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Living in Sacramento?

nippycrisp

Aug 27, 08 8:33

Post #1 of 23 (368 views)

Living in Sacramento?	Can't Post

I've got a potential job lined up (biotech industry) in West Sacramento/Davis area. Couldn't find anything in the recent archives about the area specifically. Could anyone tell me what life is like, either in a general sense, or for the tri scene. Any other dangers/alerts? Cost of living? Earthquakes? Hippies? I would be coming from (south) Chicago, for frame of reference.
Thanks,

Noah
http://www.chimpalliance.com

trackie clm

Aug 27, 08 8:41

Post #2 of 23 (364 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

>>Any other dangers/alerts? <<

Martin and h2ofun ;-)

Davis is a great place! Lots of good riding and lots of triathletes with MadCows team.

clm

http://ironclm.typepad.com

jrennie

Aug 27, 08 8:45

Post #3 of 23 (361 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [trackie clm] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I live in Reno(about 2 hours away) but travel and race around Sac a lot. Davis is fantastic. It is a real bike crazed town. In the downtown area there are like 4 bike shops in a couple blocks.

ston_ar

Aug 27, 08 8:59

Post #4 of 23 (351 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Davis is a great town, the riding is good if you can get over the lack of hills. Housing, at least in Davis, isn't cheap, but its not as insane as places like San Francisco. And yes Davis does have its fair share of aging hippies, but they're mostly harmless :P
The best part is that you can ride outside year-round without having to bundle up too much in the winter.

Martin C

Aug 27, 08 9:27

Post #5 of 23 (340 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I've lived in Davis and now Sacramento. I loved Davis, was very sad to move to SAC, but have enjoyed Sacramento very, very much. Both towns have strong cycling and triathlete scenes, most noteworthy would be the Davis Bike Club's unique and beloved endurance/ultra events, along with Sacramento's gigantic and numerous cycling clubs, both racing and recreational.

Both Davis and Sacramento have excellent Masters groups. The masters club at Natomas Raquet Club near downtown SAC/West SAC is unbelievable. Unbelievable. Two very big thumbs up.

Both Davis and Sacramento have solid and long established running clubs as well. The open water swimming, ultra-running, touring cycling and ultra-cycling communities are absolutely overflowing with energy and excitement. Much going on.

Hills just outside Davis to the North and West, hills just outside Sacramento to the east.

If I had to pick, I would move to Davis first (central Davis if possible), Sacramento second (east sac if possible), West Sac a distant third.

Sacramento has really grown on us, we didn't expect it. For every cyclist in Davis there are 10 in Sacramento, for every runner in Davis there are 10 in Sacramento, so we've actually made much better friends in Sacramento.

If you've survived the summer humidity in Chicago you can survive Sacramento/Davis. If you have kids you should move to Davis immediately.

++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++
"It sucks for everyone after 150 miles." -Me-

(This post was edited by Martin C on Aug 27, 08 9:29)

rubberband

Aug 27, 08 9:30

Post #6 of 23 (332 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Following up on what ston_ar said about lack of hills, you'll probably find that comfortable, coming from Chicago. But decent hills are to be found an hour's ride west of Davis, and quality hills are roughly an hour's drive either west (Napa) or east (the Sierra foothills.) The weather here really does permit year-round riding. Long rides on rainy days aren't any more pleasant here than anywhere else, but we have way fewer of them. The summers here can be hot on the temp scale, but the lack of humidity makes them ridable.

This summer was unusual because we had a few weeks of very poor air quality due to fires, where riding was difficult to do. Wildfires are common in California, but the lousy air quality isn't. I can't promise it won't happen again, but in my experience it's unusual.

We're also really spoiled here because of the general friendliness of drivers. You do get buzzed occasionally, and there are some roads to avoid, but the majority of drivers are used to seeing cyclists and pass politely. I've never had anything thrown at me while riding out here, either.

Running is unfortunately all flat, unless you're willing to drive to run. There are hills to run in 20 minutes' drive west of Davis, and some make the effort fairly regularly. Davis does have a fair number of good (paved) trails, e.g. the Arboretum on campus and the various greenbelts around town.

We have two good OW swim venues fairly close by: Lake Berryessa and Lake Natoma. Berryessa varies between awesome and a bit dicy depending on how many boaters are on the lake, but it's wamer than Natoma. Natoma has no power boats on it, but it's a bit cold in the winter. But get that: we can do OWS in the winter, too.

I don't know as much about West Sac, as I'm usually only passing through it. It seems more like a working town than Davis, and the roads are rougher. My money would be on Davis, but someone else here might have a counterexample. There are two bike routes between the two places, incidentally, one that goes a little out of the way on county roads, and another that's a dedicated bike bridge parallel to I-80. It's got some road noise (earplugs help), but if you're living in one and working in the other, you'll have plenty of other bike commuters to join should you wish to go that way.

So.. yeah, it's a great area to live and train in.

nippycrisp

Aug 27, 08 9:36

Post #7 of 23 (326 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [rubberband] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks to you and Martin and everyone else for the awesome pointers. But didn't you know you can do open water swims in Lake Michigan through the winter? All you have to do is walk a half mile over the ice to the point where the lake isn't frozen yet, then it's all yours. No one's out there there throwing elbows either;)
http://www.chimpalliance.com

TriMike

Aug 27, 08 10:03

Post #8 of 23 (314 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I went to college in Sac and always felt the best thing about Sac is that is close to nice places to live like Bay Area, Davis and Sierras. Kind of in the middle but Sac itself wasn't really my favorite place to be. I didn't care much for the weather in Sac...hot as hell in the summer and that damn tule fog in the winter (although not as bad as down valley). Housing is certainly cheaper there than Bay Area or here in North Bay however. Are you going to work at Genentech? (guess that is actually in Fairfield).

onabubble

Aug 27, 08 10:31

Post #9 of 23 (298 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I live in the Land Park area of Sacramento, just south of Downtown. Very central, I am 4.74 miles from the Jeddidiah Smith recreational trail, that is a paved Bike, run, etc trail that runs 30 miles from Discovery park, the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, all the way to Folsom lake recreation area. I love the area. I have lived in the East Bay area, the Southern California Desert, the high Desert in Nevada, and I love the fact that Sacramento is 1 hour from the Bay Area, 1:30 from the Sierras, 2 hours to the Beach, no snow, mild winter weather (a couple days a year of fog), the summers can get warm. Today is going to be 103 I think is what I heard on the news this morning.

Lots of great races in the area, Triathlon, Running, and Cycling. Great open water swim opportunities, Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma, Berryessa, and Rancho Seco Park. Great Masters swim program at Rio Del Oro Racquet club in Sacramento, pretty good tri club, Sac Tri. Great trail running up in the Auburn Ravine area, and around Folsom lake.

Housing prices are at 2002-2003 levels in some areas right now. You can get a brand new nice sized home for under $300K, three years ago it would have been $500k+.

West Sacramento is an emerging community, lots of newer construction, still has some pretty rough pockets in Broderick and Bryte area, but overall not a bad community. Depending on how far you want to commute, you have an incredible choice of neighborhoods and living styles to choose from, Downtown has some nice condo/loft properties, Davis is a nice area, a little pricier than West Sacramento or Sacramento, but great community. Woodland is just 10 minutes away, small rural town atmosphere, good real estate pricing. Dixon is closer to the Bay Area but not too far from Davis either.

The only caution I can give you about Davis is that the politics run a little left of center. Not a bad thing perhaps, just know that it is first and foremost a college town with an economy that relies heavily on UC Davis, and that a lot of the local decisions reflect a really idealistic attitude. In fact I think that you should google Davis, ca to see some of the interesting stories about the area. The Toad tunnels is quite interesting, as well as, the snoring ordinance.

Sorry to go on, but I do like the area. I would be happy to answer any questions about the area you may have. I used to work for a new home development company in the area, so I have acquired some knowledge of the surrounding areas of Sacramento.

Good Luck
Russ

klimmerCA

Aug 27, 08 10:32

Post #10 of 23 (297 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Chiming in with support for the area and, especially, Davis. It's a great little town, lots of opportunities for training, racing, support; a terrific tri team and one of the best bike shops in California. West Sac has some okay areas, some not-so-okay areas, but is pretty much a bedroom community. The downsides are the relatively high cost of reality and the lack of hills. That said, it's not far to the Coastal Range or Sierras.
Welcome to the area.
--------------------------
http://eric.ronanderic.com
IM-Switz '08, IM-Louisville '09

Styk33

Aug 27, 08 10:32

Post #11 of 23 (295 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Sacramento is nice if you love the heat, but don't like humidity. Depending on where in Sac you end up (just like what others said) you will be near flat ground to ride your base miles or nice hilly stuff to train in during the spring, summer and fall (snow in winter in the sierras). I live in Fair Oaks and am 30 minutes from most of my hilly rides and 30 minutes from long pancake flat rides. All the rides have little traffic and maybe one or two signals or stop signs.

Running is big in Sac with the nice American River bicycle trail. Plus if you like dirt trails and hills you can hit Folsom or head up a few more miles into El Dorado county (Auburn and such).

Open water swimming in Lake Natoma (not anywhere near Natomas) is nice year round. 4-5 months out of the year there weekly group swims out there and no wetsuit is needed. Winter and early spring the water temps get into the low 60s.

Tri shops are very limited here. You have Fleet Feet which carries some tri items and Performance Bike for another small selection of tri specific stuff. There are also two or three serious cycling shops, along with a world renown frame builder in downtown Sacramento.

The Sacramento Triathlon club is around 200 strong here and h2ofun and I both belong. Contact the President KC and check out the website (http://www.sactriclub.com/). I have been a member since I started tris in 2003 and there is a wide variety of people around.

The local tri races are fun with TBF Racing (http://www.tbfracing.com/) controling most of the races around here.

Davis is interesting if you have a different outlook on life. Any city that builds a tunnel under an existing roadway to save some toads is different.

If you don't like 30-40 days in a row with temps over 100F and not getting below 75F at night, this is not the place for. Humidity in the summer is typically 15-35%. At least at my house in Fair Oaks.

Reverend Dr. Jay
My Myspace.com page
Lake of the Pines Triathlon fastest bike course record holder
Wildflower Long Course slowest run record holder (4:46:32)

"If you have a body, you are an athlete." -Bill Bowerman

h2ofun

Aug 27, 08 10:41

Post #12 of 23 (286 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Even though I am biased to live in the sierra foothills, I only have to commute to Roseville so not that big of a deal.
What is real nice about the area is there are SO many races you can do with such a short driving distance.
Tri's, road, centuries, run, you name it. And with the weather so nice, we can basically do them outside 12 months a
year w/o humidity, snow or bugs.

You want flat, just a short drive. If you want big hills in the altitude, just a short drive.

I will take our earthquakes any day compared to what I see other parts of the country deal with!!!!!!

Good luck, but as the song says, you can never leave. Smile

Smile

Dave

MyAthlete.biz GPS
Bringing families into your racing

Rokko

Aug 27, 08 10:56

Post #13 of 23 (282 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Sacramento / Davis area is actually on a plate, not a fault line, so we have very few if any earthquakes here. The earthquakes are not too far away. One good quake in SF, and we may have ocean front property.

Davis is a nice town, albeit rather bohemian. It's like 10 square miles surrounded by reality.
-----

Blazeman Warrior
Wildflower Long, Big Kahuna, maybe Vineman, hopefully Alcatraz

nslckevin

Aug 27, 08 11:17

Post #14 of 23 (266 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have lived in both Davis and Sacramento, but have now moved to the Bay Area. I really like where I am, but would pick Davis in a heart beat over Sac. Not that I didnt' like Sac, but I like Davis more.

A couple of random bits of information:

Check out the Putah Creek Time Trial every other Wednesday in Davis. Tons of bike racers and triathletes come out for the 10 mile TT. It's free and lots of fun. As an added bonus the guy who runs it sends out results after each race that also notes what bike, wheels and helmet each rider has so you can compare better. It's moved to a different road, check in at Wheelworks downtown for the scoop.

You can bike commute to West Sac from Davis over the Yolo Causeway as it has a bike path. West Capitol Ave in West Sac isn't the best place, but I never had a problem with it.

You can access the hills from Sac (especially east Sac, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, etc.) pretty easily. The catch is that the foothills are getting more and more crowded and I don't think that the riding is nearly as bike friendly as it was 20 years ago. Riding near Berryessa and Napa is still really nice.

Davis rides.

http://daviswiki.org/Bicycle_Rides

Check out Mix Canyon if you like REALLY steep climbs.

As others have noted, it gets really hot during the summer. Dry for sure, but 110 degrees is 110 degrees.

Also, as others have noted the tule fog can be a drag. A high of 40 might not seem so cold, but it's a VERY DAMP 40 and feels much colder. I lived through winters where it was foggy for at least part of something like 29 days in a row. But you can escape the fog by going to the foothills above the fog.

Davis Aquatic Masters (DAM) is very well thought of and has a good program. They also promote an open water swim at Lake Berryessa each year.

Good luck.
Kevin

Sean T

Aug 27, 08 11:29

Post #15 of 23 (255 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hippies: There are tons. You can't avoid them. Constantly haranguing you about the trees and stuff. You could run over 10 on the way to work. Watch out for those hippies.

--
http://www.qtfimi.org

ston_ar

Aug 27, 08 12:50

Post #16 of 23 (217 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [Rokko] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Davis is a nice town, albeit rather bohemian. It's like 10 square miles surrounded by reality.

You do have to be careful about getting stuck in the Davis bubble, spend too many years in town and you start thinking the whole world works the same way that Davis does

dpm

Aug 27, 08 15:29

Post #17 of 23 (181 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

We moved up to Sacramento from the Bay Area. I read it again in an article just this week... "Sacramento is so great because it's close to wine country, close to skiing, close enough to beaches, and convenient to travel to LA/SoCal/Disneyland". Yeah that about says it all :)

I have a love/hate relationship with Sacramento. Every time I start getting sick of the people or sick of the lack of culture or nightlife, I have a great day out on the bike trail... or we discover a new restaurant or just have a great weekend shopping where we have access to everything we could possibly want in a 25 mile radius.

Davis is VERY different from Sacramento. My wife went to school there, and as one person in this thread said if you live there long enough you start thinking the entire world is like Davis. It's not just left wing or hippies or whatever else bad you want to pin on Davis... it's just that it is a very unique place. She hates it now. I actually enjoy _visiting_ a lot :)

West Sac is currently mostly industrial. There are grand plans to build a real community out by the river. In true Sacramento fashion, this will never happen. Do not purchase based on what you're told will happen. It won't.

I guess I would say my biggest complaint with Sacramento (and this always gets me in trouble well I tell this to the natives) is that by and large the people here are incredibly unmotivated and uninspired. I call it "state worker syndrome", imagine your average DMV employee. Obviously we triathletes (and the groups we associate with) are a lot more lively, but I would say on average your typical Sacramento resident is not somebody you'd enjoy hanging out with on a regular basis.

Again, Davis is different. I think people have a lot more drive and enthusiasm there... but maybe a little too extreme? But that's enough of generalizations for now :)

Cost of living? High... but don't know how to compare it to Chicago. Don't worry, biotech does well out here :)
Earthquakes? I survived Loma Prieta in 1987. No big deal. I'd rather that than any midwest storm. Nothing in Sac.
Hippies? I guess I've been here long enough I don't even notice them anymore.
Other things to worry about? Our politicians can't pass a budget :) Year after year after year...

Second what others said about the tri scene. The bike trail is awesome, TBF events are great, STC is a decent club, there's even a couple new local magazines devoted to the multisport lifestyle.

nslckevin

Aug 27, 08 16:04

Post #18 of 23 (165 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [dpm] [In reply to]	Can't Post

This might just be me, but I HATE the American River bike trail. Way to dangerous in my opinion. Kids on BMX bikes swerving all over the place, wannabe racers writing checks that their bike handling skills can't cash, etc.

You can get from downtown Sacramento to Orangevale by taking lightly trafficed roads or roads with bike lanes. Check out the "generic route" from CSUS out to Fair Oaks and Orangevale. You might have to get somebody to show you, but it's a nice way to avoid the bike trail and traffic.

Kevin
Kevin

Martin C

Aug 27, 08 16:27

Post #19 of 23 (147 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nslckevin] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

This might just be me, but I HATE the American River bike trail. Way to dangerous in my opinion.

agreed. I ride the levee top from the golf course to Watt on my 10 mile commute. Takes me off the trail for about 35% of my commute.

It's great in the morning, but the evenings are terrible. On the weekends we train in the foothills, and take light rail from Sac State to Folsom to avoid the bike trail. We might be the only training group that takes the train to avoid a dedicated bike trail. :-(

++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++=++
"It sucks for everyone after 150 miles." -Me-

Styk33

Aug 27, 08 17:54

Post #20 of 23 (124 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [Martin C] [In reply to]	Can't Post

The bike trail is almost empty on the weekend for my rides out to train. Then again most folks aren't even on the road at 530am :)

Earthquakes are so small in Sacramento county you are lucky if you feel anything at all during the major ones in the bay area.

State worker mentality. Hahaha, I never thought of it that way. That is a good assessment of many folks in the area.

Reverend Dr. Jay
My Myspace.com page
Lake of the Pines Triathlon fastest bike course record holder
Wildflower Long Course slowest run record holder (4:46:32)

"If you have a body, you are an athlete." -Bill Bowerman

h2ofun

Aug 27, 08 18:05

Post #21 of 23 (122 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [Styk33] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Jay, you racing LOP on Sat to defend your bike course record?

Dave

MyAthlete.biz GPS
Bringing families into your racing

JJD

Aug 27, 08 18:07

Post #22 of 23 (122 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [nippycrisp] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I would come out for a look and include Folsom on your list of areas to see. I ride 25 miles to Sacramento for work on the bike trail (agree there are a lot of yahoos to deal with) or ride the light rail to work and on weekends I go east for a hill ride. Actually, in my opinion there are a lot of other cities some of which have been mentioned that are good options. As someone else mentioned house prices have definitley come down. The biggest negitive that I have personally is the area trees and grass causes myself and many others grief with allergies. The weather is extreme for someone that grew up in Southern California. Winter the high's in the 50's and summer the 100's. There are a lot of athletes throughout the area. I am surprised that more pros do not reside here but, not much altitude~1000feet.

Good luck

John

Joe Santos

Aug 27, 08 21:30

Post #23 of 23 (99 views)

Re: Living in Sacramento? [JJD] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm definitely biased, as I live and own a business in Davis - so take my words with a grain of salt.

Quite a strong multisport community. There is a strong tri history in Davis, and that survives through to today. The local tri club is very supportive of athletes. The number one complaint regrading the club I hear is the lack of regular cohesive team workouts. Members tend to find other indivduals to train with instead of "team" training. I don't think this is necessarily bad thing, though. The UC Davis Tri Club has very much impressed me in the last few years. They are extremely motivated, organize group training rides consistently - eager to train with whomever wants to train with them.

Great running community as well. We're lucky to have a running store (Fleet Feet) with extremely impressive staff knowledge. The owner (JD Denton) is an industry icon and always willing to offer advice. Everything from sprint distance tri runners to endurance (ie Western States) runners. There is a great path system for running. Limited dirt trails in town. Can hit the leeve roads slightly outside of town, though.

Amazing swimming programs. Lots of Master's swimming. Not my strength - listen to someone else for advice on this.

And now for the riding. Lot's of access for group training rides. In Davis itself, there are 2 fast training rides during the week that attract between 40-60 people. Saturday morning has a slightly slower training ride with some hills. Every other Wed night there is a 10 mile TT that attracts between 40-60 people as well. These are just the organized large group training rides. Everyday there are smaller group rides you can find to suit your needs.

Terrain? You better like flat and windy. Makes you strong. Both physically and mentally. Constant wind can be a mindf***. To get hills you need to ride about 20 miles. Once you get to them, the hills are good. We do consistent training rides over to the Napa area. For longer, consistent climbs, it is about a 50 minute drive to either the lower Sierra's or Mt Diablo.

The town itself? Davis always feels active. We've always attributed it to the town being pretty young overall because of the constant influx of young, fresh students. It's a great town for raising a family. Very safe, lots of kids and activity. If you're not the kid bearing type, don't worry, there is also a large part of the community that are thirty to fortysomething couples that have chosen not to have kids. I'm an old, boring married guy, so I can't comment on the social nightlife (although if I have to judge from my young employee's, I'd say it's pretty easy to keep yourself busy).

For the Central Valley, Davis is a pretty expensive town to live in. Having said that, we're not talking Bay Area prices.

______________________________
- Joe S.

Davis Wheelworks
http://www.daviswheelworks.com
Davis, CA

The NorCal Tri, TT and Road Source For: Cervelo, Felt, Kuota, Scott, Cannondale, Look, Pinarello, Colnago, Time, Ridley, Seven. Zipp, Mavic, HED. Profile, X-Lab, Hydrotail.