"Sacramento is a scary place." (Stockton, Vacaville: neighborhoods, elementary school)

[zen_klown]

People use the term Sacramento interchangably to refer both to the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento region.

The median family income in the city of Sacramento is $52,341 which is a little below the national average.

Sacramento city, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

But the median family income in Placer County is $80,700, which is actually higher than the County of San Francisco's median family income of $79,423. The per capita income is lower in Placer County but that is because people in SF just don't have many kids.

Placer County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

San Francisco County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

In terms of immigration, I would say the big difference between immigrants in the Bay Area and immigrants in Sacramento is the educational levels of the immigrants. A lot of the immigrants to the Bay Area were pretty well educated in their countries of origin. You have a lot of engineers from India or Taiwan, plus a scattering of fairly educated folks from other places around the globe.

In Sacramento, the immigrants aren't as well educated. Sacramento has a lot of Hmong, Mexicans, central americans, and Vietnamese who weren't that well educated in there home countries. A lot of these people were peasants who moved off the farm and may not be that literate in their native language let alone English.

Parental educational attainment is the best predictator of academic success. A less educated population is going to have problems doing knowledge work. In Sacramento, race is a much better proxy for educational attainment than in the Bay Area. In Sacramento, in general the anglos are much better educated than the immigrants. In the Bay Area that isn't quite as true.

In the Sacramento region, the pocket area seems to have done pretty well in terms of attracting the educated immigrants. Its still close enough to the asian food stores on Stockton blvd, but doesn't have the same crime issues that other parts of Southern Sacramento have. My understanding is that while the immigrant populations in Placer County and Folsom are still relatively small, those immigrants are pretty well educated as well and their numbers are growing.

If I had to guess, I think Sacramento will continue to be the home of the less educated immigrants and as the Sacramento Region, the better educated immigrants will move to Placer County and Folsom in the same way, that Southern Orange County is attracting educated immigrants, while LA county is getting the less educated immigrants.

[cityx]

Originally Posted by zen_klown

People use the term Sacramento interchangably to refer both to the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento region.

The median family income in the city of Sacramento is $52,341 which is a little below the national average.

Sacramento city, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

But the median family income in Placer County is $80,700, which is actually higher than the County of San Francisco's median family income of $79,423. The per capita income is lower in Placer County but that is because people in SF just don't have many kids.

Placer County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

San Francisco County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

In terms of immigration, I would say the big difference between immigrants in the Bay Area and immigrants in Sacramento is the educational levels of the immigrants. A lot of the immigrants to the Bay Area were pretty well educated in their countries of origin. You have a lot of engineers from India or Taiwan, plus a scattering of fairly educated folks from other places around the globe.

In Sacramento, the immigrants aren't as well educated. Sacramento has a lot of Hmong, Mexicans, central americans, and Vietnamese who weren't that well educated in there home countries. A lot of these people were peasants who moved off the farm and may not be that literate in their native language let alone English.

Parental educational attainment is the best predictator of academic success. A less educated population is going to have problems doing knowledge work. In Sacramento, race is a much better proxy for educational attainment than in the Bay Area. In Sacramento, in general the anglos are much better educated than the immigrants. In the Bay Area that isn't quite as true.

In the Sacramento region, the pocket area seems to have done pretty well in terms of attracting the educated immigrants. Its still close enough to the asian food stores on Stockton blvd, but doesn't have the same crime issues that other parts of Southern Sacramento have. My understanding is that while the immigrant populations in Placer County and Folsom are still relatively small, those immigrants are pretty well educated as well and their numbers are growing.

If I had to guess, I think Sacramento will continue to be the home of the less educated immigrants and as the Sacramento Region, the better educated immigrants will move to Placer County and Folsom in the same way, that Southern Orange County is attracting educated immigrants, while LA county is getting the less educated immigrants.

I agree. You make some excellent points!!

[fillip]

Not sure if you'd consider this news 'scary', plus it's 2 years old.

News - County's STD rate is state's third highest - sacbee.com (broken link)

hey, there's a reason why downtown is called the 'herpes triangle'!

[wburg]

The "herpes triangle" refers specifically to a couple of bars in midtown, although there's also the "Herpes Triangle East" that refers to a couple of bars along Howe Avenue.

[cityx]

Originally Posted by fillip

Not sure if you'd consider this news 'scary', plus it's 2 years old.

News - County's STD rate is state's third highest - sacbee.com (broken link)

hey, there's a reason why downtown is called the 'herpes triangle'!

No matter where you live you gotta slip on the jimmy hat.

[Guingirl]

Originally Posted by cityx

[/color]

Honestly, there are a multitude of "scary" defintions. When I worked out in Placer County, the "scariness" I experienced had everything to do with the right winged, neo-conservative, soccer mom mindset that I dealt with everyday. Ugh.

Thanks for reminding me why I moved out of my hometown to Texas. Liberals that move up to the valley for cheap homes and then get upset because we are all too stupid to know better...right??

[efsacramento]

Sacramento is no different than most other U.S. cities. The central area neighborhoods are. overall. a mix of poorest and the most upscale (well established, custom, surrounded by cultural venues and greater and unique dining options, ...) Generally, the more distant neighborhoods are where the masses with moderate to upper incomes go so they can get the most square feet on a street with fake lakes, docks, and ugly rock home facades. The conservatice culture consists of chain restaurants, trashy evangelical mega hate centers, malls, and car dealerships. Referred to by predominantly racist residents as "good neighborhood" which is racist middle class suburb code for very few "scary non-white people A.K.A criminals."

[cityx]

[quote=efsacramento;4898879].... "trashy evangelical mega hate centers"

LOL - I love this expression!
Good one ... and not far from the truth either.

[Austen47]

I've lived here for 40 years and don't find it at all scary, it's a great place. Sure, as in any city, there are certain areas that aren't as safe, but not that many in Sac actually. I can only think of maybe two. There are run down neighborhoods - as in any city - but I don't equate that with scary.

Try across the river in West Sacramento, an up-and-coming bedroom community. Only about 7 minutes driving time from downtown Sacramento, it's quieter, and about 5 - 8 degrees cooler in the summer. West Sac has everything you want except a book store (has grocery chains, Home Depot, Target, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, IKEA, new food chains moving in as well as the common standbys we all know). Best bet for living in West Sac is anywhere south of West Capital Avenue - a HUGE area, and growing further south all the time. Stay away from Evergreen Avenue, Madrone Avenue, the neighborhood of Broderick (northeast part of the city).

[zen_klown]

Originally Posted by efsacramento

Sacramento is no different than most other U.S. cities. The central area neighborhoods are. overall. a mix of poorest and the most upscale (well established, custom, surrounded by cultural venues and greater and unique dining options, ...) Generally, the more distant neighborhoods are where the masses with moderate to upper incomes go so they can get the most square feet on a street with fake lakes, docks, and ugly rock home facades. The conservatice culture consists of chain restaurants, trashy evangelical mega hate centers, malls, and car dealerships. Referred to by predominantly racist residents as "good neighborhood" which is racist middle class suburb code for very few "scary non-white people A.K.A criminals."

I like suburbs. In fact my love for suburban living is a big reason I like the Sacramento region. I find people who live in suburban areas less pretentious and generally more friendly than folks in urban areas. I see nothing wrong with wanting to live in a community where you can afford to buy the house you are living in. But this idea that the city of Sacramento is somehow not suburban has always seem pretty ridiculous to me. A big part of the identity of Davis is that its a cow town. Yet the cow town, the city of Davis, is substantially more dense than the city of Sacramento. In terms of dense urban living, Sacramento is closer to Fresno or Des Moines than Manhattan.

I know when I walk by the Hard Rock Cafe or stroll through Old Town, authentic isn't the first adjective that comes to mind. The entire K street mall has always struck me more as banal imitation of the Arden Fair mall, than one of the great urban shopping experiences in America. I am not sure that people living among the fake lawyer lofts with fake brick facades are in a position to be putting others down for wanting to live next to fake lakes.

The reality is that the Sacramento region is a series of adjacent suburbs clustered together. What impresses me is the diversity of these burbs. In them you can find housing choices for just about every group under the sun. The immigrants from Korean collect along Folsom Blvd in Rancho Cordova where they are living among the Russians. The Vietnamese are living among the African Americans along Stockton Blvd. The Filipinos are living off Mack and in Antelope along with more Russians. The East Asian Indians are living in West Sac or living among the Hmong on Norwood. You have the Mexicans living in West Sac, along Marconi and Franklin.

These burbs have created a real sense of place. The homosexuals feel at home in midtown, but also in Tahoe Park and Elmhurst and East Sac. But the working class social conservatives found there home in Citrus Heights too. The limousine liberals can seek out there own in Land Park or Davis and the yuppie Republicans can fight to cut the oppressive captial gains tax in El Dorado Hills, Gold River or Folsom.