Working in Tracy (Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto: section 8, foreclosures, house)

[lscott29]

Am looking at moving to the Elk Grove area and am wondering if a daily commute to Tracy is reasonable. I understand it is approx an hours drive but I know traffic can make for a miserable commute and extend that time greatly. Hubby would be working regular business hours most days.

Can anyone suggest alternative cities that I can look at for purchasing a home? I have small kids so the schools need to be good and the city/city businesses should offer family oriented activities.

Thanks!!

[jschek]

That commute will be terrible. It's an hour from Stockton to Tracy during rush hour. Unless he can work 6AM-3PM, plan on raising the kids as a single parent. If he is going to try that commute, he might as well get a job in the Bay Area--at least it will should pay better for the commute.

Alternatives:
Tracy, Livermore, Ripon, Escalon, Modesto.

Livermore is my personal favorite and it's has a counter-commute as its closer to the bay. Ripon, Escalon, and Modesto all suffer from an unpleasant commute, but the communities are pretty good. Modesto is a larger city so it has patchy-spots, but overall its good. Tracy itself is a fine place to live, though I find it too far from good dining and shopping.

Patterson is ok, but it's isolated. You have to drive for everything. The schools are acceptable, but have a bad rep. There are private schools that are pretty good.

I would recommend against Weston Ranch (south stockton), Lathrop, and Lodi. They've been hit hard by foreclosures. Manteca is an average area, but I would only buy there if I could not afford the other areas.

What's your budget for housing?

[jschek]

Another alternative:
Brentwood and Antioch. Decent communities, schools, and commutes. I am unsure of the distance to Elk Grove/Sacramento, but may be closer than the other mentioned cities. They are a bit isolated too with poor highway access, but you can get most services in town.

[lscott29]

Funny you say that I should plan on raising my kids as a single parent with that commute....I've been practically doing that for the past 4 years!!! We moved from CA to TX at the end of 2001 and he travelled almost every week for the first 2 years sometime for 18 days at a time, then the past 20 months he's been commuting from TX to Chicago Mon-Thr every week. Just to have him home every night would be a blessing!

He would have a fairly flexible schedule. He was thinking about leaving the house at 6am and heading home around either 5:30-6pm or 3-4pm depending on what he has going on. Would he beat most of the traffic...at least in the am?

I'm thinking our budget is somewhere between $245-$300k. I don't think that would buy much in Livermore and I was hoping to stay close to the Sacramento area since I have a sister and best friend there. He says Tracy is out of the question because there is nothing there. We live in the DFW area and we are surrounded by LOTS of cities with LOTS to do.

I will check out some of the other cities that you mentioned as I have never even heard of them before.

I appreciate your suggestions!! Although i'd love to stay close to family and friends, I'd much rather make it a little easier on hubby and myself and have him spending time at home rather than on the road commuting.

[what a mess]

Originally Posted by jschek

Another alternative:
Brentwood and Antioch. Decent communities, schools, and commutes. I am unsure of the distance to Elk Grove/Sacramento, but may be closer than the other mentioned cities. They are a bit isolated too with poor highway access, but you can get most services in town.

You must be joking. Antioch and Brentwood have nothing but problems. Schools are horrible. All section 8 trash has moved in. I would not want to raise my kids here.

[imphe]

I'm with What a Mess said.

Check the New York Times archives. They just did an interesting piece on how the suburban and exurban BA communities are changing as the section 8 move in and the wealthy move closer into the city. I think they covered Antioch.