Moving to Fairfield, Cal in June 2011 (San Francisco, Sacramento: low income, real estate, apartments)

[promise44]

Me and my boyfriend will be moving to the Solano County June 1st 2011 and were having trouble obtaining information about the area and the homes available to rent. Were looking for actual homes. We dont want condo, apts, or townhomes. We have a medium breed dog so we need to find a home that has a yard and were also looking for a place with multiple bedrooms. If anyone has any information on where i can locate this information or can actually tell me something of the area it be must appreciated.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Fairfield is a dump. Much of the city has been overrun by low income housing and the area is depressed. If you do rent in Fairfield, stay away from much of the area around the Mall. It's all gang infested.

The nice neighborhoods are all on the WEST side of I80, mostly because a lot of it is newer construction.

[llowllevellowll]

Here is something I wrote up for someone else looking into Fairfield. The context is that they were looking at a property near Westfield Mall and debating between Fairfield and Vacaville. You can find the thread here for more information: Where to live in better areas in Fairfield, CA

I purchased my first home in Fairfield in December of '09. Before that, I lived in Vacaville which Vacavillians are convinced is a much safer and nicer place to live over Fairfield. After moving to Fairfield, though, I personally really enjoy it more than I did Vacaville. It's a bit edgier than Vacaville and there is more crime but one thing I've determined is that a) a lot of this is appearance/surface based (and racially-based), and b) that the crime doesn't appear to occur randomly. As with most places, if you aren't harming anyone else, it doesn't appear that anyone is ever harming you. Recently there was a double-murder in Vacaville and the first thing Vacaville residents thought to say was, "This is supposed to happen in Fairfield or Vallejo, not here!" And to me, that's just so silly. There are parts of Fairfield that are infinitely nicer than anything in Vacaville and there are parts of Fairfield that are obviously down-trodden but there's a certain honesty and forthrightness from Fairfield that to me, is really endearing.

There are typically 3-12 murders per year in Fairfield, whereas Vallejo (directly to the west) typically has 6-15 murders. For those nervous of the stigma behind either city, Vacaville (just east) is where many opt to go, which has 0-2 murders.

The real reason for its increased edginess is really tied very closely to Travis Air Force Base. Although being home to an air force base brings a lot of employed people in to the city, it's a double edged sword because a lot of its workforce are more transient so there are often times higher vacancy rates in apartments and housing, which there's a lot of. With high supply and inconsistent demand, prices sink to levels lower than neighboring towns and as well, attract more lower-income families (not necessarily a bad thing either) due to its increased affordability.

Fairfield also sits just east of Vallejo and not too, too far from Richmond, and it does play a roll. I know some folks that have moved away from both cities in hopes of finding cheaper rents as well as a 'safer' place for their children. In addition, Fairfield schools have bussed kids in from both cities, as well. I think it's quite easy to differentiate Fairfield, though, because I do think that overall, it's a much nicer place to live.

There's a lot of good food, good diversity, and down-to-earth people. There's also a lot of really good, innovative development. See: Green Valley, Cordelia. Green Valley is undergoing a wealth of upgrades and development that is coming along, atleast thus far, tremendously. Green Valley is also closely tied to old Suisun, which has a network of farms, wineries, pottery clubs, etc, that are unbelievably cute/endearing and sort of makes you think you're not really living in a larger city.

If you had to generalize Fairfield, you would say that everything West of I-80 (Green Valley all the way to Vacaville) is GOOD. To be more precise, it's anywhere from family-oriented/suitable to downright gorgeous. Houses range in value from anywhere between roughly 189k - 22 million with more than a handful of homes on the market over 1 million. (This is what I was talking about when I said that Fairfield has a higher ceiling than Vacaville).

Now, Bransford Ct is located on the other side of I-80, which is what most of Fairfield is. Its neighborhoods are typically family-oriented and has a large range. Each neighborhood is a case-by-case basis. I'd personally live on Bransford Ct (there are some really cute houses right around there) but it's also very active. You'll have a lot of vehicular traffic over by the mall (and the other million stores over there). It's a GREAT location for freeway access, and obviously, for shopping. If you don't mind that it might not always be the quietest place on earth, it's a good little neighborhood.

The further you go past Pennsylvania, the spottier it will get in parts but it really just depends. E. Tabor is the most notorious street in Fairfield. When you're out past Texas and E. Tabor and continuing on E. Tabor, you'll find a lot of lower-income families and a lot of apartments. There are areas near Armijo High School off of Texas street past downtown that are on the shady side, and there are some apartments off of Pennsylvania before downtown that aren't very good.

I spend a lot of time in downtown, in the "States" neighborhood between Texas and Travis, and I typically get from one area to another using surface streets, rarely taking the freeway, and I've never seen anything that shocked me. Like I said, you'll see a lot of everyday commoners of all races and backgrounds walking down Texas, Travis, E. Tabor, etc, but they really just appear to be doing their own thing. Fairfield doesn't really try to impress others, if you ask me. I think people think it's rougher than it really is. I think it's quite tame and likable myself!

I like the area that you're choosing for amenities, but also check out everything on the other side of I-80 as well before you make your decision. It's more suburban in areas and more rural in places but they're more highly regarded. If you're purchasing and not renting, I would at least take that into consideration as well.

As a note since I gave this advice: I'm purchasing another property near Lake Merritt in Oakland but will always maintain my home in Fairfield - my neighbors are wonderful, I am near a ton of farms and fresh produce, there is diverse fare, and I've never been witness to crime of any sort - neither in my 94534 zip code or when I'm in old Fairfield. It's edgier but there is something very likable about the city. You should not worry about moving to Fairfield. If you follow my very basic outline, you'll find that can live in a safe place and save yourselves some money.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by Parti Rhinocéros

It's a bit edgier than Vacaville and there is more crime

Understatement of the year.

Seriously OP, I'm a real estate broker, and have sold about 8 homes in Fairfield since 2005. I have a pre-planned route I tell my clients to drive when in Fairfield.

Start at Pennsylvania and Travis BLVD.
Go north on Pennsylvania and make a right Tabor Ave.
Make a right turn on Union.
Go until you hit Travis again.

This should give you a pretty good idea of how "edgy" Fairfield is.

[llowllevellowll]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

Start at Pennsylvania and Travis BLVD.
Go north on Pennsylvania and make a right Tabor Ave.
Make a right turn on Union.
Go until you hit Travis again.

By the way...

You mixed up your neighborhoods. If you want to show people where not to live, you need to move your cheap advice to the east. E. Tabor and Travis east of Pennsylvania is notorious. In order to get there, you need to be on Texas, not Pennsylvania. The amount of apartment dwellings increase greatly between Texas and Sunset. The mall area you highlighted has been cleaned up a lot even since I've moved to Solano County. When I lived in Vacaville, they began patrolling the area a lot - including installing cameras to catch offenders. Fairfield doesn't keep good crime maps but the crime index for Travis and Tabor east of Texas are both worse than the area around the mall, FYI. I also found it amusing that your go-to driving directions was essentially one large block and then get the hell out. It figures, too, being that you're an absolute joke and have zero business in the Bay Area.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by Parti Rhinocéros

By the way...

You mixed up your neighborhoods. If you want to show people where not to live, you need to move your cheap advice to the east. E. Tabor and Travis east of Pennsylvania is notorious. In order to get there, you need to be on Texas, not Pennsylvania. The amount of apartment dwellings increase greatly between Texas and Sunset. The mall area you highlighted has been cleaned up a lot even since I've moved to Solano County. When I lived in Vacaville, they began patrolling the area a lot - including installing cameras to catch offenders. Fairfield doesn't keep good crime maps but the crime index for Travis and Tabor east of Texas are both worse than the area around the mall, FYI. I also found it amusing that your go-to driving directions was essentially one large block and then get the hell out. It figures, too, being that you're an absolute joke and have zero business in the Bay Area.

Both areas are crappy and crime infested. The simple fact that one is more crappy than the other doesn't preclude the fact that the other is still crappy.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by Parti Rhinocéros

Twice a week I'm down there trying out a new restaurant or cafe, talking to people, and look at me - somehow I made it out alive.

Big deal, you live in Fairfield.

I've sold real estate in numerous markets (including Vacaville-Fairfield-Vallejo) and Fairfield is not exactly considered a great area. Just look at the median home prices compared to other North Bay cities. You can get a single family detached home in Fairfield for $100k.

[promise44]

Thank you for the one person who did help me and to all the others..... could you please stop fighting and giving me some actual information.

[corkfender]

We moved to Green Valley, just west of Fairfield 4 years ago. I shop, eat, etc. in Fairfield and Vacaville regularly. If you check the classifieds in the Daily Republic you will see many homes for rent due to the foreclosure mess. The ones in the nicer areas run about 1500 to 2400 a month for single family residences on the west side of the 80 and in Paradise Valley Estates at the north end of Fairfied and on the east side of the 80. Neither of these areas have many apartments and are very much family neighborhoods. At least half of the listings if not more, that I glanced at today allowed pets, although an additional deposit might be required.
I lived most of my life in a California beach community and have been all over the world for my work...Fairfield does not seem any scarier to me than other places. Some neighborhoods do experience more crime, generally because the residents there have more drug and alcohol problems, mixed with gang affliation and a lower economic profile but they primarily prey on one another.
True, Fairfield and Vacaville are melting pot towns, but in my opinion that makes things more interesting, not threatening. If you are uncomfortable being in close proximity with large numbers of people different than you, just by virtue of skin color, you will not enjoy living here.
Other than going to the Mall, movies, or plays at the Jr. College I tend to go to San Francisco or Sacramento for excitement. Lots to do outdoors here - hike, bike, wind surfing, going to the lake, driving through wine country etc.
BTW I am a white non-hispanic senior citizen (as per the US Census check box...lol)

[fali5]

I am curious to see where u chose to live , I will be moving to north bay area in july . I will be working in solano county and I am still not sure where would be the best place to rent an apt . I am generally looking for a safer area , and a nicer neighborhood. I have never been in northern bay area and I am not really sure what to expect besides the warmer weather . Any suggestions , would be greatly appreciated .