Moving from Seattle to Sacramento...HELP find us an area!!

[deuterdu]

Originally Posted by goodbyegirl

I'm so confused...we may be moving to the Sacramento area from Seattle. We live in a suburb on the Eastside that has great schools and is very family oriented. Where do you suggest to go in Sac area?

What are the differences between Elk Grove, Folsom, Wilton, Roseville, El Dorado, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, and Granite Bay? We need to keep the price of the house around $500K. Great school and great community is of the upmost importance. Any thoughts?

Welcome to Sacramento! Folsom, Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills IMO are the nicest areas bar none. Then you will find "pockets" of nice areas scattered throughout.

[adeltagirl]

Does anyone have a city comparison with Chicago suburban areas? I am hopefully relocating to Sacramento from Homewood, IL but have no idea about the areas there?
I like suburban but not cookie cutter, family oriented with lots of family activities, green grass and parks. I am in the medical field (radiation therapy specifically) so near hospitals or cancers centers is ideal. I don't enjoy 45 minute commutes and I have 2 little girls (3 and 6) so schools are of great importance.

[deuterdu]

Originally Posted by adeltagirl

Does anyone have a city comparison with Chicago suburban areas? I am hopefully relocating to Sacramento from Homewood, IL but have no idea about the areas there?
I like suburban but not cookie cutter, family oriented with lots of family activities, green grass and parks. I am in the medical field (radiation therapy specifically) so near hospitals or cancers centers is ideal. I don't enjoy 45 minute commutes and I have 2 little girls (3 and 6) so schools are of great importance.

Carol Stream....

[DyaneRiemer]

Goodbyegirl,

Hi!

I like CityGirl's list because it gives you a good idea for comparison to what you are already familiar with, and it reflects the areas which are in your price range. Of all the areas she listed, I'm personally quite partial to Roseville because you tend to get more house for your money (depending on the area you buy in) than Rocklin, Granite Bay or El Dorado Hills. For example, I just sold a newer home in Roseville in a great neighborhood near shopping, great schools and the freeway for $475k (which is right around your budget, so this will give you an idea of what you can get). The home is over 3500 sq ft, has granite counters, 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, an enormous game room, and sits on a beautifully landscaped, nearly 1/4-acre lot. The same home in Rocklin, Granite Bay, or El Dorado Hills on the same lot would sell for over $500k or even $600k, and the utilities would be twice what they are in Roseville, because the utilities in Roseville (except for gas) are all city-owned and therefore, not-for-profit. So this means that by living in Roseville, you would also have more money to live on each month. Other things I like about it is that the city is well-laid out and thoughtfully planned, so it is easy to get around in and has a lot of amenities... and the schools are great! Anyway, even if you don't choose Roseville, you really can't go wrong with buying in any of the areas CityGirl mentioned!

Good luck with all you have going on!

[KidBlue]

Goodbye Girl,

Another area you might want to check out is Fair Oaks. It's an urban area but has lots of greenery and trees/creeks in the area. Homes should be in your price range also.

nholmquist,

Can you tell me more about the Valley Springs area? I live in Shingle Springs/Latrobe now and we are hoping to retire in Western Washington, but I've been checking out other foothill areas in case we need to stay in the area to take care of parents.

[NHman]

I use to own a camera store in Oak Harbor there on Whidbey Island. I loved it there. I took some many wonderful shots of some spectacular scenery that was practically just outside my back door. Seattle is awesome too. just loved it.
Then I had to move to Sacramento. Looked around and decided to just sell my photography equipment.

[annaboyd]

I'll take some exception to comments re El Dorado Hills. Folks that live here love it. You've got homes with price range of $400k to $$$$$$$$

I sell homes in EDH, Folsom, Elk Grove, Rocklin - you name it.

El Dorado Hills has great schools, above the fog, varied topography - not valley floor. Folsom is nice - but it's just one exit away from EDH. Like Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Serrano (in El Dorado Hills) is a master planned community, and if you live in the area behind the guard gates (as opposed to just being gated) some would assume folks are "snooty" - but you can't just label all as such. Some of the wealthiest people (everywhere) look and act the most innocuous.

[deuterdu]

Originally Posted by KidBlue

Goodbye Girl,

Another area you might want to check out is Fair Oaks. It's an urban area but has lots of greenery and trees/creeks in the area. Homes should be in your price range also.

nholmquist,

Can you tell me more about the Valley Springs area? I live in Shingle Springs/Latrobe now and we are hoping to retire in Western Washington, but I've been checking out other foothill areas in case we need to stay in the area to take care of parents.

IMO Fair Okas is okay but there is a lot of hodge podge housing- a trailer next to a mansion next to a new home next to an old home next to a ranch etc...

[dveit]

Goodbye, do you have an idea of where you'll be working? That will make quite a bit of a difference in where I would recommend you look at. My wife and I lived in Folsom for four years and really loved the area, but commuting on US50 to downtown is a royal pain. Roseville to downtown is even worse IMHO. My original commute was from Folsom to Rancho Cordova which was much more reasonable but even then the freeway gets very congested. El Dorado Hills is a nice area, but I would avoid Serrano. The HOA up there is unbelievably strict and seems more like the secret police than anything else. That said, there are other developments in EDH outside of Serrano that are very nice, but also check to see who your utilities are through. A co-worker of mine lived in EDH south of US50 and had PG&E for electric and was also paying for water on a meter, versus in Folsom we had SMUD for electric (much lower rates) and had flat rate water billing. Just some thoughts. Another thing to be aware of is how the river cuts through town and how that affects commuting from north to south and visa verce. Anytime you have to cross the American River you'll add quite a bit of time to your commute.