Safer neighborhoods in and around Sacramento? (Vacaville, Davis: middle-class, rental, low crime)

[patryuji]

Hello,

I notice the city-data listing for Sacramento has fairly high crime rates.
I checked one nearby suburb (Folsom) and it has very, very low crime rates.

Without having to manually go through the entire database while referencing a map, I'm hoping that I could get some pointers on the lower crime suburbs / neighborhoods in Sacramento along with any impressions of the areas. We prefer middle-class neighborhoods and neighbors and want to avoid any upscale areas with high price tags (neighborhoods where the houses are under $500,000 and rents for 3bdrm/2bath under $3000 preferred unless that is unreasonably low; I need to know that too if Sacramento is out of our price range).

If further information on us is desired:
We work from home so our jobs are portable across the country - just need high speed internet
We earn upper middle class incomes (combined) roughly top of the 25% tax bracket after all deductions married filing jointly.
Late 30s to early 40s couple
Two teenagers
Enjoy having easy access to all the conveniences of a city and will only accept a rural area within 1hr drive to a big city (for entertainment) and prefer less than 10 minute drive to basics such as grocery stores.
Like to be able to bike and walk the neighborhoods

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Your prices probably aren't realistic in the area. I'm out of touch with Sacramento proper neighborhoods. Folsom has exceptional schools, as does Davis. Davis is flat and very bike friendly - it's their town logo. But, I think both of those areas are out of your price range.

[49erfan916]

It's possible you can find something in that price range for davis or folsom but i had a few friends in the sacramento region who sold their house 20k above asking. This is a very hot market. If you find a home in you desired area in that price range, you better believe there's going to be alot of competition for that home.

[NinaN]

I think your rental budget of $3000/mo is OK. Homes at $500K and lower are getting harder to find...but still available. Just not in the very nicest part of town. If your kids go to public schools and if the ratings matter to you, then your search will be determined by the school boundaries.

School Rankings for the Sacramento metropolitan area, California

Just click off the elementary and middle schools, and you can see the high schools.

Charter schools are often lottery based admission so no guarantees.

[Adriatica]

Pocket/Greenhaven. 95831. Fits your criteria and price range. Walking/biking trails and river access. Shopping right in the neighborhood.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by NinaN

I think your rental budget of $3000/mo is OK. Homes at $500K and lower are getting harder to find...but still available. Just not in the very nicest part of town. If your kids go to public schools and if the ratings matter to you, then your search will be determined by the school boundaries.

School Rankings for the Sacramento metropolitan area, California

Just click off the elementary and middle schools, and you can see the high schools.

Charter schools are often lottery based admission so no guarantees.

That's true Charter schools are lottery based, but so are a lot of 'open enrollment' public schools so you have to be careful where you buy a home. I have a friend who bought a school in Fair Oaks because she was told by the realtor that her boys would go to Dewey Fundamental which is almost directly behind her home. After moving in she found out that Dewey is not a neighborhood school, it's an open enrollment school and by the time she found out it was too late to sign up for the lottery so her kids are going to her assigned neighborhood school, Thomas Kelly in Carmichael which is rated 3 on Great Schools (3 is pretty awful). That is in San Juan School District but Sacramento City Schools has the same issue you need to look at the online directory to find out what your assigned neighborhood school is. Getting in a good school via the lottery is really a pig in a poke, there are thousands of kids applying to go to a school other than the one they are assigned to.

See Sacramento City Unified's most sought-after schools | The Sacramento Bee

See San Juan Unified's most sought-after schools | The Sacramento Bee

[NinaN]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

That's true Charter schools are lottery based, but so are a lot of 'open enrollment' public schools so you have to be careful where you buy a home. I have a friend who bought a school in Fair Oaks because she was told by the realtor that her boys would go to Dewey Fundamental which is almost directly behind her home. After moving in she found out that Dewey is not a neighborhood school, it's an open enrollment school and by the time she found out it was too late to sign up for the lottery so her kids are going to her assigned neighborhood school, Thomas Kelly in Carmichael which is rated 3 on Great Schools (3 is pretty awful). That is in San Juan School District but Sacramento City Schools has the same issue you need to look at the online directory to find out what your assigned neighborhood school is. Getting in a good school via the lottery is really a pig in a poke, there are thousands of kids applying to go to a school other than the one they are assigned to.

See Sacramento City Unified's most sought-after schools | The Sacramento Bee

See San Juan Unified's most sought-after schools | The Sacramento Bee

I totally agree with this. I always tell my buyers to call the school directly to check, even if I know that the school is in their boundary because you never know if a school is full, etc. Open Enrollment is a great idea in concept, but there is never a guarantee. I know our HS doesn't allow any transfers in at all because we are overcrowded.

[Aspen12]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Your prices probably aren't realistic in the area. I'm out of touch with Sacramento proper neighborhoods. Folsom has exceptional schools, as does Davis. Davis is flat and very bike friendly - it's their town logo. But, I think both of those areas are out of your price range.

Expect to pay at least 500K for a ~1000-1300+ square foot 3/2 with little or no lot in Davis. Davis has 3/2 starter homes going well into the upper 500K range, even more if it's a decent sized lot and/or single story. This dated 3/2, 1500 square foot time capsule from 1950, for example, just sold last week for 650K (25K over asking):

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Davis/701-.../home/19448499

Or this 3/2 corner lot sold a few weeks ago for $675K, 50K over asking:

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Davis/1406.../home/19471594

Prices aside, I think it's a good vibe in Davis. The demographic consists largely of elderly citizens who bought in when the prices were low; younger professionals many with children and driving minivans or SUVs; and university students renting for the academic year. Seniors can file an exemption from some of the school parcel taxes (i.e., mello roos or CFDS), and the other voting homeowners consist largely of families, so there's strong support for the school parcel taxes. So if you plan to buy expect to pay an additional $2K per year in school taxes in addition to property taxes.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Aspen12

Expect to pay at least 500K for a ~1000-1300+ square foot 3/2 with little or no lot in Davis. Davis has 3/2 starter homes going well into the upper 500K range, even more if it's a decent sized lot and/or single story. This dated 3/2, 1500 square foot time capsule from 1950, for example, just sold last week for 650K (25K over asking):

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Davis/701-.../home/19448499

Or this 3/2 corner lot sold a few weeks ago for $675K, 50K over asking:

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Davis/1406.../home/19471594

Prices aside, I think it's a good vibe in Davis. The demographic consists largely of elderly citizens who bought in when the prices were low; younger professionals many with children and driving minivans or SUVs; and university students renting for the academic year. Seniors can file an exemption from some of the school parcel taxes (i.e., mello roos or CFDS), and the other voting homeowners consist largely of families, so there's strong support for the school parcel taxes. So if you plan to buy expect to pay an additional $2K per year in school taxes in addition to property taxes.

I think unless you have a great job in Davis, there's no good reason to consider buying a home there. The demographics of Davis are changing fast, it was once a great place to raise kids with wonderful schools, now to avoid closing schools they opened enrollment to people living in other school districts. Families just can't afford to live there. Lack of kids in Davis fuels K-12 transfers from outside the school district | The Sacramento Bee

PS Davis is hotter than Sacramento, it's like Vacaville, no delta breeze and stays hot all night..ugh

[eureka1]

Go for The Pocket.