Lincoln vs Roseville (Sacramento, Folsom, Rocklin: HOA, house, neighborhoods)

[Archan]

I will be re-locating from Atlanta to the Sacramento area. Is there is really big difference between Lincoln and Roseville? What are the pros and cons of both?

It seems like you can get so much more in Lincoln. Thanks in advance for your input.

[shelato]

Lincoln is on the very fringe of the Sacramento region. It grew tremendously during the last housing boom. So far its mostly housing with few employers. Generally most people in Lincoln need to head out to Roseville or Rocklin to find work. So part of the reason housing is less expensive is that it requires a greater commute.

Additionally, right now the schools tend to be better in Rocklin and Roseville.

The following is a map of schools in California by how well the schools do on the Academic Performance Index. The API is a test administered by the State of California. Generally the better the API, the better the school.

California School Performance Maps

[Archan]

Originally Posted by shelato

Lincoln is on the very fringe of the Sacramento region. It grew tremendously during the last housing boom. So far its mostly housing with few employers. Generally most people in Lincoln need to head out to Roseville or Rocklin to find work. So part of the reason housing is less expensive is that it requires a greater commute.

Additionally, right now the schools tend to be better in Rocklin and Roseville.

The following is a map of schools in California by how well the schools do on the Academic Performance Index. The API is a test administered by the State of California. Generally the better the API, the better the school.

California School Performance Maps

Thanks for the input. I will be working from home, when I am not traveling to clients. Commuting should not be a big issue for me.

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by Archan

Thanks for the input. I will be working from home, when I am not traveling to clients. Commuting should not be a big issue for me.

If you don't need to factor in traffic, Lincoln gives you a bit of a better home value.

[Stan Darsh]

I like Lincoln and Roseville both. The more time I spend in each, I think that I would like to live in the southern part of Lincoln or more north in Roseville. Lincoln is quieter and not as congested, which is great. The downtown is quaint. Lincoln feels far sometimes, and when traveling far distances (SFO or SMF airport), I'd rather be a couple of miles closer. That may sound silly, but Roseville seems closer at the end of a long drive. Roseville has a lot going on... which can be good or bad. The streets can be jammed with cars.

I am in a similar position as you and am debating where we end up - I am really undecided. The value is better in Lincoln, but it isn't too far off from Roseville (in my opinion, which may be wrong). In the end, I would rather be in Lincoln if it allowed me to have a larger and more appealing house/lot/desirable street instead of in Roseville for more money.

[Archan]

Originally Posted by Stan Darsh

I like Lincoln and Roseville both. The more time I spend in each, I think that I would like to live in the southern part of Lincoln or more north in Roseville. Lincoln is quieter and not as congested, which is great. The downtown is quaint. Lincoln feels far sometimes, and when traveling far distances (SFO or SMF airport), I'd rather be a couple of miles closer. That may sound silly, but Roseville seems closer at the end of a long drive. Roseville has a lot going on... which can be good or bad. The streets can be jammed with cars.

I am in a similar position as you and am debating where we end up - I am really undecided. The value is better in Lincoln, but it isn't too far off from Roseville (in my opinion, which may be wrong). In the end, I would rather be in Lincoln if it allowed me to have a larger and more appealing house/lot/desirable street instead of in Roseville for more money.

Thanks for the input. I am kind of leaning the same way. I would rather have a nicer house for the money in Lincoln, but still be close enough to Roseville for the shopping and restaurants. I tried looking at the El Dorado Hills, but the homes seem a lot more pricey. Lincoln offers so much more bang for the buck.

[edwardius]

El Dorado Hills is at different price point than Lincoln. In El Dorado Hills, you have lots of neighborhoods on hills with views. You are also adjacent to Folsom Lake. The public schools are also much better in El Dorado Hills than in Lincoln. Lastly you are closer to more of the greater Sacramento region.

[NorCal Dude]

The new areas of lincoln are nice, if you want an idea of what the city look liked before y2k you need to go towards 1st street and the old part of town.

Roseville is a bit more diverse economically. With neighborhoods ranging from working class near downtown - upper middle class and in some parts very similar to granite bay.

Lincoln is much more a tale of two cities. An older, more rural, working class in the older part of town, and a more white collar, more middle class in the newer parts in the lincoln hills area.

The commute into the metro from lincoln is longer and there may not be as many shopping amenities as the area is still pretty new. But the bang for your buck is all there. For 250k you can get a nice house, vs a smaller 1800 sqft house in roseville.

Schools in roseville tend to score higher, but lincolns scores are not in the dumps (though they could do better), they are about the same quality as schools in orange vale.

[hydro]

how are the HOA's and Mello roos in newer Lincoln neighborhoods

[daddiesgirl]

I moved up from the Bay Area and have been in Lincoln since early 2009. So far I'm loving it and I think it's a great time to buy. You're right about getting more "bang" for your buck in Lincoln. I live in the Twelve Bridges area and my kids go to TB Elementary, which is probably the best elementary in Lincoln according to API scores. The commute is not as bad as everyone seems to make it out to be. Rocklin is 2 exits down and Roseville is 4 exits away. They've finished the 65 overpass since we've moved here and there are no more stoplights in the middle of the freeway. I noticed they also finished building Kaiser and is building like crazy again. There are several new shopping areas being built as we speak in the Twelve Bridges area.

The Melo Roos tax is included in the HOA dues if I'm not mistaken. I don't pay much attention to it because HOA dues are comparable to what I was paying before when I was in the Bay Area so it made no difference to me. Just that I'm living in a house that's 4 times the size of my old one and half the mortgage.

I absolutely love it up here and you can't pay me enough to go back to the Bay Area. All the shopping and amenities are reaaalllly close and not at all like most people make it out to be. That and the schools was my biggest fear when I first moved up here. My best suggestion would be to come and stay for a few days and see how life is around in Lincoln. I've been there and done that and was super close to getting a place in Roseville, but finally decided on Lincoln and have not regretted it since. My best advice is to see what works for you and how nice the area is by simply spending some time here. The forum is a nice guide, but until you're actually physically here, no picture or words will convince you otherwise.