North Sacramento area? Concerns with crime. (low income, 2014, apartment)

[BayAreaDave]

Hi there, I am looking at a property at Del Verde Cir in North Sac. Its really cheap, so I am concerned about the crime. Can anyone provide any input?

[cb73]

That's actually in South Natomas, near San Juan and Truxel.

I used to live in a condo on Del Verde--small, somewhat cheaply built. Are you looking at a condo or a house?

[NinaN]

This might be a good place to start

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department - Online Crime Mapping

[caligirlz]

It's probably not the worst neighborhood in the area. But it may be perfect for you.

[anderscl]

Ten days ago there was a homicide a few blocks east on Saginaw Circle (on the other side of Truxel). Obviously most serious crime is not random, but maybe someone here can speak to what extent you witness/hear problems on that street--i.e. is the police chopper always overhead. South Natomas is not generally well-regarded, but it's not as bad as other areas such as parts of South Sacramento.

[shelato]

The neighborhood is cheap for a reason. Basically its on the wrong side of 80. Most of Natomas isn't that great but the parts of Natomas South of 80 are much worse. Its a neighborhood I would definitely not want to buy in and if I could avoid it I would prefer not to rent in either. Its a neighborhood I definitely don't feel safe at night and I probably would have some unease about spending a lot of time during the day. The issue is that its pretty close to high poverty corridor that runs along Northgate Blvd and there really isn't any type of major landmark that delineates that neighborhood from the neighborhood where you are looking to buy.

Mapping Poverty in America - The New York Times

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by anderscl

but maybe someone here can speak to what extent you witness/hear problems on that street--i.e. is the police chopper always overhead.

I was never impressed with So Natomas. I used to drive through it when I worked in No Natomas. It seemed pretty seedy to me, and certainly not a place I'd feel comfortable walking around alone at night (one of my criteria for choosing a place to live).

OTOH, I used to hear the police copters (& saw the spotlights shinning down into the streets) frequently when I lived in East Sac, so I really don't think that is a good criteria. I'd look at the crime maps. And drive around & check out the neighborhood. I would never recommend anyone live in that SN, unless it is all they can afford, and then a roof over the head is far better than cardboard. Everyone has a different tolerance, and there is crime everywhere. A big/loud dog, a security system & a gun is always beneficial, regardless of the 'hood.

[My Other Self]

When I first moved to Sacramento, my first apartment was on San Juan by the Albertson's (guess it's Save Mart now). It had a rough reputation then, and I never ended up finishing out the length of my lease because I had two separate break-in attempts during a 3 month period (and this was in a second story apartment). It happened in the middle of the night, so I had problems sleeping during my time there.

People can only paint bad lights of places they've been (they very rarely tell you the good), but there was nothing good about where I had lived except for the proximity to I-80. Afterwards I moved to North Natomas and lived there for 3 years in The Hamptons housing development. It was much nicer. This of course was in 2007 until 2010 so before, during, and after the housing crisis. By the time I moved the part of the development I was in was nearly empty due to foreclosures. I went from having more neighbors than I could count to less than 10 in a section of about 50 houses. It was actually kind of creepy when I finally left.

Now, North Natomas is getting rough (and has had murders among other things in the past couple of years) and South Natomas is just getting worse. I know people that live in Natomas Park and there has been recent break-ins while they were at work and other issues. It's really sad considering how promising it was, but crime is king in susceptible areas.

The housing crash really obliterated that area pretty bad, but South Natomas (which already had a bad rep) is even worse now than it was in 2006. Where you're looking isn't a warzone by any means but it's certainly not a place I would ever entertain the idea of living in again.

[things and stuff]

Didn't they make developers provide "low income housing" when they built in Natomas? That never helps with crime in the long-run. Low income people are more likely to be criminals and to repel families.

[wburg]

Low-income people don't have families?