Mixed feelings
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5/27/2011
When I moved to Sacramento, I moved there not knowing much at all about the city. I picked it because of the location in California. It is located almost right in the middle. This is great if you like both mountains and ocean, and are fine with not living by either. You travel about 2 hours west and you are in the San Fransisco bay area - and you have the ocean. You travel about 2 hours east and you have the mountains, and a little farther is Reno. If you travel about 6 hours south you are in the L.A. area. Travel about 3 hours north and you are in Redding/Shasta area. The Sacramento area is not as big as the L.A. but it is still big. There are many smaller cities that surround it, and they all kind of merge into one. I lived on the border of Sacramento and Citrus Heights, and it was not the best area to live as far as safety goes, or beauty for that matter. There is a lot of people and a lot of crime. At least once a week there was a search helicopter looking for criminals hovering over our apartment complex. They would tell us to stay indoors, and lock the windows and doors. I had my apartment robed in broad daylight. I actually walked in while in progress, and they ran out the back. The cops were no help either. There are gangs everywhere especially in south and north Sac. There are, however, really nice areas that are much safer. I would say I lived in the ghetto, or one of the ghettos. So do your research on the different areas or take a trip there before moving. There is plenty to do in the city and around the city - indoors and out. There are some awesome water parks in the area - if you are into that. Prices vary, there are some really cheep areas and some not so cheep areas. Basically the price matters here. If it's cheep it might be too good to be true, and you might end up in an area like mine. (Mid-tone is a beautiful area, but pricy) Downtown is fun - lots of history and culture, and the streets are lined with orange and palm trees. It's beautiful! The temperature often hits triple digits in summer. In the winter it can be bone dry cold, but rarely rarely ever snows. Mostly it's pretty dry and hot. The good thing is most places come with a/c and pools, but they get packed quick. There are plenty of good places to eat, good malls, and really a lot of stuff was way cheeper in Sacramento - compared to Washington. Honestly I was sad to leave when I did. When I was moving back to Washington while driving from I-80 to I-5 I took one last look at the downtown and just bawled like a baby. I was very happy there except for the negative factors that I mentioned. The sun itself made me happy. I have lived most of my life in Washington and the sun in Washington will just never compare to Cali sun. Other than that I can't think of anything else to add. Well except the air quality is not so good, and it gets smoggy. I have seen worse, but I have also seen better. Make a visit before a move, and see if it is for you and your family. Good Luck
Rose | Bellingham, WA