Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If one of your chief concerns is good schools, I can't speak for SoCal, but up here in the Sacramento area the Roseville, Lincoln, and Folsom school districts are tops in this area. All areas are no more than 45 minutes to the airport in light traffic. We're also situated between San Fransisco and Lake Tahoe. Our summers are hot but the other three seasons are fantastic. I'm wearing shorts and aT shirt today and I leave the windows open until evening, no A/C or heat required.
Our home prices are, on average, at least 300k cheaper than Socal. Thousand Oaks' median is 800k, Lincoln and Roseville is 500k, Folsom is 600k. Cheaper, older home can be found in Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, and Orangevale but the schools aren't as modern nor do students test as well as the above areas. I have a brother in law in Costa Mesa. He has an 800k home that backs up to the 405 AND a storm runoff culvert. No thanks.
Our traffic is nothing compared to Socal.
Sacramento does have a homeless issue but it's nothing like SF or LA, and out in the suburbs (Lincoln, Folsom, Roseville) homelessness is nearly non existant.
San Fransisco is a necessary evil. Lots of history and things to see coupled with a ridiculous homeless situation and coddling bureaucrats. We go 1-3 times a year and that's enough.
Same with LA, once a year. There's something about LA that just doesn't jive with me.
This is really helpful and gives me a lot to think about. Thank you so much for your thoughtful. reply!
If one of your chief concerns is good schools, I can't speak for SoCal, but up here in the Sacramento area the Roseville, Lincoln, and Folsom school districts are tops in this area. All areas are no more than 45 minutes to the airport in light traffic. We're also situated between San Fransisco and Lake Tahoe. Our summers are hot but the other three seasons are fantastic. I'm wearing shorts and aT shirt today and I leave the windows open until evening, no A/C or heat required.
Our home prices are, on average, at least 300k cheaper than Socal. Thousand Oaks' median is 800k, Lincoln and Roseville is 500k, Folsom is 600k. Cheaper, older home can be found in Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, and Orangevale but the schools aren't as modern nor do students test as well as the above areas. I have a brother in law in Costa Mesa. He has an 800k home that backs up to the 405 AND a storm runoff culvert. No thanks.
Our traffic is nothing compared to Socal.
Sacramento does have a homeless issue but it's nothing like SF or LA, and out in the suburbs (Lincoln, Folsom, Roseville) homelessness is nearly non existant.
San Fransisco is a necessary evil. Lots of history and things to see coupled with a ridiculous homeless situation and coddling bureaucrats. We go 1-3 times a year and that's enough.
Same with LA, once a year. There's something about LA that just doesn't jive with me.
Size of house needed; preference for SFH vs. townhouse/condo; do you want a yard?
Your preferences on urban/suburban/rural, terrain (hills? desert?), walkability or not, etc.
Preferred climate/temperature range; what is too hot/cold?
Thank you for asking!
Budget: We realize we are looking at likely a house that is going to be at least twice as expensive as it is here. Thankfully we will be getting a COL incentive for the move but we are not millionaires. I am thinking under 650k would be preferred if possible at all. WE do need at least a small yard since we have a dog. Prefer a house but ok with a condo as long as we can bring our dog (and she's big). Would ike 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms since we have 2 kids.
Do prefer walkability and I am a triathlete so I love to ride my bike. That was one thing I did love about the San Diego area were the bike lanes. But I am pretty certain I can't afford to live in the SD area with my family .
Prefer sunshine. Anything without humidity I am pretty ok in terms of heat. I don't think CA will ever be cold compared to the midwest I've lived in...haha! I didn't love the day long smog in SF .... and LA traffic/congestion made me want to run away screaming. But I have grown up in suburbs so I am used to it to an extent.
Budget: We realize we are looking at likely a house that is going to be at least twice as expensive as it is here. Thankfully we will be getting a COL incentive for the move but we are not millionaires. I am thinking under 650k would be preferred if possible at all. WE do need at least a small yard since we have a dog. Prefer a house but ok with a condo as long as we can bring our dog (and she's big). Would ike 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms since we have 2 kids.
Do prefer walkability and I am a triathlete so I love to ride my bike. That was one thing I did love about the San Diego area were the bike lanes. But I am pretty certain I can't afford to live in the SD area with my family .
Prefer sunshine. Anything without humidity I am pretty ok in terms of heat. I don't think CA will ever be cold compared to the midwest I've lived in...haha! I didn't love the day long smog in SF .... and LA traffic/congestion made me want to run away screaming. But I have grown up in suburbs so I am used to it to an extent.
How big is your dog?
I will tell you here in NY some condo complexes will not allow animals or they will but they have to be like under 10lbs or something. I don't know if it's the same in CA … and not every place in NY is like that, but some are … so something to be mindful of anyhow as you search.
I visit these forums b/c my in-laws are out in CA and a move to CA might be inevitable for us @ some point (though I can't get work out there so I'm fighting tooth & nail @ the moment to convince my husband why we need to stay in NY -- so I remain employed) … so I know some things about CA just b/c of what my in-laws say and what I read in these forums.
Animals can sometimes be limiting when it comes to complexes. Many people will also not rent their homes out to people with animals (it seems like you want to buy not rent so likely not an issue). But if you do go the condo route, make sure you ask about allowances of pets and what size do they allow!
Budget: We realize we are looking at likely a house that is going to be at least twice as expensive as it is here. Thankfully we will be getting a COL incentive for the move but we are not millionaires. I am thinking under 650k would be preferred if possible at all. WE do need at least a small yard since we have a dog. Prefer a house but ok with a condo as long as we can bring our dog (and she's big). Would ike 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms since we have 2 kids.
Do prefer walkability and I am a triathlete so I love to ride my bike. That was one thing I did love about the San Diego area were the bike lanes. But I am pretty certain I can't afford to live in the SD area with my family .
Prefer sunshine. Anything without humidity I am pretty ok in terms of heat. I don't think CA will ever be cold compared to the midwest I've lived in...haha! I didn't love the day long smog in SF .... and LA traffic/congestion made me want to run away screaming. But I have grown up in suburbs so I am used to it to an extent.
Downtown Folsom is the most walkable place in the area. It connects historic downtown Folsom to the bike trail and offers miles of walking. Speaking of the bike trail. The American River Bike Trail AKA Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail runs 32 miles from Folsom Lake to Discovery Park, there's no cars, only foot and bike traffic. If you're into triathlon and are serious about it the ARBT is a major plus of living within 10-20 minutes of Folsom. As a former serious cyclist, the ARBT was my second home for years and is really the only safe bet for bike enthusiasts. Surface streets and inattentive drivers are a bad mix in Sacramento.
That being said, once you finish the ARBT at Beals Point at Folsom Lake, you can make your way to Auburn- Folsom Road and ride an additional 15 miles up to the town of Auburn. You can eat lunch and then retrace your path back home.
There are a number of triathlon and duathlon events held in and around Folsom Lake every year. Additionally, there are a couple cycling groups in the area that hold weekly rides, the Sacramento Wheelmen and Sac Bike Hikers are the most well known. Also, there are century rides held around Lake Tahoe every year, Bike the Big Blue is the big one. And if you're crazy enough you can do the Death Ride, it's something like 120 miles and 15,000 feet of climbing.
Last edited by NorCalMan; 11-05-2019 at 03:40 PM..
My husband's job may be moving us out west to California. We have lived in Indianapolis our entire lives. Yes, we do realize the huge cost of living difference between the two areas. We have been to CA many times and both absolutely LOVE Southern California in terms of weather and atmosphere. His company will be paying for the moving expenses and giving him a COL raise.
Here are the things we need as pick an area...
-decent schools. We have 2 daughters.
-within an 2 hour drive to an airport for husband's work travel
--semi-affordable housing for a family of 4
--don't mind being inland, but would like to be within a couple of hours at most from coast so we can do day trips to beach
We love SoCal, but do realize it is also easily the most expensive. Do NOT want to be inside LA. . Prefer more sunshine over constant clouds.
Would love suggestions on areas to look at and consider!
Downtown Folsom is the most walkable place in the area. It connects historic downtown Folsom to the bike trail and offers miles of walking. Speaking of the bike trail. The American River Bike Trail AKA Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail runs 32 miles from Folsom Lake to Discovery Park, there's no cars, only foot and bike traffic. If you're into triathlon and are serious about it the ARBT is a major plus of living within 10-20 minutes of Folsom. As a former serious cyclist, the ARBT was my second home for years and is really the only safe bet for bike enthusiasts. Surface streets and inattentive drivers are a bad mix in Sacramento.
That being said, once you finish the ARBT at Beals Point at Folsom Lake, you can make your way to Auburn- Folsom Road and ride an additional 15 miles up to the town of Auburn. You can eat lunch and then retrace your path back home.
There are a number of triathlon and duathlon events held in and around Folsom Lake every year. Additionally, there are a couple cycling groups in the area that hold weekly rides, the Sacramento Wheelmen and Sac Bike Hikers are the most well known. Also, there are century rides held around Lake Tahoe every year, Bike the Big Blue is the big one. And if you're crazy enough you can do the Death Ride, it's something like 120 miles and 15,000 feet of climbing.
Wow that sounds awesome! Thanks so much, sounds like I need to make a trip to Sacramento area as I have never been there specifically. I did a triathlon camp in San Diego in March -- so we rode mostly from Solana Beach up to Carlsbad and back and some other routes inland to get some hill work. We also did a race in Coronado which was a stunning area but only a billion dollars there haha!
I will tell you here in NY some condo complexes will not allow animals or they will but they have to be like under 10lbs or something. I don't know if it's the same in CA … and not every place in NY is like that, but some are … so something to be mindful of anyhow as you search.
I visit these forums b/c my in-laws are out in CA and a move to CA might be inevitable for us @ some point (though I can't get work out there so I'm fighting tooth & nail @ the moment to convince my husband why we need to stay in NY -- so I remain employed) … so I know some things about CA just b/c of what my in-laws say and what I read in these forums.
Animals can sometimes be limiting when it comes to complexes. Many people will also not rent their homes out to people with animals (it seems like you want to buy not rent so likely not an issue). But if you do go the condo route, make sure you ask about allowances of pets and what size do they allow!
Animals are very limiting. I love my pets, but when they pass away, that's it. No more furballs for us. We've got 2 cats & 2 dogs, and the dogs are keeping us from finding rentals. We just got an rv which we're going to live in till we can buy land & build our dream cabin. That will hopefully be in NorCal.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
