My friend Zak is back to blogging after a 9 month break. She’s had a challenging year that she couldn’t write about until it was over, or as over as something that you always think about can possibly be. My favorite comment on that post: “Adulting is hard.”
Truer words never spoken.
Last week was the first week of school. The Mister was out-of-town, a fact I felt was�unfortunate but totally�doable. Not doable was Wednesday, which was�when he called to tell�me his�company is eliminating his position on the 31st of December.
“I bet it would have been nice for you to hear the news from the comfort of your home, versus a hotel room,” I mused.
He agreed.
Did you know some people respond to extreme stress by falling asleep? I do. The Mister was telling me the news and I swear I tried to show support,�but my eyelids started to drop shortly after he said something about the company wanting him to take a promotion�to Sacramento or Reno. If you’ve ever had anesthesia, or breast-fed a newborn, you know the feeling. It’s a sleep that blankets you all at once and without warning.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I think,” I said as I rubbed my eyes, “that we should sleep on it and talk in the morning.
He’s home now; we’ve talked. The move isn’t a for-sure thing, but it’s a possibility. The Sacramento area is the most logical choice if the goal is to cut the amount of time he’s away from home (we can live anywhere from Redding to Reno). I know nothing about Sacramento other than it’s our state capital and that it gets hotter there than it does here, which is really saying something. I hear it’s an awesome place to live. I hear it’s full of crime, homeless people, and misery.�I’ve received conflicting reviews, is what I’m saying.
We’re heading up there this weekend as a mini-vacation/fact-finding mission. At the very least, we’ll get to show the boys the capital and visit the railroad�museum. Any suggestions on where to go, or, um, where to live in the Sacramento area?
Hello! I currently live in Sacto and have been here for ten years now. We are finally moving back east in October, and Sac really isn’t the town for me but a lot of our friends do love it here. Yes, it’s miserably hot and there is a lot of crime and so on, but there are good things to be found, like any other place.
Definitely go to Sampino’s Towne Foods for lunch while you’re here (16th and F St); they have the best sandwiches, we go every week. If you want excellent Neapolitan style pizza, go to Masullo (Riverside, a few blocks south of Broadway). McKinley and Land Park are both large, nice parks if you want some outdoor time. Devine Gelateria has insanely delicious gelato and sorbet and a teeny back patio (19th between L and Capitol).
We live in East Sac, which is nice though quite expensive and has seen a big jump in crime (mostly nonviolent, generally a lot of car vandalism and car/home break-ins). If we were staying in Sac, we’d probably look in the nighborhoods just south of Braodway, off of Riverside, Land Park, or Curtis Park.
If you want more recommendations or information, I’d be happy to share, shoot me an email at aimee.peony at gmail. I’ll turn on notifications for this comment thread, just let me know if you email so I can be sure to check!
Actually, we can move to the Sacramento area, which is in the company’s mind can go up past Redding or over to Reno. Is East Sac the “fabulous forties” area I read about?
Oh!
Don’t you hate those “honey, we have to talk talk” talks?
I hope you guys really like Sacremento! I’m sorry it’s even something that has to be considered.
We moved 9 times when my 3 boys were growing up. It made them flexible, interested in other places, and it really brought them family together. After all, when you are in a new place you “home” is where your family is. When it came time to go to college, by sons were able to look at the entire country as a possibility – not just our immediate area. They felt comfortable going anywhere. While moving is stressful for the short haul, it is do-able and can be a positive thing. We always moved for my husband’s job. He was able to “move up” and had many positions to put on a resume. Good luck looking at Sacramento. Just educate yourself, talk to a few realtors, and visit a few school districts. When we were looking in the Glendale CA area, (many years ago), we had out maps and realtor listings spread out at a table in a deli. The owner came over and saw what we were doing and he gave us the “real” low down on areas and schools, etc. Helped us immensely! Think positively – it might be a great move!
My main concern has been the boys and how they would react if we had to move. Nice to know that moving has its positives.
I moved CONSTANTLY growing up as a child and I agree with Gretchen. It can be really good for kids, especially in this new world we’re living in. It has made me more comfortable in new places and being around new people. I think it has made me more sensitive to social nuance and better at reading a room. So many American families move at least once or twice while their children are still in school that I think its become the norm rather than growing up in one place.
Your boys will thrive no matter where they are because that’s the kind of boys you are raising and the kind of home you are creating for them.
Hmm, some tough decisions ahead for you…
What about living a bit outside of Sacramento in a safer area and your husband commuting to work? Could this work? I’m obviously no expert since I’m sitting here far far away in good old Europe. I follow Ashley Muir’s blog Hither and Thither. She and her family live in Davis and the way she portrays the city it seems like quite a lovely place to live.
I love outside sacramento on the east side up there Auburn. It’s probably too far if you want to be closer to his office. But tons of people commute to sacto from auburn and further. There are some lovely areas in sacramento, as one commenter said, Land Park. I’m sure they’re all pretty pricey though. Again a little east is Granite Bay, also pricey but nice area. Davis is a great town very green in lots of ways ,bike path friendly, great coop.
Sacramento coop is also great. Old town where you’re going to see the railroad museum is nice. Plus the capital is beautiful. Be sure to drive up I80 to check out the outlying areas, and probably drive Hwy 50 which takes you to Placerville. And then Tahoe. I have always loved the foothills and once you’re out of Sacramento the air really clears up.
Good luck and have fun
No office! He has a territory, and it would extend past Reno and Redding, but no lower than Sacramento. We can live anywhere in or near there.
I had friends that lived in Carmichael, a suburb of Sacramento, and really loved it there.
Thanks. Taking notes. :)
My comments are 20 years out of date now, since we moved from the Sacramento area to Minnesota in 1995. But we did always love going to Old Sacramento and the train museum as kids. Also, I loved visiting Davis and thought it seemed like such a cool little town. We lived in Dixon, and I anti-recommend it (although again, this was 20 years ago). The high school and middle school were not great, and at least back then, the was a lot of small town attitude.
Three years ago, we packed up our elementary-school-aged children and moved across the country (from the LA area to suburbs of NYC). I was nervous about how the kids would transition, especially my older son, who is shy and serious and takes a while to warm up to new people, places, situations. The kids did beautifully. They made new friends and kept in touch with old ones (the best use of social media, in my opinion). Not that every moment has been fabulous, and there have been tears here and there, but they survived and are happy. In all honesty, the move has been much harder for me. I had a great group of friends in California, and have not been able to come close to replicating that kind of “village” out here. Still working on it. Also, agree with the Davis recs; also check out Winters, near to Davis. A good friend grew up there, left for college and her 20s, and now is back there raising her kids. Loves it.
My parents and sister (and her family, with kids ages 12 and10) live in Lincoln and they like the small town feeling even with ample new housing. Next door is Rocklin and Roseville which is little bigger but has all the shopping you need. You would take highway 65 off of 80. You’d only be an hour and a half from the north shore of Tahoe, which I’m sure is a point of interest for your family.
Just sending a little commiseration on the whole adulting thing. I’ve been doing it hard for the past year, and it’s…hard. I think it’s good to acknowledge that when life sends you lemons, you’re getting something sour. And that maybe you don’t really like lemonade all that much. Then you can go looking for some sugar and water and maybe think about what else might make the lemonade more appealing. I hope things work out well.
I always thought that phrase was lacking. Life needs to give sugar and water too for lemonade
I live in Davis. I grew up there (well since 1980 anyway). I work in Sacramento and my husband works in Davis. It is a nice place to live. There’s lots of nice areas in and around Sacramento. Can be hit or miss, crime, etc., but you can find plenty of good areas too. There’s not a whole lot between Redding and Sacramento, but if you were looking for a more rural experience you’d definitely find it. Out in the hills anywhere between Sacramento and Reno also lots of potential. When you’re here, you ought to check out Auburn, Nevada City and other of the “hill towns”. Also plenty of nice suburbs east of Sacramento – Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Roseville. I have a good friend who’s lived her whole life in Reno. She likes it well enough, but I suspect if her husband was into relocating she’d move to California. Good luck. Moving is really hard, but can be an adventure.
Coming from a military mom, my kids have attended 10 different schools, with my youngest possibly switching again just weeks after starting here in DC, so I have a little insight if you’re worried about the kids. The best plan is to start reassuring and planning as early as you can. Find out everything you can and share the info with them. Be excited about the possibilities (every school has something different and fun, find it and emphasize it’s awesomeness. “Wow! Did you know your new school has the best football team in the county? It will be fun going to see them play.” or whatever.) My kids have lived and played all over the world. I know for a fact that they will always appreciate the cultures, languages and habits of all different people. I think that will serve them much better than us having kept them in the same town at the same school for their whole lives. I can write a book on this, but suffice it to say, if you prepare them well and go into it with a positive attitude, they will too.
Although I don’t know much about the area in general, I do know a specific. I attended the most beautiful garden wedding reception in Placerville, and it is gorgeous there.
On a side note, I thought your news was sad, but when I went to Zak’s blog, I got downright depressed for the both of you. Good luck.
I currently live in Orangevale, which is outside of Sacramento, raising my 6 and 8 year old daughters. Roseville, Rocklin, El Dorad Hills and Folsom are the typical burbs but have good schools and has a lot of family oriented activities. I prefer Orangevale/Carmichael due to the houses being on bigger lots and not so cookie cutter but still being close to Roseville and Folsom.
This weekend is Sacramento Gold Rush Days http://sacramentogoldrushdays.com/ Also check out http://www.sacramento365.com/categories/index/7/965/AGE-SPECIFIC_KIDS for other activities that may be happening that weekend.
Good luck and feel free to contact me if you’d like any more info.
People do love Davis. On a road trip this spring we went through Davis and Chico; both were cute towns with beautiful big trees (which help overset the heat) and attractive downtowns. We spent a night in Redding, which seems like a reasonable place, but definitely the “big city” in a rural area. A bonus for Sacramento and environs is that it’s much closer to Tahoe. And I’m not sure it’s actually hotter than the inland empire. Good luck!
I second Chico…worth checking out. We live in Lake Tahoe and some of my husbands family haves lived in Chico for about 23 years. His parents moved there from San Jose and love it. It’s only 2 1/2 hours from Tahoe and Sacramento airport is close enough, I’ve always felt safe there.
Hi,
You mentioned Reno as a possibility, just wondering if you’ve given it any thought? I’ve lived in Reno for 15 years now and really enjoy the community and biggest little aspects of the town. If there was ever a time to consider Reno as a future home, it would be now. There’s lots of exciting things happening and new developments, it’s an exciting time in the community. We have a land-grant university (my employer) and several other major companies moving to town (Tesla). The airport is super easy which means getting in and out isn’t a problem. We recently got a direct flight to NYC and London in the winter (to attract skiers). There are tons of great outdoor adventures to be had in the Sierras, Napa is just over three hours away and San Francisco is an easy four hour trip. Worth mentioning, if you’re husband has to travel via car, the snowy winters could present a challenge. I have an aunt who does the drive over I-80 to Roseville once every week and she says it isn’t a problem.
Just thought I’d toss Reno out there as an option since it seems to be on your list, http://www.livability.com/nv/reno
My Sister lives in Redding and she’s not particularly keen on it, I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Chico and I would say that it’s also a great option too! Best of luck in your adulting!
~jessica
I hate moving as an adult :(. That is hard news to hear. I loved moving as a kid, though. I was an army brat and we moved every 2-3 years. My folks talked up every move and listed out all the positives for us, we got really excited for the prospects for something new. But they also would throw a goodbye party (or got our classroom to throw a party), and made sure we had opportunity to say bye to everyone. This was the age before social media and the Internet — but my mom would get stationary with addresses, etc for me and my friends. My pen pal enthusiasm generally waned after a few months in the new place, but I actually have kept several of these childhood friends.
Just wanted to wish you and the Mister all the best as you figure this out. We’ve moved three times for my husband’s job, my first notice being given over the phone when I was 8 and 1/2 months pregnant with our first child. It’s a very unsettling feeling, to be given this kind of news, and then to look around the home you’ve put together and know you will/might have to leave it. But that being said, I have to agree with many of your other commenters: all our moves have held more positives than negatives, and have been good growing experiences for all of us. (And hey, moving is the ultimate reason for purging, and that’s always a good thing ;) ). Good luck, Jules.
Exactly what I was thinking! I move every couple of years and I love me a good moving purge.
Glad to hear there’s still another position open to you. From the Riverside area to the NorCal area will not be the same culture shock as if you were OC or LA. There’s tons of great advice about places to relocate already, and I agree 100% about moving the boys at this age. We moved from Lytle Creek to the Sacramento area when I was 12 and my sister was 14. I used it as an opportunity to completely reinvent myself.
There’s something incredibly freeing about separating yourself from the kid your friends all grew up with into the person who you wanted to be. Insert lengthy story about trying to be a cool kid experiment here. Then we moved again, from the rental to our ‘real’ house in Granite Bay, just off Lake Folsom, and I got to ‘reset’ and started becoming the adult I’ve grown into. That was age 14 for me.
If you’re going to do public schools, of course you have to pay close attention to school districts, but if you’re going to stay private/Catholic, I’m sure your church can help connect you with options in the target areas.
My personal motto when things like this happen, and it somehow helps me to get through; Just another FUCKING transition. Sorry for going blue, but there are times when swear words are the right words for me.
Good luck!
Here’s what I know, other than adulating is the worst.
Sacramento is the only city along I-5 where you might not even notice it while driving along, there are so many trees.
My aunt sent her child to Sacred Heart Elementary in Sacramento and loved it. She’s still a member of the parish there. She lives in Midtown and between school, boy scouts, and the neighborhood, her son made plenty of friends.
It’s hot as fuck, but so are most of the cities in your region.
The foothills–Placerville and the like–are beautiful but can suffer for their smallness in terms of opportunities and mindset.
Reno, ugh. It always feels like a place people are trying to leave, but I’ve only visited. Maybe there’s a different city for locals, just like Las Vegas has a split personality.
Ugh. Such a difficult position to be in. You seem very tied to your community, so I’m sure it’s not an easy choice. I think the kids will be fine- they usually are, but a move can be hard on the adults, too. Good luck – adulting is indeed hard.
i am ridiculously excited about this! Ha! We have lived in ‘Sacramento’ (but really a suburb of) for 16 years now. I grew up on the central coast and it was quite a shock to the senses. And I HATE the heat. But you adjust to that. There are so many good things that I can honestly say the only drawbacks I find are 1. Too far from a real beach (nothing close compares to Santa Barbara!) and 2. The heat.
I love raising kids here. It has none of the hick farm town attitude that I hated in my high school town, none of the small minded ‘we’re the best’ of my childhood (north of LA) town. Just friendly beautiful surroundings.
It has many of the benefits of a bigger city without the drawbacks. I suppose there is crime (and my brother in law is a police officer here so I do hear of it) but I feel safe nearly everywhere. We homeschool so I experience things as ‘is it safe for my children’ and it usually is.
I am a total homebody so can’t give you a list of must sees, except the train museum IS very cool. And any place you want to wander in nature is just gorgeous. Also, cheaper than Southern California!
If you have any questions I’d love to help. We have commented back and forth on Instagram so I’m not a complete stranger!
Good luck.
Just wanted to add, we have lived in the north part of Sacramento, fair oaks and now Citrus Heights. None of them anything like the ‘fabulous forties’ but with plenty of good points.
Hi Jules, Long time no commenting but I had to speak up for this one. I live in Sac. I’m not from here originally but I love it. Drop me an e-mail I will tell you everything good and bad!
I grew up in the Sacramento Area. In Fair Oaks. I live in the Bay Area now, but our some of our Bay Area friends have recently moved to Folsom (also Sacramento Area) and love, I mean, LOVE it there. Great sense of Community, the mountains are close-ish, the lake is close by too. It is hot in the Summer, but they have acclimated pretty quickly.
I’m so sorry to hear about all that! I’ve spent the past two weeks panicking since I found out my flatmate and I are having to move flats, again, because our landlord is selling, again, but that’s nothing compared to job insecurity, having to move to a completely new area and with the whole family. I’ve got nothing helpful to say but I’m sending you all lots of good thoughts; I hope that whatever happens things are as stress-less and smooth as possible.
I live in Elk Grove (15 min south of downtown Sac). I grew up here, went away for college and then came back. It’s a nice area to live in. Very central to lots of places like SF, Tahoe, etc. I saw in one of the earlier comments you mentioned the Fab 40’s…. Georgeous!! My dream neighborhood, but very $$$. East Sac in general is really nice. Davis is a great town, too.
I hope your visit up here goes well! Lots of great places to eat and things to explore.
Good luck!
We lived in Cameron Park, which is about 40-50 mins East of Sacramento. It is a small community next to El Dorado Hills and 10 minutes from Folsom. We loved living there, housing was reasonable, good schools, a great place to raise a family. It is very close to the American River, there are tons of hiking trails, and it’s only about 70 miles from Tahoe off the 50. It is also very close to historical Placerville and Apple Hill, great for apple picking and wineries. It does get hot, but it also gets more rain and even the occasional snowstorm. Honestly, if our entire family (on both sides) didn’t live in Southern California we might have stayed. Now, we are back down in coastal San Diego, and while we love the beach, my husband and I often find ourselves missing living up North.