What is the story with Woodland? (Los Angeles, Sacramento: crime rate, house prices, safe neighborhood)

[miau]

You might not classify them as "real" gangs, but they are still dangerous enough not to just put it aside as unimportant. A lot of my kids I worked with may have been "wannabes" of sorts, but they were still willing to engage in acts of violence, and they had a definite presence in the schools.

[wburg]

Elverta/Rio Linda are a little closer to "town" than they used to be, but they are still officially outside the city limits and generally still considered a bit out in the country. I think there is a growing Russian/Ukrainian community out that way, although Sacramento has seen a lot of eastern European/former Soviet Union immigrants in general.

[Nikefutbolero]

Originally Posted by wburg

Elverta/Rio Linda are a little closer to "town" than they used to be, but they are still officially outside the city limits and generally still considered a bit out in the country. I think there is a growing Russian/Ukrainian community out that way, although Sacramento has seen a lot of eastern European/former Soviet Union immigrants in general.

There is a huge russian/ukrainian population nea the northgate area.

[happy2beehere]

I was born in Woodland in the early 60's, I have lived there as a child growing up, moved away and came back in the 90's. A big change when I came back, we lived in Woodland from 1988 to 2003, sold our house and moved to Cameron Park (renting) area above El Dorado Hills. What a difference, safer, better schools (if you have kids be sure to check out the very bad school Dist they have in Woodland), hardly any crime compared to Woodland. You can even leave your car unlocked in certain areas in the El Dorado County areas
We stayed in the area for 5 years then in 2008 we moved back to Woodland to be closer to our kids, grandkids and my husbands job (he worked in West Sac). Needless to say we now live in Idaho
We lived in the older section of Woodland, that was a mistake, the homes are great but the night traffic was unbelievable!! We had cops patrolling all night almost everynight. There was one house in particular that was causing all the trouble, unfortunately they owned the house and aren't going anywhere.
Anyway, I would never recommend living in Woodland, sad for me since I was born there and all my kids are still there, but I'm working on that
It's not just the gangs, it's welfare city, not a place to raise your kids.
The school Dist in Woodland is a joke, my daughter ended up doing Independant study her senior year because all of her friends from her elementary years had turned into alcoholics, no joke. It's a depressing place to be, actually all of California is depressing, glad I'm not there anymore. Sorry for all the negative feedback but I needed to put my two cents in, hate to see someone get there hopes up in that, I'll keep it clean, crappy town. And by the way, forget shopping there, the stores cater to the welfare people, you will have to go to Sac or Vacaville. Oh and the food, you better like mexican food, that's pretty much all that's there, but there are a handful of good ones I will say. The mall is a ghost town too which is very sad, it used to be a hopin place at one time.
My vote would be somewhere in El Dorado county

[NorCalLover]

I live in Davis but am in Woodland frequently for work. It is an up-and-coming city. I know many individuals who commute to Davis from there for school or work. They are able to get larger houses and perhaps a yard for a pet more easily there than in Davis for more affordable prices.

There isn't a lot to do in Woodland for entertainment - you need to go to Sacramento or perhaps Davis for that. You'll also likely need to commute to one of those cities for work. There are plenty of big box stores and amenities locally for shopping. Woodland is very suburban sprawly feeling and growing fast. In some ways it feels similar to Vacaville to me (I used to live in Vacaville), but Woodland feels a little nicer and more upscale.

I wouldn't call Woodland unsafe, but it does have gangs and more criminal activity than Davis. The East side of Woodland, near Costco, is nicer and safer than the West side.

The schools in Woodland are not very good quality, so be prepared to supplement education or pay for private schools if you have school-aged kids.

[S. Christiansen]

Thanks for all the replies/opinions, it is helpful. We will be living on the east side of Woodland in a rental, for awhile. Sounds like gangs are pervasive in the whole area--- fun. No school-aged kids, so I'm not concerned about the schools. A 30-minute commute to 'anything' is what we consider normal around Omaha, so no problem about needing to travel into Sacramento for shopping and restaurants. Ah well, it'll be an adventure!

[djallude]

All I'm reading is waa waa waa....

There are trouble makers everywhere. I watch the news localy every night and I dont see anything about drive by shooting in woodland. Now if your talking about South Sacramento, Thats a different story. Some places worse then others, but I doubt what some are saying about woodland now.

Face it America will be mostly Hispanic within 10-20 years, So get use to it and stop using the "illegals" card every chance you can get. Most crime is done by natural born citizens.

If you want to see what crime is like go to the police website and look yourself.

Woodland Web - CRIMEMAPPING

if there was sooo many drive bys you think there would of been a murder, which there hasnt. Orrrr they all suck at their shots.

woodland is rural and it looks nice.

And to the person who said stay out of Del paso Heights. there isnt anything wrong with it. Its not like it used to be. I drive through and go to places to eat there. My wifes grand mother lives there and its not all bad like you crack it to be. South Sac is worse, way worse.

[Think About It!]

Originally Posted by Nikefutbolero

A high % of those aren't even Norteños or Sureños. A bunch of kids who try to associate themselves with a gang, get caught by cops doing petty crimes then get classified as gang members.

If you want to see real gangs, go out to North Richmond, East Oakland, or Hunters Point in SF.

Ignorance.

What about Sacramento and Stockton? They both have real gangs and serious problems last time I checked.

Take a look at the graffiti you see around almost any town. It usually involves "X4" (or some similarity) or "X3" (or some similarity) which is due to the Hispanic gangs. There are also tagging crews but they even end up affiliated with gangs. Most gangs are filled with "kids who try to associate themselves with a gang..." Most people know that. Most 30 + year olds aren't in gangs unless they are trash (which most gang members are and so are their families). Last time I checked there are a lot of 13 + year olds shooting / robbing people also. So just because they are young does not mean anything to me.

Just because a person is not likely to be shot by a gang member doesn't mean they should have to put up with the large amount of petty stuff they do ie: graffiti, petty theft, vandalism etc etc. Look at the bathrooms to most restaurants, fast food places or any where the public can go...Graffiti and vandalism.

I lived in Meadowview (South Side of Sacramento) for about 7 years. I never had any real problems other than no one cares about each others peace. It's all about who can be more loud / annoying / obnoxious than the other person.

For the OP. I have never really spent any time in Woodland but I assume it's similar to Galt, Ca. Stay away from the low income and you will be fine. If I were you, I'd look into something in the country east of Elk Grove (Sheldon or Wilton).

[cedew]

S. Christiansen - Woodland wouldn't be my first pick, but it's a totally livable place imo, and this is coming from a sissy with a family.

Slightly negative experience: A friend of mine lived at the corner of 3rd and Pendegast, the homes around there were awesome, not so much the people who lived in them. My friend would find beer cans in his yard and people would torment his dog (probably because it barked at everyone who walked by). You could hear cars rolling by thumping their subs at least every hour, you just roll your eyes and go back to doing what you were doing. He always had this "yeah, we're not living here forever" attitude, but it was tolerable.

To me, the best way to live in Woodland is shown in the link below. If you lived in neighborhood 'A' (anywhere south of the campus), shopped in 'B', and didn't go anywhere else, odds are you'd be happy as a clam for a decade.

E Heritage Pkwy to Unknown road - Google Maps

[cmrubin]

Woodland has had more than its share of bad press lately, largely not justified. Folks who have school-age children may want to think twice -- Woodland public schools are mediocre but there are some private elementary options. But if you want an affordable property with nearby Davis amenities and better shopping, Woodland is great. In 2004 I moved to southwest Woodland from Davis and lived there for five years and it was a quiet, safe congenial community of great neighbors.

I disagree with some of the other posters about desirable areas: west and southwest Woodland are very stable and upscale neighborhoods (check out Faria Park). Younger families tend to populate the newer developments along Road 102. In general, stay away from properties north of Main and near the railroad tracks.

Woodland has some of the finest historic architecture in the state. The variety of houses, from grand old Victorians, to Italianate, Art Deco and Craftsman models is stunning for a city this size. My favorite cheap entertainment was bicycling around the city (it's totally flat) looking at all the beautiful old homes. There are lots of opportunities for stabling horses close by, and the Cross Court athletic club is a great facility for working out.

As with most things, there is both yin and yang in Woodland.