Moving to Sacramento from New York (Arden-Arcade, Citrus Heights: apartment complexes, rental, crime)

[owany]

Hello, I am relocating to Sacramento for my husband's work and neither of us are familiar with the city and was hoping to get advice on what neighborhoods/apartment complexes to live/avoid. We have a toddler, but only staying a year so schools aren't important, but we are looking for a safe 2 bedroom to rent under $900. No pets, husband will be working in Arden-Arcade and we will have a car.

Thank you!

[calnbs]

I lived in the Pocket/Greenhaven area for a decade. You can find rent around that price in Pocket area. It's quiet enough and never once worried about violence or crime there. Weird thing was, right across the freeway lies the ghetto but never once had any issue. The commute is a little further but I've enjoyed my stay there and have commute to Arden over the years when I worked in that area. Fair Oaks might be a nice area to be in too but I have no idea what the rent is there.

[Majin]

Originally Posted by owany

but we are looking for a safe 2 bedroom to rent under $900.

[ryuns]

The immediate area near work is a little spotty, and the nicer areas are dominated by single family houses, so that might constrain your search there. To the south, you can have a look around Tahoe Park; to the southeast, Rancho Cordova and Rosemont are okay, and should have some options.

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by owany

Hello, I am relocating to Sacramento for my husband's work and neither of us are familiar with the city and was hoping to get advice on what neighborhoods/apartment complexes to live/avoid. We have a toddler, but only staying a year so schools aren't important, but we are looking for a safe 2 bedroom to rent under $900. No pets, husband will be working in Arden-Arcade and we will have a car.

That neighborhood is spotty. Avoid anything north of El Camino, west of Watt with the exception of gated communities such as Country Club Estates. The area surrounding American River College is good (off Winding Way), but avoid Auburn Blvd, Edison & anywhere near Arden Fair Mall. This is also where you will most likely find something within your budget, so you will have to decide. Take a drive by & check it out for yourself...

Other places to look: midtown, Carmichael & Citrus Heights. Near Whole Foods in the Garden of Gods neighborhood.

[MichaelDante]

Originally Posted by calnbs

I lived in the Pocket/Greenhaven area for a decade. You can find rent around that price in Pocket area. It's quiet enough and never once worried about violence or crime there. Weird thing was, right across the freeway lies the ghetto but never once had any issue. The commute is a little further but I've enjoyed my stay there and have commute to Arden over the years when I worked in that area. Fair Oaks might be a nice area to be in too but I have no idea what the rent is there.

I never understand the liberal use of the word "ghetto" to describe the ENTIRE area outside of Greehaven/ Pocket. Maybe that was not your intent but when you use blanket statements like that you label me and other hard working people who keep our lawns cut, work hard to keep out streets and neighborhoods clean, and bring a sense of community where we live at. For once I like someone to just state areas they prefer and if there are issues in a specific neighborhood state why rather than say an entire region is "ghetto" because certain areas are worse than others. Ironically I have friends in Folsom that think the Pocket is overrated and still has "sketchy" areas. No area is perfect, there is a pocket in south sac off 12th st and MLK area I would NOT move into just because of my personal experiences (not second hand info) in the area due to neighbors that didn't believe in keeping their yards cut/ clean, loud music I could hear from inside my house from various neighbors and I didn't like the cramped feel walking my dog down streets. However never once did I fear for my life nor live on streets where people just waited to ambush me, actually I lived on a street with people who always spoke but just were oblivious to everything it seems. North past Broadway and about 9 blocks west closer to land park I LOVED those neighborhoods. But there are areas in Roseville, Folsom, etc everyone else wants to move to where it was similar as well. People steer others to all kinds of bland areas that offer no diversity and bad matches for THAT person only for that same person to post on this forum hating Sac or complaining about lack of culture, boring, long commutes, superficial people, etc because they were steered wrong.

So my recommendations... it depends on your personal tastes outside of just budget. You have to think about foods you like, how you feel about diversity, what things you like doing, etc. People say "oh you can just drive to all those places" but if you LOVE a specific food, grocery shop or parks that's 15 miles away that becomes a headache as well. A friend of mines from Jersey was steered to Roseville and it drove him crazy! He HATED Roseville and was about to move out of Sac but ended up moving to Tahoe Park and feel back in love and now cannot think about moving out of Sac. I know you have a budget but if you're working in Arden I recommend River Park and also parts of Carmichael which do some some nice neighborhoods. A little further out I love parts of Tahoe Park which gives you close access to downtown, midtown and tons of diverse shopping but still not a bad commute. I fell in love with the Land Park and Hollywood Park areas well as the areas between Fruitridge and Sutterville which you can find homes in that range however commute wise... could be an issue. Either way, I wish you well in your journey and you will find excellent recommendations and some not so good but remember to always not only take others word for it but list your must haves and cannot haves and then try to find a happy medium. Just because someone else says they hate an area YOU'RE the one who has to be happy so go there during the day and night, including weekends, and really research areas. Check out the commute during peak times and I even talked with neighbors once I found a rental I wanted so see what type of people I would be next to. Hope that helps.