Thinking of moving from Houston to Sacramento. (Riverside, Roseville: renting, house)
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I sense some resentment from locals that Sacto gets overlooked from the rest of the state. I've met plenty of people that have heard of Sacramento....but couldn't point it out on a map let alone tell you it is the Capital of the State.
The only reason people read about it is that it's used as a metonym for the California political scene. I.e., not usually in a good way
Whoh there, I didn't really want to stir things up. I am a third generation Californian, but my extended family is all in Socal. I have many fond memories of visiting the sprawling sweaty hot suburbs my Grandfather and uncles and aunts lived in. The bay is not for beach bums, and the desert is not for fog-breathers. It is all preference, and I think each CA city has a something going for it. The beach city, the bay city, the river city.
I just want to point out that the last 30 years of suburban development ARE a scar on the landscape here, and now many of these ugly houses are sitting vacant. But this is NOT something unique to Sac. If you consider the Bay Area as a whole, there are huge swaths of disgusting suburban sprawl there. I find it hard to believe that anyone would try to make the argument that it doesn't happen in LA as well. Just look at a map and you can see the miles and miles of flat suburban development, interlaced with a spiders web of 8 lane commuter freeways.
I just think it's funny to say that hills are 'just enough' variety in the terrain. That the bay, rivers and lakes are too much. Kinda highlights just how subjective the whole conversation is.
I think the reason why LA people move to Sacramento is the same reason SF people do. To escape the high cost of living, but still live in a somewhat cultured urban area. Former San Franciscans like that people aren't phony, but hate the heat, former Angelenos like the weather, but miss the beach.
I think the reason why LA people move to Sacramento is the same reason SF people do. To escape the high cost of living, but still live in a somewhat cultured urban area. Former San Franciscans like that people aren't phony, but hate the heat, former Angelenos like the weather, but miss the beach.
I hear you. For me, Sacramento reminded me of my intense dislike for going to grad school in the Midwest (a story in itself, being from LA). Virtually everything I did and every place I went reminded me of the Midwestern grad school experience which I wanted to put behind me. There were some nice people there, I'll give you that and very little hostility to transplants, as there were tons of them. I also found that I was driving excessively to get out of there most weekends: the Bay Area, Tahoe, Monterey/Carmel and Chico/Redding/Shasta.
Who, escaping to Chico/Redding/Shasta? I guess I have known too many people from the north end of the state who love Sacramento because growing up in that neck of the woods, this was the big city they aspired to move to when they grew up.
Heck, I am quite fond of San Francisco and Los Angeles, including their terrain and weather. I'm not all that much into the desert parts of California, and find Sacramento just cool enough as long as I stay close to the river. In some ways, Sacramento's long-standing advantage is its location at the crossroads of California, so much that people tend to ignore or downplay its local attractions--of which, I will freely admit, does not include dramatic mountains. But there are some pretty bits, if you don't mind flatness.
Correct, I'm from LA and never wanted to live in the Bay Area nor in Sacto, but did so in the latter. Right, I think that the Gold Rush opened up SF Bay, as all of the 4 state capitals were in Northern California. SoCal was opened up by entertainment and aerospace, for the most part. I think that most 4th and 5th generation Californians must have their roots up north.
I'm not a stereotypical SoCal person at all. I was studious. LOL. Still, I liked living in the Southland because of the topography, the beaches, the weather, the big melting pot, the politically incorrect irreverence, and LA's big city status. I always viewed the Bay Area as someplace nice to visit ... didn't like the way it was all segmented by water and bridges, nor the fact that the ocean is ridiculously cold. I always viewed Sacramento as a place to pass through when going to Lake Tahoe to ski, possibly to get something to eat, buy gas, or take a leak. Sorry, but you're in Rancho Cordova or Citrus Heights when you're looking at the foothills from the freeway. I remember there were several nice vistas along LA's freeways.
What nice vistas? I live in SD, and here you might say the vistas are nice from some freeways, but honestly, unless it's long interstates, freeways and nice vistas don't belong in the same sentence, especially in LA/so cal!
so i'm curious what vistas? b/c I loathe LA [but love it at the same time]-i mean, the air quality makes me sick upon arrival [seriously], and it's ugly and industrial for much of it, except the short stretch of the 405 at sunset or whilshire....
Seeing the mountains on the way to pasadena is not really that breathtaking, to me. Unless I am leaving so cal to drive north; then I find it beautiful.(: The Grapevine is oddly freeing/beautiful to me.
Anyway, where in LA do you see nice vistas from the freeway, that is not similar to rancho cordova or citrus heights?
Just saying, your points do nothing to illuminate why I would not like sacramento, in comparison to either so cal or houston....
Your opinion, however, is valid. Different strokes, as they say.....
Last edited by lrmsd; 03-02-2012 at 08:46 PM..
Reason: typo
freeways and nice vistas don't belong in the same sentence, especially in LA/so cal!
so i'm curious what vistas?.
The fact that the freeways are woven into the canyons, hilly terrain or always have hills as a reference point. The 134/210 with the San Gabriels dusted in snow (even without), the 5, the 110 or the 2 (Glendale Freeway) going through hills and looking at the downtown LA skyline, the 405 in the Sepulveda Pass and the descent into the Valley, the ascent of the 405 out of the Valley and the eerie landscape of the Santa Clarita Valley, the 101 bordered by the hills south of Ventura throughout the SF Valley, the sweep of the 405 around the South Bay Curve, seeing Palos Verdes and jumbo jets flying overhead to land at LAX, the 10/60/57 through the few nice suburbs of SGV such as San Dimas, Diamond Bar and the pass into Brea (Orange County). Granted, all of this looks better on a clear day. It's more of a feeling. It feels like California and not the Midwest.
I knew people from Sacramento that moved to LA to attend college, usually one of the UCs (UCLA, UCI) and maybe USC and "resisted" the move back to Sacramento, and they brought it up constantly.
^^^ Well I grew up in Glendora and graduated High School from San Dimas and yes it was a great place to grow up. Housing though is still freakishly high even post crash.
As for City rivalry? I could care less. At 43 I'm way past that stuff. I just want good weather. Period. We would of never come to Houston had I known what the weather was like. By the time we found out <15 years ago> we had kids, job and business and it was too late. My wife and I are in our mid 40's now and one kid is getting ready for college, the business is sold and we are ready to go. I loved growing up in So Cal but it is not the same there as when we left 20 years ago. I was just really interested in Sacramento from someone in their mid 40's point of view that wants to enjoy being outside for the first time in almost a decade and a half.
As for Houston, The Woodlands is the nicest place to live here no question but they have the same horrific weather we all have here. For anyone who has not lived here I really can't describe how bad it is. I've given up all outdoor activities this year because the mosquitoes are so bad the last time I tried to play golf I had dozens of bites. Life is simply too short to live indoors which is what we do here.
So I know it gets "hot" in Sacramento, but would you guys compare it to say Riverside?
Is all of Sacramento in a flood zone?
Also someone asked my profession, I am a PA-C Physician Assistant. I've been an Emergency Medicine/Urgent Care PA for 18 years.
Thanks for the input on this thread, it is helpful.
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Should be a poster --I'd buy one!
