Recommendations for Best Place to live between SF and Sac? (Los Angeles: rent, crime)

[smhatfield]

I'm a single young professional relocating to Nor Cal for a promotion. I tend to lean toward suburban living within 10 minutes of city life, trendy restaurants, urban bars/clubs, and spas. I will be working in Sacramento, but certainly have some concern that Sacramento is not the experience that I am looking for from a social perspective. With only one visit to Cali since accepting this position, I have limited knowledge, but think that San Francisco is probably a better fit for my personality. Can anyone help to recommend a great area to live in that will keep me within an hour of Sacramento and provide the culture and diversity that I'm searching for? I would like to keep rent at $2500 or less per month.

[Majin]

There is no where that's as urban as Sacramento until you hit Berkeley/Oakland. Maybe Davis if you like college towns.

[wburg]

Smhatifield, you might want to visit downtown Sacramento before writing it off. Sacramento is s highly diverse place, one of the most diverse in the country.

Perhaps it nmight help if ytou were a bit more specific about what you're looking for, and we can tell you where to find it here?

One thing to keep in mind is that San Francisco is one of the greatest culture/entertainment cities in the country, so in a side-by-side comparison Sacramento will seem pretty frumpy. But if you look at this city for what it is, not for what it lacks, it has a lot to offer.

[Majin]

frumpy? Man you are showing your age.

[mateo45]

Compared to the Bay area, Sacto is quite a bit "less sophisticated" (if that description pleases you more).

But personally, I think "frumpy" describes it just fine. It's not necessarily a bad thing, either, just depends on what you're looking for.

[AADAD]

Having lived both places there is a vibrant music and alternative community in Sactown, certainly not SF but the art scene is growing.

An hour away from Sac is a tough call. Traffic on 80N can be terrible. Look seriously at Davis. A University community which has many young people and many diverse interests than the quiet burbs of Sac and Roseville. About 15 minutes from Sac and 1 hour with no traffic to SF. Rents there are fairly competitive.

As another writer suggests look at rents in downtown Sac as well, tree lined BUT crime when I lived there was potentially an issue.

Good luck ~~

[wburg]

Frumpy in comparison to San Francisco or Los Angeles, but as mentioned above, you could say that about pretty much every other city west of Chicago. I wouldn't call it "unsophisticated" so much as "real"--if you're really into surface flash, spend a lot of time in the gym staring into the mirror, you might like LA better. If you make an effort to show everyone how fuel-efficient your Prius is and won't touch a meal that isn't vegan and organic, you might like San Francisco and its suburbs a little better. Sacramento is a bit more real than either place--not as flashy, not as wealthy, not as organic or as popular, and definitely a bit behind the edge of the trend curve. But we've got plenty of stuff to do, our own art and music scene, big and noisy enough that some of our edgier bands like the Mayyors have been mistaken for San Francisco bands in the Bay Area press. There are plenty of places to eat, dance, see and be seen. I'm sure there are plenty of shallow trendoids around here too.

[NorCalLover]

The only area that would fit your criteria within an hour of Sacramento would be Davis. Most of the other surrounding areas of Sacramento are family-oriented and don't offer a lot of nightlife or young people who don't have children. The closest Bay Area urban area, Berkeley, would be a long commute - definitely over an hour. Along with Davis, you might consider mid-town Sacramento. It's not suburban, but it's a small community within Sacramento with most of the nightlife, activities, and young adults without children in the area. Since Sacramento is not that large of the city it may not be overwhelming for someone who otherwise prefers the nearby suburbs.

[hydro]

Most people do the opposite- live in Sac and work in SF. Live by your work and use the money you will save to do more glamourous things on the weekends and holidays.

[mattinsac]

Another option to think about would be commuting in from the East Bay. Per google maps by car the commute from Concord to Sacramento is an hour and 9 minutes. You would also be about 30 minutes out of SF.

There is about as much or more going on in Concord/Pleasant Hill as in downtown Sacramento, plus you are a lot closer to SF if you wanted to go into the City. The trade off is the longer commute each day.

Per google maps, the commute from Berkeley to Sacramento would be an hour and 18 minutes. Berkeley or Oakland again probably more stuff to do than Sacramento plus again you are closer to SF.

It depends on your tolerance for long commutes and how bad you want to live near SF. But it sounds like an option you might be interested in considering.