ANy Actual Small Towns around SAC or just burbs? (Sacramento: houses, neighborhoods)

[rtloucks]

My wife and I are starting to narrow down our choices of locations to move with our two children and we are considering Sacramento. I wont bore youwith all of the same old chatter, what Iwant to know is.....

Are there any cool little towns "Hallmark Movie" Type towns around Sacramento for a young 30;s couple with kids to live and still get decent schools. We are not looking for much, just some local places to hang out andmeet people, some light shopping easy access to everyday ammenities (Target, Wal Mart, gas stations etc)

We would want to stay either in SAC or to the West of SAC. We work all over the area so a commute doesnt matter. Just good schools and housing around $325K or under for 3000 sqft or close. Maybe in a historic type craftsman neighborhood rather than brand new cookie cutters. If there are any places where we could live and get some land that woudl be even better.

Any advice where to start?

[Majin]

[NewToCA]

If you are thinking about towns like Leesburg, Frederick, Annapolis or Fredericksburg around the DC area then the answer is "not really".

However, we have some towns like Davis, Auburn, Lodi, Woodland and Placerville which may be worth investigating. Each has it's own quirks and features, so it would be difficult for me to advise which you may like. However, it may be worth taking a couple of hours to evaluate the schools, housing and environment of each of those areas.


//www.city-data.com/city/Davis-California.html

//www.city-data.com/city/Auburn-California.html

//www.city-data.com/city/Lodi-California.html

//www.city-data.com/city/Woodland-California.html

//www.city-data.com/city/Placer...alifornia.html

[NinaN]

But getting a decent 3000 sq ft house in a nice city with good schools for $325K might be hard.

[wburg]

Historic homes in the 3000 foot range are VERY expensive--typically the only houses that size were virtual mansions! But older houses were built more efficiently. A Craftsman of about 1200 sf is do-able in your price range in a good neighborhood.

Some of Sacramento's neighborhoods have the feel you're looking for, like East Sacramento and Land Park/Curtis Park. A lot of Sacramento neighborhoods have a small-scale feel: there isn't a lot of tall stuff except right downtown, and even that isn't that tall.

Farther out, some of the foothill towns like Auburn or Placerville might fit your needs buut they're kind of a long commute if you end up working in Sacramento proper. Sacramento is also the hub of the transportation network, so getting around will often be done through Sacramento unless you take surface streets.

[NinaN]

This website has a good map of school ratings by city/county/area in CA. You can cross-check your city choices vs. schools.

School Ranking/Ratings Maps for each City/Region in California

[sunsetwest]

Check out Folsom! Lots of activities for kids, neighborhoods with nature trails, lots of wildlife, many festivals and town activities throughout the year. GREAT schools.

[wburg]

Most of the burbs around Sacramento used to be small towns: Elk Grove, Roseville, Woodland, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Fair Oaks and other places used to be farming communities...now the only crop is tract housing.

[NorCal Dude]

Auburn Aurburn Auburn

[NinaN]

The OP was asking about West of Sac. I'm not familiar with that area, anyone?