Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Sacramento
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-30-2008, 01:56 PM
 
8,679 posts, read 17,186,497 times
Reputation: 4680

Advertisements

Sacramento is one of the most integrated and diverse cities in the country. There is crime, but not much in the way of racial tension.

Sacramento is very much a "happy medium" politically. We're less liberal than the Bay Area, but so is pretty much everywhere else in the United States. We're very much a middle-class city and a government town, so we have a reputation as being a bit stodgy. But compared to the rural counties to the east, we're quite liberal (Placer County, just to the east, has the highest rate of Republican registration in the state.)

As someone who considers himself pretty darn liberal, but also enjoys visiting the gun shows at Cal Expo, Sacramento is politically "just right."

In terms of boredom: There is plenty to do here, all you have to do is go find it. For those used to living in major cities where there is constantly a ton of stuff to do and it's all right there in your face (at least that's the way people tend to describe their big-city experiences to me) then Sacramento will seem a bit slower. We're not a hectic, fast-paced place. Even downtown/midtown, the busy part of town, is more of an easygoing, casual, friendly place. It's definitely a city, but you can say "hi" to random people on the street and only rarely will they scream in terror and run away. And sometimes, to find things to do, one might have to pick up a newspaper or check a website, but there's almost always *something* going on, whether it's a cultural festival or a holiday event or a bike race or a history event or a music festival or a film festival.

My basic statement about Sacramento is that the only bored people are the people who are actively trying to be bored.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-30-2008, 02:40 PM
 
1,687 posts, read 6,048,666 times
Reputation: 830
Quote:
Originally Posted by wburg View Post
My basic statement about Sacramento is that the only bored people are the people who are actively trying to be bored.
Or as William Saroyan wrote, "While I was at the orphanage, the boredom came from being in a place I did not wish to be."

As was said, people who are bored because places like Sacramento (or Fresno) are not like SF or LA simply need to move to where they would rather be.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2008, 04:47 PM
 
Location: Denver
9,963 posts, read 18,422,126 times
Reputation: 6181
Quote:
Originally Posted by simplygib View Post
Whether you'd find it boring or not depends on what you like to do.

Positives:
1. A great paved multi-use trail (bike, roller blade, run, walk) along the American River for 32 miles
2. Two hours to SF, ocean, Tahoe, 3 hours to Yosemite, lots of great gold-rush era communities nearby
3. Less expensive than Bay Area or LA
4. Government jobs with pensions, lots of private industry (but current unemployment rate is over 7%)
5. Very multi-cultural, lots of ethnic restaurants
6. Downtown and midtown nightlife, restaurants, shopping
7. Two rivers, Sacramento and American, and Folsom Lake for water sports, fishing, etc.
8. Several colleges - Sac State, Sac City, American River, Consumnes, close to UC Davis, and several extensions
9. Good amount of common interest clubs - biking, running, rafting, hiking, singles, etc.
10. Two hours from some great snow skiing and lots of resorts to choose from
11. One hour from the most popular whitewater run west of the Mississippi, and lots of others

Negatives
1. Population overwhelms infrastructure (traffic especially)
2. High number of aggressive, reckless drivers
3. Suburban sprawl - this is very much a car-oriented community
4. Air quality issues, mainly in summer (spare the air days, burn restrictions, including wood heat)
5. Crime rate for general Sac area is about double the national average
6. Gangs, gangs and more gangs, but mostly in certain areas (south, north, fewer east and west)
7. Winter fog can sometimes be downright dangerous (very limited driving visibility)
8. A/C is a must in summer, sometimes 30+ days over 100 degrees
9. Seems every time you need to run errands, it requires miles and miles of driving
10. Lots of homeless, especially downtown, midtown, but also in other areas
11. Spring allergies
Very nice list, the negatives can be found in any city within the United States.

Sounds like a very fun place. Looks like we may have to give SacTown another look.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2008, 05:23 PM
 
Location: Happiness is found inside your smile :)
3,176 posts, read 14,654,906 times
Reputation: 1313
As an Example: ----Let's look at Seattle

Negatives
1. Population overwhelms infrastructure (traffic especially) Want traffic? I'm water blocked - and traffic is hell - actually hardly anybody goes anywhere because you can only go certain ways - Sacramento is meager compared to here

2. High number of aggressive, reckless drivers - better than the slow clueless drivers up here

3. Suburban sprawl - this is very much a car-oriented community - Okay this is totally true - and although the mass transit system here is wonderful - I'm done with spending 9 months of the year freezing to death in moist wet air and waiting 45 minute a day(total) for a bus...I miss my car

4. Air quality issues, mainly in summer (spare the air days, burn restrictions, including wood heat)
Okay - you are totally right

5. Crime rate for general Sac area is about double the national average PARTS of Sac, not all of Sac. Where would I rather go - Florin Road or Compton? Eh - at least I know Florin has good mexican food

6. Gangs, gangs and more gangs, but mostly in certain areas (south, north, fewer east and west) They mostly stay in their areas - not many bangers in FOlsom?

7. Winter fog can sometimes be downright dangerous (very limited driving visibility) Oh yeah - I mean it never bothered my but like toward woodland and marysville- gets pretty bad

8. A/C is a must in summer, sometimes 30+ days over 100 degrees - and yet I so miss it - try 330 days UNDER 70 degrees

9. Seems every time you need to run errands, it requires miles and miles of driving Loved it, try being trapped in Seattle City limits but you have to drive across water just to get to a Target!

10. Lots of homeless, especially downtown, midtown, but also in other areas - HOMELESS?? - There are hardly any homeless as compared to here - I get asked for money at least a dozen times a DAY - every day - seriously the homeless problem in Sac pales in comparison

11. Spring allergies Yeah - now I never had allergies - but I knew some people just dying because of it. But the Mold up here is seriously killing me - it's year round
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-01-2008, 07:28 PM
 
57 posts, read 270,787 times
Reputation: 129
Quote:
Originally Posted by CityGirl72 View Post
As an Example: ----Let's look at Seattle

Negatives
1. Population overwhelms infrastructure (traffic especially) Want traffic? I'm water blocked - and traffic is hell - actually hardly anybody goes anywhere because you can only go certain ways - Sacramento is meager compared to here

2. High number of aggressive, reckless drivers - better than the slow clueless drivers up here

3. Suburban sprawl - this is very much a car-oriented community - Okay this is totally true - and although the mass transit system here is wonderful - I'm done with spending 9 months of the year freezing to death in moist wet air and waiting 45 minute a day(total) for a bus...I miss my car

4. Air quality issues, mainly in summer (spare the air days, burn restrictions, including wood heat)
Okay - you are totally right

5. Crime rate for general Sac area is about double the national average PARTS of Sac, not all of Sac. Where would I rather go - Florin Road or Compton? Eh - at least I know Florin has good mexican food

6. Gangs, gangs and more gangs, but mostly in certain areas (south, north, fewer east and west) They mostly stay in their areas - not many bangers in FOlsom?

7. Winter fog can sometimes be downright dangerous (very limited driving visibility) Oh yeah - I mean it never bothered my but like toward woodland and marysville- gets pretty bad

8. A/C is a must in summer, sometimes 30+ days over 100 degrees - and yet I so miss it - try 330 days UNDER 70 degrees

9. Seems every time you need to run errands, it requires miles and miles of driving Loved it, try being trapped in Seattle City limits but you have to drive across water just to get to a Target!

10. Lots of homeless, especially downtown, midtown, but also in other areas - HOMELESS?? - There are hardly any homeless as compared to here - I get asked for money at least a dozen times a DAY - every day - seriously the homeless problem in Sac pales in comparison

11. Spring allergies Yeah - now I never had allergies - but I knew some people just dying because of it. But the Mold up here is seriously killing me - it's year round
A long time ago I used to have this repetitive conversation with my now ex wife that went like this:

Me: "We should be saving money instead of spending everything we earn"

Ex: "John and Jane Doe have $50,000 in credit card debt and we don't have any so we are doing fine."

Me: "What do John and Jane Doe have to do with our finances?"

It's always possible to find worse case scenarios, or in this case, worse places. From your posts I know you love and miss Sacramento - good for you. You know where you want to be.

But for me, it doesn't matter that it's under 70 degrees 330 days in Seattle, because I'd never want to live there either.

And as Mach50 said, yes, most of the negatives I listed could be found in many other cities as well. So maybe my issue with Sacramento is more an issue with larger cities in general. I despise all those negatives enough that they outweigh the positives for me. If they don't for you, then so be it. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But for me, I am rejoicing, believe me, knowing I have just one week left in this town, and never again will I live in a city anywhere near as large as Sacramento.

I was born in Sacramento and I am 55 now. I liked it when I was a kid. I don't like what it's become. And yes I know there are worse places, and I don't want to live there either.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-01-2008, 11:17 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,448 times
Reputation: 10
I moved to Sacramento from Steamboat Springs, CO, expecting a nice fun town with lots to do.
What I found was the Elk Grove main page lied, it's not a quiet agricultural community 20 minutes from Sacramento. It's where most of the country decided to live at once, including gangs and drug runners from all over the U.S. and beyond. It was the number one fastest growing city in the US later the same year that I moved here. Now it is home of some of the largest stockpiles of foreclosures in history. If you own any variation of pitt, expect to be ostracized in the good neighborhoods and propositioned in the seedy neighborhoods. In the summer, there are a lot of parks, trails and river activities, a couple of small zoos in the area, lakes and activities. In the late fall until somewhere when the flowers start to bloom, think Seattle weather with lots of cold rainy days, and even slower traffic than there was in the summer. There are really no good detours to get around traffic unless you enjoy rolling through the low income housing areas. From any of the main interchanges around the region. Sacramento is the last stop through the state for most of the gangs chased out from SO-Cal, Modesto, Stockton, The Bay area, Fresno, etc.... Asian gangs hate everyone, Latino gangs hate on everyone, Black gangs hate on everyone, white gangs even hate themselves, so expect the same courtesies if you like to take your lady out on the town. I've had to make a lot of examples out of people on our rare excursions to go out for a fun night. Personally, I'll be glad when I can get out of this depression area, and raise my kids somewhere safer with a better educational, and believe it or not, health system. And expect three-four cop cars anytime you get pulled over for something. And at least a k9 unit.
But, other than that, it's a pretty cool place to run around, lots of dog parks, concerts, state fair, a few rodeos in the area, several good billiards rooms, museums, and short drives to the mountains or the ocean. There's always something to do, with some pretty hot nightlife, great dining, caterers, malls, and several good chicken and waffles places on Stockton Blvd.
Just watch your car.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-02-2008, 09:50 AM
 
8,679 posts, read 17,186,497 times
Reputation: 4680
Elk Grove is definitely not the same place it was even just a few years ago. It *was* a quiet agricultural community, for years its dubious claim to fame was that it was the only place near Sacramento with a Wal-Mart. Then developers bought up all the cheap agricultural land, turned them into housing subdivisions and shopping centers, add one housing boom and bang, no more quiet agricultural community.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-02-2008, 10:59 AM
 
14,727 posts, read 33,239,585 times
Reputation: 8949
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mach50 View Post
To me Sacramento sounds a lot like Denver. Davis is Sacramento's Boulder .
Not sure if you know these 2 places to say if they are comparable or not.
Boulder has a beautiful backdrop. Davis looks and feels like the Midwest.
No comparison, sorry.

Still, we are extolling the virtues of what's outside of it. Midtown restaurants/pubs and the American River trail don't add up to much. Also, the physical setting/look of Sacramento is quite bleak. That's why people are always running out of town to prettier areas, namely the Bay Area and the Sierras (but those are 100+ miles away, not a mere 40 or 50 miles).

It's easy living, but it's boring.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-02-2008, 02:18 PM
 
406 posts, read 1,586,025 times
Reputation: 206
Boring is good. Historically what this region offered was housing in a significantly better neighborhood for a given amount of money than what you could afford in the coastal regions of the state. This meant that its easier to find a safe neighborhood to raise a family and still save money each month to pay for the kids to go to college. You could also afford to do something neat each weekend and there were enough things to do on your days off nearby that make the place very livable.

But I agree with your general point. If you looking for a huge active urban scene, if you are looking for great vistas, there are probably better options. Yosemite is much more beautiful than my street. But I can visit it this weekend if I wanted to.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-03-2008, 11:42 AM
 
Location: California
202 posts, read 533,080 times
Reputation: 141
Quote:
Originally Posted by robertpolyglot View Post
Midtown restaurants/pubs and the American River trail don't add up to much.
That is highly subjective. As been mentioned numerous times before, a larger city would be better if you need to be overstimulated all the time. Personally, I find the cultural activities in downtown/Midtown and the outdoor activities on the American River, Lake Natoma, etc. to offer a healthy array of choices for something to do... I've found much more to do here than in the beautiful Central Coast area that I came from, for instance.

And I would also argue about the setting being bleak... that really depends on what part of town you're in. Sacramento is swimming in trees, and some older parts of town are beautiful.

My only real gripe with our setting is that it is usually too smoggy to see the Sierra Nevadas on the horizon, which actually makes for a somewhat nice backdrop on the rare clear mornings that it is visible.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Sacramento
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top