Young family... thinking of moving! (Sacramento, Stockton: houses, neighborhoods, schools)

[whereOwhereWillWeB]

Hi Everyone!!

My husband and I are thinking of moving our three boys and black lab down to the Sacramento area -- here's the thing, we do not want to live directly in Sacramento. We'd like to be just outside, maybe an hour to two hours away, long enough to miss all the drama of city life, but close enough to enjoy the entertainment aspects. Also, we've got family in Roseville and El Dorado Hills and we'd like to be within driving distance of them.

We're from Alaska so this will be quite the change for us! I'm curious as to where a decent sized place that's safe, rather quiet, and has that small town feel is found in this area. We love to camp, hike, and generally just be outside so that's hugely important to us!

Thanks for all your insights!!

[MOviaCA]

Check out Placerville, Shingle Springs

[NorCalMan]

You don't say if you're going to be working or not. Where you settle greatly depends on where you work especially if you want to live in the sticks.

Also an hour to two hours away from Sacto could be anywhere from Lake Tahoe to San Franciso to Stockton or Manteca. Kind of a big area.

[woogexx]

Originally Posted by NorCalMan

You don't say if you're going to be working or not. Where you settle greatly depends on where you work especially if you want to live in the sticks.

Also an hour to two hours away from Sacto could be anywhere from Lake Tahoe to San Franciso to Stockton or Manteca. Kind of a big area.

exactly....dont be two hrs away...thats far....sac county has such a huge sprawling metro area that theres tons of towns to choose from. try maybe placer county? (30-40 mins from downtown)

[cshaver]

You should check out Auburn its where i grew up it is awesome and about 45 min from sacramento and 20 from roseville

[whereOwhereWillWeB]

My husband will continue to work in Alaska so he'll fly out every three weeks and I'm a stay-at-home mom... does that help?

We'll need access to the airport every three to four weeks.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely look into those cities!

[clairerandall]

I would also check out Jackson, Sutter Creek, Ione and other small towns in the foohills (Amador county), especially if there is no commute to Sac. These generally have much cheaper houses and the areas are beautiful. Jackson is the largest city/town (about 4,000 people) and has a Safeway, etc. Housing can be cheaper there than in Sac, and there are also some new developments if you prefer a newer home in a rural area.

We know some people who own a house in Amador and it's a nice drive up from Sacramento. It doesn't feel too remote, and yet your house is likely surrounded by pines, etc.

[gypsy77]

As far as the foothills aboove Sacramento....I personally like the Placerville area better than the Auburn area. Just my opinion. My aunt just bought a house in Placerville, and the property is absolutely beautiful, quiet area, lots of trees and it's right by a small winery. So pretty. The schools there aren't as crowded as the ones down in the suburbs like Roseville. Up on the foothills, you'll have a lot more peace and quiet for your kids. Shingle Springs and Cameron Park are great also. The housing prices have gone down considerably...this is a good time to get in there before the prices skyrocket again! Good luck, and welcome to Northern CA!

[aggiealum]

Kind of biased here, and no real experience living there yet, but we just bought a home in Woodland. It's about 10-15 minutes from Sacramento Int'l airport, 25-30 minutes to downtown Sac, 45 minutes to Roseville, and and hour to El Dorado Hills.

[mntnmama]

If you have family in El Dorado Hlls then I would look at Placerville. If you want snow Pollock Pines gets you alot for your money and camping is literally in your backyard. Stay 10 min down the road into Placerville and you only get a dusting of snow a couple times a year. There is also Cameron Park which is a neighborhood town, Diamond Springs has some neighborhoods and some rural homesteads and of course Placerville is huge. We live in DS and my husband works in Sac. the commute is about 40min his time of day. The airport is about an hour but if he can be flexible on his flight times you can travel off peak to avoid the rush hour.
We have been here 5 years and love it. Shopping is 30 minutes away in Folsom so it's close enough to be easy but far enough that you are out of the "city". Hope that helps
Also price is a big factor in where to live also. The further up the hill the less expensive.