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Majin is trolling, he enjoys contradicting people so much it's kind of disturbing.
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Originally Posted by Roonil
We are from Wisconsin. He loves it, and I hate it. I've always told my parents, as soon as I am able, I'm out of here! But now I have him to consider too. Hoping for the experts' advice based on our below preferences...
He likes: seasons, snow, fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, doing his own house repairs, cloudy days, Dallas Cowboys
He hates: humidity, hot temperatures, moving a lot (his mom did it to him as a kid, and it's severely colored his opinion of it negatively), renting
I like: 50-80-degree range of temperatures ideally, good mass transit (or at least good walkability and bike-ability), city amenities (like festivals, restaurants, parks, classes), walking my dog all year-round, gardening, wearing sandals
I hate: long winters, more than a few inches of snow, getting into a cold vehicle or cold bed, when it gets dark at 4pm, mosquitoes, wearing four sweaters under my coat
So, based on this criteria, do you think my husband would hate it in Sacramento?? Is it worth a visit for us to come check it out? Could Sacramento be a compromise for us? I know he'd miss the snow, and not be overly happy with the heat in summer, but there are much worse places we've been looking at, as far as heat and humidity. Humidity is a deal-breaker for him, and cold winters are a dealbreaker for me, so this has been tough so far.
I've been posting copies of this on boards for other cities. Our current frontrunner is Denver, and we plan to visit this winter to see how cold it really is, but I'm wondering if we could do better.
Other info: We're still young (mid-20s) and not totally set on careers yet. We also plan to be child-free, which is part of why I want to live more urban with fun things to fill the weekends (WI is super boring for non-parents). We're currently lower-middle class, but hoping to rise up in the next few years.
To the OP: What part of Wisconsin are you from? Your experience in Sacramento will of course be colored by where you live now. If you live in small-town rural Wisconsin, Sacramento will seem pretty big. If you live in Madison or Milwaukee, Sacramento's scale will seem pretty familiar. California's cost of living will be an eye-popper for a Wisconsinite; everything costs a lot more here. But for a large California city, Sacramento is comparatively cheap.
We don't get snow at all. Okay, technically once every 20 years we get half an inch of snow and everyone freaks out. But that's it, and it typically melts off by noon. We do get heat, but dry Sacramento heat is a lot more comfortable than Midwestern humid heat. I'd rather walk around on a 100 degree Sacramento day than an 85 degree day in Milwaukee, especially if there is shade, and in Sacramento, there is a lot of shade. And you never, ever have to shovel sunshine off of your driveway.
But if you like snow, you can drive up into the mountains in a couple hours, to places that get more snow than Wisconsin. Our big strength is our proximity--we're a connected city and it's easy to visit other places in a short amount of time. San Francisco is about as close as Chicago is to Milwaukee, 2 hours by car or train. Mountains in both directions--the coastal range and the Sierras, with the Klamath mountains to the north. Closer to Sacramento is the Sacramento River Delta and its charming little towns. We're at the heart of an agricultural region--but an enormously diverse one, rather than the Midwestern emphasis on corn. Our produce is far better, and while this may be fightin' words for a Wisconsin native, our cheese is just as good.
Our public transit system isn't all that good, but by Wisconsin standards it's okay. (Not by Chicago standards.) If you look at Sacramento, you will note that most of the housing is pretty low-rise, we are not a city of high-rise condos and big apartment buildings, even close to the heart of downtown. We have festivals pretty much every weekend in good weather, sometimes more than one per weekend. But your husband may like the outdoor expos and gun shows at Cal Expo; there is a huge culture of outdoor sports in this region.
I recommend that you come visit. Check out Sutter's Landing Park--it's a park with access to the American River and bike trail, where you can play with your dog in the dog park and your husband can hike down and do some fishing, or you can both bike to Folsom and back. (No hunting there, though, that takes a trip farther up the hill.) But it's within walking distance of neighborhoods of lovely homes, over 100,000 jobs, and hundreds of great restaurants. You'll pay a lot to live there--but a lot less than in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego or San Jose. Sacramento also has more great neighborhoods outside the central city that are more affordable--but they vary widely.
We have seasons by California standards. Winters get down to the 30s and are rainy. Spring and fall are in the 50-80 range, and somewhat rainy. Summers are long, dry and very hot. That may or may not be an acceptable trade-off for throwing away your snow pants, parka, face mask, and snow shovel. We do have mosquitoes.
My husband and I are trying to find our perfect city!
Good luck with that!!
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He likes: seasons, snow, fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, doing his own house repairs, cloudy days, Dallas Cowboys
As previously mentioned, Lake Tahoe is just up the road. Plus, there is plenty of countryside surrounding Sacramento and foothills for pick up trucks and such. We have an annual rodeo in Folsom. TV sports are available everywhere, including sports bars.
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He hates: humidity, hot temperatures, moving a lot (his mom did it to him as a kid, and it's severely colored his opinion of it negatively), renting
Sacramento does get in to the 90-100's in the summer. The closer you are to the water (rivers), the cooler it will be. There is lots of great tree coverage in the city also. I just found a website with Sacramento's weather history. http://weather-warehouse.com/Weather...A_January.html
Renting....it would not be wise to buy as soon as you arrive in town, as there are so many great neighborhoods to choose from. Also, we are no longer in a buyers market, and the lower cost homes are being picked up by investors. There are bidding wars. You will most likely need to rent for awhile.
I'm kind of thinking Rio Linda might be a good fit for you two. It's the county but very close to the city.
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I like: 50-80-degree range of temperatures ideally, good mass transit (or at least good walkability and bike-ability), city amenities (like festivals, restaurants, parks, classes), walking my dog all year-round, gardening, wearing sandals
The best mass transit is near the city core. Light rail does go out along the hwy 50 corridor all the way to
Folsom but with limited evening hours. I believe it goes all the way out to Watt Ave along I-80.
"City-amenities" are the most concentrated in the city core, but are available in the suburbs also. Some of the best biking is along the American River Parkway, and many of the suburbs have bike trails woven throughout the neighborhoods. You get to ride on the streets in the city core. I don't wear sandals all year, but I suppose a die-hard type person would/could.
50-80 is the average temp. It can get much cooler in the winter. And it can get quite stormy. It does not snow in Sacramento. I've seen in snow in the foothills near Cameron Park.
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I hate: long winters, more than a few inches of snow, getting into a cold vehicle or cold bed, when it gets dark at 4pm, mosquitoes, wearing four sweaters under my coat
Sacto winters are not as long as Wisconsin, but we are usually in winter from Nov through Feb, at least. It does get dark here after 4 pm too. And we have west nile disease from mosquitoes here, have you heard of that? They sometimes do aerial spraying to kill off the mosquito population. Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District
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So, based on this criteria, do you think my husband would hate it in Sacramento?? Is it worth a visit for us to come check it out? Could Sacramento be a compromise for us? I know he'd miss the snow, and not be overly happy with the heat in summer, but there are much worse places we've been looking at, as far as heat and humidity. Humidity is a deal-breaker for him, and cold winters are a dealbreaker for me, so this has been tough so far.
What do you mean "humidity"? Just wondering as I just looked at the weather and it lists the humidity as 74%. http://www.wunderground.com/weather-...acramento.html However, our weather/summers are NOTHING like the east. NOTHING.
I just want to mention to, that since there are so many trees and foliage, and surrounding farms, we definitely have allergy issues here. Check this: http://www.lung.org/associations/sta...-air-2013.html
I think Sacramento could be a compromise. You certainly should visit, probably in both winter and summer (like in August).
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Other info: We're still young (mid-20s) and not totally set on careers yet. We also plan to be child-free, which is part of why I want to live more urban with fun things to fill the weekends (WI is super boring for non-parents). We're currently lower-middle class, but hoping to rise up in the next few years.
Are you still in college? What type of job do you currently do? Would you get transfers if you came to California? Or would you be looking for jobs? Would your jobs require you to commute? Are you on welfare? If you are renting or buying, what is your budget? If Sacramento fits but it turns out to cost too much, you might want to consider Redding, Chico, or even Fresno.
Good luck & let us know what happens.
Last edited by caligirlz; 10-24-2013 at 11:39 PM..
You'd probably like Sacramento proper. He might like the suburbs. But you might find a compromise. General rule is closer to the city center is a little more liberal, more bike-friendly and urban, more to do and all that. Weather is pleasant but certainly gets hot in summer. No humidity, pleasant nights. Winters are cool but shouldn't keep you from being outside (we garden year-round without a covering or greenhouse if that's a point of reference). Good snow is pretty close by in winter, but no shoveling or snow tires, so weather might be a reasonable compromise for the two of you.
That sounds fabulous!
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Originally Posted by ryuns
Overall, a lot of your lifestyle will be dictated by the jobs you find, so I'd focus on that first. You don't need to aim too high, as you'll do well on a middle class income, but I'd still suggest finding at least one job before you get here.
Husband has already dictated that. Whereas I often live in the clouds, he's the voice of reason, so he said we're not moving ANYWHERE without at least one job lined up.
Based on your overall criteria, I'm not sure that Sacramento would be a great fit.
Though inexpensive by California standards, it isn't cheap. Also, though it has the closest thing to a Midwest city feel of any California city, by far, the heat is more than you'd probably like for about four months of the year, and the mass transit is pretty limited.
It has a lot going for it, but based on your criteria it seems like you might find a better fit elsewhere.
Just as a closing observation though, I find that taking a "checklist" approach to finding a place to live doesn't often work out very well. Often, there are likely some other things that you'd like or dislike that you probably haven't really considered because it isn't something that you are conscious about. Certain places will feel more like home and others won't, and often it will be due to what you don't have on your radar.
We plan to visit a couple of our top cities over the next two years. Since the hubby hates moving, we're hoping to do this just once. I guess that puts more pressure on me to find the PERFECT place that neither of us will complain too much about, so I'm getting overly "pros and cons" about my search. It's been really hard so far. We have such conflicting wants. Lol. Also, we're ready to just settle in and find "home," so I feel like the clock is ticking too, and I don't want to stay in WI so long that we never leave...
To the OP: What part of Wisconsin are you from? Your experience in Sacramento will of course be colored by where you live now. If you live in small-town rural Wisconsin, Sacramento will seem pretty big. If you live in Madison or Milwaukee, Sacramento's scale will seem pretty familiar. California's cost of living will be an eye-popper for a Wisconsinite; everything costs a lot more here. But for a large California city, Sacramento is comparatively cheap.
We're from the Fox Valley (Appleton, Oshkosh area), so not super rural, but definitely not what I think of as "city." I went to school in Madison, though, and I liked that. Also went to school in Philly, and I loved that size too, but it's been hard to find a city of that size that would be affordable for us and not too cold. Also, hubby is more small-town than me, so trying to find a middle ground.
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Originally Posted by wburg
Our produce is far better, and while this may be fightin' words for a Wisconsin native, our cheese is just as good.
Hey, watch it, now! :-) I'm sure I'd love the fresh produce, though! I'm actually vegetarian, so living in WI for that reason too has been awful. Wisconsinites don't have much patience or good feelings for vegetarians. I remember visiting LA a few years ago and getting a veggie burger at a fast food place, and I was SO HAPPY!
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Originally Posted by wburg
We have seasons by California standards. Winters get down to the 30s and are rainy. Spring and fall are in the 50-80 range, and somewhat rainy. Summers are long, dry and very hot. That may or may not be an acceptable trade-off for throwing away your snow pants, parka, face mask, and snow shovel. We do have mosquitoes.
It'd be a good trade-off for me!! Not for hubby, though. Ughh, this is so hard!! Lol.
Renting....it would not be wise to buy as soon as you arrive in town, as there are so many great neighborhoods to choose from. Also, we are no longer in a buyers market, and the lower cost homes are being picked up by investors. There are bidding wars. You will most likely need to rent for awhile.
We have no problem with that. I would hate to rush something so important, and I'd like to live in a house for as long as possible, so wouldn't want to buy something that wasn't quite right for us.
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Originally Posted by caligirlz
Sacto winters are not as long as Wisconsin, but we are usually in winter from Nov through Feb, at least. It does get dark here after 4 pm too. And we have west nile disease from mosquitoes here, have you heard of that?
Ugh, yeah. Not new to that around here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caligirlz
What do you mean "humidity"? Just wondering as I just looked at the weather and it lists the humidity as 74%. Sacramento, CA Weather Forecast from Weather Underground However, our weather/summers are NOTHING like the east. NOTHING.
We just hate it when you go outside and it's only in the 80s, but within minutes, your skin is sticky and nasty, and at night you can't sleep because it never cools off, even with the windows all open.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caligirlz
Are you still in college? What type of job do you currently do? Would you get transfers if you came to California? Or would you be looking for jobs? Would your jobs require you to commute? Are you on welfare? If you are renting or buying, what is your budget? If Sacramento fits but it turns out to cost too much, you might want to consider Redding, Chico, or even Fresno.
Nope, done with college. I'm a graphic artist in an office, but I don't design anything. I just clean up customer art before it gets printed. It's too monotonous for me, so I'm still researching what I'd like to do in a perfect world. Lol. My degree is in film/TV. Hubby works in a warehouse and has a degree in law enforcement and certificate in cyber crime. My mom keeps telling us that with our degrees, we should really be making more and shooting higher, but there's not much else around here that pays a lot better for our skills. We're not doing too bad for income for this location, (but it'd help if I didn't have a massive student loan...) So I don't know, it's hard to answer those questions at this point. I figure, once we decide where to aim to live, then we can work on the career stuff.
Having visited Wisconsin when I was a vegetarian, I can sympathize! You'll find plenty to choose from. As for hubby, remind him that different cooler climates are a short drive away even in deep summer, especially in the wilder parts of the state. And reinforce the point that you'll NEVER have to shovel snow off a driveway.
Been to Appleton, it's a pretty town! Midtown Sacramento is a lot like that, mostly tree-lined streets and a lot of cafes. It even has kind of a college town feel, although the big college campuses are several miles away. It's not as dense or urban feeling as Philadelphia.
if your husband likes the outdoors and is looking for a law enforcement career, maybe he should take the test to be a Stare Parks ranger.
We plan to visit a couple of our top cities over the next two years. Since the hubby hates moving, we're hoping to do this just once. I guess that puts more pressure on me to find the PERFECT place that neither of us will complain too much about, so I'm getting overly "pros and cons" about my search. It's been really hard so far. We have such conflicting wants. Lol. Also, we're ready to just settle in and find "home," so I feel like the clock is ticking too, and I don't want to stay in WI so long that we never leave...
I hope you're able to make the trip out! Good luck on your search!
Generally speaking, Sacramento is the best compromise in California.
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