Return to Midtown after 35 years? Need advice. (San Francisco, Sacramento: apartments, for rent)

[ukiyo-e]

I lived in Midtown for about a year in 1986, at 23rd and N, before a better job took me to San Francisco; then I lived in Davis from 2002-2010 and mostly worked for UCD but was sometimes stationed at a state agency downtown doing contract work for them through the University.

I've been retired for a few years and living out of state, and lately I find myself wanting to move back to the Sacramento area. I'm tired of being a homeowner and just want to rent now. I love the tree-lined streets and quaint apartments in the area, and how walkable it is. I haven't been in Midtown for over 12 years now, and I keep reading how bad the crime is there. I don't expect any city to be crime-free, but how bad is it, really, now? I'm pretty street smart and always aware of my surroundings, but I don't want to live someplace so sketchy that I'm constantly on high alert, if you know what I mean. I've looked up addresses on spotcrime dot com of some places I've seen advertised for rent, and I'm not seeing anything that worrisome, just some theft, burglaries, etc.

I'd be looking no further south than P St. and not too close to 80 on the east because of freeway noise.

If you live in Midtown, especially if you've been there a while and seen it change, what are your thoughts as to safety for normal daytime activities like shopping, running errands, etc.? TIA!

[wburg]

I live in Midtown in the neighborhood where you lived, started hanging out here at about the same time you lived there, visiting my aunt who lived a few blocks farther down N Street, and haven't lived farther than a few blocks from Midtown since 1993, and I have excellent news for you.



Midtown is far, far, FAR safer than when you lived here, with far, far, FAR less crime. There are no hooker's strolls on 18th Street working out of Georgian's Casino at 19th & J, which is now a Starbucks, and single women walking around Midtown are no longer likely to be accosted by johns who assume they're sex workers. The old industrial corridor along R Street with its vacant warehouses is now a densely populated neighborhood with a thousand or so new apartments, both new construction and reused historic warehouses. About the only business on that corridor you're likely to recognize is Fox & Goose, but there are a whole lot of new places for you to try!



Why no farther south than P Street? Highway noise is pretty reasonable until you get to about U or V Street, and the Poverty Ridge and Newton Booth historic districts are both considered pretty comfortable and quiet. North of P Street is also nice, but tends to be a bit lively on weekends as it's closer to many of the new bars and nightclubs, and Midtown is still popular with young people, especially along J, K, and L Streets, and those streets tend to get more bar traffic.



One issue that many will undoubtedly raise is the increased unhoused population, in part due to the closure of many SROs, care homes and affordable rooming houses in the central city and citywide since you last lived here, and in part due to the skyrocketing rents of California in general and Sacramento in particular. It's actually not that different for most of Midtown, but notably rougher downtown along K Street and along the highways where there are large encampments. Establishment of temporary "safe ground" camps caused a stir, but many have opened and subsequently closed.


Regarding shopping and errands, it's probably a lot easier than when you lived here. We have several new supermarkets (the R Street Safeway and Co-Op) and lost others (like the Lucky's on 22nd & F that is now a Rite-Aid) although a lot of the old ethnic markets have closed, while a few others have opened. The Alhambra Safeway is still there, and Compton's Market on Capitol Avenue is now a Grocery Outlet. There are a few new drugstores too. I do most of my household shopping on foot, although since the pandemic I've been more likely to do one major trip by car for shopping and supplement it with little trips on foot to the market.

[ukiyo-e]

Thank you SO much! I've read your posts on this forum and was hoping you'd chime in.

Midtown really was a sleepy place when I lived there. When I lived in Davis, I visited enough to attend plays at B St Theater and go out to dinner that it was clearly much improved, nightlife wise.

I've read about, and seen pictures of the K street homeless encampments, so was well aware of them, and would definitely take that into consideration.

And thanks for the heads up about south of P St. I have seen some ads for nice places on S and T but thought the freeway noise might be an issue. At any rate, when I get serious about moving in a few months and make a trip down, I'll definitely add those streets to my search.

Fox and Goose was our groups's Friday lunch spot when I worked for Fish and Game in the early-mid 2000s.

[mysticaltyger]

My sister lived around 21st & D street. Lovely, tree lined neighborhood. She moved out of the Sac. area in 2019 for other reasons, but she did complain about the homeless in the area. They'd loiter, leave trash laying around, look to break into cars, etc. She felt like there was no real enforcement. Coming from NYC, she said (and I'll paraphrase). "The homeless in NYC really don't have any other options. Out here, with the mild weather and tolerant social climate, with a good chunk of them, it's become a viable way of life".

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

My sister lived around 21st & D street. Lovely, tree lined neighborhood. She moved out of the Sac. area in 2019 for other reasons, but she did complain about the homeless in the area. They'd loiter, leave trash laying around, look to break into cars, etc. She felt like there was no real enforcement. Coming from NYC, she said (and I'll paraphrase). "The homeless in NYC really don't have any other options. Out here, with the mild weather and tolerant social climate, with a good chunk of them, it's become a viable way of life".

Homelessness seems to be an issue all up and down the west coast, sadly. Not an easy problem to fix because there are many reasons why people become homeless, so there's no one-size-fits-all solution.

[trailtramp]

Midtown is terrific, its one of our top areas to look to buy when retiring. Looking out as far as Carmichael, but midtown is so walkable and inviting.

[wburg]

Indeed, I know a lot of seniors who live in Midtown because it's so easy to get around on foot (including via mobility devices), whether it's living in an apartment or house or in a senior living facility. It has a reputation as a young people's neighborhood, but what I typically tell people is that Midtown is a great neighborhood for young people of all ages!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by ukiyo-e

Homelessness seems to be an issue all up and down the west coast, sadly. Not an easy problem to fix because there are many reasons why people become homeless, so there's no one-size-fits-all solution.

It's not an accident that the West Coast has the worst homeless problem. It's because the policies up & down the West Coast are essentially the same.