Tell me about Sacramento (San Diego, San Francisco: rent, home, luxury)

[GTFO]

I live in NJ, in the NYC area and been thinking about moving. It's cool here, but I don't use the area for all it has to offer so not sure if I should stay here long term, as it's overcrowded and too expensive. To have a regular 1 bd apt (not new or luxury) in a decent area with washer/dryer in unit and parking costs $1700+, and this is in NJ, not even NYC. I am majoring in criminal justice so I will most likely have some kinda govt job, and it might be tough, as govt jobs here don't always pay that much more, as well as any jobs for that matter, unless ur a wall st big shot. I used to live in Portland, OR and didn't like it at all, mostly cuz of the cloudy, rainy weather, which gave me SAD. I am pretty liberal, but also didn't like too liberal of a vibe, too many unproductive hippy wannabes. I don't wanna offend anyone, but Portland is too white and too corny, at least for me. If ya seen Portlandia, its jus like that. Conversely, the burbs are very conservative and u start seeing dirty ass pickup trucks rocking confederate flags like new sneakers once u go 5 miles out. I like racial diversity so I don't like all that "uptightness, scared of minorities" typa bs mindset. I'm Russian btw. Seems like Sacramento is very diverse, and I like that. I also like the lower cost of living, which seems similar to Portland, as well as being close to the Bay area with a lot of things to do nearby cuz I like day trips. The climate looks fine, I can handle some heat, but can't stand the humidity of the East Coast. Anyway, jus looking for general info on Sac Town. I actually got interested in Sac cuz I like Brotha Lynch Hung lol

What's the vibe like? What is the culture and people like? Nightlife? Economy? Obviously, I wouldn't expect nothing similar to NYC, but how does Sac compare to Portland? Which is more cosmopolitan? Any other pros/cons I should know?
Appreciate the input.

[mr bolo]

Sacramento is a lot less stressful than where you have lived before, I think it would be a very good choice, the weather is not as harsh as the east coast, much more pleasant environment, lots of Russians in the Sacramento area and SF area

[GTFO]

Originally Posted by mr bolo

Sacramento is a lot less stressful than where you have lived before, I think it would be a very good choice, the weather is not as harsh as the east coast, much more pleasant environment, lots of Russians in the Sacramento area and SF area

you mean NJ? cuz i still live here

[mr bolo]

I guess it would depend on what part of NJ you live now? the NYC area is like a whole different country compared to life in Sacramento, it might even feel a little boring for you if your use to a fast paced urban lifestyle

Sacramento is a very suburban easy going type environment, not densely populated , no heavy traffic congestion most of the time

and the best part is the weather, no icy slick roads or heavy snow storms to worry about, much safer to drive , the weather conditions very rarely get bad enough to cause any problems

and it is a very diverse area with all types of people

[ryuns]

Weather is fine if you're okay with some fleeting heat. People will complain and then forget about it as soon as the heat wave is done (it's high 80s this week and, with no humidity and a cool breeze coming around sunset, it's very nice). More diverse than Portland. Arguably less cosmopolitan though that's a tricky thing to measure. Portland proper is a little more dense, more of it is what I'd call "vibrant". Public transit is better. It's greener. It's one of two places in the country ranked as having better parks. Bike infrastructure is better (than pretty much everywhere). People have more pride in their city there than here, which I dig and wish Sac had a little more of, but it comes out in people in annoying ways some time. (Like the guy I hung out with who wouldn't stop talking about the Portland Timbers Army--not the soccer team, he was all about the supporter group--it wasn't even clear whether he like soccer.) Sac is diverse, and very low key in my opinion. You don't get a lot of funny or condescending looks because you weren't a certain type person going to a certain type of bar.

From my experience, food is better here, and local food is easier to get and cheaper. Portland's food trucks are great though. Their beer is still better ::sigh:: but we're gaining ground. wburg thinks our coffee is better, which it might be. Our wine is better.

[mr bolo]

Ca has a lot of red necks but they tend to live out in the country or smaller towns in the Sacramento valley, around farming communities



the heat is dry not too much humidity

[mr bolo]

it's different

SF has more of an urban vibe and more of an international city

Sac is not as wild or crazy as SF

I would say Sac is more conservative in comparison, more suburban feel to it

some people say SF is like a mini NYC

[Poor&Dangerous]

same boat as OP
any more feedback?

[wburg]

Sacramento's suburbs are pretty conservative, at least by California standards, but the city itself is generally liberal. Not as much as San Francisco, but, let's face it, there is really no spot on the North American continent as liberal as San Francisco. It's definitely a mellower vibe here, relatively slow-paced, but it's still California. Definitely a lot more diverse than Portland. Public transit is almost nonexistent by East Coast standards. It's pretty easy to get out of town to mountains, ocean or bigger city, so much so that it's kind of a citywide joke, but we're a transportation hub so I call it a plus, and there is actually a lot to do and see here if you bother looking for it. Most of the city is very suburban in character--the downtown is small, with a lot of trees. Not a lot of California stereotypes work here--not many surfers, nor many suntans or movie stars (the one who was governor went back down south.) The Russian community here isn't huge and is mostly out in the suburbs--we had a regular poster who was aware of all things Russian but I haven't seen him post in a while.

[rpc1]

I'm from Portland; born and raised.

I've only been in Sac for four months, so I don't know the city real well, but I can vouch that it's a night-and-day different place, when compared to Portland. First, and most importantly, the weather here is awesome. With everything in me, I want to move back home. I'm missing out on seeing my niece and nephews grow up, and I'm far away from my sister and parents. But I just can't do the gloomy, rainy, overcast weather for six months a year. Two months in to it, I start hating my existence. So being in this sunshine all year round has been life-changing. (I've been living in L.A. for the last 2.5 years). It really has altered my mood completely. In fact, for the first couple of "winters" down here, I kept catching myself being afraid that the weather was going to turn cold and gloomy on me. Lol. I guess it just seemed too good to be true.

Sac doesn't have any hang-out spots whatsoever, though. There are entire districts in Portland that are more or less devoted to being social, like Hawthorne and Belmont. But Sac just doesn't have those kinds of areas. In fact, there's really nothing in this city, in terms of cool places to hang out. It's really just a big collection of suburbs. Think SW Portland (Beaverton, Tigard, Hillsboro, etc.). Sacramento is basically like those areas, but in the sun. There's a handful of clubs and bars downtown, but that's pretty much it, from what I can see. And people here are super ordinary, which is neither good or bad, but is something to consider. You're not going to find hipsters in trendy second-hand clothes drinking craft microbrews and discussing the merits of veganism here. These are ordinary folks. And like you, I can't handle the whiteness of Oregon, so the diversity of Sac is another welcome change. Having lived in California for a few years, and in Hawaii before that, I'm shocked when I go home to visit. Oregon tends to be a collection of soft, corny white people, for the most part. Sacramento, on the other hand, actually has brown and black people. It's nice.

All in all, I think you could do better than both places. Sacramento's a government town, and there's just nothing here. But rent is super cheap, compared to L.A. (and certainly compared to New York). Traffic is non-existant, compared to L.A. I haven't seen any indication of a Russian community here, but just yesterday morning, my roommate was telling me about Russians at the local community college, so they must be around. I just think that you could find sunshine in more exciting cities than Sac. San Diego comes to mind. It's a little more expensive, but it's 10 times as exciting as Sac, and it's still less expensive than where you're living now.

I give Sac a thumbs up because of the sun, and because people here seem friendly, in general. But I wouldn't move here, if I had the choice. There's just nothing going on.

I'd check out San Diego, if I were you.

$.02