Seattle to Sacramento... (Napa, Nice: landscaping, theater, gated)

[soldierhobo]

Just got a very reasonable job offer in Sacramento. I am of course, considering it. I left Portland for Seattle three years ago and despite being set up in Seattle, I’m just not feeling the city.

Seattle itself is gorgeous. The people are passive aggressive, rude, and all that cold stereotype. Not exactly east coaster rude, but rude in a different way. (Scaramucci “were I come from people stab you in the front”, I assume he was talking about Seattle passive aggressiveness)

I loathe trying to get food after 8 pm in Seattle, housing is ludicrous, and it just isn’t worth it.

So, it’s time to move! Is Sacramento going to be that sweet spot between Portland and Seattle? Is it just another trap? What is the low down on Sacramento or the adjoining area. (I have a very wide area I can commute from, and Seattle traffic has accustomed me to 3-4 hours of driving a day)?

Anyone care to share an opinion with me?

[LakersWon310]

Sacramento is hands down the West Coast's Washington DC. Again, East Coast is where it's at. West Coast's best days are officially over.

[soldierhobo]

Strange choice, I have family in DC and I found it really cold and empty. Nice place to visit, but not fun to live in (I never left city proper or subway lines). Traffic was amazing though, that belt line is a beast at rush hour.

[MrJester]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

Sacramento is hands down the West Coast's Washington DC. Again, East Coast is where it's at. West Coast's best days are officially over.

I'm not getting the comparison between DC and Sacramento. DC is a far bigger, more lively, and exciting metro area than Sacramento is.

But if you mean that both are dominated by incompetent government bureaucracy where everything moves at a snails pace...You are 1000% correct.

[JohnS_15]

What is the sweet spot you are looking for between Portland and Seattle?

Sacramento itself is not much of a city compared with Seattle. It's closer to Portland in size and geography. Sacramento is a river city also although without as of yet the kind of development along the river front that has made Portland so desirable. While the Sierra Nevada are close and the SF bay is close Sacramento itself is a big very flat valley. It's much hotter for 6 months of the year than the PNW and has drier warmer climate overall.

If you are a weekend warrior type that likes to get out and about regularly for skiing in the winter, hiking camping fishing etc with occasional trip into SF or down to LA for some real city activities then Sac is a great place. It has plenty of great breweries and some decent food options - but unsure outside of maybe a couple streets in midtown if you'll find the bustle you might be looking for going out to eat at late hours and that kind of thing.

Housing cheaper than Seattle and not bad for CA but still not exactly a bargain. Interesting changes in Sac over the last decade and more to come I imagine.

[MrJester]

Originally Posted by JohnS_15

What is the sweet spot you are looking for between Portland and Seattle?

Sacramento itself is not much of a city compared with Seattle. It's closer to Portland in size and geography. Sacramento is a river city also although without as of yet the kind of development along the river front that has made Portland so desirable. While the Sierra Nevada are close and the SF bay is close Sacramento itself is a big very flat valley. It's much hotter for 6 months of the year than the PNW and has drier warmer climate overall.

If you are a weekend warrior type that likes to get out and about regularly for skiing in the winter, hiking camping fishing etc with occasional trip into SF or down to LA for some real city activities then Sac is a great place. It has plenty of great breweries and some decent food options - but unsure outside of maybe a couple streets in midtown if you'll find the bustle you might be looking for going out to eat at late hours and that kind of thing.

Right. As you said above, if the OP is looking for the lively kind of urban vibe that Portland offers, Sacramento will disappoint, as it's very underwhelming for a city of its size. Unlike Portland, which has some nice hills and forests within city limits, Sacramento is flat and has nothing but irrigated, manicured landscaping within city limits. Where Sacramento shines is not what's there to do in Sacramento itself but in the fact that it's only 1.5 to two hours away from SF, Tahoe, and Napa.

But I kind of get the OPs idea of him wanting something not as fast paced and corporate as Seattle, slower paced like Oregon but with warmer weather. In that case, yes, Sacramento is very slow paced (it's mostly a government town, and you know, the government is slow), and it does try to have that low key vibe like Portland instead of that corporate hustle that Seattle has.

[Chimérique]

Hey, OP, I think what you will like most about Sacramento is the people. Much more friendly than the SF Bay Area, not nearly as passive-aggressive as the PNW, and better quality of life than SoCal. Sacramento is still old-fashion Californian, live and let live. Also, I don't think there really is any city/metro quite like Sacramento. As far as vibrancy we are a tier below Portland, Denver, Austin. But not far behind if some of the right projects keep moving forward.

Sacramento definitely has its charms and there are plenty of bigger city options right in town. There is a fantastic big-city art museum, great live theater venues, and major league NBA Basketball (Sacramento Kings), a great AAA baseball statium/ballpark (Sacramento RiverCats), and major league soccer (The Sacramento Republic).

Sacramento has wonderful parks and two rivers for water recreation. The larger NorCal immediate area offers a lot with the Sierras(large mountains) just 45 minutes to 1 hour away, and the coast, (beaches, bays, coastal mountains) 1-2 hours away.

2020 was supposed to be a big year for Sacramento in terms of building up the central core (more high density housing, more entertainment venues) but some of those projects have been put on hold until things get back to normal.

[shelato]

Originally Posted by soldierhobo

Just got a very reasonable job offer in Sacramento. I am of course, considering it. I left Portland for Seattle three years ago and despite being set up in Seattle, I’m just not feeling the city.

Seattle itself is gorgeous. The people are passive aggressive, rude, and all that cold stereotype. Not exactly east coaster rude, but rude in a different way. (Scaramucci “were I come from people stab you in the front”, I assume he was talking about Seattle passive aggressiveness)

I loathe trying to get food after 8 pm in Seattle, housing is ludicrous, and it just isn’t worth it.

So, it’s time to move! Is Sacramento going to be that sweet spot between Portland and Seattle? Is it just another trap? What is the low down on Sacramento or the adjoining area. (I have a very wide area I can commute from, and Seattle traffic has accustomed me to 3-4 hours of driving a day)?

Anyone care to share an opinion with me?

I have some relatives in Juneau. During the wintertime, they all get seasonal affective disorder from the lack of sunlight.

Seattle isn't as far north as Juneau, but but its a lot further north than Sacramento. I always kind of suspected he issue with the people in Seattle is lots of people dealing with untreated seasonal affective disorder and that makes them grumpy and rude.

In general everyone I know who left Seattle for Sacramento has been quite pleased with the decision. Sacramento has its share of problems but its not Seattle. I just think regular sunlight and a climate more conducive to exercise year round makes Sacramento a better choice than Seattle. Seattle is a pretty place to visit but its not some place i would want to live permanently.

[NorCalMan]

Hey OP, if you at all sympathized with the CHOP/CHAZ movement in Seattle and the 100 days of destruction in Portland, you might find Sacramento too conservative for your tastes. If you think 7 months of 85 degrees, with some 115's thrown in, sounds like hell on earth, you wouldn't be wrong, then Sacramento might not be for you. If you like clean air Sacramento isn't for you... most of the time.
If you like to ski, hike, go to the beach, then Sacramento is close to those things.
If you think Washingtonian's are the worst drivers this side of the Mississippi (as I do), then you might find Sacramento drivers decent by comparison. Seriously, just cuz I-5 says 60mph doesn't mean you get to hang out in the fast lane doing 60mph!
If you think Tacoma is a garbage heap inside of a dumpster fire then you and I should have a beer.

[hd4me]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

Hey, OP, I think what you will like most about Sacramento is the people. Much more friendly than the SF Bay Area, not nearly as passive-aggressive as the PNW, and better quality of life than SoCal. Sacramento is still old-fashion Californian, live and let live. Also, I don't think there really is any city/metro quite like Sacramento. As far as vibrancy we are a tier below Portland, Denver, Austin. But not far behind if some of the right projects keep moving forward.

Sacramento definitely has its charms and there are plenty of bigger city options right in town. There is a fantastic big-city art museum, great live theater venues, and major league NBA Basketball (Sacramento Kings), a great AAA baseball statium/ballpark (Sacramento RiverCats), and major league soccer (The Sacramento Republic).

Sacramento has wonderful parks and two rivers for water recreation. The larger NorCal immediate area offers a lot with the Sierras(large mountains) just 45 minutes to 1 hour away, and the coast, (beaches, bays, coastal mountains) 1-2 hours away.

2020 was supposed to be a big year for Sacramento in terms of building up the central core (more high density housing, more entertainment venues) but some of those projects have been put on hold until things get back to normal.

hahaha...lived in SF. Yes Sactown folks are friendlier for sure but I honestly think drivers are worse here. I love the tree canopy of downtown and midtown as well as the good places to eat and drink. It doesn't have the stunning views of SF or Seattle but it has its own charm. It does grow on you. Travel to Tahoe from SF used to be an excruciating trip of about 4 hours. But now its a quick hop on 50 or 80 and you can easily make a day trip out of it.