Bad areas of Sac (Sacramento, Roseville: hair salon, loan, cheap house)

[hamcienda]

We are considering moving to Sac but with limited funds we are limited in options. I like rural area of Rio Linda but I got scared off by some comments. Please help me with more info. Or finances will allow only $220K house, and that is limiting search to Elverta, Rio linda North Higlands and similar..........we are middle age couple with 2 large dogs. No kids, so i dont care about schools and such. In fact, less kids in the area the better. No offence, please. We love peacefull living, relative seclusion and less traffic. Curently living in Calaveras area, very country, but I have to move for health reasons. I would aprecciate more info about Rio Linda and bad areas of that city. (and good ones too) Hubby works in Folsom, but we could not buy garage there! Prices there are making me dizzy LOL any other suggestions ??

[Inthesierras]

Elverta is about to see some major changes. Placer county is supposed to build the Vineyard project, homes and businesses. So that area will see another major traffic increase. Alot of the roads that used to be quiet, will have alot of traffic. I am sure Sac county will do what they have always done with any growth in that part of the county, they will not build adequate roads to serve the increased traffic.

I have varied opinions of Rio Linda. It used to be rural and many people loved living there. You can find some very peaceful areas that will probably make you very happy. You just have to visit the area and look for yourself. It used to be if you lived on West 2nd, West 4th, etc, you would have alot of fields and open space. In the past 5-6 years alot of those parcels have been sub-divided and homes have popped up everywhere. There are some nice homes in Rio Linda, be very choosy where you buy and be very aware of who lives in the property that surrounds you. When you have a great home, but live next to a literal junkyard with goats that get into your yard and tear the trim off your vehicles and the siding off your house, is it really worth it? Honestly, you just have to check out each property for yourself and be very choosy.

I will warn you that the property that surrounds the former McClellan AFB has some creeks that run through there and FLOOD. My parents were looking at some property that looked great. But it rained and when they drove past, the creek that had been dry the week before had flooded the entire property and came up to the doorstep of the home. The huge barn my dad thought he could use for a shop had a good 5-6 inches of water flowing through. So aware of that. Also be aware that Rio Linda is known for flooding. Dry Creek that runs from Roseville through Elverta, into Rio Linda and dumps into the levee area in Natomas, has flooded alot in the past 20 years. Sac County spent millions expanding the creek near the high school and creating better drainage. But you need to watch out for all the little creeks that drain into Dry Creek. They flood too.

With that being said, there are some great people in Rio Linda. I worked there in a county office for many years and met some wonderful people who I still associate with and enjoy seeing. Many of them are lifelong residents of Rio Linda and wouldn't move even if you paid them.

There were also alot of low lifes, but it can be that way in many places. But those people made my work interesting. There is a great hair salon, The Klip Joint, stop by there and you can get some good info on what places to aviod or to check out.

[RaisedinSac]

Inthesierras is correct. I live in North Highlands, but in the better part of it. All the areas you mentioned are spotty...literally, street by street can be different. If you want, email me with an address you're looking at, and I can tell you about that particulare neighborhood.

[hamcienda]

Thank you very much for your reply and your offer. I have 2 addresses and I would appreciate your opinion. 5721 Canary Dr, and 4205 Sloan Dr. Both in North Higlands. I'm about hour and half away and it not really easy to just drive by and look around. How about 5453 Hillsdale blvd, it is listed as Sacramento but it is just to close to N.Higlands......would it be worth driving over?
Aprecciate your time and effort.
Thanks

[Inthesierras]

I personally would go with the Sloan Drive address rather then the Canary Drive address. Sloan is just off Elkhorn and close to some shopping areas. More homes on Sloan have been kept up and the homes are a bit newer then the homes on Canary. The homes in the area around Canary are very old, something like 60+. That area was getting pretty run down for sometime, but once the housing prices went up many owners did some work and sold their homes. Canary is very close to Stephen Drive and A Street, which are well known drug areas. The house on Sloan is in a safer area. With the prices of homes dropping, I am sure more in that area will hit the market soon. Good luck with your search.

[GLS]

My wife has several relatives in Elverta and it is probably the closest you will get to Calaveras "rural" within your price range. However, one word of caution if your husband works in, and commutes to Folsom. I drive from Sacramento to Yuba City 2x/week and Highway 99 is jammed with people coming to work in Sac that have bought cheap houses in Yuba City.

Your husband would have to find a back way to Folsom depending upon where in Folsom he works or he would be OK if he works the NOC shift.

[hethrly]

Hello,
I can't say I know much about the Elverta area, but if your husband works in Folsom, that's a pretty long commute.
Try checking Mather (zip code is 95655) -- it is only about 15 minutes from Folsom and you can take country roads to get there. We've lived here for 7 years and it is a lovely, quiet community, a little off the beaten path.
The house prices are very competitive right now (esp. in this market). I checked and there are houses right around $250K, but as always, it is worth a shot -- there are 43 houses on the market there right now (and it is a small area).
Good luck!
Heather