Going to work in Lodi- where do we live? (San Francisco: relocating, real estate)

[WhiteStar07]

We're relocating very soon across country for a job in Lodi, and are not at all familiar w/ the area. I can tell Sacramento is too far to commute (?) Where should we live? We are an early 30's married couple w/ no kids yet, and are city people leaving a tiny town... desperate for the city life again : shopping, restaurants, parks, water, things to do, etc. Definitely want to be in a safe area - I have been researching this week and am kind of aghast at what I've read w/ gangs and robbery, and just the crime in general. It sounds like you really need to know the area well before landing somewhere.
We are willing to commute for the sake of an enjoyable lifestyle.
Any ideas? I've read a bit on here about Elk Grove, Laguna...
Please help!

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by WhiteStar07

We're relocating very soon across country for a job in Lodi, and are not at all familiar w/ the area. I tell Sacramento is too far to commute. Where should we live? We are an early 30's married couple w/ no kids yet, and are city people leaving a tiny town... desperate for the city life again : shopping, restaurants, parks, water, things to do, etc. Definitely want to be in a safe area - I have been researching this week and am kind of aghast at what I've read w/ gangs and robbery, and just the crime in general. It sounds like you really need to know the area well before landing somewhere.
We are willing to commute for the sake of an enjoyable lifestyle.
Any ideas? I've read a bit on here about Elk Grove, Laguna...
Please help!

If you crave city life, as you describe it, midtown Sacramento seems most appropriate to me. Safety isn't too bad, but it still is the city:

midtowngrid.com, Directory for Sacramento, Midtown, Downtown Sacramento, East Sacramento and Old Saccramento Business Directory for shopping, restaurants, hotels, Sacramento's 2nd Saturday Art Walk, Entertainment and more!

[Carolyn Montgomery]

Well, Lodi is a fairly quiet community about 40 minutes south of downtown Sacramento. Living nearer to Sacramento and then commuting to work in Lodi would mean going against the commuter traffic in the morning, so your drive time wouldn't be bad at all.

Lodi is located between I-5 and Highway 99. You would probably be better of staying closer to I-5 as Highway 99 is an older highway with heavy traffic at all hours.

Coming north up I-5 from Lodi is the Laguna West area (technically the very western part of the city of Elk Grove). This has many homes from the $300,000s and up. Suburban, but all kinds of shopping, restaurants, coffee houses, etc. The whole area is new, having grown out of agricultural fields within the last 15 years.

Another 10 minutes north toward Sacramento is the Pocket/Greenhaven area located off Pocket Road to the west of I-5 up against the Sacramento River. This area has about 40,000 people in homes built since the beginning of the 1960s up to the present. It's considered upscale with lots of real estate up against the river, but many more reasonable homes in the interior of this geographical "pocket." Homes in the area start at rougly $400,000 and go up from there. There are also several duplexes and some condos in the Pocket. This area during non-commute hours is about 15 minutes from downtown/midtown Sacramento.

If you have any questions, feel free. . .

Carolyn Montgomery
Realtor

[Mary W]

Lodi is a wonderful place to raise a family but it may not be the perfect place for you to live if you are craving something close to a big city atmosphere. I moved here 25+ years ago from San Francisco when I got married.

Life for most revolves around activities with family, friends, church, school, youth sports, as well as community activities such as the weekly farmers market downtown. There is a movie theatre downtown, several non-chain coffee houses, an increasing number of good restaurants and lots of local wineries. There are only a couple of night clubs.

In general, Lodi is a place where people know their neighbors and take pride in their community. You can feel safe walking around most neighborhoods at night. (The general rule is that the safer part of Lodi is to the west of the railroad tracks that bisect the city.)

You'll have to decide if Lodi is the best place for you at this time in your life. If you decide to commute, be aware of the tule fog that can make driving difficult in the winter months. It's like driving in thick soup!

I love living in Lodi, but know that its comfortable small town atmosphere may not be the right fit for everyone.

[WhiteStar07]

I appreciate the info! Thank you !