Questions about traffic patterns, floods and air quality (Sacramento, Roseville: real estate, rentals)

[relocating mom]

My family is getting ready to relocate to the Sacto area. My husband will be traveling around the metro area, so he'll be working in different places each day.
We are trying to figure out where to live. We will be renting so real estate prices aren't a huge issue.
From reading this forum relentlessly, I THINK I have pretty much narrowed it down to Folsom or Davis. I'm a stay at home mom with kids ages 1, 3, and 5. I want to be able to walk to most things and hopefully a downtown area/farmers market, feel generally safe, and have parks nearby.
Never having been to the area, I'm wondering about traffic patterns, whether my husband might be going against traffic if we were in Davis, or if it would be better to be closer to all the burbs where he might be working a lot...(I still don't have all the info on where he will spend the most time)
I'm a little freaked out by the idea of my family being swept away by floodwaters, so obviously I'm not moving to Natomas Park, but what about Davis or Folsom in terms of flood risk?
Then there's the air quality issue, which I understand may never be completely agreed upon--is Davis going to be better than the foothills, even if only marginally so? What is it really like living out there? Air quality seems to be lacking all over the US, and I'm not sure how much worse it is there. Are my children with their developing lungs all going to become asthmatics? Are there any places I don't know about that have cleaner air but still wouldn't be unreasonably far away for him to commute from?
I really appreciate any advice you have for me. Of course I want to get out there and check things out for myself, but there are some things you can't tell at first glance, and it's helpful to get a longer-term perspective.
Thanks!

[volleyballer]

Originally Posted by relocating mom

My family is getting ready to relocate to the Sacto area. My husband will be traveling around the metro area, so he'll be working in different places each day.
We are trying to figure out where to live. We will be renting so real estate prices aren't a huge issue.
From reading this forum relentlessly, I THINK I have pretty much narrowed it down to Folsom or Davis. I'm a stay at home mom with kids ages 1, 3, and 5. I want to be able to walk to most things and hopefully a downtown area/farmers market, feel generally safe, and have parks nearby.
Never having been to the area, I'm wondering about traffic patterns, whether my husband might be going against traffic if we were in Davis, or if it would be better to be closer to all the burbs where he might be working a lot...(I still don't have all the info on where he will spend the most time)
I'm a little freaked out by the idea of my family being swept away by floodwaters, so obviously I'm not moving to Natomas Park, but what about Davis or Folsom in terms of flood risk?
Then there's the air quality issue, which I understand may never be completely agreed upon--is Davis going to be better than the foothills, even if only marginally so? What is it really like living out there? Air quality seems to be lacking all over the US, and I'm not sure how much worse it is there. Are my children with their developing lungs all going to become asthmatics? Are there any places I don't know about that have cleaner air but still wouldn't be unreasonably far away for him to commute from?
I really appreciate any advice you have for me. Of course I want to get out there and check things out for myself, but there are some things you can't tell at first glance, and it's helpful to get a longer-term perspective.
Thanks!

Well, I think you just described Davis. Davis is much more walkable, has an awesome farmers' market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, is safe, and has plenty of parks. The rent will be more in Davis I assume, and the houses much, much more than Folsom. The schools in Davis are the top of the area. As far as traffic, coming from Folsom on 50 or Greenback to Sac is a huge nightmare. CBut coming from Davis will be difficult, but probably not as bad. It depends where he's going.

I don't believe Davis has flood issues. If the Folsom Dam were ever to break, Folsom would be in trouble I guess. But Davis has much better air because the winds come from the West and push it East, and the air gets trapped at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Folsom in El Dorado County and Roseville in Placer County.

Both are really nice places. They both have a good history and are safe. Davis is smaller and close together, whereas Folsom is spread out. I'd say Davis, but you're going to pay for it. It would depend exactly where your husband has to travel.

Fair Oaks might be an idea because it's nice, beautiful, clean and green all around. It's walkable, and probably closer for your husband to commute to different places. It's in the San Juan School District which is HUGE, and there are good and not-so-good schools. But I assume most of Fair Oaks has the majority of the "good" schools.

I'm sure some others will add some more valuable info. But good luck!

[relocating mom]

Thanks for all the great info volleyballer. I will have to look into Fair Oaks as well.

[wburg]

Davis is pretty much surrounded by flood areas and weirs (parts of the valley that are supposed to flood every year)--part of why it can't grow much larger is because the surrounding area is too hard to keep above water in heavy rain years.
That being said, it generally doesn't flood there.

Fair Oaks is kinda central. Air quality is pretty much the same throughout the area--we're all in the same bowl of air.

[relocating mom]

Thank you for the input. We eventually decided Folsom. Although it doesn't have the same "walkable" feel as Davis, it is way more walkable than what we have now in suburban Des Moines, Iowa.
Folsom was a better location for my husband's work, and we also found that most rentals in Davis were extremely expensive and/or "student housing" that didn't fit our situation.
Now I just can't wait to get packed up and moved out there...

[romanceisdead]

Good choice. Schools here in Folsom are tops in the area, actually. Tons of wonderful parks. And "if" the dam ever broke, Folsom is well above it. All the water would go down and flood the river and the towns on the river.
Air is sort of bad all over, but I feel like we are a little above it here. When you look out over the valley sometimes, you see it in a layer down over Sacramento.