Phoenix to Sacramento..Any body else do this? (San Francisco, Folsom: apartment, crime rate)

[ryuns]

Good luck on the move. When are you coming?

Yes, not many grassy spots on the river, but wburg has you covered for recommended parks and sites close to the river.

Since you seem to be looking forward to more trees and an actual autumn, if you're here again in the next month or so, hop on a bike and go through the old neighborhoods (Curtis Park and Land Park and East Sac, mostly) and get a load of the trees changing (along with a bunch of well-kept, early twentieth century houses). Much better than looking at Christmas lights, in my estimation. Even if it's not leaf season, I think seeing the areas with a bunch of leafless trees is its own kind of treat.

By the way, don't get too worried about the winter fog. That's news to a lot of people who've never spent a winter here, but it usually doesn't stick around long.

[Foreverking]

Looking for a job there now, casually, still need to rid myself of my house here in Phoenix. Hopefully by the end of the school year. I guess its all perspective, if you lived there for most of your life, you don't get the "trees" thing, but if you have to get in your car and drive 10 minutes to a neighborhood that has enough shad to take your baby for a walk, things are different. I was just amazed by all the green. I had some amazing food while I was there too. I did not have enough time to visit old Sacramento. I wish I had. It really sucked getting off the plane here in phoenix. This is supposed to be the nice weather season. Its still reached 89 today in the Phoenix area YUCK. Great for Sept, but this is practically November.

[Bruce81]

Yes, I am en ex Phoenician and love California weather. I still dont understand how Arizonans brag about their weather, when 7 months out of the year the only fresh air you breathe is from an air conditioner. Welcome to the great outdoors.

[Foreverking]

Originally Posted by Bruce81

Yes, I am en ex Phoenician and love California weather. I still dont understand how Arizonans brag about their weather, when 7 months out of the year the only fresh air you breathe is from an air conditioner. Welcome to the great outdoors.

according to most of the folks I talk to they get 7 to 8 months of great weather...WHAT??? Im so looking forward to going for walks year round. Even when its in the 100s in Sac town, I understand that it cools down to bearable at night.

Also, other than gas, I found the expenses rather comparable...any disputes to this? Please write.

[tstieber]

My husband and I did a weekend trip to Sac in late June this year, after a five year absence, and we were also super impressed. We stayed downtown, near the Capitol, and we just walked and walked through Midtown, Capitol Park, along the river, etc. So many new, trendy restaurants, bars, and cafes for weekends, and it was just so beautiful and clean (except for that little K St (?) corridor where the homeless people congregate). But it's become quite good as a food town, and you can't beat those evening strolls on a warm summer evening -- just perfect. In the winter, those strolls just move to the daytime rather than the nighttime.

[Canonind]

I'm happy to brag about Sacramento. We lived in Phoenix and biked the best trails, but there's so many people on the same trails. It was downright dangerous. We ride clipless and love to practice the same hill over and over......but I need to go at 6 am (I know a guy who went a 4am) because of the darned sun and too many people. When we visit my hometown Sacramento, we dig dig dig the American River Parkway starting from the old Fair Oaks Bridge to Folsom Lake.....grab a burgar and a slurppy while you're there. It is a bikers world on this pathway. No dealing with cars. There's plenty of shade and river water the whole way that you can jump into anywhere you want. What's so great about it is you can have a wonderful little beach all to yourself and be in the center of everything.....in beautiful, well.... Fair Oaks I guess is where the real beauty begins and is a close suburb of Sacramento. Old Town Sac is historic and a little get away with lots of river, boats, shopping, looking and fun places to shop and eat and imbibe. I was thrilled with Phoenix for the whole time I lived there though, I'm an outdoors person who doesn't want to go too far to have a nice thinking spot away from others....hello Salt River....gorgeous gorgeous, but I'm not a college kid either.

[dmiller91]

Can I tag on to this thread?

What is it with the unemployment and the crime rates? Seems high in Sac... is this due to the fact that it's a warmer climate and draws folks, including the criminal kind?

Why is the job market so bleak right now? what kinds of industry/jobs are mainly located there?

Having spend many hours researching Tucson for a potential job... I'm sufficiently warned away about the hot summers. Ca seems ideal, but I was never sure I could afford it.

I can live anywhere, travel for work... what's the nearest major airport?

Thanks!

[wburg]

The job market is still pretty bleak because the main industries in the region are state government and suburban housing construction. Due to budget cuts and deficits, state government is stagnant or shrinking, so they aren't really hiring, and there is probably a couple decades' worth of extra suburban tract housing sitting vacant or uncompleted, so there is very little market for construction. The other big job market is the medical field, which is still hiring, and tech fields, if you have the skills, but it's a relatively small percentage of the total workforce. Sacramento has one major airport--Sacramento International Airport--and Sacramento Metro Airport, a smaller airfield on the south end of the city.

Sacramento proper is a large city with comparatively few police, and just had to lay some off, so crime rates are relatively high. Some neighborhoods are safer than others.

[davidt1]

Yeah, unemployment is very high here, as it is with most CA cities -- because companies are leaving left and right to escape repressive CA regulations. From what I have gathered, major industries here are:

Government
Healthcare
Nail salons
Welfare

[Canonind]

Originally Posted by Foreverking

Well, finally made my trip to Sacramento. What a gorgeous city. We have very few trees here in Phoenix and it gets horribly hot here in the summer months from April to November. We have no fall to speak of. Not sure why nobody mentions the fact that Sac is the City of trees with the most trees per capita in the world. Tried to find a park by the river, but the locals had no idea what I was talking about so I guess it must not exist. Just a wide open grassy spot, and access to the river...anybody know if it exist?

After spending a few days in San Fran, I was glad to be driving on level streets...and glad to be able to park somewhere. I know I am not good for THAT town. I thought the wires everywhere overhead looked very ugly. Sac had no such uglyness. Seems like you get it all if you live in Sac, you get a pretty place to live, a cheaper place to live, and a place thats close to other fun places. I can't wait to move there.

I wanted to kick myself…..I sent my post (and didn't realize I was 6 mos late, duh 101). I forgot to say Sacto is the 'City of Trees'. (and not only that, I moved to the 'Valley of the Sun' as an advid 'American River Pkwy' user. Thank you for your comments about how beautiful Sacramento is, and….wow, you're the first person to say what I've always said….'more trees per capita'. California is also the "Land of Surperlatives'. the lowest points in America, the highest points, the biggest trees (Sequoia's), the tallest (giant red woods) and so on, and so on.

I am so glad you enjoyed your trip…..don't know if you moved there….but my spouse and I have a blast visiting my side of the family. I mean, just plain ol' Sacramento has way more things to experience than alot of cities have ('course you don't realize that until you've moved). Greater Phoenix is awesome too. Lived there 12 years, and met my spouse there. So Phoenix is extra extra awesome in my eyes. I had a problem with the direct sun boring into the back of my neck biking or walking the trails. I started taking an umbrella hiking…..who does that!….me, that's who!…. I had to! you may have seen me. The sun was a horrible downer with nowhere to retreat when you get over heated. No tree to sit under for a break to cool off. Glad those days are over….hence living in the pines now. We would not have been able to afford our log home on acreage in California though. Plus we're near Canada, my spouses family. But the good folks of Phoenix, bless their hearts, weren't in slightless bit bothered by the lack of shade and water from I could see.