Travis AFB, from Michigan...no idea where to live! (Sacramento: apartment, house)

[lazarsa1]

We just found out my husband will be stationed at Travis AFB this winter! We're so excited for the move! So the apartment search begins. We have no idea what areas are great/awful, so any help, experience, or advice would be very much appreciated!

We're basically looking for somewhere with up to a half hour (ish) commute to Fairfield. Ideally a town on the more "interesting" side...i.e. something with a nice downtown area. (my reference point is Ann Arbor, Michigan which is where I lived at one point--it has a downtown with shops, coffee, restaurants, theatres, etc...where we can walk many places). We are definitely people who adore coffee shops, date nights, exploring cities on foot, etc., so it would be nice to have somewhere local to spend our evenings. With that in mind, how would Davis fare? We are both in our early-20s so a younger city would definitely be nice. Is the commute bearable?

Also, anywhere we should specifically AVOID? I've heard Vallejo isn't so great...etc...?

Thanks so much for any input!

[jade408]

Maybe Benicia? I always hear great things about it. Lots of art galleries. Walkable downtown. Davis is very college town. Not sure about the commute. You may want to post in the Sacramento forum as well. Travis is about halfway between Oakland and Sacramento.

[humboldtrat]

Downtown Fairfield probably won't fill your requirements. Vacaville has a nice restored downtown (Main St.) with shops and restaurants. There is also an outlet mall in town Vacaville Premium Outlets

[Utahooligan]

Has your husband been assigned a base sponsor yet?

I lived in Ann Arbor, and am a little familiar with Travis. Based on what I assume your housing budget is, I'd try hard to forget about anything resembling Ann Arbor, at least in terms of where you're going to reside.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I would not rule out Dixon.

[NorCal44]

My cousin worked at Travis AFB and they rented a really cute house in Vacaville. Everytime I visited it was sunny and pleasant, though I don't recall any nice downtown. It's all outer suburb blah out there. Nothing like Ann Arbor, which I love. But you'll still be near SF and Sacramento, wine country, etc. Northern California, the best.

[lazarsa1]

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I have not checked out Dixon yet, definitely will do so. Same with Vacaville. I skipped over it at first but it is worth researching, for sure. I am so charmed by how people have described Benicia, and am hoping that works out... Our housing allowance will be around $1600/month, and we are only looking for a 1 bedroom, so that has been pretty helpful in the search.

And I don't think he has a sponsor yet...we only found out about the move last night, haha. After hearing more, we're thinking somewhere on the side toward SF (as opposed to heading toward Sacramento) would be beneficial, simply to get the reverse commute.

"But you'll still be near SF and Sacramento, wine country, etc. Northern California, the best." So so true! We definitely cannot complain, no matter where we end up. After life in Michigan and Texas we are so ready to get over there!