Relocating to Sacramento/Placer County, Best Place to Live? Looking at Granite Bay

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by Majin

Family oriented? Churches? I don't think this area is a good fit for you. Try elsewhere IMHO.

If Roseville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills aren't family oriented, with those big megachurches, praytell what are? Especially for people coming from San Francisco.

[Jennilove214]

Originally Posted by Majin

Family oriented? Churches? I don't think this area is a good fit for you. Try elsewhere IMHO.

Thanks Majin, I appreciate that. Where would you recommend?

[Majin]

Originally Posted by Jennilove214

Thanks Majin, I appreciate that. Where would you recommend?

Kansas.

[Jennilove214]

Originally Posted by NickB1967

All of the three places you mentioned above are swell. For commute sake, go for Folsom.

Thanks Nick. I've been seeing some iffy opinions of El Dorado Hills specifically (particularly as the community has grown over the last 5-10 years), but we were looking at a preschool there and the homes on Craigslist seem lovely. I guess we'll need to spend some weekends in the area before we commit to a place. Any neighborhoods to avoid?

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by Jennilove214

Thanks Nick. I've been seeing some iffy opinions of El Dorado Hills specifically (particularly as the community has grown over the last 5-10 years), but we were looking at a preschool there and the homes on Craigslist seem lovely. I guess we'll need to spend some weekends in the area before we commit to a place. Any neighborhoods to avoid?

Not really. Even the modest parts of those towns are better than most if not all of the City of Sacramento proper.

[Majin]

Originally Posted by NickB1967

Not really. Even the modest parts of those towns are better than most if not all of the City of Sacramento proper.

[NinaN]

Folsom and El Dorado Hills are probably your best bet. Roseville would be quite a hike, no need to drive that far. Don't know your budget, but you also have good schools and good neighborhoods in Cameron Park and shingle Springs that might be a little bit more budget friendly.

I would say the thing to watch is the school district boundaries. It is not always obvious, it is always important to call the school and verify. El Dorado Hills especially has some quirky school boundaries. The schools are all highly rated, but some require a longer drive than what would seem necessary. Blackstone is a new community south of Highway 50. They attend high school in diamond Springs which is 14 miles up the highway. There is a good chance we will have another high school before your kids are that old, but certainly never any guarantees.

Another thing to watch is the HOA fees and Mello Roos taxes. Most of the gated communities, and certainly most of the newer communities have high extra expense. Just make sure you understand and factor that into your budget when looking at homes.

[Jennilove214]

Thanks Nina!

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by Majin

Family oriented? Churches? I don't think this area is a good fit for you. Try elsewhere IMHO.

Disregard this comment jenny. All of the areas you mentioned fit this criteria. What type of church are you looking for? There's quite a few mega churches, as well as all sizes.

Originally Posted by NickB1967

If Roseville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills aren't family oriented, with those big megachurches, praytell what are? Especially for people coming from San Francisco.

Opps. you beat me to it.

I live in Folsom so if you have any specific questions feel free to ask...maybe you can tell us what type of neighborhood you are looking for besides family friendly. I do think it would be best if you visited the cities & neighborhoods you are interested in, maybe go out with a realtor.

[Jennilove214]

Thanks caligirlz. Our last few churches were smaller than a mega-church (two had 50-60 in the congregation, one had 400) - haven't tried a megachurch, not sure if we'd like it. Children's ministry is important to us, along with good pastoral care and a real sense of community - lots of ways to get to know each other. Denomination is not as important as community - our last few churches were Episcopal, Presbyterian, and C&MA.

Neighborhood-wide, we're looking for great playgrounds & schools, houses with yards, neighborhoods where people know each other on the block and hang out a lot outside. No need for brand-new home, since we're looking more for affordable than custom/state-of-the-art. Again, community is more important to us than anything else. Hoping to stay for a long time and watch the kids grow up and graduate here.

Thanks for your help!