hi all

my wife and i are considering a transfer/job promotion to northern california.

we would need to be located 30-40 miles outside of sacramento.

in the direction of tahoe, is what we're thinking at this point.

we are looking for [if poss]

somewhat of a low populated area.

low crime.

as far away from the 'fault' as poss. [i know stay in west virginia]

i am looking for thoughts, observations, experience, opinons, comments.

thanks a lot

peter

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*92 400e 124.034, SOLD

*92 300e 124.030, SOLD

Peter - we lived in the Hurricane, WV area prior to moving back closer to elderly parents/in-laws (GA) a few years ago. I think you are going to be in SHOCK when it comes to housing cost when moving from WV to Calif but you probably already know this. In all our moves/travels we found we got the best housing for the money in WV in addition to probably the lowest electricity rates in the country.

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Jim

I've lived the better part of 15 years in the greater Sacramento area, and currently live about 26 road miles east of the downtown area. I'm not sure what you mean by "low populated area," whether you mean suburbs (where I live) or rural (which is being pushed further east each year).

Wrt to the suburbs east of the city proper, they're mostly all pretty quiet, low crime areas. Predominantly middle class, with some upper-middle and upper class pockets in places like Folsom, Roseville, and El Dorado Hills. Some places, like Citrus Heights, may be a little sketchy. My biggest complaints are the traffic (though not quite like the Bay Area or LA yet) and the utter lack of community space and culture centers. It's basically homes and strip malls, art consists of the local movie theater and the chain bookstores.

I prefer the traffic flow along 50 (from Folsom to downtown) to the traffic along 80 (Roseville to downtown, which always seems congested, even on weekends). However, Highway 50 from Folsom through El Dorado Hills is usually pretty bad, thanks to all the Folsom commuters that hop on at the Folsom/Hazel onramps.

I'm not very familiar with the more sparsely populated areas east of the county lines, but if you don't mind driving about fifteen or twenty minutes through the backroads to reach a grocery store/post office, they might just be the ticket for you. Placerville and Auburn are becoming more heavily populated as the years go by, but (I think) they still retain that less-developed, rural atmosphere, and may be a good balance. Being up in the foothills probably helps.

Keep in mind that the pace of development has been pretty relentless the last five years, and rural now may be suburbs a decade (or less) from now.

Oh, and one more thing. I don't know if this is a consideration, but if you have your own airplane, Cameron Park is known around the region for being an integrated airstrip/neighborhood (the streets are wide enough to accomodate small GA planes, and have taxiway signs). Unfortunately, it's an expensive place to live, and homes are always in high demand.

jim/engatwork

cyberspace isn't so big, i live in hurricane.

a small quiet town.

do you know where sleepy hollow is?

i look at the #1 tee from my bedroom window.

anthonyb

thanks for your comments, i may need to e-mail you again.

i was looking at placerville and auburn. i would go crazy being so close to REAL mountains, and all the national forests so close.

i am a huge off road driving fan [grown up-treading lightly person]
also i'd like to be near tahoe.

driving 15 to 30 minutes to civilization would be no problem with me. at least until the 'burbs joined us.

how is the area of yuba city/beale afb?

thanks

peter

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*92 400e 124.034, SOLD

*92 300e 124.030, SOLD

Peter,

Unfortunately I'm even less familiar with Yuba City than I am with Placerville and Auburn, so I'm afraid I can't help you there. (I've at least been to the last two towns a couple/few times, never been to Yuba City.)

Aside from the base, I don't think there's much else up there, so it's probably still pretty undeveloped. I can't remember if Beale is still open or not, but I'm sure activity has fallen dramatically since the 80s, even with the latest build-up going on now. I'd imagine that Yuba City would've been pretty hard hit with the loss of service income, and that may factor into quality of life there.

A few commuters might have set up camp, but the developers need to get done with Loomis and Rocklin before they really start pushing up that way.

-anthony

Peter - we were in New London Commons .

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Jim

jim,

i know it well. i used to sell building products, did a fair amount of business there.

peter

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*92 400e 124.034, SOLD

*92 300e 124.030, SOLD

I have friends that live in Placerville and they love it there.You can also find out any information about any city that you desire by using the internet.Of course nothing beats feedback from real people.I was thinking of buying property in the Las Vegas area and was amazed the information I found on the internet about the particular cities/population/ethnic makeup/schools/crime etc. without ever having to leave my computer room.Hope that this helps.

Welcome(soon) to calif...
Phillip
1992 300Ce

I've lived in the area about 12 years now. I work in an industry related to the development business. Anthonyb's comments are all very true, especially the comment about the pace of development. Unfortunately, the kind of development that is taking place is pretty horrific, although not uncommon throughout the country as I've seen it.

I agree wholeheartedly about the pace of traffic along the I-80 and Highway 50 corridors. Highway 50 is much preferable to along 80 (to me anyway).

I personally would focus entirely on the areas east-northeast of Sacramento. North, towards Woodland, Yuba City/Beale is not desireable at all to me. It is culturally much quieter than Sacramento, which itself can at times be a cultural wasteland. Also, it is somewhat removed from the major arteries which lead to Tahoe-Reno (50 and 80). I live in Sacramento proper and like the fact that I can roll out of bed at 6:30 in the morning and be first in line at a ski lift within a couple of hours, home in time to go to Arco Arena for a Kings game and back at work the following day. Well, the latter isn't so much fun, since my office has a view of the Sierras on clear days and I'm reminded of what I'm not doing.

Along the 80 corridor you might consider Auburn, Penryn, Lincoln, etc. I think the suggestion of Placerville is also a good one. The reason I would target those communities is because they fit my expectations a little better than the mass-produced bedroom communities of Roseville, etc. I think Anthonyb mentioned something about strip malls and movie theatres. Very true. You've been in one Raley's supermarket, you've been in them all. You are more likely to find a one of a kind older home in Auburn or Placerville (if you like that sort of thing, which I do) in a more amorphous neighborhood.

Good luck.

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David

His:
2003 Dodge Durango SLT
2002 BMW E39 530i Sport
1988 Mercedes 300TE
Hers:
2003 Chevrolet Suburban
1999 E430