Help me narrow down where to live in Davis/Sac? I know nothing about the areas & am overwhelmed! (San Francisco: real estate, apartment complexes)

[vapour_trail]

i'd scratch davis.. try maybe roseville, folsom, granite bay.. even auburn?

i was gonna say midtown sac, but that doesn't sound you guys' speed

you didn't look at fairfax back over that way?

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by longcatisdelicious

My boyfriend and I are both in our mid-twenties. He's finishing grad school, i'm working and applying to grad school. We're low key individuals. We like low-impact outdoor activities (walking, hiking, bike-riding), and love trying new food. We're not too keen on the bar or night life scene. So we want our living situation to be in a quiet neighborhood. Also, coming from the SF where parking is no bueno all around, it would be great to have access to ample free parking. I don't think parking is as huge of an issue there as it is here.

a budget of only $750-950 severely limits your options, especially when you add in low key, not close to college students or night life. I was going to suggest midtown but perhaps try some of the older neighborhhods near midtown... River park, Oak park, Natomas...good luck!

[movetosacto]

Even though it's Sacramento, I think $700 to $950 is a tough budget. When we rented a decade ago in midtown, we paid $950 for a well-kept 1-bedroom, and $700 would have gotten us something far less desirable. That was a decade ago, and rents have since gone up.

It sounds like a duplex or apartment in Land Park or East Sacramento might be your speed. Neighborhoods are quieter than downtown, but still popular among young people because of walkability and proximity to downtown. Or perhaps something in Carmichael, Fair Oaks or Campus Commons near the American River Parkway to give you easy access to recreation.

I would hesitate to recommend most of the outer suburbs to a 20-something childless renter, but it sounds like you may attracted to living in the burbs. Folsom could suit you given the recreation options at Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma and along the parkway.

[vapour_trail]

for a moment there i thought you were gonna recommend nevada city to them

Originally Posted by movetosacto

Even though it's Sacramento, I think $700 to $950 is a tough budget. When we rented a decade ago in midtown, we paid $950 for a well-kept 1-bedroom, and $700 would have gotten us something far less desirable. That was a decade ago, and rents have since gone up.

It sounds like a duplex or apartment in Land Park or East Sacramento might be your speed. Neighborhoods are quieter than downtown, but still popular among young people because of walkability and proximity to downtown. Or perhaps something in Carmichael, Fair Oaks or Campus Commons near the American River Parkway to give you easy access to recreation.

I would hesitate to recommend most of the outer suburbs to a 20-something childless renter, but it sounds like you may attracted to living in the burbs. Folsom could suit you given the recreation options at Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma and along the parkway.

[longcatisdelicious]

Originally Posted by movetosacto

Even though it's Sacramento, I think $700 to $950 is a tough budget. When we rented a decade ago in midtown, we paid $950 for a well-kept 1-bedroom, and $700 would have gotten us something far less desirable. That was a decade ago, and rents have since gone up.

It sounds like a duplex or apartment in Land Park or East Sacramento might be your speed. Neighborhoods are quieter than downtown, but still popular among young people because of walkability and proximity to downtown. Or perhaps something in Carmichael, Fair Oaks or Campus Commons near the American River Parkway to give you easy access to recreation.

I would hesitate to recommend most of the outer suburbs to a 20-something childless renter, but it sounds like you may attracted to living in the burbs. Folsom could suit you given the recreation options at Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma and along the parkway.

That's right! I <3 the 'burbs! Living in San Fran is a bit too hectic/crowded for me. Is midtown really that rowdy/lively of a place? It's been recomended to me as a place to look by several others I've asked. Looking on Craigslist, rents seem to be very low there, which is great.

[wburg]

There are loud parts of Midtown along the business corridors and around some of the nightlife centers, but most of it is pretty quiet, low-rise and tree-lined. Downtown is pretty busy during the day because of office commuters, but very few people live Downtown so it quiets down dramatically after 6 PM. Midtown has more residents but is far less dense than San Francisco, maybe more like outer neighborhoods like Outer Sunset or Bernal Heights, but with fewer houses and more trees. Even the loud parts are quiet by San Francisco loudness standards. The problem is that Midtown is a few miles south of I-80, and you mentioned wanting to be next to 80 but not why. Parking is toughest there, but again, even the worst parking in Midtown is easier than typical San Francisco parking.

Keep in mind that, in general, the lower the rent, the less safe the neighborhood probably is. So in those places where you are encouraged by low rent, you may be discouraged by high crime. And because Midtown has a high cachet these days, a lot of landlords are advertising "Midtown apartments" that aren't actually in Midtown. $900-950 isn't that bad for a decent Midtown place, albeit a small one and not one of the fancy high-end places; 10 years ago was during the rising wave of the housing boom and rents have actually gotten cheaper since then.

$950 might not be enough for an apartment in East Sacramento, just because there aren't a lot of apartments and their complexes tend to have a lot of Sac State students, while the central city is 90% apartments. Land Park/Curtis Park is kind of in between. If you like older homes then you might prefer the central city, if you like brand-new or mid-century places you'll want to look farther out.

Your best bet might be to visit and check out different neighborhoods, it's also a good way to find apartments for rent. It's hard to explain a place to someone who has never even visited, but we're a 90 minute drive away if you can take a day or two before moving to see stuff in person.

[caligirlz]

you won't find anything in Folsom with that budget, except perhaps in the "slums"

[longcatisdelicious]

Is midtown safe? What neighborhoods would be considered safest? Let's say our budget went down to no more than $750/month? At this price point, A LOT of 1BR apartments come up on PadMapper search, but are these pretty slummy places for this low of a budget?

[wburg]

Safe in general, yes. Safest, no. For the safest of safe neighborhoods in the region you'll have to fork out a lot more than $750. And $750 will get you a not-so-great 1-bedroom in Midtown or a so-so apartment in a so-so neighborhood anywhere else in town.

[terranova]

Originally Posted by caligirlz

you won't find anything in Folsom with that budget, except perhaps in the "slums"

Are there really slums in Folsom? Near what major intersection?