter). But since you are from Tacoma, you can probably wear short sleeves in the winter here.

[Caffreys]

KidBlue thanks for the detailed info and goodluck to you in Western Washington. I am personally tired of the congestion and bad weather up here...
Is Mather or Auburn a good area to rasie a family. It appears all you can get for 450k are cookie cutter homes with no yard, sad...

[Kingsnkali]

Folsom has SMUD for electricity and PG&E for gas. It's an advantageous combination cost wise. Utilities are probably going to be cheaper in Folsom than Cameron Park. I may be biased, but I think Folsom would be a better choice in your price range. Your wife would have a much better chance landing a good job near Folsom vs up-the-hill in Cameron Park.

I think the nearest VA hospital is over at Travis AFB in Fairfield.

[KidBlue]

Auburn is an excellent place to raise a family. The schools are good and the pace is a little slower than Sacramento. Auburn is not too bad of a commute to Roseville where your wife may have better luck finding a job in her field. Auburn will have PG&E for both gas and electricity.

Mather also has good areas to raise a family, but not as good as Auburn. The school district is Folsom-Cordova and Rancho Cordova does not have nearly as good of schools as Folsom or Auburn. There are a lot of new homes and shopping going into Mather. They may have new and better schools soon. I think you can find good areas, but you would need to be more selective than in Auburn. In Auburn, anywhere will have good schools and be pretty safe. All of the schools in Cameron Park, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills are also good.

It is sad that housing is so expensive, but with the number of foreclosures in the area, you might be able to find a good deal.

[Caffreys]

KidBlue are we decides to stay in the the Tacoma area moved to University Place near the Puget Sound. Again thank you for your detailed info and goodluck on coming up our way...