considering Carmichael/Natomas/Land Park/Elk Grove etc. apartments (Sacramento: to rent, crime)

[constructicon]

I'm moving up from Bay Area for a new job in Midtown area and looking for a 1bedroom apartment to rent. I know a little bit about the area from going to school at Davis, but not really about Sacramento as a place to live. I've gathered some great information so far but would like some more recent opinions to help me narrow my search. I plan to drive up sometime next week or when the current storms let up.

I'm used to boring quiet suburbia, a 25 minute commute to work, and cultural diversity and acceptance. I'm not worried about schools as I have no kids, but I currently live in an outstanding school district and of course that will influence the type of residents in the community. Carmichael, it seems, most closely matches this profile, so I'm focusing my search here at the moment. How long of a commute can I expect to Midtown from there for a typical 9-5 schedule? Is it better to go via 80, 50, or local such as through Arden Way?

I wasn't worried about carjacking, vandalism, shady thugs, etc. until I read enough reviews and comments to scare me out of looking in Natomas (that wasn't the only factor, price was big too). From what I've gathered thus far for Carmichael, I should gravitate toward the river or Fair Oaks direction. Most of the apartments I've seen so far dot along Manzanita and Fair Oaks Blvd, are there specific recommendations or other areas to look to/stay away from?

[wburg]

If you're working in Midtown, why live so far out? There are plenty of quiet, tree-lined neighborhoods a lot closer to your workplace, and generally the closer you are to the central city, the more cultural diversity you will find. The southern portion of the central city (between R Street and Highway 50) is close to the amenities of the central city, and closer to the Broadway corridor and its array of international restaurants, but it's generally a very quiet place. Towards the west and Southside Park the population is more strongly Asian, with Buddhist temples and a couple of corner stores with specialty Chinese and Japanese goods. Newton Booth and Poverty Ridge to the east are similar, but the population is a bit more European. It's also the home of a highly rated private school, Merryhill, in the old Newton Booth school building. Both are more sedate in character than the Midtown neighborhoods north of R Street.

Carmichael is a fine suburban neighborhood, but it's a lot less diverse and probably quite a bit more politically conservative than the central city.

[GoldCountry80]

Originally Posted by constructicon

I'm moving up from Bay Area for a new job in Midtown area and looking for a 1bedroom apartment to rent. I know a little bit about the area from going to school at Davis, but not really about Sacramento as a place to live. I've gathered some great information so far but would like some more recent opinions to help me narrow my search. I plan to drive up sometime next week or when the current storms let up.

I'm used to boring quiet suburbia, a 25 minute commute to work, and cultural diversity and acceptance. I'm not worried about schools as I have no kids, but I currently live in an outstanding school district and of course that will influence the type of residents in the community. Carmichael, it seems, most closely matches this profile, so I'm focusing my search here at the moment. How long of a commute can I expect to Midtown from there for a typical 9-5 schedule? Is it better to go via 80, 50, or local such as through Arden Way?

I wasn't worried about carjacking, vandalism, shady thugs, etc. until I read enough reviews and comments to scare me out of looking in Natomas (that wasn't the only factor, price was big too). From what I've gathered thus far for Carmichael, I should gravitate toward the river or Fair Oaks direction. Most of the apartments I've seen so far dot along Manzanita and Fair Oaks Blvd, are there specific recommendations or other areas to look to/stay away from?

Carmichael is getting horrible and will get more overflow from Oak Park once they fix that up. Lock your doors at all times there. It will mirror Rancho Cordova in another 5 yrs.

[GoldCountry80]

Originally Posted by wburg

If you're working in Midtown, why live so far out? There are plenty of quiet, tree-lined neighborhoods a lot closer to your workplace, and generally the closer you are to the central city, the more cultural diversity you will find. The southern portion of the central city (between R Street and Highway 50) is close to the amenities of the central city, and closer to the Broadway corridor and its array of international restaurants, but it's generally a very quiet place. Towards the west and Southside Park the population is more strongly Asian, with Buddhist temples and a couple of corner stores with specialty Chinese and Japanese goods. Newton Booth and Poverty Ridge to the east are similar, but the population is a bit more European. It's also the home of a highly rated private school, Merryhill, in the old Newton Booth school building. Both are more sedate in character than the Midtown neighborhoods north of R Street.

Carmichael is a fine suburban neighborhood, but it's a lot less diverse and probably quite a bit more politically conservative than the central city.

Diversity is increasing in Carmichael but lets be honest, that means the crime goes UP when it gets more diverse. More people are forced to live around eachother that aren't meant to.

[ryuns]

Originally Posted by GoldCountry80

Diversity is increasing in Carmichael but lets be honest, that means the crime goes UP when it gets more diverse. More people are forced to live around eachother that aren't meant to.

I didn't realize there were people who weren't meant to live around each other.

[wburg]

Yeah, I must have missed that memo too. But it's a popular notion in the eastern suburbs and farther into the foothills, apparently. Which is part of why I don't live there anymore...

[ryuns]

Originally Posted by wburg

Yeah, I must have missed that memo too. But it's a popular notion in the eastern suburbs and farther into the foothills, apparently. Which is part of why I don't live there anymore...

Pining for the days of redlining maybe. Gonna be a tough task though, given that Sac is about 35% non-Hispanic white, 27% Hispanic, 17% black, and 18% Asian, not to mention 10% gay. I guess I need to see a Venn diagram of who can and can't live together, and then we can start brainstorming our green lawned, high-waisted pants utopia.

[GoldCountry80]

Originally Posted by ryuns

I didn't realize there were people who weren't meant to live around each other.

Stop being politically correct. You sense it when you go over to Del Paso Heights I'm sure.

[GoldCountry80]

Originally Posted by wburg

Yeah, I must have missed that memo too. But it's a popular notion in the eastern suburbs and farther into the foothills, apparently. Which is part of why I don't live there anymore...

Good.. one less person living out here!

[ryuns]

Originally Posted by GoldCountry80

Stop being politically correct. You sense it when you go over to Del Paso Heights I'm sure.

Are you asking if I "sense" when in DPH that the issues in that area stem from incompatible people living together? No, I'm afraid that's not what I sense.