Thinking of moving to fairfield (Vacaville, Davis: apartments, foreclosures, to rent)

[jc98]

Hi,

We are thinking of moving from Davis to Fairfield soon, to shave some time off bay area commutes. I know Fairfield has some bad areas but we are wondering how the Cordelia area is, west of 680?

Thanks

[llowllevellowll]

I live in Fairfield part of the year and honestly, I like it a lot. There's a lot of diversity and you've got your higher-density areas mixed in with your quiet residential. It doesnt feel sterile like Vacaville can. It's got its bad neighborhoods, it's good Mexican and Thai restaurants, and its connection to farm land.

The area west of I-80 isn't termed Cordelia anymore, though. Colloquially, we call that Green Valley and what's east of I-80 (on either side of 680, we call Cordelia. In recent years, they've developed the area around Cordelia Road to be "Old Town Cordelia" with stamped concrete in intersections, old-fashioned street lamps, etc. It's not a well-traveled area, but it has it's new housing, and its old-farm houses too. Of course, most people think of Cordelia as all those gas stations and fast-food joints off of I-80 as a pit-stop for road-travelers, but there's a bit more than just that.

When you go west of I-80, you enter Green Valley, and although remnants remain of previous nomenclature (i.e. Fairfield-Cordelia Library and the Cordelia Fire Station), residents now refer to everything west of 80 as Green Valley, generally. I would assume that was Fairfield's game plan when developing that area - to tie it more so into the community of Green Valley which is set back slightly more on Green Valley/Rockville Road (and is absolutely gorgeous)

Regardless, both sides of 80 (and by extension, 680) are very nice with little-to-no crime whatsoever. West of I-80 is the nicer side, by far, and the further you go back into Green Valley Road/Rockville Road or Suisun Valley (near the college), the nicer it is, but there isn't one part that's run-down.

The Vintage Valley, development, is the one development that's worth noting. During the height of the market, everything sold like hot cakes, obviously but if you find the streets entitled Venus, Mural, and Trophy (off of Mangels) - each house was built with a mother-in-law suite above the garage. What seems like a cool idea then and probably helped them sell for slightly more has turned into a downside for the neighborhood in that many of them (which are basically studio apartments now) are being rented out. You have a lot of cars parked on the streets there and probably more people occupying the neighborhood than previously planned for.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact.

A few of my favorite restaurants:

El Tapatio on Rockville Road
Sukothai on Sunset
Tacqueria El Farolita on Sunset

Those are in old Fairfield/Suisun. Green Valley doesn't cater much to dining, but there's a good Mediterranean restaurant near Green Valley Shopping Center that's worth going to.

[demartile]

As far as housing is concerned, picture a square. Traivs blvd on the south, airbase pkwy on the north, I-80 on the west and Pennsylvania on the east. I would not want to live inside that sqaure. Mall traffic, resturaunt traffic, and lots of hood areas sprinkled around there. east fairfield north of airbase pkwy is pretty decent. south of dover to E. Tabor street is not the nicest area, but you could raise a family there. Places to avoid in fairfield. E. Tabor st to Walters rd. The daily scene of shopping carts from Food Maxx on the residential sidewalk, blacks with their pants half way down their ass walking up and down and across the street while traffic is moving, cops frequently driving around, and hookers. Grande circle is a loop off of E. Tabor that houses some of the cities worst animals. Cars with gigantic wheels and shiny paint jobs blasting rap music are the norm.

However, Fairfield has a great library and alot of eatery choices. If you drive a few minutes you can be in Suisun with better eating, better schools, and less of a jungle type atmosphere. I have strong feelings about Fairfield because I live there. If you want a nice quiet place to live, try Suisun

[ca_north]

Originally Posted by Parti Rhinocéros

I live in Fairfield part of the year and honestly, I like it a lot. There's a lot of diversity and you've got your higher-density areas mixed in with your quiet residential. It doesnt feel sterile like Vacaville can. It's got its bad neighborhoods, it's good Mexican and Thai restaurants, and its connection to farm land.

The area west of I-80 isn't termed Cordelia anymore, though. Colloquially, we call that Green Valley and what's east of I-80 (on either side of 680, we call Cordelia. In recent years, they've developed the area around Cordelia Road to be "Old Town Cordelia" with stamped concrete in intersections, old-fashioned street lamps, etc. It's not a well-traveled area, but it has it's new housing, and its old-farm houses too. Of course, most people think of Cordelia as all those gas stations and fast-food joints off of I-80 as a pit-stop for road-travelers, but there's a bit more than just that.

When you go west of I-80, you enter Green Valley, and although remnants remain of previous nomenclature (i.e. Fairfield-Cordelia Library and the Cordelia Fire Station), residents now refer to everything west of 80 as Green Valley, generally. I would assume that was Fairfield's game plan when developing that area - to tie it more so into the community of Green Valley which is set back slightly more on Green Valley/Rockville Road (and is absolutely gorgeous)

Regardless, both sides of 80 (and by extension, 680) are very nice with little-to-no crime whatsoever. West of I-80 is the nicer side, by far, and the further you go back into Green Valley Road/Rockville Road or Suisun Valley (near the college), the nicer it is, but there isn't one part that's run-down.

The Vintage Valley, development, is the one development that's worth noting. During the height of the market, everything sold like hot cakes, obviously but if you find the streets entitled Venus, Mural, and Trophy (off of Mangels) - each house was built with a mother-in-law suite above the garage. What seems like a cool idea then and probably helped them sell for slightly more has turned into a downside for the neighborhood in that many of them (which are basically studio apartments now) are being rented out. You have a lot of cars parked on the streets there and probably more people occupying the neighborhood than previously planned for.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact.

A few of my favorite restaurants:

El Tapatio on Rockville Road
Sukothai on Sunset
Tacqueria El Farolita on Sunset

Those are in old Fairfield/Suisun. Green Valley doesn't cater much to dining, but there's a good Mediterranean restaurant near Green Valley Shopping Center that's worth going to.

I notice that praise of "diversity" (which in my experience tends to mean more crime, belligerent behavior and crass subwoofer noise) is entirely dependent on who's doing the describing.

From what I've seen of Fairfield the bulk of it (at least east of I-80) is not ideal if one isn't comfortable around ESL people. The town also has a lot of wind in certain seasons.

[jc98]

Thanks for the input. I've been around the mall and tabor so no interested in going near there. I used to work in North Highlands so while I am used to seeing hookers, pimps, and Lincoln town cars on 20" rims I don't really want to experience it when I go home.

We have looked around paradise valley and cement hill and those areas don't look bad either. I had not considered Suisun, but thats an option. I do like the area west of 680 for the most part but there doesnt seem to be alot of inventory. Any impressions on areas around Cement Hill Rd, Laurel Park etc?

Thanks

[llowllevellowll]

Originally Posted by jc98

Thanks for the input. I've been around the mall and tabor so no interested in going near there. I used to work in North Highlands so while I am used to seeing hookers, pimps, and Lincoln town cars on 20" rims I don't really want to experience it when I go home.

We have looked around paradise valley and cement hill and those areas don't look bad either. I had not considered Suisun, but thats an option. I do like the area west of 680 for the most part but there doesnt seem to be alot of inventory. Any impressions on areas around Cement Hill Rd, Laurel Park etc?

Thanks

The area around Cement Hill Road isn't nearly as desirable as the areas I noted as Cordelia and Green Valley, but the further you go toward Paradise Valley, the nicer it gets. You should find a decent amount of inventory in Cordelia and GV with the great amount of foreclosures that occurred during the crash.

Are you looking to rent or purchase? Do you have an approximate price point? Maybe I can DM you a few listings.

Originally Posted by ca_north

I notice that praise of "diversity" (which in my experience tends to mean more crime, belligerent behavior and crass subwoofer noise) is entirely dependent on who's doing the describing.

From what I've seen of Fairfield the bulk of it (at least east of I-80) is not ideal if one isn't comfortable around ESL people.

I've never experienced a problem. I think I'd rather live in an area where I have different types of people, even if there are are fewer English speakers and more population density. You'd never find an El Tapatio in Vacaville. The ability to leave downtown Fairfield and to be in farm land with multiple fruit stands, pottery shops, and a place like El Tapatio in less than 5 minutes is really neat. You accept the good with the bad. I also like how within about a mile of downtown Fairfield, you can be in downtown Suisun, watching boats dock at the marina as you walk around neighborhoods with some of the most gorgeous historical homes in all of Solano County.

If you simply avoid Fairfield's worst areas (and why would you really be in those neighborhoods anyway), you'll be perfectly fine.

I also wouldn't judge all of Fairfield by the area that you note - on the other side of I-80 (and on the outskirts of the same side of I-80), it's an entirely different city.

[robsale11]

I too am moving to the farifield / suisun area...any Leeds on nice area with a condo or small home or cottage to rent...