Non-religious towns in Sac area (Sacramento, Yuba City: schools, incomes, living in)

[x15]

Re-read Mapleleafs post. Mapleleaf would like to live in an area near other reformed jews, but isn't looking to be prosthelytized by other sects.

Originally Posted by MapleLeaf

(even though it's nice to live close to reform sinagogue)....

we were thinking of moving to one of the towns below:
1. Roseville
2. El dorado hills
3. Folsom
4. Granite bay

In this region the places Mapleleaf is most likely to find a community of reformed jews are going to be Davis, near CSUS and Land Park.

Its sounds like he has cultural but not religious ties to both the Russian Orthodox and Jewish communities.

One of the things that makes this region unique is a suprisingly large Russian immigrant community with almost no observant Russian Orthodox religious community. So I thought it was useful to explain why this came to be.

In the other regions of this country with large Russian populations, its a reasonable inference to assume you will find a substantial Russian Orthodox community. In NYC, LA and SF, those Russian immigrants communities have substantial established Russian Orthodox Churches. If his Orthodox grandparents or a more observant sister or cousin come out to visit here, they probably can find excellent sources for traditional foods, but no where to go for Russian Orthodox Church services.

Among reformed Jews its pretty common to view a Jewish identity not as religious identity as much as an ethnic identity. Often they don't bother attending religious services but still want to be involved in a larger jewish community. Perhaps volunteering in a jewish social service program, that type of stuff. But in this region, those types of activities are again going to be occuring closer to Davis, CSUS and Land Park not in the communties he mentioned.

For the reformed jews who view jewish identity as less of a religious identity and more as an ethnic identity, they may harbor a certain intellectual distain for the religious theology of Judiasm (and all religion) while still possessing a strong cultural affinity for other jews.

Mapleleaf himself may not have much of a personal attachment to any notion of diety, but it sounds like there are cultural attachment to both Reformed Jewish community and to the Russian Orthdox Community.

[MapleLeaf]

We're considering ourself as a very secular jews or atheists and for us more important to live in community with higher population of secular ppl (not so important with Jewish background on not) or ppl who will tolerate out non-believe. I don't want that adults and other kids brainwashed mine about "hand of God", sins and blessings...
In last 20 years we visited sinagogue about 4 times (twice in Israel and twice in Canada).
Also, the major priority for us live in area: with best schools, very low crime, high % of white, close to Folsom (job), close to parks. To have reform sinagogue close by - it's nice to have (maybe we'd send our kids to jewish camp), but in any case not "must".
The same about Russians... we like Rusian food and would like to have russian store nearby...not more than that......

BTW, we ouself fled from USSR 20 years ago... majority , about 80-85% at least who left USSR (from my observation) are very secular. Just people who wanted escape to US and get refugee status, always claimed that one of the major reasons for immigration is religious freedom (that in majority of cases wasn't true)

*

[MapleLeaf]

Also, i was wondering is Carmichael a good town?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by MapleLeaf

As per our background we're half Jewish (before Canada we lived 10 years in Israel) and half Russian Ortodox, however, I can say we're atheist (we celebrate Xmas with Xmas tree, Hannukah and so on).
We're thinking of relocating to Sac area and wouldn't like to live in strictly church-oriented or synagogue-oriented area, so we won't feel kind of outcasted (even though it's nice to live close to reform sinagogue).

we were thinking of moving to one of the towns below:
1. Roseville
2. El dorado hills
3. Folsom
4. Granite bay

which of them you'd consider less religious?

I don't think of Sac as being particularly relegious period.

and as for ferretkona, you don't know much about most of the south. Yes, of course there are bible thumpers, but a good part of our region isn't at all religiously pushy!!!

I am glad you think only in ca are heathens as you put it, accepted.

Nita

[wburg]

MapleLeaf: You're more likely to find yourself in the pretty much non-existent crime-free community I mentioned in another thread than to find yourself in a religion-free community in the United States. The United States is a very religious country, only about 2-3% of people in the United States identify as atheist or agnostic, and about 10% don't have a religious preference but don't consider themselves atheists. About 80% are Christian, mostly Protestant or Catholic; Orthodox is a very small minority. About 1% are Jewish.

Largest Religious Groups in the USA

That being said, California in general is pretty tolerant about people's religious views. Wherever you go, most of the people will be religious, but religious persecution is not something you'll have to worry about. You might have people knocking on your door someday wanting to talk about this religion or that, but they tend to take "no" for an answer.

Carmichael is an unincorporated neighborhood in Sacramento County rather than a town or city with its own government. It is relatively nice but its unincorporated status, combined with the dire financial straits the county finds itself in (they are laying off sheriff's deputies, for example) may not make it the best choice if you are concerned about public safety.

[x15]

Attached are maps of the Sacramento region by income and educational attainment.

STI: ERsys - Sacramento, CA (Income)
STI: ERsys - Sacramento, CA (Education)

In general, Carmichael and Fair Oaks were upscale older inner suburbs. Along the north bank of the American River is one of the larger concentrations of wealth in the county and part of that band is within Carmichael. In the Northern part of Carmichael near the border with foothill farms and Citrus Heights, the neighborhood gets more apartments and is less desirable.

If you enter a Carmicheael address in the Sacbee crime mapper, you won't find any gang activity in Carmichael.

Online feature - Crimemapper - sacbee.com

[MapleLeaf]

Originally Posted by wburg

MapleLeaf: You're more likely to find yourself in the pretty much non-existent crime-free community I mentioned in another thread than to find yourself in a religion-free community in the United States. The United States is a very religious country, only about 2-3% of people in the United States identify as atheist or agnostic, and about 10% don't have a religious preference but don't consider themselves atheists. About 80% are Christian, mostly Protestant or Catholic; Orthodox is a very small minority. About 1% are Jewish.

So, I understand that Bill Maher was mainly correct in his Religulous (my view's on religion/politics are pretty similar to Bill's) , as well as Sasha Cohen's "Borat"

I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it's weird that more relegious countries has higher crime (compare US vs Northern Europe)Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->

[x15]

There may be other factors that you aren't controlling for.

In the US, immigrant populations are much more likely to go to Church than the native born. Immigrant populations generally don't have family attachments in an area and will tend to rely on fellow Church members to provide services that family members might provide if they lived closer.

Religion often is the thing that ties immigration communities together for business purposes. A big chunk of the local property developers are immigrant Greeks who all attend the same Greek Orthodox Church in Sacramento. Part of the reason so many got into the field locally was members of the Church helped each get started. In the US most immigrants groups attend some sort of religious service.

The other aspect of the US is the huge religious marketplace. In Europe or even Isreal there is a state religion that is the primary religious institution in a given area.

In the US, we have religious creeds no matter your belief system. If you think homosexuality is a sin, you can find a church to re-enforce that belief, but if you think that homosexuality is wonderful, you can a church like the Metropolitian Community Church that asserts that homosexuality is a gift from God.

In the US you have religious organizations that provide religious services for groups that elsewhere might feel their only option is to be aetheist. So as part of your new age spiritual beliefs, you might go chant naked on the beach at the Esalen Institute while you mediate on the Gaia hypothesis.

You also have religious hybrid groups, like zen jews and institutions like the California Institute for Integral Studies that would popularize people like Alan Watts.

If you believe in psychic stuff, you have churches like the Berkeley Psychic Institute and the Church of the Divine Man and if you like Jazz, you can attend services at the Church of St John Coltrane.

In the US, you have this huge range of religious options. If you are fundamentalist, you can find members who share your world viewpoint. But if you aren't sure what is the truth, you can find people who share that viewpoint too and just about everything in between.

I think the huge religious marketplace is a big reason people in the US have much higher reported levels of religious beliefs. They just have a lot more religious options than elsewhere.

[Apples&Oranges]

I lived in Sacramento for 12 years and found it to be a very tolerant place to live.

After all, it IS in California!

One of the most non-religious churches that I love is the Unitarians. No praying, no fire and brimstone, no religious creed, wide, diverse congregation, and a good place to socialize.

[MapleLeaf]

Guys, what about Cameron park ?