Bridgeway Island/Southport, West Sacramento (Davis, Elk Grove: affordable houses, neighborhoods, school district)

[AuburnJack]

So, we have seen a couple of affordable houses in the Bridgeway area of Southport in West Sacramento. We went driving around the area, and it seems to be a really nice neighborhood. Driving out there gives one a sort of "out in the sticks" feel, but then, it took us 5 minutes to get to the Nugget, and 10 minutes to get to downtown Sac.

I was wondering if anybody here lives in that area, or has an opinion about it. We're aware of the flood risk (we currently live in the Pocket, another area we are looking at houses in), and not overly concerned about the industrial areas north of Southport. I'm just trying to figure out the pros and cons of choosing to live there over one of the Sac neighborhoods in our price range. It's an interesting mix of a suburban environment being so close to downtown, and the houses are fairly new and very nice. I'm just looking for what the downsides are... flood risk? Resale? General reputation of West Sac?

[Beth26]

I've lived in West Sac's Bridgeway Island for 5 years after living in Davis for many years. I enjoy the proximity to downtown Sac, parks, and shopping. I like that it still has a small town feel and does not look like Natomas (too much strip mall shopping and the freeway-like feel of Truxel going through town).

I think that there is a negative perception about West Sac that is based on a old rep. I think the town has changed so much that the rep is generally wrong. I think West Sac will do well over time since it is so close to Downtown, it doesn't have the overbuilt, too fast growth that Elk Grove and Natomas suffer from. There is a good economic base in West Sac that Elk Grove and Natomas do not have. So over time I think it will hold up well.

The big challenge in town is having basically two sides. A lower-income section and a more well off section. But keep in mind, the population of the town is not that large, so it is not comparable to South Sac being close to Elk Grove. Anyway, the school district has recently dropped the middle school and has added K-8 schools. This allowed the better off part of town, to keep their kids separate from the "bad" part of town. So there is this divide. With the new high school opening soon, we'll see how all this plays out.

Flood concerns are definitely here. The flood depths, however, are not as high as the Pocket or Natomas.