Consodering relocating to Sacramento (Los Angeles: apartments, to rent, job market)

[Pet79]

Hi everyone! I am new here and joined because my husband and I (and maybe my son) have decided to relocate from Indiana. We are considering Sacramento. I have an 18 year old who will graduate this year. We plan on relocating in 2 or 3 years.

I've been struggling with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and I'm over living in cold climate! Anyone suffer from SAD and moved and noticed a difference? I struggle with depression and PTSD and the winter makes it 10x worse. How's the job market out there? Is it possible to rent a 2 bedroom for anywhere between $1,100 - $1,500 a month? What are some interesting facts and Pro's living in Sacramento? You can also share the con's too.

Also I have been in customer service for 17 years and I am burned out. I am interested to know what unique jobs are out there or just any job that pays well. I currently make with my hourly and bonuses between $15 - $19/hr. I have a lot of different skills from graphic designs (but I'm still working on bettering my skills in this area), social media management, I own and run several blogs, I taught myself everything I know from buying websites, setting them up, setting up blogs, I do a lot of research and have always self taught. I am also considering building my own online business with all those skills, so maybe I won't need to work for anyone and can have my own business. I have not been able to make it a business because of working all day and just being real tired and SAD kicking in, in the winter time. Thanks in advance!

[KC6ZLV]

SAD is caused by short days during the winter months. Keep in mind that Sacramento is as far north as southern Indiana. The weather is better here, but the average winter often has stretches of one to two weeks of solid overcast. Some years it isn't so bad. This year we had a very sunny December, but that is an exception. Nonetheless, the length of daylight here is short enough in the winter to cause SAD for some.

Seasonal Affective Disorder brings winter blues for some | The Sacramento Bee

The unemployment rate is said to be 3.7%. However, many people have a hard time finding work. $1,100 to $1,500 is now near the bottom end of pricing for a 2 bedroom. There will not be much to choose from at that price and you will have to make compromises.

I don't know what to say about graphic design and setting up web sites. Graphic design is a skill set, but setting up web sites (domain and hosting) isn't an in-demand skill because buying a domain and hosting is as easy as buying anything else online.

[49erfan916]

Welcome to your potential move.

As far as your SAD goes, Sacramento does have its seasons, although, it's not nearly as extreme as Indiana. The fall season is crisp and cool, the winters are cold and wet, the spring is warm and allergies are abundant, and summers can be hot as hell. It's not humid, like it is in Indiana, but it's dry heat and it reaches tipple digits EASILY. Coming from the Bay Area, it took me a loooong time to get use to this weather pattern, but as an adult, I like it. Keep in mind that our winter can get cold; 30's during the night time and 50's during the day time.

The job market, for the most part, isn't as good as you would expect for a mid major city. This is a government town and government jobs are abundant here: ranging from the city, county and state. However, it is really hard to get a government job. You either have to have connections to get in or hope to get lucky after sending in hundreds of applications. If you can get in the government, there's MANY tasks you can apply for, so if you're burned out from working c/s, then there's other opportunities you can work in if you work a government job. The bad news, it's really hard to get it--it's competitive.

PRO's

Location: You're within a two hour radius from the bay area, Tahoe, and Reno. Sacramento is centrally located and everything seems really close to the city.

Seasons: I personally love the seasons here. There's virtually no humidity, and while it does reach 100 degrees, it doesn't feel "too hot." And while it rains here, it doesn't get out of hand like it does in Oregon or Seattle.

Racial diversity: There's a mix bag of races everywhere. There's some ethnic groups that I didn't even know existed that reside in Sacramento. In 2006, zip code 95823 (or close by) was rated as the #1 diversified zip code in the united states.

There are more things to do: Compared to 20 years ago, Sacramento has more things to do for younger people. With new bars/restaurants opening up to a brand new basketball arena opening up, there's new buildings being built everyday. Considering Sacramento is a forgotten city in California, it's quite fun. You just have to get creative in order to have fun.



cons:

TAXES ARE HIGH and COL is high. While the taxes and COL are not outrageously high like in SF or LA, it's high compared to the rest of the United States. And on top of that, even the "small taxes"/extra fees can get annoying. (CRV on bottled waters, SMOG, plastic bag purchases, etc...) Remember, this is still California and taxes are among the highest in the nation.

Traffic: compared to SF and LA, it's not as bad but Sacramento traffic is getting worse each year. While the population EXPLODED in the last 30 years, they still have the same infrastructure from 30 years ago. Narrow lanes + increased population=heavy traffic. Traffic is getting worse each year.


Job Market: I touched on it before. While it's not impossible to find a good job in Sacramento that's not govt. related, your choices are limited compared to a city its size.

The air quality can be questionable at time. At times, they have spare the air days and they issue warnings for people who suffer from asthma not to go out on certain days.

my last con will answer your question with regards to finding an apt. I haven't rented an apartment for a long time so I don't know the current market. There's places like apartment.com and zillow.com that can help you find a place. HOWEVER, my friend told me that a current ONE BEDROOM on Mack Rd. (that's in the ghetto) was going for $1,100 a month. So if those prices are in the ghetto, then the nicer areas will be more expensive. You may find a few 2 bedroom apts for your budget but you're going to face FIERCE competition for those places. And if I were you, I would stay along I-5 part of Sacramento and not 99. I-5 area is a lot nicer compared to 99. And if you're going farther north, then go to North Natomas. It's niceer and newer compared to South Natomas. But again, the challenge is for you to find a 2 bd room apt for that price in the good areas. Is it possible? maybe. But you're going to face some competition for those nicer apartments on that budget.

[Pet79]

Thank you for your replies. We're also talking about Las Vegas now. So those two, Sacramento and Las Vegas are on our top list.

[NoStateProject]

Originally Posted by Pet79

Thank you for your replies. We're also talking about Las Vegas now. So those two, Sacramento and Las Vegas are on our top list.

Do yourself a huge favor and avoid Sacramento.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by Pet79

Thank you for your replies. We're also talking about Las Vegas now. So those two, Sacramento and Las Vegas are on our top list.

I love Sacramento and NorCal, as do many others. Good luck in your search.

Winter here is a piece of cake - We can have days or weeks that are as warm and as sunny as Los Angeles, and we can have days or weeks that are as wet and cold as Portland, OR. In the Winter, Vegas can have much colder nights than Sac, and Sac gets near the rainfall.

Compared to Sacramento, Portland is too wet and "cold", and Las Vegas is too dry, dusty, windy, and monotonous.

Las Vegas is a desert, Sacramento is in a greener Valley with a Mediterranean Climate.

As far as SAD is concerned, Here are the Latitudes:

Indy - 39 degrees, 46 minutes; Sacto - 38 degrees, 34 minutes, Las Vegas - 36 degrees, 10 minutes

[mysticaltyger]

Las Vegas is better for SAD because it's much sunnier than Sac. in the winter. Cost of living in Vegas is lower as well. The job markets between the 2 places probably a wash.

I think Sacramento's climate is better. Vegas is almost as cold as Sac. in winter and much hotter in summer, although the extra sun is a plus. But Sacramento is only dreary for 2-3 months of the year, at most. The rest of the year, it's quite sunny.

Also, did you know you can alleviate some of the symptoms of SAD with diet?

https://www.nutriadvanced.co.uk/news...elp-s.a.d.html

[Chimérique]

Sorry for the typos: I meant to say.

Sacramento averages 4 to 5 times more rain than Vegas.

[Bonbonk5]

Originally Posted by NoStateProject

Do yourself a huge favor and avoid Sacramento.

What about the cities around Sac. are they better to move to?

[NoStateProject]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

I love Sacramento and NorCal, as do many others. Good luck in your search.

Winter here is a piece of cake - We can have days or weeks that are as warm and as sunny as Los Angeles, and we can have days or weeks that are as wet and cold as Portland, OR. In the Winter, Vegas can have much colder nights than Sac, and Sac gets near the rainfall.

Compared to Sacramento, Portland is too wet and "cold", and Las Vegas is too dry, dusty, windy, and monotonous.

Las Vegas is a desert, Sacramento is in a greener Valley with a Mediterranean Climate.

As far as SAD is concerned, Here are the Latitudes:

Indy - 39 degrees, 46 minutes; Sacto - 38 degrees, 34 minutes, Las Vegas - 36 degrees, 10 minutes

#weather

Every. Single. Post. Weather, weather, weather. Oy Vey.