hey all,

what do you love about sacramento? what's the weather like? what are some "nicer" places to live (school districts, property, etc..) yet staying affordable..

i've been offered a position out in sacramento, but im i'm not exactly sure i want to move out there. i've never been to sacramento, and i've only been to sf once, and that was waaaay back in the spring of 89'.

my significant other is an elementary teacher out here in ny, and is very happy where she is now. i just can't force her to quit the job that shes worked so hard to get without doing some research on the education out in sac.

i've been a new yawker for the past 20+ years (im 29, btw), with many of those years living in manhattan. i've recently moved out to the suburbs (if you can call northern jersey the burbs), but i need to be near the city at all times. how far of a drive is it to frisco?

i may be going off on a tangent here, but are there any decent korean restaraunts out there? i may have been born here in the states, but i was raised korean, and i cant live without (good) korean food. sure my gf can cook it, but like i said, i need good korean food

hows the weather out there now? i've decided to take a week off of work after xmas and im we're considering heading on out to go check it out.. can you guys recommend somewhere to stay, and what to do?

thank you all in advance for your help, i really appreciate it.

-brian

 

I live in Fresno and would move to Sac if I could!!! No snow unless you want some (drive to it), drivable distance from the ocean, nice people, In-N-Out's, some professional sports, nice people, gambling (Reno) is only 2 hours away, and did I mention nice people? Only two down sides that I know of: 1. No pro hockey (San Jose is the closest) and 2. It's not Maui. It really is a nice place. I would give serious thought to moving if I were you.

 

Sacramento has one of the highest percentage asian populations in the entire country, we have plenty of Korean Restaurants. Also it is about 1 and 1/2 hour drive to the bay area, and 2 hours to Tahoe, and Reno. The weather is why this is the 6th most expensive city to live in the united states. In the summer we will average about 100 for a high, and in the winter we will average high 50's low 60's for a high. It never snows. The only downside of Sacramento, is the fact that we have a limited night life in perspective to NYC.

Ron and Shivana Smith

 

Hey Bro!

My reply to add to my esteemed Sacramentens responses....
what do you love about sacramento?
Weather (Hot, not too cold, still have some semblance of seasons)
Location (Close to SF, Tahoe, Reno, Outdoor Activities, diverse population, laid back Norcalifornians, Mountains nearby, lakes nearby, beaches nearby, good food etc.)




what's the weather like? Covered well by Ron Smith. Also, because of a good (relatively) warm winter, plenty of rain (which means snow in the Sierra!) so pretty nice foliage for the drier climate (not a dessert)


what are some "nicer" places to live (school districts, property, etc..) yet staying affordable..

Depends on what you call affordable. This place is growing like madness, but housing is affordable (expensive, but nothing compared to the Bay Area). For example you can get a brand new 2500 +/- 300 square foot home for 300k in Natomas area, or Elk Grove...if you like old houses with character the same price will get you 1100-1700 square feet in the heart of Sacramento.

I live in Natomas and they have a brand new elementary school 1 mile from my home that is very highly rated.


how far of a drive is it to frisco? The average frisco drive is 1.5 hours on the freeway.

i may be going off on a tangent here, but are there any decent korean restaraunts out there? Plenty of good food of all types here, and more in Frisco.

hows the weather out there now? i've decided to take a week off of work after xmas and im we're considering heading on out to go check it out.. can you guys recommend somewhere to stay, and what to do? It's cool for us, which means 45 for the low and 65 high. Stay wherever, rent a 4wd if you can. In January it's a must to go see tahoe and the Sierra. You can of course hit SF.

Anymore ? Please feel free to PM me......

 

It's the closest thing to living in KY that I've seen in CA, albeit with the lack of seasonal change. The people are exceptionally hospitable, it still feels like a small town (though it's not), it's very clean, and in a couple of hours, you can be at the beach or on snow-capped mountains. It's the central valley, so the weather is more temperate (in my opinion) than the coastal cities, but you're still in CA, so it's not like you're going to see snow without driving to it.

From what I saw (spent quite a bit of time checking it out for a possible relo), the south & southeast parts of town were the nicest, but if you go away from town a bit, you can find some fabulous horse farms and rural areas (another element that reminded me of KY).

As far as teaching positions are concerned, if your significant other is bi-lingual or special-ed certified, they'll have a job in no time. If not, you may find a waiting list. (Those things are generally true in many states.)

While this may sound offensive to people from other parts of CA (I don't mean for it to, as I love San Diego, Long Beach, Santa Cruz/Capitola, and Silicon Valley), Sacramento felt less like CA than any other part of the state that I've seen. If I were going to live in that state (and I almost did), it's is the only place I'd consider.

Tim

 

thank you all for your responses.. from what you guys have told me this place sounds perfect!

i love to snowboard.

i love to surf, im pretty sure it'd probably be a little cold to test the waters near sf, so i'd probably take the "short" 4.5-6 hour drive to southern california and mexico.. that's compared with the 3 day drive it'd take me to get there from here!

julie is indeed certified to teach special education.

$300k for a 2500sq/ft home? thats very reasonable. the same thing would go for about double here. sounds like a nice place to start a family.

6th most expensive city to live in? must mean that the school districts probably are well funded, and are filled with joyful well loved children.

friendly people? hmm.. i may have a problem with that. i dont think i've ever met a friendly person before in this city okay okay, there's a handful of friendly people out here.. im just not sure where theyre hiding!

no pro hockey? oh no! that's okay, it's not like being a ranger fan has any perks anymore these days anyways.. im a basketball fan. knicks tried and true. my earliest memories (damn these drugs!!) are of my father and i at madison square garden kickin back brews and cursing at the refs. but in the past few years the kings have perked my fancy.

reno.. mmm... reno... mammoth.. mmm mammoth.. donuts.. mmm..

okay, now that ya'll have fed me full with all the good shit, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH SACRAMENTO?? give it to me, dont sugar coat it.. whats wrong with it? there has to be. bad areas? ghettos? where oh where would i be able to score some good smoke? riduculously immature suburban gangwars? rednecks? the KKK? old people (florida joke)? miscellaneous stray cattle roaming the streets?

oohh.. and before i forget, how large is "downtown"? does it have a large financial district? i've heard that it's a large mutual fund servicing kinda town, finance-wise. and that there's also a lot of tech jobs there too.. well, not at the present, but you know what i mean. if i do take this job, and i dont like it, i dont want this company to be the only bank in town that'd employ me..


once again, thank you..

 

Well what's wrong with SAC?

Ok it does get hot in the summer. (but it's a dry heat)
** Buy a house with a pool

The downtown area is not the center of activity as it is in NYC. Sacramento is very spread out and each area has it's own shopping malls and restaurants. You don't really get that downtown atmosphere that you get in the eastern cities.
The lack of nightlife will be a big culture shock compared to NYC.

Depending on where you live the commute can be up to 45 minutes or more.

Because this is California people out here are very PC (politically correct). That can be a bad thing when taken to the extreme.
** Watch what you say in the workplace and if your a smoker prepare for the smoke nazi's!! LOL!

Serious lack of seasons. No fall or spring to speak of.
** take the short drive up Hwy 50 or better yet move to Placerville and commute!!

All of these grips are really not that big of a deal. I think the fantastic overall weather overrides the lack of seasons. I'm looking out my window right now at beautiful sunshine and I drive my S2k at lunch almost every day and on the way home with the top down. Haven't even had to put on a coat. So far I think it's only rained 2-3 days and the low has not yet hit below 35. I personally would highly recommend the Elk Grove area due to the growing school district. Tons of jobs and upscale neighborhoods = good working environment for the wife. Sac has many different areas each with it's own feel and advantages. Hope this helps a bit. Good luck to you and yours!

 

Bad things......Piss poor air quality. We get alot of stuff that settles in this valley and stays. It's a small city, nothing like SF. Not many high rises etc. No great districts like Chinatown, Little Italy, Garment district, Finantial distritcs. Like the Kentucky member said, it doesn't feel like the stereotypical California from TV and film. I, like him, like that. It is also very flat here. You can go 30-45 minutes east or west to get mountains, but this valley is flat, flat and more flat. Yes there are ghettos, but I haven't seen them except on news reports. There are alot of "ghetto" style people in certain areas, and IMO alot of homeless (less than NY city)
California attracts all types. People here can't drive for shit ( I think that's most everywhere you go). You'll freak out at how many people go slow in the left lane, or come into your lane despite your approach speed.

Oh, another big plus here though, The Sacramento Area s2000 chapter of s2ki....They happen to RULE!

 

earthquakes? is sac anywhere near any major fault lines?

 

Well, I do like the Sac bunch, they are a lot of fun and I do like to hang with them when I can, but us Central California (Fresno) bunch are kinda cool as well. Granted, Fresno itself sucks, but we are cool. (he he)