Sacramento Move...North Natomas??? (San Jose, San Francisco: rental, insurance, crime)

[Derek1031]

Hello All,

It looks like my family (wife and a 5 month old) and I will be moving to the Sacramento area next month for a new job. While we aren't all that familiar with Sacramento we do have family in Dixon, Vacaville, Tracy, San Jose and San Francisco so we have been through the area a few times.

We are looking for a place to rent for one or possibly two years while we sell our house and to get a feel for the area before buying. I will be working close to California State University and my wife is planning on taking 3-6 months off before looking for work. We want to be close to our family in Dixon/Vacaville while having easy access to the Tracy area. We also have an older well behaved German Shepherd we will be moving with.

Taking all of this into consideration and looking for a rental for 2k or less we have been looking at the North Natomas area. Can anyone give me any insight into that area? Not bad, stay away, better places you might recommend? Good areas? Areas to stay away from?

Thanks in advance for the help.

D

[caligirlz]

That area sounds like it would work well for you, except it's going to be kind of a pain in the butt getting to the Sac State campus, only because you are going to have to go around downtown. If you prefer freeways, that would be mean either

• take 80 east, then exit onto Auburn, then get back on capitol 80 south, then onto 50 east
• taking 80 west, to 5 south, then 50 east
• OR you could take all surface streets, like Truxel or Northgate into downtown, the J St to H(i used to do that route when I lived in East Sac)

And, be sure to get flood insurance since No Natomas is in a flood plain

Or, you could consider midtown or the East Sac/midtown area which still puts you in the center-ish of the city, and in a much better situation to get places. It's still easy access to Dixon, Vacaville, Tracy, San Jose and San Francisco.

[Derek1031]

Thanks for the input/advice Caligirlz, I will look into the areas mentioned.

We have continued looking and are also considering Elk Grove, it seems like a nice area as well.

[DamnSam]

Hi Derek,

Be sure to Google "crime maps" before you settle in Natomas - the crime there is getting worse and worse. I'd stay away from there; it's a flood zone, too. You're smart to rent awhile first. But you didn't say which campus the job is near?

Elk Grove is a lot safer (although starting to wear thin there, too.) Closer to Vacaville and Dixon, you could try Davis. But both of these are a drive for you. Davis is a college town, very liberal. Generally, the farther north and east you go, the more conservative; the farther south and west, the more liberal. Elk Grove is in between, politically speaking.

You could also try West Sac, but the crime there is increasing. And "mid-town" (downtown/Sacramento central) is jammed with 20- and 30-somethings, lots of drinking, shootings, etc. especially on the weekends. A thoughtless, careless, hostile bunch of people IMHO; muggings, purse-snatchings, hit-and-runs.

Farther north, it's a lot safer - and I think you'd be a lot happier - in Fair Oaks, Carmichael or even Orangevale, depending on how far you want to drive. Try looking at the area near Fair Oaks Blvd and Manzanita; lots of kids and families there, and it's closer and safer.

Generally, anything north east of Hwy 50 and south east of Hwy 80 is safer (There are at least four highway segments called "80" so that takes some getting used to. If you see Sacramento as a giant, wobbly "H" shape, you want to be on the right side and above the middle cross bar if you can, or to the right of the right "leg" which is Rancho Cordova.) And anytime you cross one of the major rivers, traffic gets exponentially worse.

Stay away from North Highlands and Antelope (north and east), and parts of Rancho Cordova (look at any crime report.) As you go farther north and east, there's El Dorado and Cameron Park, but both of those are full of nose-in-the-air people, as is Granite Bay - and they're too far.

Coming back south down 80 (still on the top right leg of the "H",) the Newcastle/Penryn/Loomis areas are very rural and nice; south of there is Rocklin, which is typical suburbia and malls. Again, pretty far away.

Your price is OK; I'd try Craiglist.org at apt/housing prices to get an idea. Then go to Yelp.com, plug in "Property Manager" and the city - you'll get an eyeful!

Don't know where you're from, but almost all prices are cheaper here that what I was used to, coming from the SF Bay Area (but where isn't!) Gas: $2.79 - 3.15; dinner for two: $20 and up (leaving out McDonalds and Taco Bell); groceries - $75 - $125 a week would do it, more than likely.

The entire "greater Sacramento area" is very kid-driven. I'm not up on the schools, but there isn't much for adults to do other than chain movies and chain restaurants. Lots of sports, but big stuff like arena concerts and arena sports can go dangerous pretty quickly. Davis has a big cultural center, and Folsom has a good new three-part center; between those, entertainment is very spotty.

So, in summary - Elk Grove (south east) to Citrus Heights (norrth east) would be my rec.

Best of luck!

[Derek1031]

Wow, lots of great info DamnSam. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thorough response.

Since my last post we have really started looking at Elk Grove, West Sac and the NE (the areas you suggested) and we have found some houses we really like. I have an Uncle who lives up in Folsom that really likes the area but we have never been.

In all honesty we are starting to lean towards Elk Grove or West Sacramento now. I think if we were buying it would be the NE area you mentioned but since we are going to be renting initially and want to be close to family those areas fit the bill.

My office will be pretty close to the 50 and 65th St. and I will usually be on my way into the office at about 5am so I am not terribly worried about the traffic.

Thanks again for the information and help.

D

[NineOneSix]

Elk Grove is pretty nice for the most part. I've worked out there in different neighborhoods but never lived there. I lived in College Greens near CSUS for a few years and it was a nice area for a family.

[bluevelo]

Originally Posted by Derek1031

Wow, lots of great info DamnSam. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thorough response.

Since my last post we have really started looking at Elk Grove, West Sac and the NE (the areas you suggested) and we have found some houses we really like. I have an Uncle who lives up in Folsom that really likes the area but we have never been.

In all honesty we are starting to lean towards Elk Grove or West Sacramento now. I think if we were buying it would be the NE area you mentioned but since we are going to be renting initially and want to be close to family those areas fit the bill.

My office will be pretty close to the 50 and 65th St. and I will usually be on my way into the office at about 5am so I am not terribly worried about the traffic.

Thanks again for the information and help.

D

I would take West Sacramento over Elk Grove any day of the week.

[DontKnowIfImComingOrGoing]

Originally Posted by bluevelo

I would take West Sacramento over Elk Grove any day of the week.

As I've written before (see my thread history to find the post), EG is a geographic wide area and parts are different. Its a big triangle with the top touching south sac. That part is justokay but the proximity to south sac can be an issue. The west (near I5) is great. Lots of med school faculty live there, there is a pharmacy college, lots of big 3000+ sq ft homes, great schools. The east part east of 99 also has all of that but is more rural. Lots,of himes in one acre.

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by DamnSam

Stay away from North Highlands and Antelope (north and east), and parts of Rancho Cordova (look at any crime report.) As you go farther north and east, there's El Dorado and Cameron Park, but both of those are full of nose-in-the-air people, as is Granite Bay - and they're too far.

Lots of good info in your post, however, I completely disagree with this characterization. Some of the most down to earth people I know live in the foothills. I dont spend a lot of time out in Granite Bay, but I haven't encountered any snootiness there either.

Perhaps DS is making an observation based on appearance vs actually talking & getting to know people.

[JohnS_15]

Originally Posted by NineOneSix

Elk Grove is pretty nice for the most part. I've worked out there in different neighborhoods but never lived there. I lived in College Greens near CSUS for a few years and it was a nice area for a family.

I agree that College Greens might be a good fit. It's right by CSUS, a nice well maintained established little neighborhood, a lot of young families moving in mixed with long-term older residents. Right by the river and super easy hwy access to get out to the mountains or back to the bay area.

For a rental I'd also look at River Park. It's more expensive to buy into but it's a really great neighborhood for young families and very close to CSUS. You could rent something with your price range.