question about carmichael??????????????? (Orange, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks: fit in, for sale, real estate)

[lovesbrightpink]

We are moving from rancho and buying our first home!

We found a perfect on in carmichael. Even though we were not looking in the area at all, because we like orangevale, fair oaks, folsom and the edh. But the house is a good deal and has everything we want.

So how is this area? I looked it up on the crime tracker that I have seen on here and its not bad I guess...

Here is the address
6501 Templeton Dr, Carmichael, 95608

Its a really cute house but it is smaller. I know that its in San Juan SD and that it tends to be better? We dont have kids yet but will someday so that isnt a big deal to us. Is there anything else we should know about the area?

Would you live here?

[CityGirl72]

Hey that's the house for sale by my best friend! You'd be her neighbor.

Her daughter goes to Will Rogers Middle School I don't know which elementary goes to, since they already had a school when they moved there.

That Safeway is really nice

[NewToCA]

I go by the area quite a bit, and I'd have no concerns at all about moving there.

[lovesbrightpink]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

Hey that's the house for sale by my best friend! You'd be her neighbor.

Her daughter goes to Will Rogers Middle School I don't know which elementary goes to, since they already had a school when they moved there.

That Safeway is really nice

Thats pretty awesome! were a young 22 and 25 year old newlywed couple with 2 cats and we dont party or anything crazy, do you think we would fit in?

Does she like it? Would you live there?

[NorCalMan]

I grew up in Carmichael, lived there when it was still quaint with ranches and oak trees, went to schools there, graduated from high school near there...and there is no way I would live or send my child to school in Carmichael. The elementary school and middle school that I went to in Carmichael get very poor ratings from the Fed. Govt. for test scores and GreatSchools gives it a poor rating as well. Most homes in Carmicahel are old and small. There are gang issues, lots of apartment dwellers, duplexes and poor shopping options. That said, the part of Carmichael that extends down to Fair Oaks Blvd is generally nicer.

[lovesbrightpink]

what about the area we are thinking about? I do know that you have a choice of school in the district, its open enrollment kind of situation.

Would any one say that SJSD is better then those in orangevale/citrus heights ?

[NorCalMan]

Originally Posted by lovesbrightpink

what about the area we are thinking about? I do know that you have a choice of school in the district, its open enrollment kind of situation.

Would any one say that SJSD is better then those in orangevale/citrus heights ?

I didn't actually know that that part of if town by Mercy San Juan was called Carmichael because right down the street one way is Citrus Heights, and the other way is Fair Oaks.

I will say this about Templeton though, it's going to be a busy street. It's one of those long streets that are used as a cut through by people who want to avoid the traffic on Coyle Ave. from the hospital and from the elementary school. Plus, one end of the street connects with Dewey Dr. which is right at a busy shopping center so Templeton will get traffic from those people too.
I would say that street is a decent low/middle class area. But knowing how people drive on cut through streets I wouldn't want to live there. But that's just me, I don't like cars zipping by my house at all times of the day.

Schools in Citrus Heights are not great, nor are they in O-vale. Coyle Elementary would be right down the street and Dewey Fundamental-which has the best ratings for any elementary school in the SJUSD (I think) is just over in Fair Oaks.
The problem is enrollment has already happened. There's no way you'd get your kids in Dewey right now and Coyle might be tough too. If you are looking for the best schools in that area I suggest you visit greatschools.net and check the scores and parent feedback.

[MamaToThree]

I am just across the street from that area by about 1/4 mile, so we'd be neighbors. I'm in Carmichael on the other side of Madison and personally I probably wouldn't live in that neighborhood or on Templeton for exactly what NorCalMan said. It's probably not HORRIBLE, but there are definitely better neighborhoods on the other side of Madison behind Del Campo High School. The elementary school for that location (Templeton) would be Coyle Ave. elementary and it's definitely not one of the best in the SJUSD. Also, I just toured Dewey Fundamental and was HORRIFIED by what I saw. I do not think that school has high test scores if that sort of thing is important to you. NorCalMan is right - open enrollment has already happened and wait lists have been created. I would not recommend that school, but I am also not a "fundamental" type of parent and that is not the type of education I want for my kids. It's probably more personal taste, but I would never send my kids there. And again, Coyle Ave. Elementary would not be on my list of "great schools". Templeton is basically right at the corner of Foothill Farms/Carmichael/Fair Oaks/Citrus Heights. I call it the 4 corners.

Re Greatschools.net, somebody told me on another board that a lot of the review sites, especially any sites that are related to real estate websites or companies, won't accept or publish any reviews that are highly critical of a school. So you have to take those with a grain of salt.

[MamaToThree]

Originally Posted by lovesbrightpink

what about the area we are thinking about? I do know that you have a choice of school in the district, its open enrollment kind of situation.

Would any one say that SJSD is better then those in orangevale/citrus heights ?

Orangevale and Citrus Heights are still in the SJUSD. There are some really great elementary schools in the San Juan Unified district. I just went on the open enrollment tours of Dewey Fundamental (yuk!), Mission Open (WOW!!!!!!!), Orangevale Open (eh...it was ok), California Montessori Project (SUPER WOW!!!!), and Cambridge Heights Open (scary!!!). There are a few schools that are in Carmichael/F.O. area that I wouldn't consider (Charles Peck, Coyle Ave., Dewey), but people RAVE about Deterding and Del Dayo. Those two schools have really high test scores and tend to have more parental involvement and more upper middle class families there. I don't know much about Thomas Kelly, but I believe it has decent test scores. A good friend of mine just bought a house in the boundary of Albert Schweitzer and she is thrilled that her children will be going there, but I don't have any information to share about that school since I didn't tour it. And in Orangevale a lot of parents also love Green Oaks Fundamental and Pershing Elementary. I am not concerned most about test scores, but that is a whole other post.

You really have to tour the school to see if it clicks with what you are looking for. For me, some of the main issues were if the schools used extrinsic rewards (stickers, parties, etc.) to motivate the students and how they handled punishments. I also wanted something other than a standard workbook curriculum (especially with math) and every child sitting at a desk listening to the teacher. That's why my kids are in a Montessori school. That is what works for our family and our kids. I do have to say that I was blown away by Mission Ave. Open and if we weren't in Montessori that would be the school I would pick for my kids a

[CityGirl72]

Originally Posted by lovesbrightpink

Thats pretty awesome! were a young 22 and 25 year old newlywed couple with 2 cats and we dont party or anything crazy, do you think we would fit in?

Does she like it? Would you live there?

The house you are talking about is a single mom with a small child I believe. My friend is in her mid 30s and married, and has a 12 year old.

They went to Albert Sweitzer before hand, and lived in a different area of Carmichael

The area (TO ME) seems okay, but they have had some crime done to their cars parked in the drive way - a couple of times. I'm sure there is gang activity, but it's kind of everywhere anyway.

Oh and she has three cats and a dog and other animals...plus one of the cats is mine, and she's holding onto him til I get settled