Sacramento and San Francisco

[wburg]

Actually farther north than Parkway/South Sac or Elk Grove--the neighborhoods of Southside and Richmond Grove within the central city grid, Land Park and South Land Park, Little Pocket, and along Stockton Boulevard through Colonial Heights. Get farther south into South Sac and the neighborhood gets a bit questionable until you reach Elk Grove, which was a little farming town until about 20 years ago, when it grew an extra hundred thousand people in tract housing. There is a recently-named "Little Saigon" neighborhood along Stockton Boulevard near the city limits. There are also a lot of great Mexican restaurants in that neck of the woods.

Old Folsom is a very small district along Sutter Street between Reading and Scott Streets, with some shops and a couple of bars, about three blocks long, and a couple places nearer the river across the parking area. There is nothing like it near Sunrise except maybe Old Fair Oaks Village, which is charming during the day but I'm pretty sure is completely dark at night. Other than that, welcome to Strip Mall Planet. The nearest "neighborhoods" are Gold River, a very Stepfordish gated HOA community, and Orangevale, more of a Fifties/Sixties suburb. People who walk to work or take public transit are generally considered second-class citizens. About the closest thing I can think of to a "walkable commercial district" of any size would be the outlet mall off Folsom, the shopping centers off Sunrise and 50, or Sunrise Mall farther north in Citrus Heights.

No idea about kite surfing or wind surfing, but I don't think I have been to Folsom Lake in about 20 years. I'm a city guy, would rather walk around Downtown/Midtown to assorted restaurants/cafes/clubs to get my exercise.

If your work hours permit it, you might consider a reverse commute if you're that interested in living in a more walkable area where there are things to do in the evening.

[sponger42]

I'm really glad to hear so many people be so positive on their hometown. SAC really seems to have made a good impression on everyone here. Usually there's a group of people who are down on where they live, but everyone here seems to really like SAC. The only thing I've heard different is that some like the big-city nature of SF and the commerce of the Bay Area a little better and that the outskirts of SAC are tract-housing, strip mall Americana, which--yes--we don't like. But if we can find a little commercial "main street" for weekday afternoons and ride the light rail into town on weekends, it should be good. Sounds like we'll like what we find in SAC. We'll just see if I can stand to be so far from the ocean, long-term.

I'm glad to hear that the diversity of SAC is not a big issue to most residents. We're used to being the 1% and 0.1% portion of our neighborhood's population of our respective races in LA. It's never been an issue to us, and we got used to following certain skin colors to find cheap fresh vegetables, others to locate good seafood, and still others to find fun clubs and bars.

Originally Posted by wburg

Actually farther north than Parkway/South Sac or Elk Grove--the neighborhoods of Southside and Richmond Grove within the central city grid, Land Park and South Land Park, Little Pocket, and along Stockton Boulevard through Colonial Heights. Get farther south into South Sac and the neighborhood gets a bit questionable until you reach Elk Grove, which was a little farming town until about 20 years ago, when it grew an extra hundred thousand people in tract housing. There is a recently-named "Little Saigon" neighborhood along Stockton Boulevard near the city limits. There are also a lot of great Mexican restaurants in that neck of the woods.

That's good news. Even closer to work.

Old Folsom is a very small district along Sutter Street between Reading and Scott Streets, with some shops and a couple of bars, about three blocks long, and a couple places nearer the river across the parking area. There is nothing like it near Sunrise except maybe Old Fair Oaks Village, which is charming during the day but I'm pretty sure is completely dark at night.

Hm, we'll definitely check out Old Folsom (at the last rail stop, I guess, from your description) before we buy. We're planning to rent for a while while we explore the various neighborhoods of the city.

Again, I've found that you go to work every day, you don't necessarily go wander the streets, head to the lake, etc. every afternoon. Thus the idea of living close to work and "commuting" to fun. However, we will certainly explore places closer to town before making any decisions. Sometimes the neighborhood is just so good the daily commute is worth it.

Other than that, welcome to Strip Mall Planet. The nearest "neighborhoods" are Gold River, a very Stepfordish gated HOA community, and Orangevale, more of a Fifties/Sixties suburb. People who walk to work or take public transit are generally considered second-class citizens. About the closest thing I can think of to a "walkable commercial district" of any size would be the outlet mall off Folsom, the shopping centers off Sunrise and 50, or Sunrise Mall farther north in Citrus Heights.

Yes, well, that's the prevalent culture of most of the US, so you have to expect such things. Besides, strip malls sometimes have useful shops too. We walk, bike, or ride the bus/train to save money and get exercise--not to be trendy--so as long as the services are there, that's good enough for us, regardless if the neighbors think us a bit odd.

No idea about kite surfing or wind surfing, but I don't think I have been to Folsom Lake in about 20 years. I'm a city guy, would rather walk around Downtown/Midtown to assorted restaurants/cafes/clubs to get my exercise.

What's the club scene like in Sacramento? Any place you can go to drink and dance that's not a meat market? Any trance or industrial clubs?

Thanks again, to everyone who has given so much useful information.

[Jasmine728]

The nice thing about the reverse commute is that you wouldnt be fighting traffic and you could take light rail as hopefully your work hours are such that you get off before 7pm... so you could get back to Sacramento and live in the neighborhoods/ community/culture you are more into. The old town in Folsom has a few bars... nothing industrial, I would think that would be downtown Sac. Old Town Folsom is more touristy. I would start another thread for nightclubs and dance clubs as you might get more response and specifics about than in a thread like this.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by sponger42

What's the club scene like in Sacramento? Any place you can go to drink and dance that's not a meat market? Any trance or industrial clubs?

Thanks again, to everyone who has given so much useful information.

Most of the industrial clubs are monthly nights: "Reverence" at Club 21, "Fascination" (aimed towards 80s-alt) at Old Ironsides, "Black Radio" at the Town House, and I understand there's a more EBM-oriented club in the works but don't know the details yet. There is also a weekly club on Sundays called "Asylum" at Barcode that has been around for nearly 20 years. I'm not much of a trance fan so not sure where that can be found. There are a lot of clubs in Downtown and Midtown, with a little something for everyone from rockabilly dive bars (the Hideaway) to the gay club where straight people go to dance (Faces) and even a club aimed at the 40+ crowd whose cover is highest for those 20-30, less for 30-39, and free for those older (Mix.) There are also a lot of smaller clubs where you can see local or touring bands, and a lot of "ultra lounges" that I don't visit because I am poor and old and I assume they fall into the "meat market" category.

There are also clubs out in the suburban zones (like Barcode) but most are in the central city or nearby.