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Oakland has a large zoo in the hills, where the animals are in a "natural" environment. There's also a large redwood park in the Oakland hills, Tilden Park in the Berkeley hills has a lot for kids to do: horseback riding on easy trails, a small lake for swimming, a merry-go-round, a child-sized train that runs around a big track, and other attractions, as well as plenty of space for walking/hiking and picnicking. Also in Berkeley is a science exploratorium.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 01-09-2019 at 08:07 PM..
Oakland has a large zoo in the hills, where the animals are in a "natural" environment. There's also a large redwood park in the Oakland hills, Tilden Park in the Berkeley hills has a lot for kids to do: horseback riding on easy trails, a small lake for swimming, a merry-go-round, and other attractions, as well as plenty of space for walking/hiking and picnicking. Also in Berkeley is a science exploratorium.
Heat is not an issue for us as long as it's dry so we shouldn't have any problem with Sac right?
It's great to hear from someone already lived in both cities so thanks for sharing!
I will be working near Gateway Center. From your experience, what would be a good neighborhood to find 2-bedroom apt or townhouse preferably less than $1600/m?
We're looking at the South Land Park, Land Park, Curtis Park, North Oak Park and East Sac because of the low crime rate and reasonable commute time to work. It's also quite close to the zoo which my son likes. I heard that schools in those areas are ok too
As far as the heat in Sacto, it's hot in summer. The only thing that makes that bearable at all, in my opinion, is that it normally cools down a lot at night, due to the delta breezes that come up the river from the SF Bay Area, unlike Redding where it doesn't cool down at night. I've experienced living in both now, and I learned that everything is relative, ha ha.
But, 100 degrees will never feel like 70, just because the humidity is low. So, I think people underestimate the discomfort of 100 degrees - just because it's a dry 100 degrees.
I know the zoo area somewhat. I used to commute from Davis to the Sacramento City College campus when I went back to college to get my degree in my 40's. One of my classes was anthropology and we had an assignment to go to the Sacto zoo to observe some of the primates or lemurs or something like that. It was fun.
That area, as I recall, is a real mix of some strip malls and businesses, and interspersed with expensive neighborhoods. Kind of a weird, not very well planned area. But okay.
When I actually lived in Sacto, I lived in the Citrus Heights area way up close to Roseville, and it was a really long time ago, so I couldn't give you specific advise on where to rent or buy now.
I did know someone who I worked with who had purchased a home in Natomas and his place flooded. So, this is why I mention being really careful about the flood-prone areas.
For additional info - the Capitol Corridor train (Amtrak) that runs between Sacramento to the SF Bay Area is a really pleasant trip. So, you could go into the SF Bay Area for events or just to ride the train for fun. When I lived in Davis, I used to take the train every year to a street antique fair in Martinez. The train station in Martinez is right in the middle of downtown, and you get off the train and you're right where the event is happening with restaurants, etc., too.
And if you wanted to go into SF proper, you can catch an Amtrak bus that will be waiting for you at the station to take you into the city, as long as you book it when you buy your ticket. The train goes all the way to downtown San Jose - and can also get you to Levi Stadium, if you want to go to a game. It's really nice to take it into the Bay Area and not have to worry about traffic or parking:
Of course, there is plenty to do around Sacto, but for people who think it would mean being to far to enjoy some of what the Bay Area has to offer, the train makes that a lot easier and more pleasant. I even used to take it to visit my daughter in Santa Cruz. The train stops at San Jose, and there is an Amtrak bus waiting to take you into Santa Cruz. Was more relaxing than driving.
Getting to the beach is not convenient from Sac, but if you go into the mountains instead, there are tons of recreation opportunities.
There used to be lots of fun events at the Crocker Art Museum in downtown Sac, like a jazz night once a month. The arts scene was great when I lived there and I'm sure it's even better now.
For better info from people who are living there now, the Sacramento forum is the place to ask for more current specifics.
Best of luck to you. And welcome to CA
Last edited by NoMoreSnowForMe; 01-09-2019 at 10:31 PM..
As far as the heat in Sacto, it's hot in summer. The only thing that makes that bearable at all, in my opinion, is that it normally cools down a lot at night, due to the delta breezes that come up the river from the SF Bay Area, unlike Redding where it doesn't cool down at night. I've experienced living in both now, and I learned that everything is relative, ha ha.
But, 100 degrees will never feel like 70, just because the humidity is low. So, I think people underestimate the discomfort of 100 degrees - just because it's a dry 100 degrees.
I know the zoo area somewhat. I used to commute from Davis to the Sacramento City College campus when I went back to college to get my degree in my 40's. One of my classes was anthropology and we had an assignment to go to the Sacto zoo to observe some of the primates or lemurs or something like that. It was fun.
That area, as I recall, is a real mix of some strip malls and businesses, and interspersed with expensive neighborhoods. Kind of a weird, not very well planned area. But okay.
When I actually lived in Sacto, I lived in the Citrus Heights area way up close to Roseville, and it was a really long time ago, so I couldn't give you specific advise on where to rent or buy now.
I did know someone who I worked with who had purchased a home in Natomas and his place flooded. So, this is why I mention being really careful about the flood-prone areas.
For additional info - the Capitol Corridor train (Amtrak) that runs between Sacramento to the SF Bay Area is a really pleasant trip. So, you could go into the SF Bay Area for events or just to ride the train for fun. When I lived in Davis, I used to take the train every year to a street antique fair in Martinez. The train station in Martinez is right in the middle of downtown, and you get off the train and you're right where the event is happening with restaurants, etc., too.
There is also a station at Jack London Square in Oakland. And if you wanted to go into SF proper, you can catch an Amtrak bus that will be waiting for you at the station to take you into the city, as long as you book it when you buy your ticket. The train goes all the way to downtown San Jose:
Getting to the beach is not convenient from Sac, but if you go into the mountains instead, there are tons of recreation opportunities.
There used to be lots of fun events at the Crocker Art Museum in downtown Sac, like a jazz night once a month. The arts scene was great when I lived there and I'm sure it's even better now.
For better info from people who are living there now, the Sacramento forum is the place to ask for more current specifics.
There is a lot to do in Sacramento. I hardly ever go to the Bay Area these days for anything (except for family and friends), and Sac is a lot closer than you may realize especially if you go at the right time.
I can't tell you how many times I've done downtown Sacramento to downtown San Francisco in just 1 hour. Napa Valley (less than 45 minutes) is closer to Sacramento than a lot of Bay Area locations. Berkley in 50 minutes, very doable at the right time. I don't really need to go anywhere else in the Bay Area, nor do I really want to.
Sierra Foothills, Tahoe Area, and Ski Resorts are 2hours Closer to Sacramento than the Bay Area; I find that I go East towards the mountains way more than I use to when I lived in SF.
The arts scene in Midtown/Downtown Sacramento is quite expansive and this area is a great urban walking/biking area -- shops, bookstores, cafes, gastropubs, beer gardens, bars, coffeeshops, restaurants, museums, craft and victorian homes, arts, in an urban street grid with lots of trees.
Downtown/Midtown Sacramento attract all types of folks, young, old, families, partiers, hipsters, gays, a lot of monied Bay Areans and not so monied, lol, all types colors and creeds.
Lots of live theatre companies in Sacramento too - the Sofia Center-B Street theater; Capitol Stage Co.; Sacramento theater Company; the Music Circus in the summer.
The new Golden One Arena in downtown Sacramento brings in tons of concerts, shows, and the Sacramento Kings (NBA) and the tickets are cheaper than the Bay.
Sacramento's AAA baseball team, the RiverCats is across the River from downtown. It's a very nice stadium/ballpark, very family friendly, tickets are a lot cheaper than the Giants and A's. The RiverCats is the "farm" team for the SF Giants, a few years back it was the "farm" team for the Oakland A's.
Sacramento City and Metro have parks everywhere, lots of them. Families with young kids: do William Land Park and Fairytale Town and Old Sacramento.
Sacramento's Folsom Lake, American and Sacramento Rivers offer a lot of water recreation. I'd rather swim, water ski, jet ski, raft, canoe, etc. on these bodies of water over anywhere in the Bay Area.
But if i get a hankering for the City(San Francisco) and ocean beaches(Pacifica in particular), I can be in downtown SF in 1hr 15mins or less; Napa Valley in 45 minutes, Pacifica(Beach just of south of SF) or Stinson Beach in Marin County less than 2hrs. Just don't go at the obvious high traffic times.
Sacramento summers are a piece of cake. Sac is Cooler than Texas and Florida thats for sure. Sacramento is really no hotter than most of the rest of the country when factoring humidity (Sac is a dry heat, but not bone dry like Phx, Vegas, Palm Springs). And unlike most cities/metro across the USA, Sacramento cools dramatically and consistently every evening, nights, mornings til noon in the summer, thanks to the cold pacific air/wind thats shoot ups the Sacramento Delta directly to the Sac Metro.
There is a lot to do in Sacramento. I hardly ever go to the Bay Area these days for anything (except for family and friends), and Sac is a lot closer than you may realize especially if you go at the right time.
I can't tell you how many times I've done downtown Sacramento to downtown San Francisco in just 1 hour. Napa Valley (less than 45 minutes) is closer to Sacramento than a lot of Bay Area locations. Berkley in 50 minutes, very doable at the right time. I don't really need to go anywhere else in the Bay Area, nor do I really want to.
Sierra Foothills, Tahoe Area, and Ski Resorts are 2hours Closer to Sacramento than the Bay Area; I find that I go East towards the mountains way more than I use to when I lived in SF.
The arts scene in Midtown/Downtown Sacramento is quite expansive and this area is a great urban walking/biking area -- shops, bookstores, cafes, gastropubs, beer gardens, bars, coffeeshops, restaurants, museums, craft and victorian homes, arts, in an urban street grid with lots of trees.
Downtown/Midtown Sacramento attract all types of folks, young, old, families, partiers, hipsters, gays, a lot of monied Bay Areans and not so monied, lol, all types colors and creeds.
Lots of live theatre companies in Sacramento too - the Sofia Center-B Street theater; Capitol Stage Co.; Sacramento theater Company; the Music Circus in the summer.
The new Golden One Arena in downtown Sacramento brings in tons of concerts, shows, and the Sacramento Kings (NBA) and the tickets are cheaper than the Bay.
Sacramento's AAA baseball team, the RiverCats is across the River from downtown. It's a very nice stadium/ballpark, very family friendly, tickets are a lot cheaper than the Giants and A's. The RiverCats is the "farm" team for the SF Giants, a few years back it was the "farm" team for the Oakland A's.
Sacramento City and Metro have parks everywhere, lots of them. Families with young kids: do William Land Park and Fairytale Town and Old Sacramento.
Sacramento's Folsom Lake, American and Sacramento Rivers offer a lot of water recreation. I'd rather swim, water ski, jet ski, raft, canoe, etc. on these bodies of water over anywhere in the Bay Area.
But if i get a hankering for the City(San Francisco) and ocean beaches(Pacifica in particular), I can be in downtown SF in 1hr 15mins or less; Napa Valley in 45 minutes, Pacifica(Beach just of south of SF) or Stinson Beach in Marin County less than 2hrs. Just don't go at the obvious high traffic times.
Sacramento summers are a piece of cake. Sac is Cooler than Texas and Florida thats for sure. Sacramento is really no hotter than most of the rest of the country when factoring humidity (Sac is a dry heat, but not bone dry like Phx, Vegas, Palm Springs). And unlike most cities/metro across the USA, Sacramento cools dramatically and consistently every evening, nights, mornings til noon in the summer, thanks to the cold pacific air/wind thats shoot ups the Sacramento Delta directly to the Sac Metro.
Thanks a million!
Do you happen to know about childcare/school in Sacramento as well? Which neighborhoods have the best schools? I looked for reviews on yelp but many of them were pretty old so I'm not sure if they are still correct or not
If your job is in Newark, don't buy there. Look in Fremont and south Union City, near the Fremont/Union City BART station. Newark has crime issues. Fremont--not so much.
This really isn't very accurate. I've lived in Newark since 2009. It's got a little bit of sketchiness in some parts, but overall is still a safe city and from experience has a very responsive police department. It's just a blue collar bedroom community overall. It does have quite a few nice areas, especially the Lake Area/Rosemont. There are also many new homes currently under construction throughout the city. The sketchy parts of Fremont are just as bad and sometimes even worse than Newark's. It's just that Fremont is so big that the good parts tend to overshadow the not-so-good parts. The main drawback when it comes to buying in Newark vs. Fremont is that the schools aren't as good as Fremont's.
Also, the neighborhoods directly north of the Union City BART station are some of the highest crime neighborhoods in UC! I'm not sure why you'd recommend the area around the UC BART station. Union City's highest crime areas are definitely worse than Newark's.
I’m not sure I agree with that. My wife is from greater NYC and I can’t believe how reasonable some very nice neighborhoods are. Granted the property taxes are significantly higher there, so there’s that to consider. Also it’s not $85K, it’s $85K with a annual bonus of 12% bringing it $95K.
I do love Sacramento, but $25K more a year in NYC would be very tempting even for the biggest homers, or a no brainer for most others. If you’re from a small town in the northwest, Sacramento might be to your liking though. I fly into Newark all the time and it wouldn’t be my first choice, but there’s plenty of nice areas within commuting distance. Good luck and congratulations on the new job(s).
This really isn't very accurate. I've lived in Newark since 2009. It's got a little bit of sketchiness in some parts, but overall is still a safe city and from experience has a very responsive police department. It's just a blue collar bedroom community overall. It does have quite a few nice areas, especially the Lake Area/Rosemont. There are also many new homes currently under construction throughout the city. The sketchy parts of Fremont are just as bad and sometimes even worse than Newark's. It's just that Fremont is so big that the good parts tend to overshadow the not-so-good parts. The main drawback when it comes to buying in Newark vs. Fremont is that the schools aren't as good as Fremont's.
Also, the neighborhoods directly north of the Union City BART station are some of the highest crime neighborhoods in UC! I'm not sure why you'd recommend the area around the UC BART station. Union City's highest crime areas are definitely worse than Newark's.
I thought UC bordering on Fremont was the better area of UC, crime-wise, but I'm aware that UC in general isn't good; in fact I usually warn people away from it, but that south part has gotten some positive reviews on this site. IOW, south UC is "less bad" than the rest of UC, according to some people. The OP was concerned about being able to afford Fremont, so I mentioned south UC, or SE UC, in a pinch.
The problem with Newark, which has bled over into Fremont to a degree, is the property crime, the burglaries. Or is that no longer much of a problem? This was discussed in detail here before, but there are the people who send out bike scouts, cruising through the neighborhoods, looking for easy marks to burglarize: a garage door left open (which used to be fairly common), and such. Maybe we need to have a new Fremont/Newark crime thread, if things have changed for the better. So, are you saying the OP could consider Newark?
Do you happen to know about childcare/school in Sacramento as well? Which neighborhoods have the best schools? I looked for reviews on yelp but many of them were pretty old so I'm not sure if they are still correct or not
Folsom, parts of Roseville and El Dorado hills have the best schools but EDH is quite expensive. There are some good sites for checking out schools,
Newark is nice, and it doesn't have a crime problem any more- gentrification has changed that in most parts of the bay area.
250k-300k won't buy you much of a house in Sacramento I would say that to get a decent house in a good neighborhood you would be looking at 350k-400k at a minimum.
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