How is life in Sacramento for African Americans (Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova: apartment complexes, rental)

[redwoodlvr]

Originally Posted by woogexx

All us white folk run around with pitchforks and torches...wtf kinda question is "how is life for African Americans" ?

Oakland's roughly 50-65 mins, assuming you know how to drive well/fast in heavy traffic.

This is exactly why she asked the question...unconscious folks like yourself who aren't aware of what some people have to endure. The question was not directed at you personally.

[redwoodlvr]

Originally Posted by onthemove2sac

We will be moving to the Sacramento area in a couple of months and was wondering how life for African Americans are there. Also how is the I.T. job market in Sacramento? Also, how far is Oakland from Sacramento?

Thanks

Hello dear, I'm black and have lived all over the country and in Europe/Asia. Sacramento has been hailed as one of the most diverse cities in the country and you will be fine here. As you know you can't get away from ignorance completely, but I would say you will find most people here are busy doing their own thing -- are open and accepting. I agree with the above posts regarding where to settle down. There is a cluster of medical centers on the outskirts of downtown. Midtown or east sacramento would be ideal. The school systems in midtown are not so hot, but I believe east sacramento has good private/public schools. I would not recommend Oak Park at all! Revitalization or not...there is still a lot of gang activity and drug trafficking going on.

[wburg]

I mention Oak Park only because of its close proximity to neighborhoods like midtown or east Sacramento--in recent years, the influence of neighborhoods like Midtown and East Sacramento are stronger on areas around the hospitals mentioned (not to mention the hospitals themselves) than the influence of Oak Park. Part of why the neighborhood around UCDMC has started calling itself the "Med Center" neighborhood is because of the changes that have taken place that make it very different from Oak Park. It's a far safer area than it was a decade or so ago, especially the northern edge near the high school, in many ways due to community activism and good local leadership, but you're right, it's not quite out of trouble yet.

[caliprincess]

Originally Posted by adeltagirl

Any suggestions on where to look? I have no familiarity with California at all.
I like family oriented activities, green grass, (non desert) and near social events.
I do like suburbia but not tooooo cookie cutter.
Good schools are really important to me as well.
I'm not a fan of ridiculous commutes so what's near the main hospitals and cancer centers (i'm a radiation therapist)?

Hey adeltagirl. Born and raised (haven't lived there for the past 5 years, but parents still do and I come home several times a year) black Sacramentian (is that a word...haha oh well). A few things to point out for you:

It might be a stretch to avoid "cookie cutter" communities because after all, Sacramento has experienced an exponential growth in its suburban areas. Some of the older areas in Sacramento are being revitalized, but you have to be careful because crime, poverty, etc is still an issue (this is all relative of course to what you believe is bad/tolerable).

The commute from Natomas is not bad at all from downtown Sacramento if you are planning to work for Sutter or UC Davis Med Center. Natomas is a diverse area, middle to upper-middle income community, solid schools, and is close to recreational areas. If you are willing to commute a little further, you might also try the Elk Grove/Laguna/Sheldon area as well. Similar demographic, but traffic can be more a pain to get downtown.

I think overall, the Sacramento area is a great place to raise a family. Definitely a family friendly atmosphere: little league (football, soccer, baseball, cheer) is really big here, museums, the state fair, etc. I guess the social scene downtown is "up and coming", but depending on where you are moving from, you might find Sacramento to be a bit slow. It's not that exciting of a place to be for young adults, but for kids and adults that have established careers and such, there are many things that Sacramento has to offer. If you are set on buying, Sac is definitely a good market (if you can get loan in the current state of our economics). The area has been hit hard by the foreclosure crisis, so you can snag a good deal and expect your property value to go up when our economy prevails again.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask!

[pba]

Ever? How is Sac for African Americans? First of all, how about just calling yourself American? Does the slavery reference always have to come up? I just get tired of hearing that mentioned all the time. I can't say I'm European American because my ancestors weren't brought here against their will? You're reaching well over 150 years into the past to bring that kind of stuff forward. Is it that people still feel like as though they are suffering the effects of slavery? Or am I off base here? I'm not trying to stir things up but instead I'm really just trying to understand the rationale.

And no I'm not saying there isn't racism, bigotry, inequality, etc. in this county and no I'm not a racist person whatsoever. My point is more out of curiousity as to why people want to continually distinguish themselves from others and then strive to achieve equality with them. You describe yourself as being different and then you want to be treated the same.

Please don't take that like I'm saying you shouldn't be treated equally. I sincerely believe God created everyone equal regardless of gender, race, etc. and that we should ALL have equal rights and opportunities. Gotta tell you though...it would be nice if we could just call ourselves Americans.

[caliprincess]

Originally Posted by pba

Ever? How is Sac for African Americans? First of all, how about just calling yourself American?

And no I'm not saying there isn't racism, bigotry, inequality, etc. in this county and no I'm not a racist person whatsoever. My point is more out of curiousity as to why people want to continually distinguish themselves from others and then strive to achieve equality with them. You describe yourself as being different and then you want to be treated the same.

Please don't take that like I'm saying you shouldn't be treated equally. I sincerely believe God created everyone equal regardless of gender, race, etc. and that we should ALL have equal rights and opportunities. Gotta tell you though...it would be nice if we could just call ourselves Americans.

I for one do not call myself an African-American. I am an American whose race is black. So there.

I think that anyone asking the question "how is Sac for _________" is posing a legitimate and fair question based upon culture. Does Sacramento have a strong Jewish community? Polish community? Is there a strong presence of Korean culture? And the questions could go on. It is not necessarily about separating oneself from the mainstream, but finding others to identify with while being able to partake in the majority. You couldn't possibly tell me that if you are a first generation Italian (just randomly picking something for the sake of argument) moving to an unfamiliar area, such as let's say West Dallas, Texas, you would want to know if there are any individuals there that are like you?

I'm not sure where these posters are moving from, but they might like to know that their children can participate in both little league football and Jack & Jill. They might want to know that they can still participate in their beloved Greek life as there is a strong presence of it in Sacramento. They might want to know in certain areas of the Sacramento region (take Galt, Loomis, Lincoln for example), that they might be the only family in their immediate (not whole) neighborhood. It might not bother them one way or another, but it is out of curiosity just as your curiosity has led you to ask "why does it matter?"

[unhappilyenlightened]

My Personal Opinion is just don't move to Rocklin, CA. if you are anything other than white. I was told before I moved that it was prejudice but couldn't possibly believe that was happening just outside of Sac.

I am Caucasian and my 15 year old son is 1/2 Caucasian & 1/2 Mexican. He is darker than I am. My son has experienced so much prejudice and harassment since moving here mostly at his High School but out in town a bit as well.

It is sad that it exists but I am counting the days until our lease is up and we can get out.

Rocklin is not the "real world"....I think you should be fine in Sacramento...

Good Luck!

[TheDerek]

just so you know what perspective this is coming from, im white, live in the pocket area (which used to be mostly white/asian, but that has been steadily changing)

yes stay away from Rocklin, much of it is still a "hick" town, racial profiling is prevailant, not a good idea to move there. Meadowview/Florin is mostly black, however racial tensions and gang activity are high there. Affluent blacks are prejudiced just as much as whites there. I would stay away, NOT a good place to raise a family.

Elk grove/laguna is nice, there are a few blacks there, although from what ive heard the races are pretty separated. by this i dant mean segregated, but they tend to not pay much attention to each other. This isnt BAD, but not an ideal situation. From what i can tell this is where a lot of well off blacks live, even though the majority is white. This is an area I would recommend walking around and doing some shopping in to get a feel for the area.

Folsom is mostly wealthy white, racial tensions between kids seems nonexistant, cant say for adults though

del paso, citrus heights is iffy.

Roseville is pretty much on the same level as rocklin, speaking of this, STAY AWAY from west sac. You wouldnt beleive the ignorance there.

Rancho is also iffy, and when i say that I mean it really depends which part you live in.

Natomas is also okay, diverse, I would give it a try.

Greenhaven/Pocket you really cant lose, the area is mostly asian, but is mixed overall (hispanics are probably the most underrepresented in the area). Its a nice neighborhood, little crime, and racial tension is almost nonexistant. It is pretty much surrounded by ghetto, separated by I-5, so if you plan on raising a family here, you may be weary who your kids hang out with (many JFK students are bussed in from meadowview/florin.

Im not sure exactly what youre looking for, do you want to live in a black neighborhood? a safe neighborhood? are you looking for close shopping? schools? entertainment? public transportation?

And just to clear things up, there is nothing wrong with this question. People from different backgrounds (and races!) have different values and cultures. Theres no reason to sweep this under a rug, theres nothing wrong with acknowledging peoples differences. Prejudicing people for them, thats when there is a problem.

[redwoodlvr]

Originally Posted by pba

Ever? How is Sac for African Americans? First of all, how about just calling yourself American? Does the slavery reference always have to come up? I just get tired of hearing that mentioned all the time. I can't say I'm European American because my ancestors weren't brought here against their will? You're reaching well over 150 years into the past to bring that kind of stuff forward. Is it that people still feel like as though they are suffering the effects of slavery? Or am I off base here? I'm not trying to stir things up but instead I'm really just trying to understand the rationale.

And no I'm not saying there isn't racism, bigotry, inequality, etc. in this county and no I'm not a racist person whatsoever. My point is more out of curiousity as to why people want to continually distinguish themselves from others and then strive to achieve equality with them. You describe yourself as being different and then you want to be treated the same.

Please don't take that like I'm saying you shouldn't be treated equally. I sincerely believe God created everyone equal regardless of gender, race, etc. and that we should ALL have equal rights and opportunities. Gotta tell you though...it would be nice if we could just call ourselves Americans.

You've got to be kidding. ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS BASED ON RACE. All of the quotas, school system statistics, government quotas, consensus, medical system information...I could go on and on. The woman who asked the question happens to be black and yeah, it would be absolutely wonderful if she didn't have to ask the question. But the reality is she does because it is rough in some parts of this country if your skin is a darker hue. If you aren't black or another person who has experienced blatant discrimination, then you're not going to understand it. You're looking at it from a completely different point of view, assuming everything is great and wonderful in this country when we still have a long way to go with regard to race relations, stereotypes, racial profiling and labeling others based on where they live and what they look like. Hell, I know I'm equal and I'm not too concerned what you think about me. And absolutely I'm an American first and foremost, but tell that to the rest of your homies who feel otherwise. My 2 cents.

[adeltagirl]

I really appreciate the helpful posts. For the individual "pba" who lives in a bubble, turn on the news and get a clue. You ask when can we stop asking the race question??? When racism no longer runs rampant in American neighborhoods, schools, office buildings, restaurants, etc.
I currently live in Homewood, IL which is a friendly, diverse and a stable, family oriented community. Racism is nonexistent. I love it here.
I teach my children that they are people and to treat everyone with respect. My daughter when age 5 thought that she was brown and Mommy was white (because I have lighter skin than she does). Why, because I don't teach her racism. I don't teach her that because her skin is brown she is different than her best friends who happen to be white (Emily and June.) All she knows is that she loves them and they love her. of course when the right time came we had the discussion on "ethnicity". I like that she goes to school with Asian, hispanic, caucasion and black children. I also like that she isn't treated unfairly because of the color of her skin. Even in 2008 my friend it does happen. As I mentioned in my earlier post I moved from Oak Forest which is predominantly white because the racial tension felt was too much and my children shouldn't have to endure the poor treatment by intolerant white people. So, as others have explained and I will reiterate the reason why I ask and any other ethnicity is because you want to move to any area that is NOT intolerant but accepting, friendly, welcoming and where I can know that my beautiful angels won't have to feel the sting of racism. So, again thank you for those who understand!!! Your posts have been most helpful. For those that don't have a clue, how unfortunate for you... It's that thinking that you have displayed that further continues the struggle of the reality of racism.

If you don't realize there is a problem you don't think there needs to be a solution and the problem continues.