Moving from Berkeley to Sacramento Area for School...I'm scared! (San Francisco: for rent, how much)

[WillMak]

Hey I just discovered this forum! I wanted to know if you guys think a person who is use to bay area weather, bay area food, and Berkeley (where everything is within walking distance) would do well in sac? My goodness its 65 Degrees in Berkeley right now while its 94 degrees in Sac! MY GAWD! I recently started loving the taste of tap water too. I've had sac water before and it was a cloudy white when it came out of the faucet! More importantly I like having the huge assortment of Cafes and libraries to choose from for studying here...will I find that in Sacramento as well?

[Majin]

There is no food, no libraries, no cafes, it's 110 degrees everyday, and the tap water is brown here.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by WillMak

Hey I just discovered this forum! I wanted to know if you guys think a person who is use to bay area weather, bay area food, and Berkeley (where everything is within walking distance) would do well in sac? My goodness its 65 Degrees in Berkeley right now while its 94 degrees in Sac! MY GAWD! I recently started loving the taste of tap water too. I've had sac water before and it was a cloudy white when it came out of the faucet! More importantly I like having the huge assortment of Cafes and libraries to choose from for studying here...will I find that in Sacramento as well?

94 degrees is actually pretty comfortable for Sacramento in August. It cools down to the sixties/seventies at night, though. Adapting to Sacramento heat takes some time, but if you stay in the shade (not hard with all our trees) and in air-conditioned places (most are) and stay hydrated it's not so bad. Because it cools off at night (thanks to the Delta breeze) evenings are very comfortable, and people tend to stay out later during the summer to take advantage of that cooling-off period.

I would suggest that you look at midtown/downtown Sacramento--it's the closest thing you will find to Berkeley in the region (cafes, dining, walkability, liberal/LGBT friendly, libraries, bands & nightlife) and convenient if you are studying at Sac State (which is in East Sac but easy to get to by bus from midtown/downtown.) Sacramento as a whole is a lot bigger than Berkeley (we're a bit bigger than Oakland in population) and things are kind of spread out. If you're used to the street scene on Telegraph, Shattuck or University you will find Sacramento relatively easy-going and slow-paced by comparison. Things are a bit less obvious here, you kind of have to dig around a bit to find things to do, but once you know your way around there is a lot to do here.

I find Sacramento's water okay...were you actually in the city of Sacramento when you had this tap water, or out in some suburb near Sacramento? If you were out in the boonies you might have had well water, which can be kind of hard and unpalatable. Our city water is actually pretty decent, in my opinion, although I use a "Brita" water filter pitcher. But it still tastes okay out of the tap.

But yeah, you'll have to learn to cope with the heat.

[WillMak]

Would you reccomend living in Davis and commuting to Sacramento instead for school?

[clongirl]

It's going to be a huge culture shock..not all bad, just different.

The weather..it's definitely hot. I had a hard time adjusting and really hated it. During the summer, I'd have to get my stuff done by 10am or I'd be really uncomfortable. Our electric bill was through the roof which was a shock. Winters were fine..colder/brisker, but not an issue.

People are much, much friendlier! I was actually in so much shock initially after being in San Francisco for most of my life that I probably came off as the unfriendly one. (This was a little outside Sac, so it might be even more different). I think I intitially described it as "The Twilight Zone"! I was just not used to the lack of "attitude".

If you're young, child free, and more urban..then definitely look towards the Midtown area like the previous poster mentioned. It's not quite Berkeley, but the closest thing to it in the region. Plenty of cafes, bars, restaurants etc. Not as many ethnic food choices, however.

Water's fine..

You'll be fine..I'm perfectly happy now that I'm back in the Bay Area, but Sac certainly wasn't horrible or anything! Keep in mind that if you're into winter sports/camping etc, that it's much closer and accessible. Oh, and you will notice the beautiful trees changing color in the fall..spectacular! Something that you don't see much of in the Bay Area.

[WillMak]

Oh thats good to hear. How much is Rent usually? I'm use to paying 800 or so for rent in Berkeley. Where would be good places to live? My school is off the west el camino exit on the 80.

Oh I see you guys reccomended me to live in midtown sac. How much is rent there usually?

[absurd_planet]

Rent might be less expensive to a considerable extent in some areas. Those neighborhoods usually are tucked away and suburban in character. You should look at davis, and possibly take the train to sacramento. As the first responder mentioned, many amenities that one becomes used to in berkeley or the inner bay area is nowhere to be found in sacramento. sorry dude

[WillMak]

What do you mean by people are a lot friendlier?

[WillMak]

Hmmm...I guess most of my fears are from the Heat and potential boredom. in fact I'm so worried about the heat that I'm actually considering whether or not to accept the admission from my school.

[Beth26]

Originally Posted by WillMak

Hmmm...I guess most of my fears are from the Heat and potential boredom. in fact I'm so worried about the heat that I'm actually considering whether or not to accept the admission from my school.

Ok, you are definitely overreacting. It is fine here. Fall will be here soon and it will be very cool. The water comes from the Sacramento River. It is great!