Roseville vs Folsom comparisons and commute to Sac (Sacramento, Elk Grove: for sale, real estate)

[mommyfirst3]

Hello. I am wondering what the difference of time would be from Folsom vs Roseville to downtown Sacramento during rush hour times for work? Also, are there any benefits/downfalls of either? We have school aged children from elem to high school, love to go to the mountains and SF area, and are looking also for reasonable housing prices. Currently, we live past Auburn and while my husband works in Sac, I cannot find a job so we need to find a better place with a job in the HR field that is not over 45 minutes to drive. Between gas costs, expensive groceries etc it is just not feasible anymore. We are looking to purchase in a year or so, and want to find something with at least 1700 sq feet that is newer for around 300,000 or under. And low crime is important, as well as the ability to find decent schools. Anything anyone can tell me would be great.

[mommyfirst3]

Oh, and one more thing. I keep reading that Folsom is not green enough. Is Roseville, or are any other suburbs better that way? I thought Folsom was pretty, but kind of brown landscaping.

[moonsky]

I am not from the area and looking to buy a house as well. My husband will be working in Downtown, Sac. We wont' move till beg. of next year though.

Folsom new houses are more expensive than ones in Roseville . Both areas have decent schools. You can find more reviews of schools from greatschool.com.

From reading many threads here, West Roseville (new homes area) may be near landfill and powerline while some areas in Folsom may have Arbesto. You can do search and find more details about those two cities. I hav got good info from this forum. Good luck!

[edwardius]

The Sacramento region is semi-arid. That means we get almost all of our rain during the winter months and almost no rain from May to September. Because it doesn't rain in the summer that keeps the humidity down and makes the heat more tolerable. If you want things green in the summer time in this region it either has to be irrigated or you have to go up in elevation where they do get some summertime thunderstorms and the winter snow melt keeps things greener longer. So while Pollock Pines is greener than Folsom (because its much higher up), you aren't going to notice an appreciable difference in climate between Folsom and Roseville. The region is also in the third or fourth year of drought, which again means that things are going to be drier.

As for schools, you might spend some time playing with the following maps. This is a google mash up of schools by api score.

California School Performance Maps

This is a mash up of the craigslist housing ads.

HousingMaps

This is the mls in map form.

HotPads - Map Search for Real Estate, Apartments & Houses for Rent, Foreclosures and Homes for Sale

Open these links in different windows. Then what you can do is use the school map to see what neighborhoods have the good schools and the housing listing maps to see how much housing is going for in those neighborhoods.

Attached are maps of ethnicity, income and educational attainment in the area. Generally areas with the higher incomes are better educated and have better schools. If you want to figure out the ethnicity of the neighborhoods to make sure your kids are going to schools where there are kids that look like them, you can check out the ethnicity maps

STI: ERsys - Sacramento, CA (Education)
STI: ERsys - Sacramento, CA (Income)
STI: ERsys - Sacramento, CA (Ethnicity)

[mommyfirst3]

Thank you to both of you. I appreciate that. So, I can count on that area not being green. It is such a hard choice. Currently, we live in the beautiful foothills. But it is like 45 minutes to Roseville where there aren't even jobs, and well over an hour to Folsom, Rancho Cordova, and then 1 1/2-2 hours to commute to Downtown Sac where there are jobs. I hate to leave such a great area, but it is just not feasible anymore. Any other differences between Folsom and Roseville? As far as people, way of life, hwy 50 travel vs Hwy 80 to downtown Sac from either, roads in the city and getting places etc. I am just stumped at which one is the best. I thought Folsom was pretty though, but have not seen much of Roseville other than the mall/Walmart area.

[LRobbins]

Hve you thought about Natomas? Everything is new and closer to Sacramento.

[mommyfirst3]

Actually, I had never heard of it. I look on realtor.com and it only has Notomas Crossing, Natomas Park, Natomas Creek, and South Natomas? Any idea which one has the newer houses etc? Anything else that you can tell me would be great. Is it safe for kids? Thanks

[moonsky]

Originally Posted by mommyfirst3

Actually, I had never heard of it. I look on realtor.com and it only has Notomas Crossing, Natomas Park, Natomas Creek, and South Natomas? Any idea which one has the newer houses etc? Anything else that you can tell me would be great. Is it safe for kids? Thanks

I think schools in public schools in Folsom and Roseville are much better than Natomas. I read somewhere on this Forum that it is area that should be avoided beside Elk Grove. You should find something by using search option in this forum.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by mommyfirst3

Actually, I had never heard of it. I look on realtor.com and it only has Notomas Crossing, Natomas Park, Natomas Creek, and South Natomas? Any idea which one has the newer houses etc? Anything else that you can tell me would be great. Is it safe for kids? Thanks

Just be sure you teach your kids to swim--North Natomas, the newer parts, is in a floodplain under a building moratorium! The city can't build ANYTHING there unless it is on a 33 foot berm.

[Majin]

I'm not a fan of suburbs but people really exaggerate the problems with both north and south natomas.