I have felt one shaker in the seven years I've lived here, and it was pretty minor....5.2 on the Richter scale (epicenter approx. 80 miles from here).

As for other bad things not yet mentioned.....

The place is experienceing rapid growth, and planning has been very poor. Here in Elk Grove, they are building houses at a frenetic pace, yet many of the roads are still little 2-lane farm/country roads. They simply cannont support the huge increase in traffic. And many of these roads are VERY poorly paved. Traffic is quickly becoming the number one problem...not just in Elk Grove, but in this whole area. That's my biggest gripe. But if you're from NY, traffic probably won't be an issue for you.

 

well , for one thing, your wife's job search would last about a day! Median price for a home is $237,000. top down 10 months at least....swim 8 months at least... home of SACS2KDAYSII in June.....huge club here with all great people!! get together often and party! what more could you want?

 

Gripes about Sac, as Raj said, smog, also unlike the east, the ghettos are spread out here, areas to stay away from: North Highlands, Oak Park, Del Paso Heights, Meadowview, Florin, Rancho Cordova. As for the opportunity for other jobs in the area, we are the home base for HP and Intel, if that is your field. Also you mentioned how is the financial opportunities in Sac, we have limited areas, personnally I prefer DATEK. One bad thing about the markets, is out here the opening bell rings at 6:30 a.m.

Ron and Shivana Smith

 

Raj,
Just an FYI step out the front door of work onto Stockton Blvd, walk across the street and down a few blocks....you'll see some serious ghetto
Camille

 

Camille Thanks. I think that's Oak park. I meet the residents of that area and the others Ron mentioned fairly commonly at work. That's another thing that bothers me about California in general, there is a lot of mixing between lower class and middle/upper class. Other states had pretty strong lines where this mixing did not happen, so I have interaction with disgusting people more commonly that I would like, even outside the hospital. I am not an elitist, but I now actually shop at more expensive places to avoid the low class element these days, where I never did before.

 

We moved to the Sacramento area (El Dorado Hills to be exact) from the Bay Area (San Jose) about two years ago, and we'd never consider moving back. The only thing I miss about San Jose was the large number of restaurants (all types of food) and the high-tech dynamics.

Our primary reasons for moving were quality of life, a better area for raising a family, and friendlier people. It was a shock the first time we drove up to the area to look at houses. People actually waved hello to us!

Traffic was always a complaint of mine when we lived in San Jose, and Sacramento traffic can be bad as well (depending on the time and area). However, as bad as Sacramento traffic is getting, it's still nowhere near as bad as San Jose (except maybe for Sunrise Blvd.)

Traffic is a big reason why we decided to move out into the suburbs. El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Folsom, and Roseville are all very nice places to live and are right on the edge of the Sacramento metro area. I can get to downtown Sacramento in about 30 minutes. In each of these cities, you don't have to fight traffic all day long. All the shopping you could want is basically here in these cities. Plus, these cities have some hills, so it's not totally flat! If you live in El Dorado Hills, you'll be above the fog 95% of the time.

As for Korean restaurants, I've seen a few and been to a couple. But I think the biggest downside to the Sacramento area is the lack of nightlife and the choice of good restaurants.

Yes, with all cities, there are bad areas of town that you don't want to go to.

And then there's Elk Grove Honda. I just sent my mother-in-law there (a 35 minute drive for her) for service on her Civic even though she lives only 5 minutes away from a different Honda dealership (Shingle Springs Honda).