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Here's some thoughts for the OP. Hopefully they help some. I don't work in either of your career fields so am leaving that for somebody who does.
5. Nature:
Driving to the coast is definitely going to take longer than 2 hours. The main freeways run North and South. Heading West to the coast usually involves secondary roads or highways that take several hours.
Getting to the Coast:
I still can get to or out of San Francisco in 1 hour and 15 mins, the fastest I've done it was 1 hour, 5 mins. Thats Bridge to Bridge - Meaning Sacramento's Tower Bridge to San Francisco's Bay Bridge.
The Key is to hit the freeway before 9am and come back after 9pm.
For example, let say you want to spend the day in the "City"(San Francisco) on a Saturday with a little bonus you hit the town of Pacifica for some surfing. You can do breakfast in many many places along the way. We like the coffee shop cafe on 4th street in Berkeley. But, to be safe, so you don't hit heavy traffic, is to get across the Bay Bridge before you do breakfast, :-).
To get to Pacifica from SF, Do the short shot down the 280(from SF) to Highway 1 to Pacifica, spend the late morning and afternoon at the beach, surf, clean-up and drive back up into SF for dinner or whatever other fun things. Wait until after 9pm to avoid traffic and you can easily get back to downtown Sacramento in 1 hour 15 mins.
I've been doing this for years and years, I can't think once when the traffic caused me any major delays. Key is leave before 9am, don't leave SF until after 9pm to get back to SAC.
I like this approach because you are giving yourself a lot of time on the coast, a full Day Trip, weather you spend all or most of it in Pacifica, or spend much of it in SF or any other SF Peninsula locale.
You can do a similar trip but instead you stay north of SF and by way of Vallejo you head to Marin County to hit Stinson's Beach, you can go south from there to Sausalito but don't cross the Golden Gate to avoid the high fare and/or potential heavy traffic.
However, we have done the same trip, except we brought our bikes, parked the car (for free I know where) and crossed the Golden Gate by Bike and hit SF's Marina District for Dinner, then you do the brisk chilly trek back across the Golden Gate. You go back to Sac by going back up the 101 to Novato.(don't cross the Golden Gate and go through SF to get back to Sac)
1. Weather: From stalking the forums, I know that it is hot in the summer. We're prepared for this, as we are both originally from the Midwest, and know what a hot, humid summer is like. I don't think we'll have a problem with dry, hot summers, as the last couple of summers in Denver have been upper 90s most days and don't find it unbearable. But what about the winter? Is it reasonable that we could sit outside on a patio for most days of the winter months? Is there ever any frost or ice? What is a typical winter day, weather-wise? For the record, we consider a Denver winter very doable, though we would like to ditch the snow, if anyone has a comparison for Sacramento to Denver winters. Also, how many thunderstorms does the Sacramento area get? We are true Midwesterners who love a good thunderstorm. not a deal breaker though.
Sacramento: no freezing, no snow, no ice, no hail, no thunderstorms, well almost none anyway. Theoretically some of those things could happen in Sacramento, but not much chance of it. No tornados either, but that is a trade off for earthquakes. Hopefully no Denver weather fans see this, but I don't know what people see in Denver's weather, unless you just like snow and cold.
Getting to the Coast:
I still can get to or out of San Francisco in 1 hour and 15 mins, the fastest I've done it was 1 hour, 5 mins. Thats Bridge to Bridge - Meaning Sacramento's Tower Bridge to San Francisco's Bay Bridge.
The Key is to hit the freeway before 9am and come back after 9pm. - This always works on the weekend to avoid traffic.
But, Monday to Friday, you should leave AFTER 9am because by the time you get 3/4 of the way there its 10am and morning traffic is likely mitigated because it is late morning; otherwise leave at 6am which gets you into the Bay before any major traffic delays.
But, Monday to Friday, you should leave AFTER 9am because by the time you get 3/4 of the way there its 10am and morning traffic is likely mitigated because it is late morning; otherwise leave at 6am which gets you into the Bay before any major traffic delays.
Have you traveled to the bay area on a weekday recently? You'll be straight into heavy traffic as soon as you get into the bay area if you leave at 6am. Seems like the bridges are backed up most of the morning on weekdays these days.
Getting to the Coast:
I still can get to or out of San Francisco in 1 hour and 15 mins, the fastest I've done it was 1 hour, 5 mins. Thats Bridge to Bridge - Meaning Sacramento's Tower Bridge to San Francisco's Bay Bridge.
The Key is to hit the freeway before 9am and come back after 9pm. - This always works on the weekend to avoid traffic.
But, Monday to Friday, you should leave AFTER 9am because by the time you get 3/4 of the way there its 10am and morning traffic is likely mitigated because it is late morning; otherwise leave at 6am which gets you into the Bay before any major traffic delays.
For commute time, the ideal would be 30 minutes or less. We would certainly be renting, as we have little money at the moment and don’t want to get stuck in Sacramento if we decide we don’t like it. Limit is a bit nebulous right now as well. If I don’t get a professional job, we’d be looking at an apartment in the neighborhood of $1,000 a month. If I do get a professional job, we’re hoping to rent a house for around $2,000 a month (or preferably a bit less).
Neither of us ski, so skiing mountains aren’t important. Looking more for good views while hiking or backpacking.
30 minutes or less during rush hour traffic might be a little tight. If you're working graveyard, it might be doable. It's hard to point you to a particular location for living without knowing where you're both going to be working, etc. and still meet the 30 minutes or less requirement. $1,000 a month for an apartment is kind of tough. Hopefully you don't end up with that limitation.
As for hiking, there are some amazing opportunities for both hiking and biking in the area. You can hike or bike along the banks of the American river and there's a challenging 26 mile bike course between Lake Natomas and Hagen Park that my wife used to bike a lot. She said it's beautiful. If you're just hiking in the mountains, there are also lots of trails around Folsom Lake, Jenkinson Lake and many other lakes reasonably close by.
Last edited by CAHntr; 07-22-2018 at 01:36 PM..
Reason: Clarity.
Everyone thinks Santa Cruz is their only option, or even further south to Monterey/Carmel, or to the north Mendocino; but there are many many other MUCH CLOSER options than those for a coastal environment.
For the Weekend:
Leave Sac before 9am to avoid traffic for Marin County's Stinson Beach; San Mateo County's, Pacifica or Sausalito; SF's Ocean Beach and Mariana Green; the Berkeley or Emeryville Marinas, City of Alameda's waterfront; west of Santa Rosa you have the Russian River and Jenner on the Coast.....and more. Return to Sac after 9pm to avoid traffic.
I like this approach because you are giving yourself a lot of time on the coast, a full Day Trip, 12 hours at whatever destination you choose..
When we have given ourselves this hardy "coastal dose", we're good for several months. We try to do this perhaps once in the Summer, once in the Fall, once in Winter, once in the Spring. Sometimes we go on streaks and keep going back to the same spot several weekends in a row.
Other times we just skip the Coast altogether and we have our favorites in the Sierra's.Key is leave early and return late.
Other times, we focus on Sacramento, Downtown and Midtown, Roseville, Folsom, Lincoln, El Dorado Hills, Folsom Lake, and the Sacramento and American Rivers.
.....and then there is the Napa Valley, lol,...just 45 mins to 1 hour away and total wine bliss. :-)
Hello! Although I have been stalking this forum for years, I am finally posting.
My wife and I have been married for a little over a month now. We are living in the Denver area while she is pursuing her Master's degree. While we were planning our honeymoon to Santa Cruz, California, we were bemoaning the fact that we were only visiting, and not moving to California. Then suddenly it dawned on us that there's no glue on our shoes, and that we could in fact move to California if we so desired. So the plan to move to Sacramento at the end of the year was hatched, as it is reasonably close to the coast as well as the mountains (we love the mountains of CO). The cost of living is lower (albeit slightly), and we are ready to get the heck out of Denver. We don't hate Denver, but we feel it's overpriced and overhyped for what it is, and we want to experience a new place from where we spent our undergrad.
So, while we are excited to potentially leave Denver, we want to make sure we don't have rose-colored glasses about Sacramento, and that the move will be good for us, especially since the move is entirely on a whim. Thus, a few questions:
1. Weather: From stalking the forums, I know that it is hot in the summer. We're prepared for this, as we are both originally from the Midwest, and know what a hot, humid summer is like. I don't think we'll have a problem with dry, hot summers, as the last couple of summers in Denver have been upper 90s most days and don't find it unbearable. But what about the winter? Is it reasonable that we could sit outside on a patio for most days of the winter months? Is there ever any frost or ice? What is a typical winter day, weather-wise? For the record, we consider a Denver winter very doable, though we would like to ditch the snow, if anyone has a comparison for Sacramento to Denver winters. Also, how many thunderstorms does the Sacramento area get? We are true Midwesterners who love a good thunderstorm. not a deal breaker though.
2. Employment: I recently graduated with a Communication degree. My only work experience is working on my dad's farm as well as my college job, the local Chick-fil-A. Will I have much trouble finding a professional, decent-paying job (entry-level, of course)? Are there good communication jobs in the Sacramento area?
3. Sacramento State: My wife is looking into transferring to the Clinical Counseling program at Sac State. Does anyone have any knowledge of whether that's a good program?
4. Suburbs: We definitely know that we don't want to live in the city core, as we would actually prefer to live rurally, but suburbs are a good compromise for working professionals as rural locations lack in those types of jobs. From what I've seen on the forums, I feel like either Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, or Carmichael would suit us. We're not looking for a crazy nightlife or really even many things to do. We just want a decently priced, low crime, nice-ish area that has access to your typical grocery stores, movie theaters, you know, regular suburb stuff within commuting distance of Sac State. Would those suburbs fit us well, or does anyone have other suggestions?
5. Nature: We know that the mantra is "2 hours from either mountains or the coast," but how true is that really? Are there good mountains within two hours, or do you have to go further to get to the really good stuff? Also, what are the best coastal areas that could be accessed in a day trip? We love the outdoors and want to make sure that outdoors life is actually accessible.
6. Peoples' Temperament: Are people generally nice? We aren't necessarily looking for Southern hospitality, but would prefer that people don't go out of their way to be jerks like in, say, New York City. As long as people are generally pleasant we're fine with that.
We're not expecting Sacramento to be the most exciting place, and we're fine with that. When we visited the Bay Area we both agreed that we liked Sacramento way better as a place to live. We just want to make sure that we're making a good move.
That's my list. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I grew up in Sacramento and lived in Golden so I think I have a good experience of both.
1. Weather is relatively benign much like coastal CA.
Winter - You will probably find it amusing that people will wear full on jackets in 40 degree weather during the "winter". It is mostly rainy, but not particularly cold. Temperatures will rarely drop below 30. Grass will frost over in dead of winter, but snow is pretty much not a thing.
Summer - Summers are extremely hot. It is a dry heat, but so is fire. One important thing to note about summers is that there is rarely any cloud relief. Unlike CO, you will almost never get an afternoon thunderstorms. It just doesn't happen.
Fall - Fall colors actually do happen and leaves do fall. The colors are not as dramatic and appealing as they are in New England or northern Minnesota, but they do change.
2. Your employment prospects will be normal. Your career field is not especially high paying anywhere and I don't imagine it being dramatically different in Sacramento.
3. I would consult the ranking pages for Sac State. I have a cousin that went there and didn't have anything out of the ordinary to say about it. It is probably good enough, but not likely earth shattering.
4. Elk Grove is fairly spendy. Avoid South Sacramento. I grew up near 47th and it transitioned to the hood during my childhood. Apparently it is even worse now. Being in the Central Valley, one could quite easily live in the rural parts and commute into town. I recommend not off of I-80, I-5, or CA-99 as those freeways get congested fast.
5. Our family wasn't/isn't outdoorsy so we never left town much, but my memory was that we went to the mountains more than the coast. I think the routes to the mountains are simply better. That saying was probably truer 30 years ago, but with traffic, you are looking at 3 hours either way to good beaches or good mountains, unless you are privy to driving late at night or early in the morning.
Your mountain access is simply better in Denver. The only real gain you have is the ocean.
6. Sacramentans are nicer than the Bay area and LA, but less nice than the rest of the state. About the same as Denver, so as to say neither especially nice nor especially mean.
Overall: I think it is a decent move if you hate snow. Denver is ridiculous now with cost of living. Good luck!
Thank you all for your help. Unfortunately we won’t be moving as we discovered that Sac State only accepts 6 transfer credits and my wife is half done with her program already. So it’s two more years in Denver...
Most people are leaving the State of California because the traffic is horrific and cost of living very high. I have seen the traffic turn to gridlock now in the Placer County Roseville area which is just north of Sacramento. Sac. is the state capitol so as far as employment goes if you become a state employee ( you got it made) you can find lots of jobs up there.
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not a deal breaker though.
