Looking for reports on life in and around Sacramento. Have a possible job opportunity there and, though I have never been to the area, I am looking for a chance of scenery and was thinking it might be cool to live in Davis, CA, a well-known tri hotbed, and commute into Sacramento for work.
My questions:
If you lived in Davis (near good areas to ride) would the commute to Sacramento be decent, hellacious or somewhere in between? Also is there any way to cycle to work - is that sort of thing done in the area? My current commute is only a 5 minute walk but I am have lived in a real big city for 11+ years and am ready for a change to a more outdoors-type environment.
Is the triathlon scene in Davis as good as I have heard? What I am most interested in is whether there are good riding opportunities right out your backdoor so I can ride before and/or after work.
How’s the weather? Year 'round riding possible?
Anything else you’ve got, good or bad, about either Sacramento or Davis, I’d REALLY appreciate hearing. Thanks in advance.
Sac to Davis is about a 20 minute drive if I 80 isn’t backed up, but SAC is a government town full of 9-5ers so the commute can be a bear with everyone on the road at the same time.
If I was you I’d look to the east of Sacramento in the foothills. The Folsom area is great.
Davis is pancake flat, windy as all hell, hotter than hades in the summer, damp and foggy in the winter. That said it is a college town and has some charm and appeal.
Watch out for the local cops they ticket bikers for speeding and running stop signs all the time.
Can’t help you on the commute, but you should be able to ride almost all year. Hot as hell in summer though.
Davis is a pretty quiet college town, but if you’re looking for a change fro mthe big-city thing it might work out well. THere’s a good microbrewery too
I’m with Matt, Davis is pretty cool but Folsom, Granite Bay, etc (east of Sac) are better places to live and train. Of course, I’ve never lived there but visited many, many times. Davis is flat farmland. The eastside of Sac is the beginning of the Sierra foothills with lots of great trails, open water swimming, and you’re that much closer to Tahoe ; )
You are on the right track: Reside in Davis and commute to work. You have a few commuting options, drive 20 or jump on Amtrak (park in Davis for free & 15 min ride but if you don’t work near downtown you may want to drive). Davis is a cool little college town. Both are hot, hot, hot in summer.
You are correct in your intuition of the tri-culture in Davis: http://www.madcowsracing.org/about/history.html, and UC D has a team as well that’s open to the community as well. Plus you could always drive down to the Bay Area for a change of scenery.
Davis is flat, flat, did I say flat? Towns that head towards Tahoe are better for training. In addition to Sac, check out Natomas, Elk Grove, Folsom, etc. Check around for competitive housing rates.
I will never live in or around Sac ever again. I’m a city boy though (even if I wasn’t it wouldn’t matter). My friends from Sac had a nickname for it that I wear out “Wacramento”. Check it out and see for yourself. You may dig it, or maybe not.
See if you can get a job in San Diego. That would be perfect.
I think it would depend where your job is. The traffic up there is horrible! My training bud moved up there and she and her husband bought their house in proximity to work so she wouldn’t have to deal with traffic.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this or not above, but you can ride from Davis to SAC - there is a trail that parallels the freeway. There are lots of triathletes in Davis, SAC and foothills. I have not ridden in Davis at all (except for a crit), but the foothills have tons of cool roads. Also lots of group ride options if you are into that. I am up in the foothills in Granite Bay. Swore I would never move up here from the Bay Area but did about 4.5 years ago and now like it a lot. The Folsom Lake loop for example is right out my back door for a 55 mile option or 60 mile option with about 4K of climbing. An hour away is a sweet 80 mile loop with 9K, or flats for days if you want them, etc. etc.
Yes, the traffic sucks, but that is the case in any big metropolitan area. If you live up this way and work in downtown SAC you are looking at a 45-60 min commute and more from Auburn. For housing, check out golyon.com (not sure if the search has Davis, but it has Sac and the foothills). Housing prices have been out of control here - literally up 20-25% from a year ago.
As far as year round riding - no problem. Coldest day I remember was about 40-45.
PM me if you have any other specific questions - good luck with the decision
I know people have mentioned Folsom and Placervile etc. Much more conservative, sprawling subdivisions rule. I would hate it there. I lived in Sac for 3 years and have considered moving back, but i would only live in Midtown or Davis, personally.
