Help me convice my wife moving to Sacramento won't be so bad (Los Angeles: foreclosures, home)
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I found out yesterday the Air Force is moving me to Beale AFB and I need some input from locals that will help ease my wife's mind. We lived in Atlanta for a long period of time and both enjoy everything city life has to offer (sports, restaurants, shows, concerts, etc) and now we live at the beach in Charleston SC so moving cross country will be a bit of an adjustment but an adventure too. We'll probably settle in Roseville or Lincoln due to my commute, can anyone tell me what there is to see and do in those towns or is it basic suburbia? Is Folsom Lake a popular place to go? What kind of history does Sacramento have? Are there mine tours or any cool historical sites?
After doing some research I see we'll be about 2 hours from San Fran, Tahoe, wine country and Yosemite but for the weekends we stay home what is there to do in Sacramento for a couple without kids? She loves to cook and we both love going out to restaurants so can someone tell me about the farmers markets and the restaurant scene in the city and surrounding areas? Are there any grocery stores that are better than others?
Right now she's a manager at a restaurant and would probably look for something like a wine distributor. Is that something she should look into or is that more concentrated down around Napa?
Sorry for all the questions but the bottom line is what would you tell a southern boy and a Jersey girl to convice them that Sacramento is the place to be?
if you scroll through th forum with your wife you will see a lot of threads that can answer your questions more times than once.
There is abundance of info regarding this town on here that by th time you and your wife finish researching you will be more excited about the move. Plus the weather he is so much nicer than HUMiD Altanta.
Roseville and Lincoln are basic suburbia. Both were pretty tiny places until about 20 years ago. Roseville is the "bigger" city at about 100,000 people, Lincoln is trying not to implode in foreclosures.
If you're okay with Atlanta you'll probably like it here fine. Maybe not so much for professional sports, we just have the one basketball team, but a lot of locals follow the Bay Area teams and it's not so hard a drive to catch a game in SF or Oakland, and our AAA-league baseball team is well-regarded. You're quite close to the Sierras and the foothills, so if you like skiing, hiking or camping those are fairly close. Folsom Lake is another popular recreation destination that is pretty much in your backyard if you're in Roseville.
The city itself (Sacramento) has entertainment and restaurants, shopping is found all over the region (the fanciest mall is in Roseville) and there are assorted things to do once you know your way around.
History: The gold country is out into the foothills, there are a few old Gold Rush era towns like Nevada City, Auburn, Placerville, Coloma and others that have remnants of their historic old towns. Park sites like Marshall Gold Discovery Site and Empire Mine, or Malakoff Diggins. In Sacramento, you'll find Sutter's Fort and the California State Railroad Museum, along with the California Museum, Crocker Art Museum and more--Old Sacramento is worth a visit, a small surviving chunk (about six blocks) of the old city that was raised above flood waters and was the starting point for the first transcontinental railroad.
Lots of farmer's markets--pretty much half the fruit and vegetables in the country come out of the surrounding valley. There are an awful lot of local restaurants, many of whom emphasize the use of fresh local produce since it's one of our strong points. Raley's is a local supermarket chain that is known for good produce, but just about any supermarket here has at least decent produce. Even the discount "Grocery Outlet" store in my neighborhood has fresh local vegetables and imported cheese.
There is a large regional wine industry, Napa is the epicenter but it is certainly present in Placer County and the foothill country as well as south into the Sacramento River delta region.
Do scroll through the forums--lots of people ask the same sort of questions, and hopefully the answers they got will be useful for you--ask again here if you still have unanswered questions!
I found out yesterday the Air Force is moving me to Beale AFB and I need some input from locals that will help ease my wife's mind. We lived in Atlanta for a long period of time and both enjoy everything city life has to offer (sports, restaurants, shows, concerts, etc) and now we live at the beach in Charleston SC so moving cross country will be a bit of an adjustment but an adventure too. We'll probably settle in Roseville or Lincoln due to my commute, can anyone tell me what there is to see and do in those towns or is it basic suburbia? Is Folsom Lake a popular place to go? What kind of history does Sacramento have? Are there mine tours or any cool historical sites?
After doing some research I see we'll be about 2 hours from San Fran, Tahoe, wine country and Yosemite but for the weekends we stay home what is there to do in Sacramento for a couple without kids? She loves to cook and we both love going out to restaurants so can someone tell me about the farmers markets and the restaurant scene in the city and surrounding areas? Are there any grocery stores that are better than others?
Right now she's a manager at a restaurant and would probably look for something like a wine distributor. Is that something she should look into or is that more concentrated down around Napa?
Sorry for all the questions but the bottom line is what would you tell a southern boy and a Jersey girl to convice them that Sacramento is the place to be?
Of course Sac isn't Atlanta or Charleston (one of my favorite cities I will add) but it is a nice, city with a small town atmosphere. There are good restaurants, like you mentioned not all that far from Tahoe and San Franciso, which is a possitive and the weaher, tough warm in the summer is really nice. Whenever you live in a city that is a state capitol you can always find a lot to do..Oh, the farmers market: one of the best in country or used to be, is in I roseville.
No, you won't have your beach, but you do have 2 rivers, mountains, and a lot of greenery mixed in. We lived all over Ca. I was born in Los Angeles, we were married in So Ca: of all the places we have lived, I think Sac was our favorite spot in the state. If I ever moved back it would be to Sac or Paradise, which is about a hour and 1/2 north.
Depends on what you value most but I can tell you that there are a lot of us looking to escape. Poor job market (unless you work for state), high cost of living, high taxes, etc.
Oh by the way, the running joke about Sacramento is that it's an armpit. The only good thing about Sacramento is that it's close to wherever you actually WANT to be.
Depends on what you value most but I can tell you that there are a lot of us looking to escape. Poor job market (unless you work for state), high cost of living, high taxes, etc.
None of this is true. Cost of living is miniscule compared to Los Angeles, San Diego or the Bay Area. Income and property taxes are the same throughout California, and since Sacramento's property values are low compared to the big urban centers, you'll pay less property tax. And the state is pretty much not hiring these days--but there is a lot of growth in the medical field, and new small businesses popping up all over the region. Sacoftomatoes may be looking to escape, but a lot of people escaped to here.
As to the need to drive around to visit places--American urban regions are big. Someone from Orange County spends 2-3 hours in a car to visit Los Angeles or go skiiing at Big Bear but doesn't think of themselves as going "somewhere else," but some folks like sacoftomatoes seem to think that the same two-hour drive for a Sacramentan visiting San Francisco or Lake Tahoe is a major expedition. I don't get that.
Sacramento is actually a bigger city than Atlanta, but the metro area is smaller (Sacramento has 470,000 and a 2.1 million metro area, Atlanta has 420,000 and a metro area of 5.2 million. But we have a metro area of 9 million an hour or so away, and the two kind of blend into each other in the coastal foothills, but the landscape is too dramatic (and in the western end of the valley, too soggy) to allow unlimited suburban sprawl.
If the OP's wife is in the restaurant and wine business, she will find a growing market in our region.
None of this is true. Cost of living is miniscule compared to Los Angeles, San Diego or the Bay Area. Income and property taxes are the same throughout California, and since Sacramento's property values are low compared to the big urban centers, you'll pay less property tax. And the state is pretty much not hiring these days--but there is a lot of growth in the medical field, and new small businesses popping up all over the region. Sacoftomatoes may be looking to escape, but a lot of people escaped to here.
As to the need to drive around to visit places--American urban regions are big. Someone from Orange County spends 2-3 hours in a car to visit Los Angeles or go skiiing at Big Bear but doesn't think of themselves as going "somewhere else," but some folks like sacoftomatoes seem to think that the same two-hour drive for a Sacramentan visiting San Francisco or Lake Tahoe is a major expedition. I don't get that.
Sacramento is actually a bigger city than Atlanta, but the metro area is smaller (Sacramento has 470,000 and a 2.1 million metro area, Atlanta has 420,000 and a metro area of 5.2 million. But we have a metro area of 9 million an hour or so away, and the two kind of blend into each other in the coastal foothills, but the landscape is too dramatic (and in the western end of the valley, too soggy) to allow unlimited suburban sprawl.
If the OP's wife is in the restaurant and wine business, she will find a growing market in our region.
It's VERY true for a lot of people - saying it's not is disingenous. I'm not even sure how you could compare the Bay Area, LA, or San Diego to Sacramento. Yes, the cost of housing in Sacramento in comparison to the Bay Area is low but you're completely disregarding the unemployment rate, education attainment levels, etc. I think you may be taking my criticism of Sacramento personally and not being objective about the sad state of affairs here. I would encourage the original poster to read Sacramento's Business Journal and look at the top employers - it's not impressive.
Furthermore, Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN) just relocated it's corporate headquarters from Folsom to Texas. We can all speculate the real reasons why but the fact of the matter is the company left and didn't look back.
If you would share with us what factors are most important to you, I'm sure we can provide more relevant information. From an economic perspective, my personal opinion is that Sacramento offers very little but I know that financial decisions can be only a small portion of one's litmus test in deciding where they want to live.
It's VERY true for a lot of people - saying it's not is disingenous. I'm not even sure how you could compare the Bay Area, LA, or San Diego to Sacramento. Yes, the cost of housing in Sacramento in comparison to the Bay Area is low but you're completely disregarding the unemployment rate, education attainment levels, etc. I think you may be taking my criticism of Sacramento personally and not being objective about the sad state of affairs here. I would encourage the original poster to read Sacramento's Business Journal and look at the top employers - it's not impressive.
Sacramento has a much lower cost of living than the Bay Area, LA or San Diego. Look, I just compared the Bay Area, LA or San Diego to Sacramento! The Earth did not fly into the Sun as a result.
Please explain to me how taxes are somehow higher in Sacramento than they are in other California urban regions. Then, please explain how cost of living in those areas are lower than Sacramento. You claim that it's "true for a lot of people," and I don't believe you, since the facts say otherwise.
Furthermore, Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN) just relocated it's corporate headquarters from Folsom to Texas. We can all speculate the real reasons why but the fact of the matter is the company left and didn't look back.
Rather than speculate, can you produce any facts as to why they left? If you can't, then I'd suggest that you have no idea why they left. It also doesn't make much sense in context--you're trying to argue that Sacramento's taxes and cost of living make it undesirable compared to other California regions, and your example is a company that moved to Texas, not to more appealing parts of California. How does this support your argument? I'd say...it doesn't!
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