Potential Relo to Sacramento Area (San Francisco, Alameda: private school, allergies, maintenance)

[NomadsRus]

I've been trolling the Sacramento forums looking for a thread that matches my situation, but I haven't found anything specific, so here goes my first foray into community discussions. My wife suffers terribly from migraines and we need to move out of the Cincinnati area (Cincinnati is #1 for migraine sufferers). She suffers primarily from barometric changes (its like a roller coaster here) as well as seasonal allergies. Numerous medical specialists have suggested Arizona because of the dry heat, but after researching AZ it seems they still have a high incident rate of migraines (of course triggers are different for everyone), I'm beginning to think AZ is not right for us. After researching northern CA we found that Pollock Pines (and surrounding communities) has pleasant spring/summer/fall weather with low humidity (low is a relative term, but anything less than 35% is good in my opinion since Cincinnati remains steady at numbers exceeding 45% for the months of June - August. 85 degrees yesterday with 63% humidity was absolutely suffocating!). She has a sis in Folsom, so relo'ing to NCA gives us a family connection. Work isn't a problem as I'm a teleworker with HP and can work anywhere as long as I have internet access and am in close proximity to an airport.

So my questions are pretty general: what is life like in/around Sac? Do you know of anyone who suffers from weather related migraines? Is there a high incidence of allergy sufferers there? What about the schools? CA schools are notorious for being a hot political item because of funding, etc. Is the same true for SAC and surrounding areas? Sis in law says her local school has gotten much better and she intends to send her 5th grader to public school next year (has been in private school since K). Apparently Folsom schools are getting better. Can that be said for other local school systems? Our targeted areas are Pollock Pines, Auburn, Camino and maybe El Dorado (including ED Hills), costs permitting. Thanks to everyone.

[Mossy]

Sacramento is AWFUL for allergy sufferers...sorry to be giving you bad news. I am from the east coast and I suffer so much more than I did back there. Spring and Fall are particulary bad.

[NomadsRus]

What are you allergic to?

[wburg]

If you are allergic to something, it will be here to make you suffer.

[u225615]

Migraines can be very debilitating and difficult to treat. Unfortunately with seasonal allergies, I'm assuming allergies to plants, grasses, trees and the like, the Sacramento Valley would be a difficult place for those who suffer from allergies. If you can afford it I'd recommend a coastal spot (San Francisco and surrounding communities have less extremes in weather and SF would not be bad unless allergic to Eucalyptus which is found in abundance in some areas).

[cb73]

Sacramento is the "City of Trees" and people with tree/pollen/weed/grasses allergies really suffer here.

I've always been told to move to Eureka--that people will allergies do better there.

[wburg]

Unless you have mold allergies, in which case the damp Northcoast climate will clog your sinuses like a pair of banana slugs crawled up in there.

[caligirlz]

I have a history of allergies, asthma & migraines and spent many years in central California. I've received nearly every type of treatment for allergies over the years. I'd like to encourage you however, the allergies were terrible when I moved to East Sac.... under the beautiful & cool tree coverage....unfortunately that included pine trees with a green dust I was horribly allergic to....the dust covered everything. Once I moved out to the suburbs (Folsom), and dealt with some of the underlying triggers, the allergies have become nearly nonexistent. This year I've taken a couple of OTC allergy pills & used a saline nasal spray. I've also been off all the asthma controllers & maintenance drugs, and I rarely have had a migraine since, so there IS hope. One CAN live in California without suffering from these things.

[NinaN]

I have mild allergies, mostly to cedar and grass. I don't find it any worse here than in Texas. Seriously, it totally depends on what your wife is allergic to. This is not a desert environment like in AZ but humidity is lower than in most parts of the country.

I'm very happy with the public schools where I live. Yes, there are budget cuts and other things to worry about but the schools here are still top notch.

[NomadsRus]

After some research it sounds like Alameda might be a good option for us

1.) Is there a high occurrence of migraines and/or allergens?
2.) Does the barometric pressure stay somewhat flatlined or does the chart resembe a roller coaster?
3.) How are the schools?
4.) Are there gangs?
5.) Is Alameda a good place to raise a family?
6.) What is unique about Alameda?
7.) What is there to do in Alameda (night life included)?

thanks to anyone who can help.