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A little background before I ask some questions...
My wife and I moved out of San Jose 3 years ago (where we had lived in and around for most of our lives) and came to Denver. We really love the Denver area - it's very well kept, we live 20 minutes from downtown where there is wonderful nightlife and restaurants, the people around here are super friendly, and there is plenty to do. And homes out here are near the nation's average, similar to the Roseville area. The only problem is that most of our family still lives in the Bay Area, which we like but cannot afford to live in the areas we love. We now have a daughter and have realized that we'd like her to be closer with her extended family. We've just recently started talking about options, and Roseville came up.
If money was no object we'd love the Walnut Creek-Pleasanton corridor. I really like that area because it's fairly close to everything in the Bay Area but is on the outskirts of it all. You get the convenience of everything the Bay has to offer yet without living in the rat race. But for the type of home we want (updated 4 br on a .25-.33 acre), we'd have to pay about $1.2 million... a little much when you compare the same thing out here for almost half that.
I've been to Roseville/Granite Bay a couple of times and I like the look of the area. It seems like it's very well kept and housing prices are similar to what we're used to out here in Denver. I like the rolling hills and the thought of being close to a lake. There are two main issues we see with the area: the hot summers and dining/nightlife options. I've never been big on the Sacramento area personally. I've always felt it was lacking compared to the Bay Area in terms of things to do, quality dining, and the occasional hot spot to hang out with friends for drinks - and damn is it hot in the summer. Though I've never lived there to actually confirm these views.
My wife is hesitant on moving to the Roseville area just for an affordable home if it means sacrificing too much. It would have to be well worth it to live 2 hours away from the family we're moving back to be closer to. And it would be really bad if we made the move only to find that the Bay Area has so much more to offer. Not to mention the great area we're giving up by leaving Denver. And my wife really enjoys taking our daughter to parks and other outdoor activities in the afternoons. Is that even possible in the summer heat out there?
I'd really just like to get some honest feedback on the area. How much of a drop off is there from the Bay to Sac? Do people who move there from the Bay regret it later? Does the summer heat make outdoor activities unbearable? Where do people go for a night on the town with friends? Sacramento? What is the dining like compared to the diversity of the Bay Area? If money wasn't an object would you stay in the area or move?
Stacking up the Bay Area, an area of about nine million people and home to one of the great cities of the world, to the Sacramento area, about 2.5 million people and a pretty good city on the small end of the "large city" category, isn't much of a fair comparison. The Bay Area is larger, has more restaurants, cooler weather, more nightlife, bigger businesses, etcetera.
Well, certain parts of the Bay Area. The Bay Area is big. If you live waay down in the south bay, you're effectively about as far from, say, San Francisco nightlife as someone in Sacramento. Most cities in the Bay Area base their reputation on proximity to San Francisco, rather than their own amenities.
I'm sure that people who move from the Bay Area to Sacramento and expect everything to be exactly the same as the Bay Area end up disappointed. Those are generally the folks who move here solely because houses are cheaper here. The Bay Area transplants who move here because they're sick of the Bay Area, and want a place that is a little more real, tend to like it here.
The heat is the heat. Near the river and in the older neighborhoods, it's more bearable because of Delta breezes, tree cover, and the river acts as a heatsink. It's worse out in the 'burbs because there are fewer trees, no river heatsink, and more asphalt ends up holding in the heat. Typically there are a couple weeks of rough 100+ degree heat, but it's easier to deal with a heatwave than a Denver snowstorm, and you don't have to shovel sunshine off of your driveway.
Roseville has some dining and nightlife options, including some high-end restaurants, but Sacramento has more options, and more diversity, from taco trucks to obnoxiously expensive food I can't even pronounce (I'm more of a taco truck kind of guy.) In terms of entertainment and culture, it's here, but often you'll have to go find it.
It's fairly easy to get to the Bay Area if you want--a two-hour drive, or a two-hour ride on the Capitol Corridor, and you're there. I have friends and family there, it's an easy visit. Heck, I've driven to Berkeley and back for dinner. So it's not as though we're entirely out of the Bay Area's sphere of influence.
It's a matter of perspective. Is there less to do in the Sacramento/Roseville region than in the Bay Area? Yes, absolutely. But it's not a totally dead backwater either.
I'm probably not the example you want to follow, but I'll give you my perspective. I live in Sacramento's central city because I like being in the heart of the action, and because I like old houses on small lots. And because the pace here is slower than, say, San Francisco, being at the heart of things doesn't seem so much like a rat race. I grew up near Roseville when it was still a fairly funky old railroad town surrounded by open fields, and have watched it sprout the same sort of suburbs that surround every other metropolis in the country. It, like any other new suburb, will have that "near the city but close to the country" feel until more suburbs get built farther out and the houses have a few years on 'em.
Out of the decade I lived in Sac, I went to the Bay area ONCE. (Monterey a couple times)
Sac is absolutely nothing like the Bay Area - two totally different animals with two totally different cultures, lifestyles and weather.
But think long and hard about moving. I moved away from Sac 4 years ago and my emotional and mental state of happiness fell apart. I've been desperate to move back "home"
I lived in Rocklin and I loved it. If you can afford a nice home I would look at that area. Roseville is really nice. The homes are older so it depends on what you are looking for, new vs older home. Both areas have grown. Both have access to tons of stuff. Sacramento has a lot to offer as far things to do. Minor league baseball, Sacramento Kings, Concerts, Shows, tons of different events. From Roseville you can easily get to Sac, Tahoe, Reno, the Bay area. Its a great area. We would move back if we could afford the houses.
Roseville is very nice, I would choose that hands down.
And your dining options are incredible in Roseville, I don't think I ever ate out as much as I did living there.
The city is clean, well landscaped and the shopping is good too. You also have the close proximity to going to the bay area, Tahoe or Reno.
The summers are hot but the positives out way the negatives by far, and you do get used to the heat to some degree, maybe not 108 but it does get better.
If it wasn't for the CA taxes I would still be there.
By the way being you live in Denver, are you familiar with Ft. Collins at all?
I too am looking to move and have quite a list of places and that is one of them.
Roseville is very nice, I would choose that hands down.
And your dining options are incredible in Roseville, I don't think I ever ate out as much as I did living there.
The city is clean, well landscaped and the shopping is good too. You also have the close proximity to going to the bay area, Tahoe or Reno.
The summers are hot but the positives out way the negatives by far, and you do get used to the heat to some degree, maybe not 108 but it does get better.
If it wasn't for the CA taxes I would still be there.
By the way being you live in Denver, are you familiar with Ft. Collins at all?
I too am looking to move and have quite a list of places and that is one of them.
Good luck on your decision!
Thanks! As for Fort Collins, it's a ways north of Denver, maybe an hour. I've been there only a couple times but have heard great things about it. I know it's shown up on a few lists for great places to live. As long as you don't have to commute to Denver or anything I'm sure you'd enjoy it. Check the Denver forum here on this site. I know I've seen lots of discussions.
The thing I love about the Denver Metro area is that most all the surrounding cities and towns have tons of restaurants, breweries, and shopping. Plenty to do. We will miss this area I'm sure. Plenty of things here that we like better than Norcal, but then again, Norcal has plenty of things that aren't here too.
Most of the people living in the Roseville area are transplants from the Bay Area. People in Placer County have a lot more kids which pulls down the per capita income number, but average family incomes are higher in Placer County (80,700) than in San Francisco (79,423).
What this means is that you have a high density of people who can afford to go out pretty regularly in Placer County. This is why there has been a huge boom in new restaurants opening in and around Roseville.
In terms of Climate, the average high temperature in Roseville during the summer time isn't much different than Denver. If you can handle the heat in Denver, Roseville shouldn't be a problem. Moreover, the winters in Roseville are much more temperate. I personally would prefer the climate in Roseville over Denver.
Most of the people living in the Roseville area are transplants from the Bay Area. People in Placer County have a lot more kids which pulls down the per capita income number, but average family incomes are higher in Placer County (80,700) than in San Francisco (79,423).
What this means is that you have a high density of people who can afford to go out pretty regularly in Placer County. This is why there has been a huge boom in new restaurants opening in and around Roseville.
In terms of Climate, the average high temperature in Roseville during the summer time isn't much different than Denver. If you can handle the heat in Denver, Roseville shouldn't be a problem. Moreover, the winters in Roseville are much more temperate. I personally would prefer the climate in Roseville over Denver.
Thanks for the links and the info... however, though the temps are very similar, Denver is less humid, making it a LOT more comfortable when it's in the 90's than it is in Sacramento. I noticed that immediately when visiting the Roseville area last summer. It's incredible how much it makes a difference being in the shade out here. That's the great thing about Denver - it rarely seems as hot or as cold as it really is due to the very low humidity.
I'm a recent transplant from the Bay Area to Rocklin--I've only been here for one month after living in the Bay Area for my whole life.
There isn't as much to do here as there is in the Bay Area, but there does seem to be a slower pace of life and a lot of family emphasis. Outside activities in the afternoon won't work in the high summer--too hot--but the mornings and evenings are very pleasant.
I thought I would hate the summer weather here, but surprisingly it hasn't bothered me too much. The things that I miss are the diversity, including a good mix of ethnic restaurants; the closeness of the beach; and the fog. The things I like are the lower cost of housing (I bought a custom house with established oak trees and a beautiful pool for less than the price of a 1-bedroom condo in the Bay Area); the lack of traffic; and the slower pace of life (people take time here to chat rather than always being in a rush).
Overall, I wasn't excited about moving from the Bay Area to the Roseville area, but I like it better than I thought I would.
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Food isn't going to be an issue
