might Sacramento be a good fit for me and my son (San Francisco: real estate, apartment)

[JamesCher]

Hello, all. I'd welcome thoughts from anyone about whether Sacramento might be a good location to move to with my young son.

I'm in my mid forties, and I'm an attorney. I have a 9-year-old son who I am the sole caretaker of (his mother died recently). I've been living in Boston for more than fifteen years. No offense to Boston itself, but we've had a lot of heartache here and I've recently learned my job will be ending near the end of the year.

So, I'm interested in making a fresh start elsewhere. Important factors to me include friendly people, good schools, a lower cost of living than in Boston (I currently rent a 3 BR apartment here for $2,600 / mo.) a slower/more relaxed pace of life than on the East Coast, family friendly (big yards, plenty of parks and outdoor activity, etc.). A different sort of landscape has great appeal to me. Part of my thinking there is that following my ex-wife's death, we have fixed sums of money from insurance and her SSI that might go substantially farther in other places. Also, now that I am his sole caretaker, I am concerned about finding work here that will keep us afloat and also let me be available to/for him. I plan to let location drive the decision rather than conducting a job search ahead of time, so I'd be interested in people's impressions of the local economy. Also, if you have ideas about nearby communities, where schools are good, etc. Also, an attraction of CA is the state university system, so any impressions of its health and vitality and quality are welcome.

I am open to practicing law in the new destination, but it is not mandatory (firm work and billing hours may be difficult as a single parent).

I welcome any thoughts and advice. Thanks so much.

[ryuns]

Hi James. Terribly sorry to hear about your loss. My mom was in a similar situation with me at about that age, when my father died. In retrospect, I realize that it took me quite a long time to understand how and why I reacted in certain ways, as I struggled somewhat in middle school, ultimately finding my way and then thriving in high school. I also realize that the time and patience my mother showed me and the strength she showed herself, despite surely having an incredibly difficult time even absent my problems, are something I only gradually came to appreciate and that I can never hope to repay. I wish you as smooth a road as possible, and I hope you'll keep in mind that, through everything, your son will be appreciative of the love you give, even if he doesn't show. Anyway...that wasn't your question.

It does sound like you could find something in the Sacramento area will fit many of your criteria. People tend to be fairly friendly (by my standards, anyway), plenty of nice neighborhoods with yards and tree-lined streets, excellent parks, and outdoor recreation. Schools are location dependent. There are some locations in the suburbs where they're nearly all good (Roseville, Folsom, and Davis, for instance), but these also tend to be a little pricier and a little more, well, suburban. There are also areas in city of Sacramento that have great schools. These also tend to be expensive, but are mostly historic neighborhoods, closer to the city, and generally more walkable. The city center will probably be your best opportunity for jobs. Most law firms are downtown, and of course the state government has a large number of attorneys on staff. State gov't hiring is improving and working for the state will give you more reasonable hours, so that's something to consider. (Pay for attorneys is not particularly high given your education and experience, but should still grant a great lifestyle around here.)

The university system here still is world-class, despite large cut-backs. But it is considerably more expensive than it once was (still a bargain compared to many private schools, but not a steal). I'd opine that it's consideration but not necessarily a driving force for your son's education. He would likely prosper in many other states' systems as well.

Just some quick thoughts to get the thread started. Best of luck on your search.

[NinaN]

Many of the suburbs around Sacramento are family friendly, good schools, etc. Big yards with big trees come with older homes as the newer homes tend to be on quite small lots with small trees.

Here is a map of the school ratings in the area. Anywhere you find excellent schools, you will most likely find a family friendly area.

School Rankings for the Sacramento metropolitan area, California

Good luck with your move.

[cmrubin]

I plan to let location drive the decision rather than conducting a job search ahead of time, so I'd be interested in people's impressions of the local economy.

For your peace of mind, I suggest you look into the local hiring picture before you make any firm decisions. The Sac area economy is recovering, but there are still a lot of people out of work, including a lot of attorneys, because of the cutbacks during the budget crisis. Do look at Davis though. Pricey as it is, you should be able to get a nice 3 bedroom apt (if that's what you want) for less than the $2600/mo you are paying in Boston. The small-town, family friendly vibe sounds like it's what you are looking for. It will be a radically different atmosphere, too, if you are looking for a change to help cope with your loss. Best wishes to you!

[SacramentoBound]

Hmm, a second Boston-to-Sacramento thread in a short period. I feel particularly useful this evening.

Having grown up in the Boston area, I would second the above recommendation of Davis. (If nothing else, you could pretend to still be on the red line.) The schools are good, it has the closest thing to Boston's atmosphere with a more rural setting, the air quality is better than the suburbs on the other side of Sacramento (Roseville, Folsom, etc.) and the water quality should improve soon. UC Davis is generally more well-regarded than any UMass campus, and in specific areas it is absolutely world-class. Not in every respect, though, and it doesn't really compare to the options you have in Boston; but the Bay is close enough and you have the better part of a decade before those decisions need to be made.

To be blunt, you're talking about a potential move from a region with some of the best schools in the country to a state with a widely-acknowledged education crisis. Real estate is relatively affordable here but work is not plentiful. California and Massachusetts have similar reputations in terms of being progressive and coastal but Sacramento is a very different area from San Francisco and if you're looking for "Boston with more nature" you're looking in the wrong place. I know you wouldn't make this decision lightly, but continuity is a big deal for kids. I lost my father at eight and that was hard enough to deal with without moving across the country. Have you considered something less drastic—Brattleboro, for instance?

[xeney]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss.

I have never been to Boston so I can't speak to that transition, but if you have not already looked into it, you should probably investigate California's uniquely (?) oppressive standards for out-of-jurisdiction attorneys. Unlike most (all?) other states, we don't let anybody in without taking a bar exam, which makes it a lot harder for attorneys to move here and find work, obviously.

That said, if you are looking for a change of pace, what Sacramento does have is a lot of government-centered work, which is generally slower paced than firm life. I'm also in my mid-40s, an attorney, and a parent, and I think Sacramento is a great place to be all of those things.

[JamesCher]

thank you for all of your thoughts, this is all very useful. Davis has been mentioned before, I may check that out.

there are a lot of attorneys out of work in Boston, too (7-8 law schools here)... I think if I exclude places with out of work attorneys that isn't going to leave much. The bar exam issue is a significant one, however.

The thing that I think appeals to me about the CA public university system over others is its breadth. Madison, WI is another place I am considering (I went to law school there) and although that is a great school, it is just one option. It seems like the CA system would give my son a large number of high quality options over the whole state when that time came at a very reasonable cost.

<<f you're looking for "Boston with more nature">>
As I said, with all due respect to Boston, it is not for me and there are also a lot of bad memories here. So no, I'm not trying to replicate Boston elsewhere to any degree. The less like Boston a potential destination is, the better.

[j0euser]

Well, Sacramento should be a good fit if you're looking for the opposite of Boston. Still unusual to see someone with options moving to Sacramento voluntarily.

Have you considered Texas or North Carolina? They're both quite different from Boston, and their economies (unlike Sacramento's) are booming. UT-Austin and UNC-Chapel Hill are both quite excellent schools.

[cmrubin]

The thing that I think appeals to me about the CA public university system over others is its breadth. Madison, WI is another place I am considering (I went to law school there) and although that is a great school, it is just one option. It seems like the CA system would give my son a large number of high quality options over the whole state when that time came at a very reasonable cost.

IMO, it would be better to focus your concern for your son's education on his primary and secondary schooling than counting on the UC or CSU systems. If he is 9 right now, there are still 8 - 9 years before he will be ready for college, and a lot can happen in that time. I'm betting, for example, that most of the traditionally lecture-type classes (a very poor way of imparting useful information, BTW) will be conducted on line within the next 2 - 3 years. Sadly, the quality of undergraduate education at the UC system (of which I have first-hand knowledge) declined greatly during the CA budget crisis. Others can give their opinions of the current state of the CSU system, but from the news reports it is in equally bad if not worse shape. Don't look for recovery to be speedy. Concentrate on your son's educational options right now, and evaluate colleges or universities if and when the time comes.

[westcoastbabe]

Have you considered Texas or North Carolina? They're both quite different from Boston, and their economies (unlike Sacramento's) are booming. UT-Austin and UNC-Chapel Hill are both quite excellent schools.

Nix North Carolina- Stick with Sacramento.