Considering moving up to Yuba City area from downtown Sacramento, good decision? (Thousand Oaks: sales)

[CaliforniaPatriot]

I currently live and work in downtown Sacramento where I'm a political staffer. I'm 26 and am really ready to buy a house. I've been looking in Roseville, but the prices are rather high (I can afford up to $235,000 but would rather spend less), so now I'm thinking about the Yuba City area, but I have a few questions:

1. What is the commute like from Plumas Lake and points slightly north of it to downtown Sacramento? I have to be at work by 9:00 am, and leave work at 5:00 pm or later depending on the workload that day.

2. What is the flood risk? I read that this area has been hit with devastating floods in the past, and I don't want to be in the next Katrina. However, I've also read that they used the developer fees from building Plumas Lake to upgrade the levies to 200 year protection.

3. What is the culture like? I know it's in the country, but I see that as more of a positive than a lot of people would. I drive a pickup, and would enjoy the opportunity to do some fishing and boating. I mostly listen to country music as well. Should I think Hazzard County?

4. Is crime a problem? I wouldn't like the idea of my house or truck being broken into. Is this something I should be concerned with?

5. What are the demographics of Plumas Lake specifically as that is the area I'm most interested in. As Plumas Lake is not a real city it's hard to get demographic data, however I am interested in knowing what my new neighbors will be like.

I have visited the area a few times and liked what I saw. I've looked at some houses, went to the mall and had dinner at the Sizzler. Seemed like a nice, small town quality of life. Nonetheless, one time I took my mom who was in town out to Yuba City and she was not impressed -- thought it seemed too far, economically depressed and was worried about gangs. My mom lives in Thousand Oaks, where I grew up, so that is her reference point. Many people I talk to here in Sacramento also are negative about Yuba City -- one person even told me it made some list once of worst cities to live in. It seems like a nice place to me though, but maybe other people are seeing something I'm not. Buying a house is a huge decision, so any input from you good people on City-Data.com would be appreciated. Hope to hear from some of you soon!

[mr bolo]

Im familiar with Yuba City,

1. the commute is probably going to take a solid hour

2. Flood risk is low, nothing to worry about

3. the culture is a mixture of rednecks with a very large hispanic / mexican community, also has a large Indian community, very few east asians / orientals.

4. crime - there are quite a few mexican gang activity and shootings, property crime , burglary is common, if you leave your house all day, burgulars, thieves will know your gone all day and possibly burglarize your home. Home burglary is a major concern in the YC area.

5. the whole Yuba City, Marysville, Olivehurst area is full of trailor trash and gangs, drugs.


personally, I do not recommend Yuba City, the commute isnt worth it

yes, it is true about being one of the least desirable areas to live

your better off staying around Sacramento, it's better to live in Sac since you work there.

your vehicle wont last long if you commute to sacramento daily

[CityGirl72]

In your situation and with your budget - I'd buy a condo - and I'd probably stay downtown/midtown...unless you are thinking that you want this house for such a long time you will be raising kids in it

I agree with Bolo on all counts of Yuba area, it's redneck central

My friend bought a house in Plumas Lake, but they moved there because they have a child who was starting kindergarten and they needed an affordable suburb.

She says 90% of people in Plumas lake are YOUNG married couples with small children, who also needed affordable houses. She says most are military wives and children, very conservative views too.

She works in Yuba City and says that they are very small town-ish and a bit rednecky even at work, they look at her weird if she buys new shoes from Target - like she's fancy!

She likes it - she just says it's a bit too country for her tastes but says she feels good about her son's education

[wburg]

Be prepared to spend 2-3 hours a day in the car. Also be prepared to shell out large chunks of your paycheck to keep your truck fed.

[zen_klown]

A lot depends on your time frame.

Plumas Lake is in the path of development. 20 years ago Roseville was still mostly a railroad town with a lot of biker bars and tattoo shops. Today Roseville is reasonably safe community to live in. Growth can transform an area.

According to the Sacramento Bee, it costs roughly $94 a sq/ft to build a home in the Sacramento region (not including land costs). In Plumas Lake (95961) you can find homes built in the last 5 years going for less than replacement cost. Look at all the homes on the mls asking less than 100 a sqft.

The elementary school in Plumas Lake isn't that bad, but the high school it feeds into isn't so great.

Rio Del Oro Elementary School - Plumas Lake, California - CA - school information
Opinion - Editorial: Mayor must face housing issues - sacbee.com
Lindhurst High School Test Scores - Olivehurst, California - CA

Now consider the downside. The area still is mostly an agricultural/air force town. When either of those industries is down (which happens a lot) the region is really screwed.

Unemployment Rate: Yuba City, CA MSA; Percent; NSA (discontinued)

Also last I read the levees still aren't finished for Plumas Lake. The idea behind the project was that the builders fees from building out the project would help cover the cost of strengthening the levees, but as housing sales in the region fell, that isn't bringing in much money for the levees.

News - Gap in levee-fix funding - sacbee.com (broken link)

To me, the incredible cheapness of the homes makes the commute probably worthwhile even with gas prices at $5 a gallon (especially if you bought an econobox for the commute). But the other risk factors argue against it (the flood risk, the weak local economy).

[ElliottJM]

Hi i grew up in Wheatland and have a lot of friends in Plumas Lake. to get from Plumas to like J street it takes like 30 minutes to 45 minutes at around 8 in the morning. Some people say 1 hour but that must be unusually bad traffic or drivin kinda slow. i drive on 70 at around 75mph and cops dont seem to care.
I recently moved from around there (east of marysville) to San Luis Obispo and it lets me have a little more insight into yuba county. whoever said that people looked at her friend weird because she got shoes at target is either 1. Lying 2. trying to tell a good story 3. or both her and her friend are streotyping trash trying to push people down. I was born and raised there and worked there (a drug store) and when people would buy shoes from prada no one said anything. at the college in Linda which is really poor, people had a lot of coach purses and that was the norm. If you want hicksville go to the south or the foothills are seen that way but really arn't. People are basically the same where ever you go and i love the people i met in yuba county, they are much easier to become friends with and they would give you the shirt off their back and they have real life experience. All something that is really lacking in SLO and i've noticed in roseville.

Basically you are going to be commuting and you are going to meet some really nice people. You will NOT have anything stolen. the onle downside is people are less educated (but it makes you feel smart) and there isnt much to do.

[deuterdu]

Stay in Sacramento. Driving will add about another 10-15 hours to your work week and reduce your pay (fule, brakes, oil changes etc...) If you don't like Sacramento and want quiet I would look at another State before living in outlying areas especially Lake county and Yuba county

[CaliforniaPatriot]

Lots of great answers! I've finally decided I am going to do it. There's great deals in Plumas Lake right now. I'm probably going to go for a newer house with about 2000 square feet.

Here are a few more questions (bear with me, I'm a young guy and have never owned a house before)

1. I'll have a lawn to water. How much is my water bill going to cost from this?

2. If I put in a security system, how much would that cost? Still a little worried about having things stolen (I don't own anything valuable, I just don't want to be robbed).

3. What are some good Pentecostal churches out there? I'd like one that's Foursquare, Assemblies of God or similar.

4. What are some other things to do for fun out there (I understand fishing is popular)?

5. What do people think of their elected representatives? (I think that would be Sen. Aanestad and Asm. Logue)

6. What other expenses might I have that I'm not thinking of and should take into account (I can think of the mortgage, utility bill, gas for my commute, flood insurance)

7. I need a realtor. I know people aren't allowed to advertise realtors on here, but is there some way someone can point me in the right direction? If you're allowed to give me a name in a private message, go ahead and do that and also tell me why I should go with the person.

Thanks a lot!!!

[airforceproud]

I currently live in marysville and am in the proccess of buying a house in plumas lake area.

i live in a two story house right now with a very large front and back lawn 3 bathrooms and constant laundry and have never had a bill over $60 even in middle of summer and watering my lawn every night.

My security system is about $30 a month but have never had an issue with anything being stolen. these are up and coming developments and the ppl are always nice and seem to keep an eye on their kids. if you lived in linda that might be a problem but it is quiet and nice living in most places. People are easy to get along with, back and friendly for the most part.

there are quite a few good churches up here but you should just attend a few and see how you like them. Calvery Christian is one in plumas lake however they are non denominational.

flood insurance isn't mandatory in plumas lake area at the moment but when the rezone things as they do regularly if your home doesn't have flood insurance and it is put in a zone where it needs it you could pay about a grand a year however if you just get it and pay it each year just in case it only costs $200 a year avg and then you avoid paying that grand if they rezone you in a flood area your payment will remain same.

depends on how big the house is but your gas/electric bill for my two story place with the house fan running quite a bit costs around $100-150 a month.

gas for your car of course depends a lot on what you drive but it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get downtown sac. Walmart is 10 minutes from plumas lake area.

For fun things to do it is your small town sorta stuff, movie theater, bowling, some nice bars, some great paintball courses not too far away, lots of great hiking trails, rock climbing at tahoe in the summer and snowboarding/skiing in the winter and that is only about 45-60 minutes away. Nice parks nearby. Golfing. Fishing and camping are also all in the area. tons to do with in a 30 minute drive radius.

For a realtor i recommend kellie stoeklen at welton realty in marysville. She is excellent. She forever sent emails about new houses and actively searched for homes that we would be interested in keeping in mind the things we wanted in a home. we were always able to contact her even on the weekend. If you have a question she will get back to you. very personable and friendly. Will give you suggestions and make sure you know about mellaroos and parks and railroads that are close that you might not have noticed nearby. She really works hard to make sure you get in a place you will love. not just be satisfied with. they also partner with a loan office though i did not go with a loan with them their loan officers would answer any questions i had at the moment even though they were not the ones financing me. Excellent realtor and was invaluable in buying my first home.

[ThatOneDude]

Originally Posted by zen_klown

The elementary school in Plumas Lake isn't that bad, but the high school it feeds into isn't so great.

Rio Del Oro Elementary School - Plumas Lake, California - CA - school information
Opinion - Editorial: Mayor must face housing issues - sacbee.com
Lindhurst High School Test Scores - Olivehurst, California - CA

Not saying one is better than the other, but Plumas Lake does NOT feed into Lindhurst High School, it feeds into Wheatland High School or East Nicolaus High School.