Is Davis worth the price? (San Francisco, Sacramento: real estate, rent, crime rate)

[elcapitan]

It seems that real estate in Davis is just as expensive as the cities that are out of the central valley, like Santa Rosa, Napa, San Luis Obispo, etc. Can anyone tell me why? It just seems very expensive for the hot weather and air quality.

I'm sure it's a nice town, but could someone tell me what the big draw is? Is it because it's somewhat upscale, safe, with good schools? Why does it cost so much more than Sacramento?

[CityGirl72]

You hit the nail on the head

Davis is quite nice. And worth it (to me)

[quasi888]

It's an academic-minded college town with all the accompanying small eateries, downtown establishments, and activities that go along with it. It's a very walkable/bikable town -- in fact, it is often referred to as the Bicycling Capital of America.

High median family income, too -- higher than other areas in the Sacramento area (even higher than perceived upscale areas like Roseville), and crime rate is low.

And yes, schools are great. My wife teaches in one of the 4 public elementary schools in Davis, and they all rate an "8" (out of 10) or higher on greatschools.net. Parental involvement is high.

All these factors, combined with the fact that there's really no room for Davis to expand, contribute to its higher real estate prices.

[MamaToThree]

Exactly what they said. I'd love to live in Davis and if you can afford it, definitely worth it.

[krudmonk]

It's nicer than most towns in the area, but if you move there, don't ever ***** about the students. I couldn't stand those people when I went to school. They move there and except peace and quiet 24/7. Enjoy the good of a college town and take the "bad" that comes with it.

[18Montclair]

I think Davis is a really nice town...love the atmosphere of its downtown area. I think its worth it.

[Evlevo]

I think everyone else as been pretty accurate so far, but I would also like to add this...

Davis seems to have much more personality than other areas.

It can be kinda difficult to tell the "good areas" of Roseville, Elk Grove, or Natomas apart, but Davis has it's own character and charm.

Folsom also has personality, and it is also more money.

[inpd]

This is my impressions after working there for 3 months.

Very bikeable. Motorist expect bikers. Bike racks every
50 yards on most streets.

Great schools. Where as Sac has pockets of good/bad
neighborhood schools, **all** of Davis is pretty safe/good and
has schools rankings 8-10. This is quite amazing when you think of it
I've never seen it anywhere else.

Very liberal (hey there are Uni professors living there!).

Having said all of that, i don't think its worth $500K to buy a
1000 sq ft home.

So why is it so expensive. I'm not quite sure. Profs don't earn that
much I've heard from several people the following scenario.
I'm not sure how accurate it is.

When Junior goes to school, Mom and Dad are up for $12,000
per year in rent for a reasonable place. Mom and Dad instead
buy a 3 bedroom house. Thus saving $12,000 and getting about $20K
per year in rent. So over the course of 3 years off campus housing they
save/gain nearly $100K. Many parents do this and it is quite smart, they
are willing to buy a $500K home because even if they sell it for $400K in
a 3 years they lost nothing. This apparently creates quite a lot of demand
on housing in Davis

[ukiyo-e]

Part of the reason Davis is expensive is that a proposition was passed a few years ago requiring a 2/3 majority of voters to approve the annexation of any land. So there is only infill housing being built, because residents don't want the town to sprawl, and the supply outstrips the demand.

I moved to Davis in 2002 right before my son started junior high, and we have loved it here. We came from San Francisco, which has poor public schools, and where most of our friends are now paying $20K a year (yes, that it not a typo) for private high school tuition. The schools here are absolutely amazing. My son plays flute and when he was in 10th grade, the high school orchestra was invited to an orchestra competition at Carnegie Hall. He got to play all the flute solos in the New World Symphony, and we have a beautiful photo of the orchestra seated on the stage hanging over our piano. Very few schools can provide that level of music education, and certainly no $20K private school in San Francisco - those schools are too small to have that many high-caliber musicians. His friends that participate in other arts rave about those programs, too, especially the theater opportunities.

The city is very safe. From the day we moved here, I had no qualms at all about my son or myself walking or biking anywhere alone. Of course, there is SOME crime - mostly car break-ins, but personal crime is very rare. I think nothing of walking 5 blocks to the grocery store by myself in the dark when I need to pick up a couple items.

The city has beautiful parks, several public swimming pools which are very inexpensive, and lots of activities for kids. And miles and miles of dedicated bike paths so you aren't biking in traffic all the time. The Farmers Market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays and all the produce is locally grown and delicious.

I lived in Sacramento when I first moved to CA in 1985 but there is no way I could move back after living in Davis. The things that I don't like about Davis - the air quality, mostly - are basically the same in Sacramento, and it only takes 15 minutes to drive there if you want to do something downtown.

[davisperson]

This is our second time buying and living in Davis and both times were job related otherwise we would have lived elsewhere. We have lived here a tad over 9 years. It is expensive to live here as the City raises water, sewer rates almost yearly. The residents always vote for increased "fees" included in your property taxes for park maintenance or other things. Traffic is congested as the streets are old, narrow and downtown has a stop sign almost on every block. It has easy access to freeways so you can get out of town easily. There are no major department stores in town, like a Macys or a major market like a Raleys. Real shopping has to be done out of town either in Sacramento or Vacaville area. Davis has crime and you can see the crime statistics on the City of Davis website, crime mapping feature. It is a college town and everything seems to be for the students. Davis is protective of trees, almost like a cult, and a tree has more rights than property owners. Homes are expensive because the town restricts building of new tract homes. If you don't have to live here, we say don't. We spend all our household income outside of Davis except for marketing and fuel for cars. Davis really doesn't live up to its reputation except that of being the "Republic of Davis". When people we know ask us about moving here, we reply "Run! It's a trap!" with humor, of course, but truth to it.