Folsom (San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland: house, buyers, school rankings)

[taliau007]

My husband works from home, and with his job, we can live anywhere in Northern California. We are deciding between Folsom, Pleasanton, and Morgan Hill. We have two young boys, so schools and outdoor activities are very important to us. We love running events, water sports, and biking. We also want a friendly and active community. Please help us make a decision about the best place to live and raise a family in Northern California! Thanks!

[NinaN]

Your housing budget will be a big part of that equation. There are lots of discussions about Folsom on this board that you can check, and I'm sure more people will chime in here. Based on what you like to do, I would say Folsom is a great place for that. Check the school ratings for that side of things.

School Rankings for the Sacramento metropolitan area, California

You will find the majority of schools in Folsom to be top rated, same with Pleasonton, not so much with Morgan Hill.

[NewToCA]

https://www.city-data.com/forum/25954708-post5.html

[Discovery1]

Originally Posted by taliau007

My husband works from home, and with his job, we can live anywhere in Northern California. We are deciding between Folsom, Pleasanton, and Morgan Hill. We have two young boys, so schools and outdoor activities are very important to us. We love running events, water sports, and biking. We also want a friendly and active community. Please help us make a decision about the best place to live and raise a family in Northern California! Thanks!

Pleasanton if you can afford it.

[shelato]

All are nice places to live. Its more about what type of lifestyle you could afford in each of those areas. Housing costs are going to be much higher in Pleasanton or Morgan Creek. So if your income is the same in all three that probably means that if you moved to Folsom you probably could afford to either live in a bigger nicer better upgraded home or just save more money each month for college and retirement than you would if you lived in Pleasanton or Morgan Creek.

[ryuns]

Agreed. All things equal, Folsom will get you more for your money. I don't know Pleasanton or Morgan Hill well, but they're well-regarded 'burbs, just like Folsom. I imagine you'll find good schools in each. I do like the outdoor recreation you find nearby, though Pleasanton is a little more isolated. Morgan Hill is closer to the redwoods west of Silicon Valley, which are gorgeous. That said, you deal with Bay Area traffic (vehicular, plus crowds), which is less of an issue in Folsom. Folsom has the lake nearby, tons of biking, and the Sierras are quite close.

Summers are hotter than the other places you mention, but honestly, you just adjust for that. We do outdoor stuff all summer--we either head to elevation, or we stick to mornings and evenings. (Folsom gets a little less morning/evening cooling than Sacramento though.) On a hot Saturday, you'll often find us taking a 2 hour bike ride in the morning, relaxing or running errands or whatever during the day, and then doing yard work or gardening as soon as the sun ducks behind the trees. Air pollution is lousier than if you were closer to the Bay breezes, but that's not an issue for everyone.

You get BART in Pleasanton and (possibly?) CalTrain in Morgan Hill if you like SF or the Bay Area in general. Folsom has a nice light rail to take you to Sacramento. And you can take a great Amtrak ride from Sac to Oakland, but that's a pretty long trip if you're starting in Folsom.

[ANTONIKA]

Folsom

[NickB1967]

If you can afford Morgan Hill or Pleasanton, then by all means go there. Folsom is a fine place, like Roseville, but like Roseville, it is full of people who wish they could afford Morgan Hill or Pleasanton.

It is a great conversation starter in many parts of Greater Sacto to ask the new neighbors, "What part of the Bay Area were you priced out of?"

[cabocurtis]

I have visited all three places. Folsom has grown on me. The bike trails around the river are fantastic. The town is compact with a number of good restaurants. The access to lake tahoe, downtown Sacramento and the airport are reasonable. The heat is definitely a bit warmer but very dry and I did not mind it. I think the price difference in housing would clinch it for Folsom. Pleasanton housing seems overvalued and it is still a long ways away from downtown SanFran. There is much to be said for picking Folsom and banking the house savings and taking occasional day trips into San Francisco.

[caligirlz]

The housing inventory is very low in Folsom right now. People are waiting 9 months+ for a house...while loosing out to cash buyers in bidding wars....just something to think about.