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Generally, Midtown is the half of the city east of 16th Street, Downtown the west half. The difference between the two is mostly philosophical, but more people live in Midtown. It's also the part with more grocery stores--two Safeways, one Grocery Outlet and a Natural Foods Co-Op. Although if you were at 16th and E, did you have a chance to eat at Sampino's, or New Roma Bakery, or Shine Coffeehouse?
The chain restaurants are closer to the freeways, but even then they are rare close to the central city--there is, I think, one Taco Bell, one Del Taco, one Burger King and one McDonald's, all near Broadway or Alhambra next to the freeway (chains like to locate near the freeway.) And on Broadway, they're drowned out by a cacophony of local restaurants--Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Ethiopian, soul food, pizza, burgers and steakhouses. A local food writer calls it a trip around the world on one street.
You won't find anything for $60K in a walkable Sacramento neighborhood, sad to say.
We aren't humid like the Midwest or the South, but we do get mosquitoes in the summer. Heck, this winter was so warm we already have mosquitoes.
This was a "shopping trip" for me, looking for a city to retire in, and wherever I retire I will be car-less! So that's also what I walk looking at, how easy to live there without a car.
Midtown? Was I near that area, on the rails?
I'm more than aware of the temps in Sacramento year round, yes it can get near freezing or below in winter, but the summers, yes, it can hit 100, but I see it falls way down to the 60's at night! Doesn't do that here in Las Vegas!
I was on Trulia.com tonite, doing some investigating. My townhouse is paid for here in "Detroit of the West", so whatever proceeds I get here will have to get me a retirement place up there, we're talking less than $60k. And in that price range, outside mobile homes (not interested!) it's slim pickin's for townhouses/condo's. But when I check Walkability scores & Amenities I'm a bit shocked at the long distances I'd have to go just to grocery shop, and with no car, dragging it all back to my house. I'm spoiled rotten, in that respect, in my current east central neighborhood, with 5 major grocery chains within 5 blocks of my house! All can be easily accessed even by bicycle!
One of the more blissful aspects of Las Vegas is the absence of mosquito's, gnats, flies and even termites.
With that river running thru Sacramento, and the moisture received up there, I'm guessing there'd be insect problems. No?
Yes, I can see Sacramento is more car-centric than I had expected!
Given the down-sides you mention, what is the motivation for you to move to Sacto? Is it to just avoid the summer heat in Vegas, or are there other considerations?
About the only real negative I can come up with is if you don't have a solidly middle class income. The lower class areas aren't that great. I've seen much worse slummy areas in other large cities, but the culture would be similar. If you can afford the moderate to high end areas here than you will likely enjoy your time in Sacramento. Like many places, a tale of two cities.
What would be the entry-level income to get you into a relatively safe middle class environment in the Sacramento area?
Or to put it another way, what would be the entry level price range for a house in Sacto area, in order to avoid the not so great "lower class areas"?
Given the down-sides you mention, what is the motivation for you to move to Sacto? Is it to just avoid the summer heat in Vegas, or are there other considerations?
I come from Minnesota, been in the SW desert for nearly 20 years now, and I look at Sacramento, in many ways, as going home again! Back to more greenery, and those farm fields surrounding the city!
And the location: a zippy ride to the Bay area, Mt. Shasta, Lake Tahoe.
All this xeriscape is finally getting to me. There used to be more green lawns in my neighborhood, and then the water dept. offered big cash rebates to those that converted their lawns to rock, and there went my green, central city neighborhood!
So! You do get mosquito's up there! Something to think about! That's one luxury I enjoy here, coming from insect ridden Minnesota, is I haven't been bitten by a mosquito in 20 years here, and even the flies are hard to find. Last year, all of 2 flies made their way into my house, and I've never seen such stupid flies in my life! So, so easy to kill!
Yes, I can see thru my Trulia.com search, less than 60k ain't gonna buy me much up that way! But then, it boils down to just how determined you are to relocate and willing to make the necessary sacrifices!
I come from Minnesota, been in the SW desert for nearly 20 years now, and I look at Sacramento, in many ways, as going home again! Back to more greenery, and those farm fields surrounding the city!
And the location: a zippy ride to the Bay area, Mt. Shasta, Lake Tahoe.
All this xeriscape is finally getting to me. There used to be more green lawns in my neighborhood, and then the water dept. offered big cash rebates to those that converted their lawns to rock, and there went my green, central city neighborhood!
So! You do get mosquito's up there! Something to think about! That's one luxury I enjoy here, coming from insect ridden Minnesota, is I haven't been bitten by a mosquito in 20 years here, and even the flies are hard to find. Last year, all of 2 flies made their way into my house, and I've never seen such stupid flies in my life! So, so easy to kill!
Yes, I can see thru my Trulia.com search, less than 60k ain't gonna buy me much up that way! But then, it boils down to just how determined you are to relocate and willing to make the necessary sacrifices!
A year away from retirment, we shall see!
As a former midwesterner, i can see what you mean. Best of luck with your move!
Farm fields in California are kind of different from those in the northern Midwest. Farms here are gigantic corporate endeavors, rather than small family operations. Farm towns are farther apart. Summers here are exceptionally dry, with low humidity and rain almost unknown, so the greenery of spring turns brown once summer hits, except in irrigated fields. The city of Sacramento has a lot of trees, so most of the "greenery" is in town--as is the fall color, as California's native deciduous trees pretty much just turn brown in fall, and the varieties with pretty fall colors are Eastern varieties planted in our older neighborhoods.
Most of the farm fields around Sacramento were turned into suburbs long ago, except for a few that are sitting fallow waiting for the next real estate boom to start building more suburbs. And depending on the weekend, your definition of "zippy" should be kind of flexible...in ski season it often seems that there's a traffic jam that starts in about Vallejo and doesn't end until you hit the slopes. Mt. Shasta is a 3-4 hour drive from Sacramento. And if you're driving solo, the Capitol Corridor train is often cheaper than driving to the Bay Area (including gas, tolls and parking.)
And, of course, our winters are a lot more comfortable than the Minnesota variety...
Farm fields in California are kind of different from those in the northern Midwest. Farms here are gigantic corporate endeavors, rather than small family operations. Farm towns are farther apart. Summers here are exceptionally dry, with low humidity and rain almost unknown, so the greenery of spring turns brown once summer hits, except in irrigated fields. The city of Sacramento has a lot of trees, so most of the "greenery" is in town--as is the fall color, as California's native deciduous trees pretty much just turn brown in fall, and the varieties with pretty fall colors are Eastern varieties planted in our older neighborhoods.
Most of the farm fields around Sacramento were turned into suburbs long ago, except for a few that are sitting fallow waiting for the next real estate boom to start building more suburbs. And depending on the weekend, your definition of "zippy" should be kind of flexible...in ski season it often seems that there's a traffic jam that starts in about Vallejo and doesn't end until you hit the slopes. Mt. Shasta is a 3-4 hour drive from Sacramento. And if you're driving solo, the Capitol Corridor train is often cheaper than driving to the Bay Area (including gas, tolls and parking.)
And, of course, our winters are a lot more comfortable than the Minnesota variety...
Yes, Sacramento is different from the Midwest in the ways that you mention; but it still has a certain mid-west-esque flavor that is remniscent of the mid-western lifestyle. Especially in the context of California. The nearby rivers, the flatness, without any mountains in sight, is unlike most of the other population centers on the left coast . . .
I just returned from 2 days in Sacramento, no car, just rode every mile of the light rail system, This was a "shopping trip" for me, looking for a city to retire in, and wherever I retire I will be car-less! So that's also what I walk looking at, how easy to live there without a car.
Being there's fast food chains are on nearly every corner here in Las Vegas, I was pleasantly surprised to NOT see them in abdundance there. I walked all over downtown, and never ran into a McDonald's! Or Burger King! Even riding the rails, they were hard to find, except out toward Folsom!
I was on Trulia.com tonite, doing some investigating. My townhouse is paid for here in "Detroit of the West", so whatever proceeds I get here will have to get me a retirement place up there, we're talking less than $60k. And in that price range, outside mobile homes (not interested!) it's slim pickin's for townhouses/condo's. But when I check Walkability scores & Amenities I'm a bit shocked at the long distances I'd have to go just to grocery shop, and with no car, dragging it all back to my house. I'm spoiled rotten, in that respect, in my current east central neighborhood, with 5 major grocery chains within 5 blocks of my house! All can be easily accessed even by bicycle!
Not sure where you are going to find a home in Sacramento in a carless neighborhood for $60K or less. I didn't even see much of anything in So Sac, So Natomas, Arden Arcade, Rio Linda, or Rancho Cordova.
As noted by others, midtown is the most walkable. East Sac is very walkable also, and there are several grocery stores and shops close by. Plus, the neighborhood is practically covered in trees, so it's great during the summer. It is also possible to be out in the suburbs and be close to shopping. I live in Folsom, and am walking distance (1 block) to a grocery store/shopping center, and several blocks to 2 other shopping centers, including "The Palladio" with another grocery store. You could always get yourself one of those rollable shopping carts. My ex roommate used one when I lived in East Sac. FWIW, for the most part, light rail doesn't go through the business centers in the suburbs. I can think of a several places on the way out to Folsom were you could have gone past fast food joints. They are not all located in Folsom.
One of the biggest obstacles to being car-less is the grocery store trips, all other obstacles are easy to overcome. I currently have a bicycle with a big basket, and being retired, time on my hands, would it kill me to have to return to the store 2X in one day? And I understand there's grocery chains, like Safeway, where you can order groceries and have them delivered to you. Acquiring a small scooter is also a possibility, altho' I can't recall seeing many scooters on the streets on my trip up there.
And I do plan on renting a car, now and then, maybe once a month, for heavier purchases. When I was car-less in Minneapolis for 7 years, I used to do that once a month, rent a car for the weekend. Enterprise will come to your door to pick up you up, return you to your door after renting your car! How sweet it is!
Much depends on what happens in a year w/ real estate prices both here and up there. I did a Trulia search for the L.A. area, and all I could find affordable would leave me living 60 miles north of L.A. in Palmdale.
Although things have improved within the city over the last 10 years, Sacramento, especially the downtown core, needs to find a way to get it's act together and revitalize itself as quickly as possible to give people a reason to want to stay in town. Not only to give the locals more to occupy themselves with but to foster some level of civic pride; something that I think is lacking here in tomato-town.[/quote]
One of the obstacles to revitalizing the downtown core could be powerful, anti-development, anti-density neighborhood groups (Nimby's) who will, oftentimes, find the flimsiest reasons to squelch a development proposal which could effect their neighborhood, and I'm sure Sacramento has their fair share of them, like the neighborhood I stayed in around E street & 16th.
I lived in Minneapolis for 21 years and that city is awash with Nimby's. In some parts of that city, it takes nothing less than an Act of Congress to get a development approved. The only highrise built on Lake Calhoun took the intervention of Senator Hubert Humphrey as he was leaving office!
I follow various city developments on Skyscraperpage.com, and the obstacles developers face in cities like Santa Monica. There's a current proposal to put a 21 story condo building there, the first high rise to be built there in decades, and the Nimby's there are having a fire storm over it!
And I'm sure the same elements are present in the downtown core and other areas of Sacramento, perhaps to a lesser degree. No?
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