"Oh, Biff, not another meal at the French Laundry! Their cooking is bourgeois and their menu is *so* 2016. Quick, do have Postlethwaite fire up the Bentley, for I have a mind to take a jaunt to Sacramento."
The weather. Winters are easy and breezy. No snow. Summers are hot but dry. You don't walk around sweating all the time. Delta breezes bring natural cooling now and then throughout summer.
Housing prices are far lower than the coast, though higher than other regions.
A brand new Arena large enough for A grade acts. Paul McCartney played there. The Sacramento Kings play there.
Two major rivers converge in Sacramento and there's miles and miles of boating and rafting opportunities. Rental rafts are available.
The suburbs of Roseville, Rocklin, Granite Bay, and Lincoln offer good schools for young families. I live in Rocklin, and the public schools are top notch. Low crime, too.
Ninety minutes to San Francisco, ninety minutes to Lake Tahoe.
Bike trails that go for miles.
Old Sacramento is a preserved 19th century town. It has restaurants and nightclubs. The riverfront has dining and tours.
If you like to cook, Sacramento is surrounded by some of the best agriculture in the world. The produce and meats are the best. In the delta south of the city are some great pear farms. Best pears ever. Also, good fresh seafood.
It has been a while since my last visit, but there were some great restaurants.
Oh, and if you are really board, you can go watch laws being made.
I didn't mind the summers when I lived in Sacramento, between college and moving East to NYC.
They seemed fine to me. I loved the mornings there the best. With the smell of eucalyptus in the air. Winters were mild, never snowy.
I don't miss the traffic or the congestion.
I loved the proximity to places like the Bay area. Placerville was a jewel when I lived in Sacramento. Don't know how it's evolved since then. Wouldn't have minded living there if I'd been able to.
Roseville was nice.
There was a big outdoor flea market where I went to buy fresh produce periodically.
Old Sacramento was a fun place to visit.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2017 12:29AM by Amyjo.
3. Proximity (1.5 - 9 hours) to Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Yosemite, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas (Seriously, how many people can wake up on any given Saturday and take a spontaneous day trip to this many places?).
4. Proximity to national forests.
5. Weather (mostly sunny).
6. Amenities (enough to satisfy most people).
7. Diversity.
Edits: trouble saving message properly.
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2017 02:56AM by asleep.
I guess it's all relative. That's funny, my son lives in Sac and says the best thing is the traffic. He moved there from L.A. area. Was working in L.A. last week and said he remembered why he likes it better in Sac.
I agree with all the pros people have listed about Sacramento, other than that, as a native of the SF Bay Area, I find the Sac summers too hot--most of us Bay Area folks do. However, Sacramento summers are relatively cooler than those in much of the country. If you're moving from Utah or AZ, you'll probably find the summer temps quite pleasant.
The one big con I also agree with is the traffic. As housing prices have continued to climb down here (in the Bay Area), more and more people have continued to move to the greater Sac area, which is more affordable by comparison. The traffic there is much worse than it was only a few years ago.
I've lived in the Sacramento area for 24 years now and I love it for all the reasons already listed. The traffic is NOTHING compared to the SF Bay Area or LA (where I grew up). I live in the foothills now, so traffic is a non-issue. :-)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2017 01:13AM by bluebutterfly.