Reviews & Comments
Jackson, CA
FORMER AMADOR COUNTY RESIDENT FOR 26 YEARS -
1/1/2007I moved away from Amador County in 2003. I lived in the county for 26 years in Pioneer, Jackson, Sutter Creek, Pine Grove, and Plymouth. The county is beautiful, especially up Highway 88 heading towards Pine Grove and Pioneer. If you are an outdoors enthusiast, you'll find lots to do. There's the Mokelumne River, several lakes both in the high country and lower down, close proximity to the Kirkwood Ski Resort, etc. Take a trip up Highway 88 to Hope Valley in the fall for breathtaking fall colors. When I first moved to Amador County, I thought I had died and gone to heaven!
I raised both my daughters in Amador County. The schools were okay and there was no parks and recreation department. Once your kids get a little older, there's nothing for them to do beyond school sports (which I discovered costs an arm and a leg to participate). Maybe because the towns are so spread apart, attempts at creating activities for teenagers have failed. The town made even skateboarding illegal, so kids couldn't even do that without being harassed by the cops. I saw a lot of drinking and drug use among young adults - which in fairness seems to be everywhere. There are no junior colleges and not many jobs, especially during school breaks. The county is growing and new businesses are finally coming in, so maybe that situation will improve.
You're at least one hour from Stockton or Sacramento, which is where the kids will need to go if they want to go to college and still live at home. There's not much to do in the evenings. There are some nice restaurants and bars and there are a few annual events such as Dandelion Days in Jackson, an occasional blues festival, etc. Volcano has a community theater which is really great and I think Sutter Creek also has a community theater which has struggled to stay open.
There are nice shops sprinkled around the county and downtown Sutter Creek has lots of antique shops. When I first moved to Jackson, downtown had a lot of great shops, but it has been stuggling over the years to keep businesses alive. There is also the Shenandoah Valley which has some of the greatest wineries and wines around and which have many events throughout the year. Also the Amador Flower Farm is one of the best plant nurseries around.
There is definitely a "good old boy" mentality in the county. Gas prices are higher in Amador County than all the surrounding communities.
While I made some really great friends and had a lot reward
Folsom, CA
TWO THUMBS UP! -
1/1/2007I have lived in Folsom for 3+ years, but have been coming to Folsom for shopping and entertainment for 10 years. Here are some facts that I have experienced living in Folsom:
- It's a very clean town and a large majority of the town is new and fresh
- Folsom has a great "old town" that is closed down for traffic several times throughout the year for events such as the weekly Farmer's Market, Folsom Live that features about 10 bands and other entertainment, etc.
- Folsom has a lot of great restaurants - any type of food you could want.
- Great shopping! It also has outlet stores, a Costco and Sam's, and most major stores.
- Folsom hosts many annual events such as the Folsom Rodeo, a Renaissance Faire, a Gourd Festival, etc. It seems like there's always something going on.
- For those who are into outdoor activities, Folsom has miles and miles of great hiking and cycling trails, Folsom Lake, the American River, Lake Natomas, and has easy and quick access to Lake Tahoe, snow skiing, kayaking, sailing, etc.
- Folsom has a great parks and recreation department with activities for the very young to the very old.
- Folsom has great schools. I wish I had moved here while raising my daughters - there's so much here for kids. It's a very family-oriented community and has lots of jobs for the older kids. There is also a junior college in Folsom and it's not far from the university in Sacramento and Davis.
- Folsom is also pet friendly. A large majority of the apartments allow pets and dogs are allowed on the trails. There are also lots of dog parks that aren't too far away. Most of the trails have doggie poop bags and garbage cans available in case you forget to bring your own.
- Folsom has tons of great parks and playgrounds.
- Folsom is safe. I'm a single woman and never feel frightened. If you look at the crime stats, they are extremely low. However I still think you should always use caution and be safe no matter where you live.
- Folsom has a Kaiser hospital and a Mercy Hospital. It's also not far from other major hospitals down in Sacramento.
My only "negative" comments are: (1) if you want to buy a home, it's expensive. Most well-maintained homes in good neighborhoods start in the $400-500K range. However you can still find affordable apartments. I'm paying $1,035 for a one bedroom apartment that overlooks the wetlands. The nicer apartments can cost up to $1,300 for a one bedroom. (2) It's HOT in the summer. Last summer we