Retirement in Rio Vista south of Sacramento? (San Jose, San Francisco: for sale, real estate)

[PeaceOwl]

Hello, anyone here living in the Rio Vista retirement Shea community? It's so reasonable compared to other homes, and I do know it's hot there, so that may be the reason for affordable sr. living. Does anyone have any experience with the community or area? We have been searching the surrounding counties from the coast down to San Jose, basically the whole area between San Francisco to Sacramento, and going crazy trying to find an area that's acceptable and safe for under $500,000. Beginning to wish we didn't have our so. Cal. Home up for sale....

Thanx for any input.

[2sleepy]

I'm familiar with Rio Vista, it's very small and there is virtually no shopping and nothing to do unless you like to fish. It's not somewhere I would want to live. Hwy 12 between Rio Vista and Suisun is treacherous, there are a lot of serious accidents there and you are stuck driving on that road to get to shopping and doctors unless you go across the Antioch Bridge and shop in Contra Costa County. You can get a nice house in the Sacramento area, or if you don't like Sac, maybe El Dorado Hills, Rocklin or Roseville. I would suggest Vacaville but it's very hot in the summer and doesn't cool off at night like Sacramento or Fairfield/Suisun do, and the crime rate has gone up considerably from what it was a few years ago.
Some other ideas:
Fairfield /Green Valley on the west side of the freeway
Cordelia (it's technically Fairfield, its off Gold Hill Road south side of 680 between Benicia and Fairfield)
Martinez
Benicia
Pinole /El Sobrante
Brentwood / Oakley
Winters
Hiddenbroke Outside of Vallejo
Glencove between Vallejo and Benicia
Crockett

[NinaN]

Rocklin, Roseville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills have senior communities in your price range. Del Web in Rocklin and Roseville and Four Seasons in EDH have large, active clubhouses and communities.

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by PeaceOwl

Hello, anyone here living in the Rio Vista retirement Shea community? It's so reasonable compared to other homes, and I do know it's hot there, so that may be the reason for affordable sr. living. Does anyone have any experience with the community or area? We have been searching the surrounding counties from the coast down to San Jose, basically the whole area between San Francisco to Sacramento, and going crazy trying to find an area that's acceptable and safe for under $500,000. Beginning to wish we didn't have our so. Cal. Home up for sale....

Thanx for any input.

Rio Vista is a peaceful town small enough that you can really know your neighbors. At one time it looked like it would become a bedroom community for Antioch, but Antioch itself is a bedroom community for the East Bay, and the Antioch - Rio Vista Bridge proved to be a bridge too far.


Road access, via either Route 12 east-west or Route 160 northeast-southwest, is only two lanes and *not* rapid, but that is part of what gives the place its charm and its cheapness, and makes it not just another "bedroom community".


It is a town large enough to have a supermarket, but small enough that said supermarket is an I.G.A. All the basic shops do exist and some are charming, but there are no "big box" type stores and certainly no shopping mall; you would have to go west to Fairfield, east to Stockton, or Southwest to Antioch for those. The town is small enough that it still has an *independent* video rental store, let alone a video rental store since most of those are closing elsewhere. The local cable and internet provider leaves something to be desired according to town residents, so if that is a must for you, you might be annoyed frequently. The town has local doctors, but not sophisticated hospitals if that is a must.


Del Webb had a building boom in "active senior citizen communities" a decade ago, but that has halted, and there are several city tracts of curbed streets with underground utilities set up but otherwise nothing on them. The real estate bubble there burst and has yet to reflate, if ever. The Active Senior Citizen communities built there are on the northwestern fringe of the town rather than the "center" of it by the river.


If power windmills fascinate you, you will see many on the bluffs overlooking the Sacramento River Delta and Honker Bay.

[PeaceOwl]

Thanks so much for the first hand info. Our daughter and grandaughter live in San francisco and we are moving to the area, but then the prices skyrocketed and it shoves us further from SF. A lot of area to investigate before buying. We have looked between Placerville, Auburn and Folsom. I kind of liked it around there, but boy, the thought of having to drive through both Sac and SF traffic plus bridges is a turn off.

Thanks again, we will cover towns up to 2 hours away before deciding, but we aren't used to such hot summers coming from Orange County. I like cool, but the beach areas are not affordable. And we look forward to less traffic....uggh
We will look south of SF. Much less traffic.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by PeaceOwl

Thanks so much for the first hand info. Our daughter and grandaughter live in San francisco and we are moving to the area, but then the prices skyrocketed and it shoves us further from SF. A lot of area to investigate before buying. We have looked between Placerville, Auburn and Folsom. I kind of liked it around there, but boy, the thought of having to drive through both Sac and SF traffic plus bridges is a turn off.

Thanks again, we will cover towns up to 2 hours away before deciding, but we aren't used to such hot summers coming from Orange County. I like cool, but the beach areas are not affordable. And we look forward to less traffic....uggh
We will look south of SF. Much less traffic.

Unless you go toward Salinas or Gilroy I don't think you will find much South of San Fransciso, I don't know the prices in Hayward, you might try there. But I don't think traffic is any better in the South Bay than in the East Bay.

Benicia (you can drive to North Concord and take BART from there to SF, or drive to Vallejo & take the ferry. Benicia is very safe, the weather is perfect (not too hot or too cold) and it's still relatively affordable.
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Benicia/58...0/home/2364506

https://www.redfin.com/city/1415/CA/...t=sanfrancisco

https://www.redfin.com/city/1415/CA/...t=sanfrancisco

Glen Cove Great weather, Vallejo City limits but close to Benicia, and you can take the Ferry in Vallejo to SF. Great area, very safe.
https://www.redfin.com/city/20371/CA...t=sanfrancisco

Crockett Great weather, very small town this house has bay views
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Crockett/2...5/home/1040181

Pinole Great area, safe and close to the bay area
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Pinole/280...4/home/1108598

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by NinaN

Rocklin, Roseville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills have senior communities in your price range. Del Web in Rocklin and Roseville and Four Seasons in EDH have large, active clubhouses and communities.

The ammenities in Folsom & EDH are nothing compared to the other places like out in Lincoln. People rave about the Lincoln community. People who live in Folsom/EDH are retiring to Lincoln because it's so awesome. I hear nothing about the other places. I know EDH is is building a new 55+ community out by my gym (business park 3). They are still building roads and are working on the community center.

[PeaceOwl]

2sleepy, thanx for your research and small town suggestions. We liked Benicia, and just by chance came across Hiddenbrooke, really could like living there. We will add Glen Groce, Crockett and Pinole next trip up. Thnx for the help!

Caligirlz thanks also, we have not gotten to Lincoln yet, will add it too.

I have to ask.... Which area east of Sacramento is the coolest? Or are they all hot for months?
Luckily we have an RV so we can leave for most of the summer. We will check out the coastal areas too.

NickB1967, thanx for the points about Rio vista. Very interesting and I don't think I'd want to be that isolated, but will check it out again.
Much appreciated everyone.
Linda

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by PeaceOwl

2sleepy, thanx for your research and small town suggestions. We liked Benicia, and just by chance came across Hiddenbrooke, really could like living there. We will add Glen Groce, Crockett and Pinole next trip up. Thnx for the help!
Caligirlz thanks also, we have not gotten to Lincoln yet, will add it too.
I have to ask.... Which area east of Sacramento is the coolest? Or are they all hot for months?
Luckily we have an RV so we can leave for most of the summer. We will check out the coastal areas too.
NickB1967, thanx for the points about Rio vista. Very interesting and I don't think I'd want to be that isolated, but will check it out again.
Much appreciated everyone.
Linda

Placerville is east of Sacramento, north east are Colfax and Auburn -they are all cooler because they are at a higher elevation. But they would put you further from San Francisco than you wanted. As far as Lincoln, make sure you inquire about tax assessments and mello roos, we looked there and were shocked by all the fees on most of the newer homes.

[caligirlz]

Which area east of Sacramento is the coolest? Or are they all hot for months?

I'd suggest looking up 80 too, beyond Auburn like Colfax/Forest Hill or higher. On 50, you'll need to go to at least Pollack Pines. Placerville is not as warm as the valley, but the foothill towns do get warm.

As for hot all months, no, not even the Sacramento valley is over 100 every single day.

There are areas in Lincoln that do not have HOA or mello roos, but Sun City Lincoln does. However, that has not stopped anyone I know from moving there. It's a highly desired 55+ community.
https://www.suncity-lincolnhills.org/