Moving for work at UC Davis...West Sac vs. Pocket/Greenhaven vs. Natomas (Sacramento: apartment)

[Maximus23]

Hello all,

I've been scouring the forums for the past month or so, but I finally decided I just needed to start a new thread to try to get at a couple of key questions I have. My wife and I have already done quite a bit of research on the area, so I have a pretty good idea of what's what, despite having never lived there.

First, my situation: Married, 1 daughter with autism (preschool age), 1 cat + 1 large dog. Soon to be graduating with my doctorate and will be starting work at UC Davis in August. Currently living in Indiana, grew up in Houston, have never been to Sacramento. We're looking to rent because we don't have the cash to put a down payment on a house. Plus, I currently only have a 3 year appointment at UCD.

Second, our thoughts: While Davis seems to be the top choice for young families, it is too expensive! We've slummed through living in a small apartment for the past 5 years for me to do my degree and we're tired of it, to be honest. Since my wife stays at home to take care of our daughter with special needs we rely on my salary alone, which would allow for rent of ~$1500-1700/month. In Davis, that might get us an 1100 sq ft. 3 bed/1 bath house to rent (if we could find one that allowed pets). But, in areas around Sac we could get much more for that money.

Plus, we are also considering the fact that we would like to get our daughter enrolled in a preschool that specializes in kids with autism. All the ones we've found are in Sacramento, from Land Park to Elk Grove to Natomas. So, we are now looking at 3 areas in particular -- West Sac (southport area), Pocket/Greenhaven (Land Park would be nice, but too $$$), or Natomas (north side).

Question: What would the commute from Pocket to Davis be like? Is traffic on I-5 particularly bad?

Question: How about the commute from West Sac? Does Hwy. 84 get backed up?

Question: Of those 3 areas, which would have the better elementary school (looking towards the future)?

Thanks for any help/insight you can offer!

[wburg]

Isn't there a really highly rated autism program in Davis? Any Davis folks know the one I'm talking about?

[Maximus23]

There is a research institute (MIND Institute) at the UC Davis medical center in Sacramento, but they don't really offer regular day-to-day therapy services...just medical diagnoses and research studies. I have spoken with them. They are top in their field, though, so certainly a good resource to have nearby!