Moving to Sac to work at UCDMC. East Sac vs. Folsom. (Sacramento: rentals, houses)

[CABOUND2017]

My family with several young children 7mo-10 y/o will be moving to Sac. I'll be working at UCDMC. We are looking at Folsom vs East Sac.

Could anybody comment on the commute to UCDMC? I'll be starting work at 7am and likely ending after 6PM.

How do the areas compare in terms of:

Safety?
Walkability/Parks for kids?
Traffic?
Overall vibe?

We're looking for house preferably with some sort of yard or close to park and our budget is up to 2700/mo.

We don't really care about public schools because we homeschoool. Nothing against great schools, just not our vibe.

Any information or experiences are greatly appreciated

[Adriatica]

I'd pick East Sac over Folsom. Why commute if you don't have to?

East Sac has lots of great houses, restaurants, parks, and is very walkable.

You might also consider Land Park.

[NinaN]

Originally Posted by Adriatica

I'd pick East Sac over Folsom. Why commute if you don't have to?

East Sac has lots of great houses, restaurants, parks, and is very walkable.

You might also consider Land Park.

I agree. Many parents move to the burbs due to the schools. If they don't matter, stay close to work and save the hassle of commuting!

[caligirlz]

I've had the opportunity to live in both places.

If I worked at UCDMC, I'd live in East Sac. It's absolutely stunningly beautiful. Full tree coverage on most streets. Extremely walkable; can walk to restaurants, grocery stores, little shops, coffee, frozen yogurt, a hardware store, a nursery, and many beautiful parks.
When I lived there, I felt safe walking everywhere, including a night.
I used to work downtown, and when I'd drive under capitol 80 and past Alhambra, I felt like I was entering another world.
As far as vibe goes, it's pretty diverse, there are all ages, families, singles, races. The houses are older, and many are unique. The world view tends to be more liberal than Folsom. There are some really fun community traditions, like the 41St 4th of July parade, the christmas lights and halloween decorations.

I think this magazine will give you a feel for East Sac http://www.insidepublications.com/digital/
vs this magazine for Folsom Style Media Group

Folsom is a great community too. Very family oriented, with a trail system that interlocked through the community. It's in high demand, and rentals which I assume you are renting, are in high demand.
Folsom is generally not very walkable. It's a typical suburb. There are areas that are walkable, but once you leave that area, a car is required. However, the downside, is the commute. To the UCDMC parking garage, I'm guessing would be 25-40 minutes depending on traffic. It seems like you may be just outside of the main commute hours. But, it does get old depending on your level of tolerance as does commuting on light rail. My SIL alternates between the two, when she gets tired of driving she'll switch to LR, and vis versa.

Both communities have easy access to the American River Parkway, and parks and areas to walk. East Sac has some really fun parks - McKinley. I always liked East Portal.
https://www.cityofsacramento.org/Par...ast-Sacramento

[CABOUND2017]

Thank you for all the replies. We are going for East Sac.