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You will love either city based on your wish list. Truckee is a little more divided class wise- it is for the ultra wealthy, vacation homes, and adventure junkies. Touristy, so lots of festivals nearby etc. Isolated on account of weather. Lake tahoe is amazing. Ratio of men to women is astounding. Truckee is very cold but if you are up for that you will love it. Placerville fits your description equally as well. Less touristy except for Coloma. Brew pubs, co ops, festivals, yes. American river runs through placerville if you miss the kaweah (sp). You are lucky to be able to live in such beautiful areas! I would be quite happy in either place... Trucker is more exotic, but the foothill weather is lovely so it would come down to the weather factor IMO
I have lived in all of these areas. Auburn is far and away your best bet. Great parks, close to the mountains, not on I50 (traffic on 50 gets really really bad).
Someone really needs to accurately gauge the difference between 50 and 80 traffic wise. It is very subjective. And where do we begin and end on 80 and 50? I just don't see this stark difference. More lanes on 80, and it is an interstate, and I sort of like traveling it better, but it kind of seems neither here nor there when I compare it to 50. Are you driving past douglas? Marconi curve? What if you're on 50, are you going as far as 65th or are you getting off on folsom blvd? Is is a Sunday evening? Monday morning commute? What about 49? Time that drive through the town of Auburn. Placerville has some stoplights in town, but the city limits are vast, so are you even going driving through them? Are you on the Newcastle side of Auburn and right off the freeway (convenient!) If you don't mind the cold it seems that Truckee, which is a vacation destination might not be beat "hands down" by Auburn! Maybe if your criteria is climate and convenience. Watch out for one sided blanket statements from homeowners!
I am trying to decide between taking (the same job) working for the Forest Service in either Placerville or Truckee. I am a 27 yr old outdoorsy female that loves mountain biking and lakes. But also looking for a tight knit community of young people with brew pubs, a diversity of hang outs, pick-up frisbee games and the like. I have lived in little dream towns such as Durango, CO - Flagstaff,AZ -Three Rivers, CA - Quincy,CA -Ithaca, NY. So I like those types of places with co-ops and farmers markets. Festivals are desired. And proximity to places with more diversity than more "white bread" rural areas as I am originally from NY and like a myriad of cultures. Does anyone have any suggestions between Placerville and Truckee? Thanks.
I can't speak to Truckee...Placerville, during the summer, we have a LOT of young 20-30ish people working in the Coloma area as river rafting guides. The Coloma Club is the "hotspot" for them during the summer, and many go to Marco's or Gringo's or Sierra Nevada House for some outdoor live music. There are a couple of music festivals, and a kayaking festival in the Lotus/Coloma area. There's Placerville Brewing Company in town as well. During the winter, many raft guides leave town for the southern hemisphere to further raft guide, although many work in the ski resorts such as Sierra-at-Tahoe up Highway 50 from Placerville.
It is small town. I wouldn't say a diversity of hang-outs, and haven't heard of any pick-up frisbee games. Placerville does have a co-op and a farmer's market May-October. Not much diversity in town, although the raft guides are from all over the world, and I have friends and acquaintences from New Zealand, Chile, Columbia, Canada, as well as US friends that travel all over the world. Most of the raft guides have college degrees or are working on them - quite an educated bunch, actually.
Lots of places to hike, and to do water sports. People do bicycle in the area, but I don't consider it safe on our roads. There are mtn biking trails on forest roads and blm lands, though.
I imagine Truckee has a young winter population with the influx of young people that work at the ski resorts in the winter. Summer has an incredible amount of nature sports.
Thinking of moving my modern family to Placerville
Hi All, I have been looking throught this forum to find out as much as I can about Placerville and the surrounding area. We currently live in a suburb of L.A. but we are looking to relocate to get away from the gross traffic, the congestion of people in general, and the high cost of living here. I noticed people mentioning Placerville quite a bit because of the quaitness of the town, the natural beauty and affordability and it's close enough to a mojor city. We plan on visiting in the next few weeks to check it out.
Looking for a small town feel but not too small. We'd like to get to know our neighbors and feel a part of the community and neighborhood. We would also like access to the city and major stores like Trader Joes, Whole foods, maybe Costco... If not Placerville, what other cities in El dorado have a nice downtown area with community events and an area to walk around to restaurants and shops?
We are super liberal, married professionals who also happen to be Lesbians with young children. Are we a good fit for Placerville?
What about jobs? How's the economy there or in the surrounding area?
Placerville sees like a hidden gem, almost too good to be true! Please share your thoughts with me.
Hi All, I have been looking throught this forum to find out as much as I can about Placerville and the surrounding area. We currently live in a suburb of L.A. but we are looking to relocate to get away from the gross traffic, the congestion of people in general, and the high cost of living here. I noticed people mentioning Placerville quite a bit because of the quaitness of the town, the natural beauty and affordability and it's close enough to a mojor city. We plan on visiting in the next few weeks to check it out.
Looking for a small town feel but not too small. We'd like to get to know our neighbors and feel a part of the community and neighborhood. We would also like access to the city and major stores like Trader Joes, Whole foods, maybe Costco... If not Placerville, what other cities in El dorado have a nice downtown area with community events and an area to walk around to restaurants and shops?
We are super liberal, married professionals who also happen to be Lesbians with young children. Are we a good fit for Placerville?
What about jobs? How's the economy there or in the surrounding area?
Placerville sees like a hidden gem, almost too good to be true! Please share your thoughts with me.
Delilah
I know it can be hard to find past threads...but I do remember when I was researching the same area, that there are threads discussing it. Placerville is not liberal and does not come to mind re: your list of criteria. Nevada City or Grass Valley are more of a match for you[but they are not commutable to SAC if that is a factor. And that is where the jobs would be-SAC and the immediate suburbs-but it will depend on what your fields are. If it's healthcare or education, etc, there may be local work...]. Though, NC and Grass Valley also sound quite contentious when you read the threads here on the forum-but they ARE super liberal.
.
Auburn is hit or miss, according to what I read and researched. [Though, I still think it is a cool little town and worth looking into!] And apparently, the air quality/smog for the lower foothills [including Auburn and Placerville] is very poor, esp. in the warm weather-due to SAC's poor air quality issues. I got some first hand info from someone who had moved with kids to NC/Grass Valley from the coastal bay area for similar reasons as you, and even in Grass Valley it was a bit tough as far as the culture. [I'm not trying to bash the area, just that if you are used to very liberal, kind of a-religious and urban culture, the area can be tough with a lot of christian influence outwardly, in the rural areas anywhere outside of GV/NC proper, and also within town a bit.[again, for anyone reading: I am not against people being outwardly christian; I am expressing a cultural difference and lifestyle change that can be hard for people coming from a place that is not like this].
See if you can find past threads here-Placerville sounded pretty conservative and not quite as many amenities as you might want. Also, the general consensus is that the main street/downtown area being right on the main thoroughfare [the 49/50] puts a damper on the quaint aspect. A lot of weekend and high season tourist traffic constantly through the middle of town, if I recall correctly.
Check out Fair Oaks in SAC. Might be a neighborhood of interest. I'm sure regular posters on this board will provide more detailed info. I'm sharing what I learned from my previous research and talking with others from the area on this forum via PM.
Hope you find more info and get a chance to visit, to get a feel for it.
Also, you could look into Chico, further north, to fit the bill!
These are my gatherings from all of the threads and communication. Perhaps the area has changed in the last couple of years, though...best of luck in your search.
Hi All, I have been looking throught this forum to find out as much as I can about Placerville and the surrounding area. We currently live in a suburb of L.A. but we are looking to relocate to get away from the gross traffic, the congestion of people in general, and the high cost of living here. I noticed people mentioning Placerville quite a bit because of the quaitness of the town, the natural beauty and affordability and it's close enough to a mojor city. We plan on visiting in the next few weeks to check it out.
Looking for a small town feel but not too small. We'd like to get to know our neighbors and feel a part of the community and neighborhood. We would also like access to the city and major stores like Trader Joes, Whole foods, maybe Costco... If not Placerville, what other cities in El dorado have a nice downtown area with community events and an area to walk around to restaurants and shops?
We are super liberal, married professionals who also happen to be Lesbians with young children. Are we a good fit for Placerville?
What about jobs? How's the economy there or in the surrounding area?
Placerville sees like a hidden gem, almost too good to be true! Please share your thoughts with me.
Delilah
Placerville is the biggest city in El Dorado County. Highway 50 does not run down Placerville's main street, but it is nearby. Agreed that if you are super liberal, you probably won't agree with most of your new Placerville neighbors about politics or your lifestyle. Folsom or Fair Oaks in Sacramento County might be more your style--heck, Sacramento might be more your style. If you live and work downtown or nearby, dealing with highways isn't an issue, and even downtown Sacramento is not particularly dense or crowded with people.
Do you know where you will be working? In Sacramento or in one of the surrounding areas?
Placerville might be too conservative for you. not that you wouldnt find your tribe, because you could, but that area boasts conservative politics loud and proud. Try Nevada city or grass valley.
Thanks so much for your responses everyone, in particular Irmsd :-) Honestly, I don't really have a problem with conservatives I think it's great for us to intermingle and understand eachother. My policy is more about tolerance and kindness despite opposing views. I just worry about my kids having a hard time time in school because they have 2 moms. My feeling is that the country is changing as a whole- mostly for the better. I can't remember the last time I got a nasty look for holding my wife's hand anywhere.
I will still check placerville out if nothing else, to satisfy my curiosity but I may spend some time in Folsom too. I am trying to keep my Prop 13/prop 60 tax protection so my options are limited as far as counties go. El Dorado seems to be the most affordable.
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Auburn!!
Thinking of moving my modern family to Placerville
