Option to relocate from Toronto to Folsom, CA (San Jose, Sacramento: low crime, good schools)

[MapleLeaf]

My wife got option to relocate to Folsom, CA from Toronto (working visa) or she will lose her job. We're in big dilema now to move or not.
Was wondering what is cons and pros of such move? (quality of life, cost of living etc.)

[wburg]

Folsom isn't a cheap place to live, it is a relatively well-to-do suburb. You'll need a car, but if you can afford it, it's nice, quiet, good schools, low crime.

[MapleLeaf]

Originally Posted by wburg

Folsom isn't a cheap place to live, it is a relatively well-to-do suburb. You'll need a car, but if you can afford it, it's nice, quiet, good schools, low crime.

Relocation option includes shiping of both our cars from Toronto. Housing is now (taking in considiration drop in CDN $) about the same or even cheaper in Folsom. Was wondering how good is Sacrament University?

[bigdave01]

Sac State? Is known as a commuter school, but is solid depending on what you're looking for. I dont know if you guys live in the city in Toronto, or are in the suburbs but Folsom is very suburban. Although very nice.

[Majin]

Suburb.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by MapleLeaf

Relocation option includes shiping of both our cars from Toronto. Housing is now (taking in considiration drop in CDN $) about the same or even cheaper in Folsom. Was wondering how good is Sacrament University?

Sacramento State (nobody calls it Sacramento University) is a state school, it isn't spectacularly highly rated but isn't bad either. Good reputations for engineering and history. The nearest four-year school beyond Sacramento State is UC Davis, also a state school but higher-rated because it is part of the more prestigious "University of California" system (vs. Sacramento State's "California State University" system.) UC Davis is more expensive and more competitive, and about 30-35 miles from Folsom.

[MapleLeaf]

Originally Posted by bigdave01

Sac State? Is known as a commuter school, but is solid depending on what you're looking for. I dont know if you guys live in the city in Toronto, or are in the suburbs but Folsom is very suburban. Although very nice.

Yes, we live in suburb of Toronto - Mississauga. It's about 30-40 min drive to downtown Toronto and we like suburbs much better than a big city

[Jimbo15]

Toronto and the Sacramento region are very different places. Toronto is is one of the largest metropolitian areas in Canada, about the size of the Chicago region and the Sacramento region is much smaller, about the size of Kansas City region.

When Jane Jacobs was upset about the policies of the US government during the Vietnam War, she went to Toronto because it was the city in Canada most similiar to New York City. No one has ever confused Sacramento for New York City.

Most of the growth in this region occurred after WW2 when this area was made much more livable by air conditioning and when automobiles were much more common. This means this region is much more suburban than Toronto. Folsom is an upscale suburb in the Sacramento region.

I suspect you will find the climate in Folsom more agreeable than in Toronto. The winters are much more mild, the summers are a lot less humid.

The biggest negative of the move is that Sacramento region is much smaller and offers a lot less to do. This area just doesn't have the population to support the athletics and the cultural institutions that Toronto has.

Depending on your interests that may or may not be that big of deal. But the nearest professional hockey team in this region is in San Jose, which is about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive away. You will have a great deal of difficulty even finding people in this region who have heard of hockey night in Canada. The climate here is much more mild, there just aren't a lot of hockey fans here. So you see very little local coverage in the papers or on tv of the NHL.

California State University, Sacramento is a commuter college. Its affordible, but not a research university. The nearest research university is UC Davis, a branch of the more prestigous University of California. Tuition is cheaper at CSUS, but depending on your field, UC Davis may offer stronger programs.

[MapleLeaf]

Originally Posted by Jimbo15

Depending on your interests that may or may not be that big of deal..

To tell the truth, we like more nature than other kind of entertaiment. Skiing, mountains, volcanos, ocean, Yosemite, waterfalls.... much more variety than we have in Toronto

[wburg]

Yosemite is a multi-hour drive from Sacramento, but Folsom is pretty well situated if you like the outdoors. Some great bike trails right nearby, the mountains are an hour's drive away, with assorted hiking and skiing etcetera. No volcanoes (not active ones anyhow) and the ocean is about 2-3 hours away. It can take a long, long time to see all of California's natural wonders.