Relocation to Placer/El Dorado County (Sacramento, Roseville: HOA, homes, neighborhoods) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

Sophy123 · 03-16-2016, 05:24 PM

Hello! My husband and I are looking to relocate to Northern California from SoCal this spring/summer. We have two preschool boys and would LOVE a family oriented community with great schools. We are professionals who enjoy the outdoors and like the open space that Placer County and El Dorado Hills has to offer. We have researched some homes and it appears like EDH has bigger lots. We would rather not pay for Mello Roos if we can avoid it. Also, its important that some amenities such as a gym and grocery stores (Sprouts / Trader Joe's) are nearby. We are also a mixed race family and some diversity in our new community would be great. I would be so grateful for any feedback!

NinaN · 03-16-2016, 10:08 PM

EDH certainly has a lot if homes with good sized lots, though they tend to be older or expensive. Many areas do not have Mello Roos, but those are also the older homes. I live in an area with no HOA or Mello Roos on 1/3 acre and love it here. I have a 10 year old and am very pleased with the amount of family activities and quality of schools here.

We have plenty of gyms and grocery stores in EDH, with Whole Foids and a trader Joes nearby in Folsom.

I don't know the diversity ratios though I'm sure they are lower than in the city, but I do have a few friends that are mixed race couples and they haven't mentioned any problems with that here.

Sophy123 · 03-16-2016, 10:58 PM

Thank you NinaN. We actually love the charm of older homes and do not mind a little fixing up. We definitely do not like the cookie cutter development with a 6000 sq ft lot (or less).

We will be visiting later this month and hope to hit as many hot spots as possible. I plan on working in Roseville so I would like to limit my commute and stick with Rocklin, Granite Bay, Folsom, and EDH. After dealing with SoCal traffic most of my life, I would love a 25 min (door to door) commute. I notice that Rocklin is pretty dry with limited mature trees and everything appears pretty new. Do you recommend any recreation or "must do" activities that our family can enjoy? My 3 year old loves hiking! Also, is there a big problem with mosquitos in those cities?

wburg · 03-16-2016, 11:31 PM

Why not live in Roseville? It's pretty small city with a charming small-town "downtown" and more charming older homes, and it's about as diverse a community as you are likely to find in Placer or El Dorado County. "Older" homes in El Dorado Hills generally means built in the 1970s-1990s. Admittedly, these days Roseville and Rocklin have kind of grown into each others borders--there is a Trader Joe's in Roseville and a Sprouts in Rocklin.

NinaN · 03-17-2016, 08:50 AM

I would agree with looking first closer to where you work. Nothing beats visiting the areas and checking it out in person. Lots of activities, if you have time and weather is nice Funderland, Fairytale Land and The zoo in Sacramento are great, and all next to each other. Easy hike along Folsom Lake, you can park free on Sophia Parkway in EDH with a quick walk to the lake.

Aldo a lot of walking trails in Folsom but the best scenery is along the lake.

Good luck with your visit!

NinaN · 03-17-2016, 08:52 AM

And while there are a few mosquitos here, I wouldn't say it's a problem. But if you hike, bring bug spay because mosquitos love hanging around trees.

semispherical · 03-17-2016, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wburg

Why not live in Roseville? It's pretty small city with a charming small-town "downtown" and more charming older homes, and it's about as diverse a community as you are likely to find in Placer or El Dorado County. "Older" homes in El Dorado Hills generally means built in the 1970s-1990s. Admittedly, these days Roseville and Rocklin have kind of grown into each others borders--there is a Trader Joe's in Roseville and a Sprouts in Rocklin.

Seconded, wburg. If you are looking for diversity and tolerance, the closer in to Sac (in general) the more diverse and tolerant the general population is. Roseville drives me crazy because it is chopped in half by the rail yard and getting from one side of downtown to the other is an adventure, but there are lots of places to live in Roseville that don't involve going downtown. It has a lot more amenities than the smaller towns in the foothills, and if you want to get out of the suburbs for weekend recreation, just drive up I80 for a bit. You and your family will be so much happier if you minimize your commute.

Sophy123 · 03-17-2016, 11:58 AM

Thank you semispherical, wburg and NinaN! It is very kind of you to take time and give me some great advice and recommendations. We don't mind if the majority of people are not of our ethnicity, as long as they are kind, friendly, and respectful. Living in California and working in healthcare, we have learned to navigate many cultures and ethnicities and have gotten along well with most.

We do not want to live near the railway or anywhere that has an urban feel, since this is what we have now. We would love for our boys to have a large lot to play (1/3-1 acre) and "explore" at their age, parks that are within walking distance, and nearby farmers markets. My husband will be working from home and I will probably work 2-3 days/week, so a 30 min commute is tolerable.

We will most definitely check out Roseville. I really love Granite Bay also. It seems to be rural enough for us, but close enough to drive to Roseville for the day/evening. I know that Folsom has a prison, thanks to Johnny Cash, is there any effect on the community?

Thanks again! We are very excited about our upcoming visit to your town!

wburg · 03-17-2016, 01:24 PM

Roseville doesn't have an urban feel by any means, it was a small town until very recently so even their "downtown" is low-rise buildings--think downtown Mayberry but with a bunch of boutiques and cafes. There are some nice neighborhood parks like Royer Park and Maidu Park (and smaller ones like Kaseberg and Garbolino) that follow the natural contours of creeks that run through Roseville, and if you like farmer's markets you will love Denio's Farmer's Market, a true slice of Americana dating back to 1947, a combination of open-air "swap meet" of vendors and large public market. I grew up in the area and use to ride my bike to the Auction back when it was surrounded by open fields--today it is surrounded by low-rise suburbs. Roseville also has a fantastic central library (my favorite place as a kid!) and a small zoo in Royer Park. There are also weekly "sidewalk" farmer's markets in Roseville, Rocklin and other surrounding areas--in Roseville, there's a Tuesday farmer's market in front of the Whole Foods near the mall.

Granite Bay isn't rural at all, it is primarily gated subdivisions, most if not all are HOAs and probably have Mello-Roos. Folsom doesn't have much trouble from the prison (criminals tend to give prisons a wide berth!) but it's kind of far from Roseville and you'd have to commute over surface streets as there are no highways between Folsom and Roseville, which is slow going.

caligirlz · 03-17-2016, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sophy123

We have researched some homes and it appears like EDH has bigger lots. We would rather not pay for Mello Roos if we can avoid it. Also, its important that some amenities such as a gym and grocery stores (Sprouts / Trader Joe's) are nearby.

Folsom has a Trader Joes, and is getting a Sprouts and a Whole Foods. There is a Nugget Grocery store in EDH.
We have a wide variety of gym options, from big box gyms, to crossfit, weight lifting, and everything inbetween.

There are homes here that have bigger lots, typically in the older neighborhoods like ARC, Briggs Ranch & Lexington Hills and some of the new areas, as well as scattered throughout the other neighborhoods. Folsom has easy access to interlocking trail system that can take you to the American River Parkway without getting on the street, and easy access to the lake. We have lots of professional folks here, and are famiily oriented, yet, it's still nice for singles who prefer suburban living. While we don't have a great diversity ratio as sacramento, we are fairly diverse.

I'm sure it's already been mentioned, but most newer neighborhoods have mello roos.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sophy123

We do not want to live near the railway or anywhere that has an urban feel, since this is what we have now. We would love for our boys to have a large lot to play (1/3-1 acre) and "explore" at their age, parks that are within walking distance, and nearby farmers markets. My husband will be working from home and I will probably work 2-3 days/week, so a 30 min commute is tolerable.

I know that Folsom has a prison, thanks to Johnny Cash, is there any effect on the community? Not at all, except perhaps the noon siren or the occassional lockdown/escapee.

All your needs can be met in Folsom