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Old 06-30-2014, 03:21 PM
 
38 posts, read 95,128 times
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We are considering moving to the Sacramento area in the next few months. (My wife and I are currently looking for work out there) I really enjoy this site and the forums to get alot of first hand info from the cities. What I am looking for is nice year round sunny weather with plenty of outdoor activities to do including hiking, biking, ect. I have been trying to get a feel for the area and looking at the Folsom, Roseville, and Elk Grove area. We are in need of good schools as we have kids aged 3 and 5. We are trying to stay around 250-350k for a house looking for a 3+ bedroom and 2+ bath.

Are there any good mountain views in the Sacramento area or do you have to travel a ways to get to some nice mountain/hiking scenery. I know it is pretty warm and constantly over 100 in the summer during the day but how are the morning and evening temps? Can you still come home after work and go outside in some cooler weather? Also how are the insects? Here in IL the mosquitoes, and ticks are absolutely terrible and even on a nice cool cloudy day is impossible to spend out in the woods or even in my own back yard.

Any big Pro's and Con's with the city. On paper it sounds great with a reasonable cost of living, good air quality and yet still close enough for a ride down to the bay area or ocean. A big thing I am looking for is a nice scenic back setting of some mountain ranges. Any areas that anyone can recommend that would be a great fit would be appreciated!
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Old 07-01-2014, 08:05 PM
 
Location: California USA
1,714 posts, read 1,136,113 times
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Well...you have some hits and misses on your paper 'bout Sacramento

Reasonable cost of living...yes for a metro area in California it does have a reasonable cost of living

Good area quality...not the best in the summer but there are worse areas

Central location...yes it's close enough to the coast for even day trips.

Nice scenic background of mountain ranges...Well no..I think out of all the metro areas Sacramento has more of a midwest look. Relatively flat with large areas of open range at the outskirts.

However, due to its location not only are day trips to the coast possible but also day trips to the Sierras (Lake Tahoe) which will provide a very scenic outing.

Bugs, primarily mosquitos but nothing that mosquito repellant wont take care of. The worst seems to be at dusk but after that not much of a problem.

As long as the Delta Breeze is in working order (Sacramento's A/C in the summer) mornings and evenings are pleasant. The relatively few days in which the temp tops 100 put a damper on things. However this is Sacramento not Phoenix so most days aren't over 100.

With your budget Elk Grove will likely render the most bang for the buck but don't discount some other areas which have pockets of good schools and nice neighborhoods. A lot depends on job location too because, while rush hour traffic in Sac is not the same as the horrors of the Bay Area or LA, commute times can be considerable depending on where you live and work.
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Old 07-01-2014, 10:15 PM
 
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You have to travel a ways (about an hour or so) to get views of mountain/hiking scenery, but we also have the Sacramento River Delta, which is flat terrain but has a lot of scenic charm. It's more varied and interesting than, say, the three states of corn you hit once you leave Chicagoland, and if you go east or west for an hour (or north for two hours) you hit some impressive mountains.

You can see both the Sierra Nevada and the Coastal Range if you can get up into a tall building in downtown Sacramento, but there aren't very many, most are not residential, and by Chicago standards they aren't very tall.

Traffic will be easy. Compared to a Chicago rush hour, Sacramento's traffic is like getting a backrub in a bubble bath.

Weather is far better. Throw out your snow shovel and snow blower, you won't need them. And a 100 degree Sacramento day is more comfortable than an 85 degree summer day in Chicago. The humidity is low, if you have shade and a cool drink it's actually quite nice. And it's not constantly over 100--maybe a few weeks per year, total. Because the humidity is low, temps drop dramatically at night, and the delta breeze helps.

If you're looking for something closer to the mountains, look toward Roseville, Folsom, Orangevale, Fair Oaks or even El Dorado Hills, although those are longer commutes. Mountain ranges in your backyard will be unlikely, but at least you'll be in or near some rolling hills.
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Old 07-02-2014, 12:12 AM
 
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You can get a view of the sierra nevada mountains from certain areas that are elevated above the flat central valley. For example, certain locations in Rocklin, Folsom, El Dorado Hills which are on hills give a clear shot of the sierra nevada range where the peaks are visible. But they are not very pronounced because the western slope of the Sierras are very gentle, so the peaks are many miles away. Living in Sacramento and being on the ground you generally won't be noticing mountains even though mountain ranges are within 40-60 miles. On a clear day you can see the coastal range from Sac area but again being elevated helps and they are way off in the distance.
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Old 07-02-2014, 12:29 AM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
1,579 posts, read 2,327,088 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob98LS1 View Post
You can get a view of the sierra nevada mountains from certain areas that are elevated above the flat central valley. For example, certain locations in Rocklin, Folsom, El Dorado Hills which are on hills give a clear shot of the sierra nevada range where the peaks are visible. But they are not very pronounced because the western slope of the Sierras are very gentle, so the peaks are many miles away. Living in Sacramento and being on the ground you generally won't be noticing mountains even though mountain ranges are within 40-60 miles. On a clear day you can see the coastal range from Sac area but again being elevated helps and they are way off in the distance.
How about from 20+ floors up a building in Sac? Can you see anything?
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Old 07-02-2014, 01:02 AM
 
527 posts, read 1,315,125 times
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Originally Posted by things and stuff View Post
How about from 20+ floors up a building in Sac? Can you see anything?
I believe that was already covered in an earlier post. I've never been 20 floors up a building in Sac, but I'd imagine you can.
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Old 07-02-2014, 08:20 PM
 
Location: California USA
1,714 posts, read 1,136,113 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob98LS1 View Post
I believe that was already covered in an earlier post. I've never been 20 floors up a building in Sac, but I'd imagine you can.
Within the city of Sacramento the views are picturesque even at modest elevations because of the tree canopy found throughout the city. For example, even at a modest 8 stories tall the views from the top of Shriner's Hospital are a pleasant surprise.
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Old 07-02-2014, 09:20 PM
 
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To the east, In the middle of Sacramento from Freeways 50 or I-80 you can see the Sierra Nevada Mtns. from several locations especially on any elevated part of the freeway. In the winter, when there is snow, you can see them better.

To the West, In the middle of Sacramento, you can see the Coast Ranges Mtns (500 feet to 5,000 feet elevations) driving on I-5 or 99, north or south in various locations, and when driving 1-80 just west of downtown.

Are they dramatic views? not really, because the Sierra Mtns are a gentle slope from Sacramento. You can drive 40 miles east and the elevations are in the 3,000 to 4,000 range. And the highest peaks are another 30miles away, and the routes to the Sierra's on 50 and 80 contain the lowest elevations that's why those routes were chosen.

Back in the horse and buggy days, they picked the easiest most passable routes through the Sierras with the lowest elevations, which is just north and south of Lake Tahoe. All other routes through the Sierras that are not Highways 50 and 80 will have much higher peaks and elevations.

Tahoe, the Northern Sierra, has some of the lowest peaks, in the 9,000 to 10,000 foot range - which is what Sacramentans see, which are 70 miles away. Elevations from 500 to 1,000 feet are just 20 miles east of Sacramento - you won't see those hills. (Folsom/Roseville on up to Placerville/Auburn)

Even though the Northern Sierra (Tahoe) has lower elevations and peaks, the Northern Sierra gets about 35% more snow than the Southern Sierra at the 6,000 to 9,000 foot level which is where most people ski.

The Southern Sierras are higher peaks, Yosemite down to Mt. Whitney, 10,000 to 14,000 foot range.

Last edited by Chimérique; 07-02-2014 at 09:37 PM..
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Old 07-03-2014, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Sacramento, CA
57 posts, read 114,800 times
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If the timing is right, in the winter (especially at sunrise), traveling east toward the city you can see some nice views of the Sacramento skyline and the Sierra Nevada behind it. You won't find many pictures of it on the internet. Googling Sacramento and Sierra Nevada, I've found this:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tofsrud/4364881582/

The problem is, the air in the Central Valley is too hazy to get those views on a routine basis.
Within the city itself, it's hard to see that or the much lower coastal range to the west. If you get out on the north/western edge of the city you can see the coast range. Places along the edge of the city of Davis also have views of the coastal range (and the more distant Sierra Nevada in winter, when the air is clear). If you're looking for a break from totally flat land, that's a possibility.
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Old 07-03-2014, 11:29 PM
 
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Foothill towns such as Newcastle or shingle springs offer sierra mtn views in your price range. If you head down to the suburb developments it is flat. Sac highrise you may see mt diablo, sutter buttes, coastal range on clear day
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