Missing Cali? (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento: real estate, budget, travel)

[Ladymtnbkr]

Hello,
I found this thread and got caught up in reading most of it. "My fellow Californians..Are you struggling with the possibility of leaving?" Really good stuff!

My husband and I left California in 2005 and moved to Bend, OR. We don't regret leaving Orange County, but we're not convinced that Bend is for the long long term. We're feeling a little disconnected. In a nutshell, we are heavy into mountain biking and the winters here are very long! Winter and Summer are the 2 seasons here and we're still waiting for Summer. I also like gardening and miss the green leaves which just came out 2 weeks ago. It's still been in the 50's here this week and our upper trails have a way to go to melt out. I guess we figured we'd love winter sports, but it's not really the case. This town is great, but maybe just not for us.

I've always liked NorCal and think it would be a great place for us. We moved on for the idea of a simple life and now have a wonderful 4 month old baby, but we miss certain things. I've never been around the Sacramento area, but it sounds nice middle ground. Rocklin, Roseville, Granite Bay, Auburn all sound good. In the SF area, I also heard Santa Rosa is good for trails? Santa Cruz or Sonoma is too expensive, but would be great. Petaluma?

Here's some basic info:
#1 - Must be close to wilderness trails for mountain biking. Cycling community.
My husband telecommutes.
I'll be working part-time, interior design related.
House budget around $350-$400k.
Want to avoid gridlock traffic.
Nor-Cal is good beacuse it's close enough to visit our friends in the OC.
My parents may retire near us in a few years and love golf.
I need a mall within 20 minutes. (I miss this and would love SF day trips)
Would prefer a natural foods market. (Most towns have them now)
Mild winter, please! I can handle some cold, but not a lot of snow.
Good schools for later.

We left Orange County to get away from traffic, plastic people, polution, and the hurry-hurry-hurry lifestyle.

I'm sure I'm leaving things out and might need to post in the bay area forum too, but this is a start. Any advice would be great.

Thanks!
L

[CityGirl72]

I'm originally from Santa Monica and moved up in 1996 to Sac for College - in 2004 moved to Seattle - so I get the LOOOOOOOOOOONG winter. It's in the 50s and cloudy grey here (probably worse then you)

We are moving back to Sac - it scares me a bit but I think it needs to be done for my sanity

Here's my opinions:

#1 - Must be close to wilderness trails for mountain biking. Cycling community. Trails: Folsom, or closer to Tahoe, but cycling community you're talking mostly Davis. Sacramento loves their cars
My husband telecommutes.
I'll be working part-time, interior design related.
House budget around $350-$400k. Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, MAYBE Folsom but it will be on the high end
Want to avoid gridlock traffic. That is near impossible in the Sac Valley
Nor-Cal is good beacuse it's close enough to visit our friends in the OC. It's a 9 hours drive, I would hit rush hour traffic most times. It took me 7 and half hours to be to LA
My parents may retire near us in a few years and love golf. My parents live in SO Cal still - retirement community on a golf course, over by Palm Desert
I need a mall within 20 minutes. (I miss this and would love SF day trips) Tons of malls in Sac, I always said I'd get out to SF to shop - but never did, especially once kids happened
Would prefer a natural foods market. (Most towns have them now) There is a Sac co op in Midtown, but that's the only one I know of - and there is a Whole Foods near Carmichael area
Mild winter, please! I can handle some cold, but not a lot of snow. Winter in Sac is super mild - you MIGHT get a dusting of slush ONE night a year
Good schools for later. With Good schools comes higher home prices, depending on where you live and what kind of school system you want. You want suburbs? Then Roseville, ROcklin, Folsom Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills. If you want smaller but older homes in mature naeighborhoods then parts of East Sac, or Land Park will be your bet (but still will not stand up to the school in the suburbs

[DMenscha]

Amador or Tuolumne Counties might be worth looking at, I'd suggest Calaveras, but we don't do malls

[DyaneRiemer]

Originally Posted by Ladymtnbkr

Hello,
I found this thread and got caught up in reading most of it. "My fellow Californians..Are you struggling with the possibility of leaving?" Really good stuff!

My husband and I left California in 2005 and moved to Bend, OR. We don't regret leaving Orange County, but we're not convinced that Bend is for the long long term. We're feeling a little disconnected. In a nutshell, we are heavy into mountain biking and the winters here are very long! Winter and Summer are the 2 seasons here and we're still waiting for Summer. I also like gardening and miss the green leaves which just came out 2 weeks ago. It's still been in the 50's here this week and our upper trails have a way to go to melt out. I guess we figured we'd love winter sports, but it's not really the case. This town is great, but maybe just not for us.

I've always liked NorCal and think it would be a great place for us. We moved on for the idea of a simple life and now have a wonderful 4 month old baby, but we miss certain things. I've never been around the Sacramento area, but it sounds nice middle ground. Rocklin, Roseville, Granite Bay, Auburn all sound good. In the SF area, I also heard Santa Rosa is good for trails? Santa Cruz or Sonoma is too expensive, but would be great. Petaluma?

Here's some basic info:
#1 - Must be close to wilderness trails for mountain biking. Cycling community.
My husband telecommutes.
I'll be working part-time, interior design related.
House budget around $350-$400k.
Want to avoid gridlock traffic.
Nor-Cal is good beacuse it's close enough to visit our friends in the OC.
My parents may retire near us in a few years and love golf.
I need a mall within 20 minutes. (I miss this and would love SF day trips)
Would prefer a natural foods market. (Most towns have them now)
Mild winter, please! I can handle some cold, but not a lot of snow.
Good schools for later.

We left Orange County to get away from traffic, plastic people, polution, and the hurry-hurry-hurry lifestyle.

I'm sure I'm leaving things out and might need to post in the bay area forum too, but this is a start. Any advice would be great.

Thanks!
L

Hi Ladymtnbkr!

My husband and I also moved out of California to Missouri when we were first married. We were gone for five very long years and missed California terribly, Sacramento in particular. What we missed the most was our families, and the weather, so I can understand why you are looking to come back. There is just no place like our wonderful state, even with all it's flaws!

If you are looking to come back, IMHO, you couldn't have picked a better place! The Sacramento area has so much to offer, and considering your lifestyle, I think there could be a place here that you would easily be able to call home and be comfortable! Just so you know, I think you are very much on-track when you mentioned areas in Placer County, so I will direct my responses towards the area you are considering.

1. Close to wilderness trails and biking: You don't say whether or not you want biking trails to be at your doorstep or within a short distance away, but as far as wilderness trails go, there are many, including the Pacific Crest Trail which are within an hour's drive from most areas. If you are looking for day-to-day city biking trails, Roseville has an awesome one that stretches across the entire city, although there are currently a few gaps in it where you may have to get on a road to get to the next portion of it. It is my understanding that it will eventully go from one end of the city to another without having to get on roads. There is a huge stretch through the east side of town which is simply amazing! It follows Linda Creek and has tons of wildlife including egrets and beavers, as well as beautiful vegetation (especially in the spring!). It also has varying terrain with a few challenging hills to climb, so if you chose to live in or near Roseville, you wouldn't have to go far to get a "wilderness-feel" workout!
2. Interior design related field: Sacramento as a whole is growing, so although I don't know which specific job opportunities are currently available in that field, I do know that there are a lot of new homes, as well as people remodeling, that would be looking for some help with their projects. Will you be opening your own business, or would you want to work for an existing business on a part-time basis?
3. Real Estate: If you are looking for homes in the $350k to $400k range, you should have no problem finding something that suits your needs, in any area of western Placer County. What exactly are you looking for in a home?
4. Gridlock traffic: Unfortunately, the highways here are pretty backed up during peak hours. However, if your husband telecommutes, and you are working flexible part-time hours, you will be able to avoid the worst of it. I lived in Orange County back in the '80's, and I remember the highways being backed up no matter what time of day it was, so for comparison purposes, I will tell you that our highways are infinitely better than that. As far as city streets go, for the most part, the cities have done a pretty good job of timing the stoplights so that you can cruise along at a decent clip. Roseville in particular has done a terrific job with planning out the city, and has built roads which traverse the city and maximize your travel time. For example, I live in western Roseville, and I commute to the far reaches of eastern Roseville, and by taking Roseville Parkway, I can make it across town in 20 minutes, and I generally only hit one stoplight at Galleria Blvd, near the mall.
5. Retirement communities and golf: We have two Sun City's here in Placer County; one in west Roseville, and one in the Twelve Bridges area of Lincoln. Both have beautiful golf courses and clubhouses. The one in Roseville has smaller homes and the one in Lincoln has larger homes. Either way, there are tons of activities for seniors. Of course, if your parents choose to live outside an organized community such as Sun City, most of the neighborhoods I've been in are well integrated and are senior-friendly.
6. Malls and Natural Food Stores: There are several malls throughout the Sacramento region, and most are fairly easy to get to. There is a new one in Roseville with all the usual suspects, including Nordstrom's and Pottery Barn, but across the street from it they are building a Whole Foods Market which features all natural foods. There is also a Nugget Market not far away from the Galleria Mall, which has a large natural foods section. Also in Roseville is Trader Joe's, which specializes in Natural Foods, so if you choose this area, you will have a selection of stores to choose from.
7. Weather: Our summers are hot; getting into the 100's at times, and our winters are cool, usually staying in the 40- to 50-degree range; sometimes in the 30's, depending on the month. We tend to get a lot of ground fog in the month of January, but once you hit the Newcastle or Auburn area, you generally are up above it. Autumns and Springs tend to be relatively short, but beautiful. One of the things I like about this area is that we still have flowering plants in the dead of winter, and that is so refreshing amid the cold.
8. Schools: There are many great schools in most areas of Placer County. There are a couple of areas which aren't as good as others, but overall, most elementary schools rate in the 8-10 range for API scores (with 10 being the highest). The high schools rate more in the 7-9 range. You can check the schools out at GreatSchools.net Considering the price range you are looking in, you should have no problem finding something with excellent schools.

Overall, I just think you can't go wrong with this area! I say that because you are within an hour-and-a-half or less of San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Napa/Sonoma, and it is affordable here, compared to So Cal or the Bay Area. Additionally, there is so much convenience nearby, and the people, for the most part, are very friendly! I wish you the best of luck in deciding where your life journey will take you to next!



DR

[Ladymtnbkr]

Thank you so much for all the details. This is a great forum! Trails are very important to us and we would prefer to be able to ride to at least one mountain trail system from our home. We like to jump on our mountain bikes after work and get out in mother nature to clear our heads. The more technical the trail, the better. Climbing is good too!

I totally get the traffic deal.... it is everywhere and I know there will times where it's bad, but LA and OC are REALLY bad. I don't mind some traffic because unless you are in the boonies, it's part of life.

I'll respond in more detail soon with more questions when the little one gives me a break.

Cheers!

[wburg]

Biking to the mountains from Sacramento, or even Roseville or Folsom, isn't practical--it's a good hour or so drive before you even get through the foothills. We're in the middle of a big, big valley that is very flat. However, there are some very nice bike trails along the American River and down into the Delta that are very scenic if a bit short in the steep hills department. There's also quite a bit of urban biking to do: cycling through East Sacramento, Land Park, Midtown, even old Fair Oaks, Roseville or Folsom is pretty nice, and you can stop and eat at a restaurant before heading back.

Traffic is nowhere near as bad as Los Angeles. If you're used to Seattle traffic, it's about the same from what I have been told.

[dogmom]

Well, I just want to come home..Long story, we are in southern Utah, but it's not the 'dream' we thought it would be..now the house here isn't selling and I am very depressed. Yes, even with it's flaws, California is home.

[DawnW]

We moved to NC 3 years ago. DH loves it here. I hate it. I want to move home so badly that I often find myself in tears.

I miss my job in LA (which I have been offered back by the way), I miss my friends (yes, I did have very good friends in CA! Contrary to opinions on this board there are wonderful folks in LA), and I miss the energy of the city.

Of course, I also miss the beach, mountains, museums and so much to do outdoors.

I like that I can be myself in CA. I know that is also contrary to what is often posted on this board. There is such freedom in feeling you don't stand out if you are a little different than that crowd.

Dawn

[dogmom]

Originally Posted by DawnW

We moved to NC 3 years ago. DH loves it here. I hate it. I want to move home so badly that I often find myself in tears.

I miss my job in LA (which I have been offered back by the way), I miss my friends (yes, I did have very good friends in CA! Contrary to opinions on this board there are wonderful folks in LA), and I miss the energy of the city.

Of course, I also miss the beach, mountains, museums and so much to do outdoors.

I like that I can be myself in CA. I know that is also contrary to what is often posted on this board. There is such freedom in feeling you don't stand out if you are a little different than that crowd.

Dawn

You are so right, Dawn. Born and raised in SoCal...before we moved up North..never in my life did anyone ask me or care what religion I was until we moved here. I feel like I have lost myself...sometimes moves work, other times, not. this one did not. I feel your pain, thank goodness my dh agrees with me, but it took awhile..

[gold dust]

Originally Posted by dogmom

Well, I just want to come home..Long story, we are in southern Utah, but it's not the 'dream' we thought it would be..now the house here isn't selling and I am very depressed. Yes, even with it's flaws, California is home.

dogmom - I feel your pain!! I am going through something similar myself. It's somewhat comforting to know I am not alone!