Article about Vallejo (Sacramento, Vista, Pittsburg: homes, garage, architecture)

[HappyinCali]

Originally Posted by PixelatedTherapy

Vallejo. No question.

I understand that, but why?

[smashystyle]

Originally Posted by PixelatedTherapy

But Vallejo is by definition coastal California, as it's less than 50 miles from the coastline. When you're speaking in terms of the wealth associated with the coast, then yes, you're right. It's not like SF, LA, or SD. Admittedly, there are some things about Vallejo I don't like. Not having BART is a bummer, and the bridge toll is annoying as well, but I feel the hate people place on Vallejo is a bit unfair. Like the Bay Area has far worse cities than Vallejo. Also, the bad parts of Vallejo aren't as bad as the bad areas in San Francisco, Richmond, or Oakland. I'd rather take a nighttime jog in The Crest than a daytime one in North or Central Richmond. I'm saying that because I have a friend who is moving out of Richmond, she works in the city and she wanted to live near BART. She thought it was worth it because it was cheap. After 3 months she broke lease because of all the crime. Even during the day I felt uneasy over there. Way worse than Vallejo. I guess it all depend, though.

North Richmond is its own isolated, dangerous pocket. It's actually unincorporated and not part of the city. But I'm skeptical that Central Richmond is worse than bad parts of Vallejo. I don't think the crime statistics bear this out, with crime rates similar between the two places. There is less to do in central Richmond v. downtown Vallejo though, which gives Richmond a more depressing vibe and may contribute to this feeling.

[PixelatedTherapy]

Originally Posted by smashystyle

North Richmond is its own isolated, dangerous pocket. It's actually unincorporated and not part of the city. But I'm skeptical that Central Richmond is worse than bad parts of Vallejo. I don't think the crime statistics bear this out, with crime rates similar between the two places. There is less to do in central Richmond v. downtown Vallejo though, which gives Richmond a more depressing vibe and may contribute to this feeling.

Maybe you're right. It was just there were way more people loitering on street corners in Richmond in general. Like you see some of that on Sonoma Blvd, or around Lemon Street near M&M Liquor, but not to the same extent as I saw happening in Richmond.

[JohnS_15]

Cool. I imagine given the housing issues that Vallejo will become a better and better option for folks in the bay area... and like others have said a tipping point will eventually be reached where it changes from an affordable cool edgy fringe area with a diverse mix to a very high cost uber-trendy area like we've seen happen in many other parts of the bay.


Is there a good ferry service into SF? I imagine a commute into the city from Vallejo could get pretty old. But a ferry service would be cool.

[PixelatedTherapy]

Originally Posted by JohnS_15

Cool. I imagine given the housing issues that Vallejo will become a better and better option for folks in the bay area... and like others have said a tipping point will eventually be reached where it changes from an affordable cool edgy fringe area with a diverse mix to a very high cost uber-trendy area like we've seen happen in many other parts of the bay.


Is there a good ferry service into SF? I imagine a commute into the city from Vallejo could get pretty old. But a ferry service would be cool.

Yeah, there's ferry service directly to the city, and a bus that takes 20 minutes to El Cerrito BART.

[BurnInTheMil]

Originally Posted by PixelatedTherapy

Yeah, there's ferry service directly to the city, and a bus that takes 20 minutes to El Cerrito BART.

The transportation system isn't god awful like people make it out to. The thing I wouldn't like is the Bridge situation as others have said. Good point with the ferry & bus systems

[LiaLia]

Originally Posted by Greg10556

The transportation system isn't god awful like people make it out to. The thing I wouldn't like is the Bridge situation as others have said. Good point with the ferry & bus systems

I hear the Vallejo ferry goes straight to AT&T park. I'm sold.

[PixelatedTherapy]

Originally Posted by HappyinCali

I understand that, but why?

Well, for starters, the weather is about 10-20 degrees cooler than Pittsburg in the summer. Pittsburg is kind of an ugly city, there's also a complete lack of a truly "nice" neighborhood. In Pittsburg there's just average and bad. Vallejo has pretty much every type of neighborhood you can think of. Both cities have their issues with crime. Pittsburg does have BART, but it's still a fairly long commute. Vallejo from purely a geographical standpoint is stunning; you have rolling hills, views of the bay, and the river, it's nice. Also Vallejo, despite the bridge toll is pretty close to everything, while Pittsburg is a bit further out. Vallejo is 13 miles from Napa, 18 miles Oakland/Berkeley 30 miles from San Francisco and 60 miles from Sacramento. It's also a bit cheaper than Pittsburg currently, but that may change. If you have kids, both school systems are trash, though.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by PixelatedTherapy

Well, for starters, the weather is about 10-20 degrees cooler than Pittsburg in the summer. Pittsburg is kind of an ugly city, there's also a complete lack of a truly "nice" neighborhood. In Pittsburg there's just average and bad. Vallejo has pretty much every type of neighborhood you can think of. Both cities have their issues with crime. Pittsburg does have BART, but it's still a fairly long commute. Vallejo from purely a geographical standpoint is stunning; you have rolling hills, views of the bay, and the river, it's nice. Also Vallejo, despite the bridge toll is pretty close to everything, while Pittsburg is a bit further out. Vallejo is 13 miles from Napa, 18 miles Oakland/Berkeley 30 miles from San Francisco and 60 miles from Sacramento. It's also a bit cheaper than Pittsburg currently, but that may change. If you have kids, both school systems are trash, though.

Why wouldn't the new developments off San Marco's Blvd count as "truly nice"? Outside Hiddenbrook, which is completely isolated from the rest of Vallejo, I really don't see anything nicer there than what you find around San Marco's Blvd.

[WizardOfRadical]

Originally Posted by Greg10556

The average temps during the "winter" are highs in 50's-60's and lows in the 40's. Yeah I'm sure it gets cold during the night at times, but compared to real winters, that's mild

No.

Average low in Sac is 38 degrees, in January. That is just 6 degrees over freezing. And that is the AVERAGE. There are quite a few dayd were it is below average and hits below freezing.


I lived in Sac and there were usually a few days each year, where ICE had to be defrosted off the windows first thing in the morning (when the day is coldest).

Once in a blue moon, every few years, i t goes down into the 20's, which at that point feels like a winter back east. It does heat up in the day, but only to the Low 50's.

Not that Vallejo is any better in that regard. It get's as cold as Sac, just not as hot in the summer. It's about 10 degrees cooler during the day in the summer.