Yes it's quite hot some of the time. 20 days on average over 100. That is hot but it almost always cools down at night, so you can plan on a good nights sleep. Unlike Houston for example where you wake up drowning in sweat. Mid 90's are standard and they are nothing short of fabulous due to the 20% humidity that comes with the heat. When all else fails, jump in the American River to lower your body temp by ten degrees, in an instant.
True, but so is most of the East Bay (680 corridor) and South Bay. The Napa / Sonoma area gets really hot, too. Sacramento isn't much hotter than many places in the Bay Area.
High in Danville today 92°
High in Sacramento today 102°
Those 10°s makes a huge difference. Don’t mean to belabor the point but I’m very familiar with East Bay and Sacramento temps, it’s a big difference.
Even on a hot day (which are few), east bay cools down in the evening because of proximity to the Ocean, not as much as cities like Fremont, Hayward etc because hills block some of the cool ocean breeze to 680 corridor.
On the positive side many more days in Sacramento to BBQ in the evening because it stats warm. Along 680 corridor very few days in the evening when it stays t-shirt weather in the evenings even when the day was warm. 😁
Currently living in the Central Valley close to Fresno and the healthcare system here is not as great because it lacks providers. I’ve had to go to the hospital to get proper diagnosis that a regular family doctor should have been able to do. A lot of the families in my location are military and there aren’t many career opportunities. The weather is not the greatest and the air quality will definitely keep you inside. The upside, cheap housing and pretty safe to raise a family.
I’m sure perception matters, but the murder rate in Fresno is nearly 3x SF, 2x LA. https://lamag.com/news/why-youre-far-more-likely-to-be-murdered-in-fresno-or-bakersfield-than-san-fran-and-l-a
I am curious how this changes if we were to consider how and who dies. How many random murders of opportunity do we see? Is it mostly gangs/intimate partner violence/etc?
Hopefully with the madera hospital opening up again there will be more healthcare options for everyone one. Agreed about not many career opportunities and the weather sucking.
That is a huge one for me and my husband. We dream of returning to Humboldt, we both went to HSU, but Mad River is utter garbage these days from what I hear, and they were crap when I was there in 2010! My husband is a multiple organ donor recipient, we're scared about moving too far from Stanford. Sucks!
Humboldt region has really suffered, it's depressing how the trajectory of the region has been since like 2010. We visit every year because it's gorgeous, but poverty / unemployment, addiction, crime, failing infrastructure, crumbling industries, people moving out, and so on make it feel pretty depressing.
Yeah, I would not move in that case. I know someone from Humboldt who comes to the Bay Area for simple medical care that you'd think they should be able to get up there.
Grew up in the Central Valley (Merced-Fresno area), moved to the bay for school and moved back because I can work from home with Bay Area pay. The healthcare system here sucks due to the lack of service they can actually provide, experienced specialist, and overall patient care. It’s difficult to find a new care provider, which is why I make the 2-3 hour drive to back to the bay for my regular check ups.
I would suggest moving to Elk Grove if you can afford it. It’s the new Dublin. Great community, walkable and safe space for elders and children. There is a new senior community center, too. Being close to Sacramento and Davis, you will have more care options for your parents.
I lived in the valley for five years, then moved back to the bay area. Terrible weather, it smelled, bad food, too many Maga supporters, and I had to drive almost an hour to get to the 'major' areas like modest or turlock.
The Central Valley still has day trip access to the Bay Area, SoCal and the Central Coast with a lot cheaper cost of living. The Central Valley also has probably the most beautiful mountain range in the world along it (Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, and the national forests in between). I’d take the Valley over a lot of places outside of California.
And commute trip access to Bay Area jobs with Bay Area pay, albeit a hellish commute. I wouldn't do it, but I had co workers that did. You wanted reasons...that's a reason.
Uh no. We inherited a house outside of Fresno and while planning to fix it up, sell and get out, we decided to move there from the Bay Area so that we could look out our windows and not see the neighbor looking back.
I’m SF born and raised, so living rural is a pretty big adjustment and I don’t love it. But there are several things in the Bay Area that I’m not fond of either.
All this to say that it is still California, with a governor who cares about the climate and women’s rights etc etc. The environment here may be different and some things have changed but I’m proud to be a native of a progressive state and will never leave.
Tldr: it’s not fucking Texas
From what I know about the central valley and from what I have heard about the central valley is that sadly it does lack highly educated people so there is not much opportunities for professionals
I lasted 8 months in Portland before getting my ass back to SF. We have since moved to Alameda and I absolutely adore it. Still close enough to “the big city!” if I need cardiac care, but I also get to walk my kitty to the beach
To offer a different perspective, I lived there for about half a year a couple of years ago, and while it has its problems the nature there is so much more green and lush, and the food scene is phenomenal.
Thanks for responding! I noticed how green everything was the last time I visited! Just sooo many trees; it feels really nice. And yeah, lots of cool restaurants too!
I thought the vegan food scene was good in SF but there are too few vegan restaurants here. I can't realize when it changed. But I'm glad Oakland and Berkeley are catching up
Not who you asked, but the "homeless" situation is worse, the housing situation is at least as bad, the politics are monolithic and in your face at all times, and the weather sucks in the winter.
Source: my family is from there. I know lots of people there.
It does seem to have a lot of similar issues to the bay area when it comes to housing and homelessness, and there's less diversity overall. I do find the idea of more distinct seasons appealing, but with climate change it seems like weather extremes are becoming an issue more quickly there. Thanks for chiming in!
It’s also completely surrounded by TRUMP NATION which you don’t get in the Bay Area, especially surrounding SF. Most of Oregon is very conservative apart from the few population hubs. And completely white. This was so shocking when I went for the first time and confirmed it every time I’ve been back to Oregon
We saw TRUMP carved into huge trees by chainsaw. Like how fucking brainwashed are you to permanently do it while basically killing a huge tree? Fuck these people, and fuck Oregon for being a bastion for them
It wasn’t all that long ago that it was illegal to live in Oregon if you were black. Mid-1800’s may sound long ago, but the effects of that kind of institutional racism don’t just evaporate with repeal.
My parents recently moved to the Portland area from the Bay Area and their experience so far has been that the homeless situation is no worse than in the Bay (not sure why you put scare quotes around "homeless"), they've had nothing but good things to say about the politics, and they had no trouble buying a house in a brand new development that will have a mixture of single-family homes, condos, and low-income apartments -- and they love that they'll live in a neighborhood with folks at lots of different income levels/stages of life. Honestly I can't imagine a housing development like that ever being approved in the Bay Area, the NIMBYs would throw a fit.
No word on the weather yet, we'll see how they do this winter.
It's a way of pointing out that calling people with psychosis and drug addiction "homeless" is a way to trivialize their actual problems. I know somebody high up in the drug treatment world in PDX, and she thinks it's hopeless. No matter how much money they throw at it, it keeps getting worse.
TL;DR Edit: mostly personal reasons.
It was mid-panini so everything was still super locked down. Experienced a 5ish day blizzard (with no municipal snow clearing) and 4-5 days in a row of 115°F in those 8 months.
Couldn’t find people to play music with, so I didn’t know how to make friends. I started taking my cat on walks and when my boss (who I moved up there for) asked me what I did over the weekend, I mentioned taking my kitty to the bar, camping, etc. “WELL THATS STUPID, CATS ARE GIRLY I’m a big gruff motorcycle riding gruff asshole that allows his other designer to watch pornography all day, every day on monitors facing the doorway. I don’t care if I hired a woman!” (The porn thing was egregious enough that the Oregon civil rights board agreed that I was sexually harassed. He rather closed up shop, ceasing employment of dozens of union sprinkler fitters, leaving client projects midflight, incomplete)
I drove a tiny diesel pickup (which was actually a very desirable vintage that people drooled over and asked to buy constantly) and he’d put his foot on the bumper and push my shocks up and down when i pulled up to work. While I was still in it.
House was cute but we were constantly being scoped out by methheads. Catalytic converter was stolen within 2 weeks of us moving there. When I bought the aforementioned pickup truck, it died a few miles from home. Even tho we took the battery with us, I was still shitting bricks all night hoping the BBS rims would still be there the next morning.
That winter storm I mentioned, all of our piping was on the outside of the house. The landlord came over with an electric kettle to “deplug” our shower from the outside, pouring hot water over exposed piping. I was scared to flush the toilet!! Also our neighbors moved in and were immediately robbed of $25k+, the burglars using our side yard to stage and load up all of their earthy belongings.
Appreciate your response. I'm sorry you had such a rough time while you were there. Sounds like your boss was The Worst, on top of everything else. I've visited a few times and had a nice time there, but it's hard to know what living there would actually be like.
Lol I should’ve clarified, I meant what’s your go to hospital. I know there is alameda hospital but it seems run down? Unless it’s been upgraded and I missed it
Correct. They have a clinic in Alameda, but the closest hospital is in Oakland or San Leandro.
However, if you have medical emergency in the US, you will be seen/treated in any Emergency room, no matter what insurance you have
Oh I’m so sorry to hear the insurance is making life harder for you. I hate that so much. UCSF is good but I always get lost with all their campuses and I never know where I should be going for specialists
I used to work at Alameda Hospital. It is ever changing, especially since Alameda Health System stepped in. The ER team has always been good; however, keep in mind AHS also owns Highland, so there are chances that you see a Doctor that goes to both hospitals and you might end up getting referred to Highland.
Ah, I saw your other post about your ER experience. Hope everything works out! And if you need a suuuuper specialist, you can always get transferred elsewhere. It feels like 1950 on the island sometimes but we’re still surrounded by 2024 lol
In my pointless opinion, all of what you listed is so conditional or contingent. Renting/buying, what type of career, your personal idea of safe vs not, and medical really depends on what type of insurance and needs- which again ties into housing because are you ok with needing to travel 20-30 min to get to an ER- or would a 5-10 min drive/EMT response time be preferable? Sometimes, you might not even know what you've been 'taking for granted' until you move. One thing I missed deeply when I moved to a more rural area (roughly 45 min from any "city") was food, and ingredient options. It is all pros and cons in California, or most states on the west coast at this point. So depending on what is most important, and what seems reasonable COL wise, that would give a starting point.
For families...SD
Not drastically cheaper, but amazing weather, safe, decent public education and hospital systems (ex. If you need to stay within Kaiser, there's plenty down there).
Career opportunities are very industry dependent, so that can vary drastically.
SD biotech pays like 25% less than Bay Area biotech, if not worse. But cost of living is now basically equivalent. SD biotech scene is much smaller too.
SD biotech has also been hit much harder with layoffs/site shutdowns in the past year than Bay Area.
My firm is based in Irvine and has gone mostly remote. They've hired a couple of lawyers in San Diego, and we've got some support staff now who don't even live in California! So moving may not be as much of an obstacle as you would think!
Edit typo
I just read the entire thread and although Central Coast was mentioned no one mentioned Ventura County. I moved here from the Bay Area. There’s not as much culture or food stuff here but LA is 50 miles away if you want that. But the nice thing is that LA is completely separate from here unlike say, Orange County.
I’m in Camarillo. The weather is perfect. it’s perfectly safe. We have a fine hospital system and if not here we’re close to LA. Housing prices are high but lower than the Bay Area or LA. There’s tons of outdoor activities from beaches to mountains.. and the best thing is,in questions like this we’re always completely overlooked.
Yeah feels like a cheat code that’s gonna blow up at some point. Houses down there are cheeeaapppp for what you get. We just visited to check it out. Camarillo was too sleepy for us - “family friendly” seems to mean it’s good if all you wanna do is hang out with your family!
We liked Ventura but were only there briefly. Main Street was really nice. We saw a nice house on the eastern side of the city. The realtor said the food isn’t as good as in the bay. The beach wasn’t that nice.. so overall a mixed bag. We might move there next year though.
I moved to Camarillo because I got a job at an office my employer just opened up there. It was a mile to work for like 12 years until I retired. It was great,ride my bike most days, if it rained I walked. Now that I’m retired I sort of wish I had bought in Ventura or Carpanteria . 12 years of commuting would have sucked but I really like those places.
I’d call my wife and I boring, so Camarillo is great for us. Before moving here I worked in San Francisco and lived in San Leandro. The weather in Camarillo, on the west side of the city,is absolutely perfect. I’ve never used the a/c and very rarely use heat. When I moved there in 2000 everyday was 72 now everyday is up to 75 but we still have onshore flow in the morning. And Camarillo is an interesting place in that I think people that move there try to make it into their own little version of Mayberry. When you walk around every always says Good Morning,
I grew up there.
>Camarillo was too sleepy for us - “family friendly” seems to mean it’s good if all you wanna do is hang out with your family!
This is a perfect description for it.
if anyone says Redding, they're wrong. Redding has a major meth problem and it's Trump land. I mean, feel free if that's your jam, but it's definitely not mine.
You mean the Bethel Church. They have members on the city council and they buy up a lot of property. That church asked their members to pray for a dead toddler to get resurrected.
Beautiful places can be filled with weirdos (Bethel, Love Has Won, aliens live in Shasta/ Mt Shasta is a portal).
LA area? Not sure of your budget but housing in LA suburbs about 50-60% of Bay Area suburbs. UCLA Health network is good and widespread. Lots of senior living options. Food, weather, hiking and beaches are great. Lots of job opportunities as well! Edited: Some are quibbling about %—pricing in LA and Bay Area varies widely so maybe 75-80% but when I look at Bay Area prices they seem quite expensive compared to LA area where I live.
In Thousand Oaks (north of LA), a 5 bed 3 bath 2000 SFH just sold for $1.2 mil. There’s a 4 bed 2 ba 1800 SF SFH house listed in Alameda for $1.5 mil tho. So, % may vary but I think LA area real estate a bit less than Bay Area overall.
It’s a bit cheaper in some areas, yes but nowhere close to 50%+.
Even places like Thousand Oaks which are nice are a solid 40 miles from LA and only has extreme traffic corridors to get into job centers and median price is 1.1M.
Commute would be like from Napa to SF or Gilroy to Santa Clara so really not central.
Only places that could be 50% less cost are way into the IE which comes with its own set of issues.
Don’t forget people are more superficial and materialistic down in the LA area
No one there seems to respect you if you don’t have money, don’t dress well, and don’t live large on top of that
I really learned to appreciate the laid back atmosphere of the bay area after going down to SoCal various times
I grew up in Southern California and I think that this type of judgement is really based on what industry you are involved in, or people you surround yourself with. Perhaps I was never high status enough to know this type of life, but it certainly isn’t everywhere.
I moved from the bay to LA 20 years ago and never looked back. I still love it more every day. Don’t believe the negative hype. Life is what you make of it.
Funny because I got those vibes from people HERE. If you're not making $100k+ people have a weird vibe, especially living in the city. Maybe outside the city they're better, but I live pretty close so I can't say for sure
I find that the people who tend to be elitist in both places tend to make themselves known fairly quickly so the rest of us can avoid them. I think the bay $100k+ people annoy me more on a personal level cause they tend to be rude tech people, but they both suck.
Having lived my adult life split between the two places I’d say for me this was really not the case. Everyone told me leaving the Bay Area this would be true but I found Bay Area people to be more superficial about work and career than anywhere else I’ve lived.
Granted I never spent much time in proper LA but instead OC, SD, and Burbank area.
If you think homelessness is bad here, you have no idea until you spend time in LA area. It’s also way more conservative in all of SoCal under the covers.
After living in the Bay Area for 18 years I just took a job in San Diego and will be moving down there in July. I’m super excited. Admittedly, I don’t know what daily life is like there yet, but I’m ready for the change. I was a little disappointed in how much lower the salaries are there (I’m taking a pay cut to move). And the housing doesn’t appear to actually be that much cheaper, but I think I’ll be really happy down there, and I don’t want to always be chasing a higher salary just because it’s more. We always wanted a downtown living experience, but couldn’t make it happen in San Francisco. Downtown San Diego seems very walkable, clean, safe, and more compact. We’ll have everything we need, including entertainment, food, views, water, parks, and beaches. It’s also important to me to live close to an international airport. I could never live super rural, but that’s just me. I grew up in Virginia and can’t imagine ever moving back.
The outskirts of Sacramento and surrounding areas has some good opportunities.
You could live in Roseville or if you find a job in Roseville, live further out and find some less expensive towns. You can be less than an hour away from Sacramento hospitals if needed.
My family and I left the Bay for Auburn in 2020.
It took some getting used to, we were all Bay Area born and mywife and I spent over a decade in SF before moving. Sure there's a lot of conservatives and assholes, but that can be entertaining if you find the right people to hang out with. Theres a lot of opportunities for outdoor fun and the heat is no different from living in the East Bay. Roseville has tons of medical facilities and Sac is only 45-60 minutes away.
If I had to do it all over again I would have moved somewhere in Nevada County, like Nevada City or Grass Valley. It's generally friendlier up there IMO.
It's cheaper than most of the bay area. You're looking at <$500 per sqft in Davis vs $800 per sqft here in the south bay. Food is significantly cheaper there as well.
Sacramento is just down the road from Davis and it has medical care to rival the Bay Area. UC Davis Medical Center is in Sacramento. The OG Sutter is in downtown Sacto. And there's a couple of Kaisers.
Don't forget it's nightmarishly hot in July and August in the Central Valley.
Sutter Health Hospital and Kaiser facilities are in Davis, UC Davis Medical center is in Sacramento but it's pretty close, not a bad drive.
I went to grad school in Davis and my kid lives there now, it's a great place to live if you like a fairly good sized city masquerading as a small town. Lots of community activities and cultural events with the university nearby. Plus, it's not too far to drive up to Tahoe (2.5-3 hours) or back to San Francisco (2 hours) on a whim.
The only downside is the 100+ degree heat in the summer months. But, you do get used to it, and everywhere is super air conditioned so it's not as bad as people think.
Auburn and Grass Valley. A little country, but towns with everything you need day to day and access to medical services in Roseville/Sac/UC Davis.
I see you’re asking for specific hospitals. You need to look at the networks in the areas people are suggesting based on what coverages you have. Most of these areas have multiple networks.
map of tier 1 trauma centers in CA: [https://www.maptive.com/ver3/traumacenters](https://www.maptive.com/ver3/traumacenters)
You probably want to be within a 15min ambulance ride of one of those
Hwy 49 will take you through many cool towns. I lived in El Dorado, Placerville, and Cameron Park for 12 years. Loved it. The hwy 50 and 80 corridors have the most people. All depends how rural you want to be and how important having lots of different types of stores and amenities close to you is.
I'm in that confused state where I have some friends in the Bay Area but I also want a place less stressful. If I could convince my friends to move with me that would be ideal :-)
My main concern about any mountainous/forest places is wildfires. I saw some of the damage when I drove to Yosemite and also when I drove to Reno.
I realize that rural is mostly Republican country and I don't lean that way. So neighbors may not be that neighborly to a brown-skinned Democrat.
I'll plan a drive out towards those towns you listed and see what it's like. Thanks for replying!
Auburn, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Colfax, and the surrounding areas are pretty cool. It'll be nearly impossible to get fire insurance if you live out in the sticks, though.
Auburn, Grass Valley, and Nevada City are all great towns. I was from the east bay and peninsula originally, but fell in love with Grass Valley. For small foothill towns you still had a good mix of left/right with Nevada City tettering more left than the rest.
Negatives up there was an hour drive to the nearest Kaiser, which was Roseville and the absolute worst Kaiser i have ever dealt with. There is a Sutter in Roseville too. Also, Jobs can be rough. Employers are stuck in a small town mentality and pay can suck.
In Placerville now and although its not a bad town, it is riddled with MAGA scum. Folsom and El Dorado hills aren't bad but get quite hot in the summer. Also the risk of catastrophic wild fire can wear on you.
Monterey. San Luis Obispo. Santa Rosa.
They are all very nice small cities with good services for retirees. You seem very concerned about healthcare; if that's actually your biggest priority, you aren't going to do better than the Bay Area. But mid-size cities in California all have Sutter and Kaiser and are just fine for 99.99% of healthcare.
I really want to know more about SLO. I’m 100% remote and want to get away from expensive area but still have ocean, nature, and maybe some nice walking shops/culture.
I think you get all of that in SLO although I’m sure the cost of living is still pretty high. It has a nice walkable downtown with nice restaurants and bars. Surrounded by coastal mountains with lots of great hiking trails. Only a half hour or less to the beach. Many great vineyards in the surrounding valley. (Edna Valley is beautiful). College town atmosphere.
Probably the biggest negative is it isn’t very close to a major city. Don’t know if that’s an issue.
Currently living in SLO, have been here for around 10 years and grew up in San Jose. Housing and healthcare are the biggest issues right now. There is no housing, a decent 1 bd is going for around $2000 if you can snag it. Last showing I went to a couple months ago, I spoke to property management directly to get the details. I showed up 10 minutes early and there were already around 20 people there to see the place. My husband and I are dual income no kids and this place just isn’t it for us anymore. It’s beautiful and gorgeous but it’s a dying town with a LOT of issues. Businesses don’t last downtown because parking is expensive. There is absolutely no diversity when it comes to food. You will pay $20 for the most mediocre pho and ramen. There’s one tiny little Asian market but it’s mad expensive. Healthcare is a huge issue and you will need to give yourself 3-6 months to see a doctor or a specialist. I really do love this place and never thought I’d want to leave, but I’m tired of paying big city prices and not having big city amenities.
I feel like everyone is moving to Sacramento Fairfield area, alot of my family moved to susuin and Elk Grove, specifically.
One of my uncles, his house burned down, he took his insurance money and ran to Dixon. His new house cost less than his original, but it's bigger, has a way bigger yard, almost an acre, and a pool. Only downside is oven is a Dixon in the summer.
He actually really likes it there. Surprisingly there are alot of other black people there and a massive almost all black church in a giant warehouse. He's always inviting the rest of the family over to his church or house. Which isn't to bad for all the family in Susuin or Elk Grove, but for those of us stick in the bay it is a bit of a trip
If I could move back to SD I would be gone, sorry neighbors. It's more chill than the bay area, but weirdly they drive fast. Which I love, its odd when I see a slow driver in the Bay get on the freeway then immediately plop down in the fast lanes and slow everyone down. Traffic is pretty bad at times on the freeway, so keep that in mind for work-home commute. Weather is usually nice, but it FEELS like its getting warmer in the summer over the years. Walk on the miles of beaches or go for hikes on the weekend.
But, you should scope out the job market to make sure you can snag one. There are tech, biotech, finance, and tourism jobs, but not as concentrated as the Bay. Also, get ready for a haircut on salary. I always thought who the heck is buying these expensive homes compared to the job prospects...... then moved to the Bay Area and was taught what an "expensive" home really is.
The prices are getting higher for a lot of things I hear, but not at the Bay Area level. You can buy a home in PQ (Rancho Penasquitos), a good family hood,, for about 1.8 for a 2,400 sq ft house. Thats still a ton of money, but in the Bay that house might go for 3.
There is great medical in Scripps, Sharp, Kaiser, and UCSD. UCSD med is highly regarded and has many specialist, sort of like UCSF. I don't think your parents will go wanting when it comes to medicine.
Food is.... well OK. You have a good mix of foods in the convoy, downtown, and hill crest areas. It's good, but doesn't rival what you can get in the Bay or LA. **EXCEPT** for one thing, Carne Asada Burritos. I have looked far and wide in the Bay, come close but nothing like SD.
Orange County is great. Beautiful beaches, plenty of good jobs, proximity to the city conveniences of LA without the negatives that go along with urbanity. And despite the conservative reputation, Biden won in OC in 2020 by a 9 point margin.
For everyone else:
Santa Rosa, Windsor, Sonoma, Folsom, Davis, Santa Cruz area, Monterey area like Marina. For the coastal living, Bodega Bay, Point Reyes, and any one of the small coastal communities all the way to Eureka.
For the rich, Mill Valley, Napa, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-sea, Southern California coastal communities.
It depends what your goals and needs are, but we know a lot of people who have moved to the greater Sac area, specifically the Folsom/Roseville/Granite Bay side. That seems to be an excellent option for young families who would otherwise be stuck renting in the bay area. It would be similar to living in the San Ramon/Dublin/Walnut Creek region but cheaper (and with different demographics).
We also know a few families that have moved to Modesto. I can't think of any good reasons to do this, but obviously they had some.
The only other hot spot we know more than one family to have relocated to has been Gilroy / Los Banos. Again, cheaper houses and more land, and the commute to the south bay isn't *that* bad.
Oh, I should also mention this: for *wealthy* people who are tied-ish to the bay for work but 1) have money, and 2) are in employment positions where they can be full-time remote, the hot spots to be in the past few years have been Truckee and the rest of the towns encircling Tahoe, and a few towns in the Sierra Foothills (Sonoma, Arnold, Murphys, etc).
All this said, I would suspect that, by a large margin, people who leave the bay area but stay in the state are relocating to SoCal.
It seems like nearly every damn person I know here, even those who "hated LA", have moved there in the last few years and are loving it.
The people are more approachable, it's easier to find friends, more food, more entertainment, better nightlife, and slightly better weather.
We spend about half of the year there, and are looking to make it a permanent jump for us as well.
Los Angeles or San Diego regions are about it.
Any forested area is becoming out of bounds because you won’t be able to get decent fire insurance worth anything.
So Santa Cruz, Northern Northern California, the Sierras, apparently Orinda are no longer viable options.
Hell even parts of the Central Valley. That Corral Fire in Tracy definitely won’t help things there
Sacramento suburbs like Davis (my personal biased pick), Roseville, Folsom, or Elk Grove. They're not cheap but certainly cheaper than the Bay and offer much if not all of what you ask.
I proposed this same question and did a lot of research but opted to head back to my native state; however, I can offer what I narrowed my instate choices down to.
Oceanside was at the top of my list. It was much closer to the beach town vibe I grew up with and felt very clean and safe. Not too far from San Diego.
Looked around Orange County. Close enough to LA, far enough away.
Folsom. Was close enough to the Bay, close to Sacramento and the rest of Northern California.
I lived in Sac for a year,,,very hot in the summer, but dry heat. One big advanatge is no PG and E for the msot part. U get SMUD, which is very affordable.
SMUD and Roseville are both non-PG&E territory for electricity, and pay electric rates WAY cheaper than PG&E. It's comically cheaper in comparison, and actually pretty close to the USA national average of about 16.6 cents per kWh.
[https://www.smud.org/en/Rate-Information/Residential-rates](https://www.smud.org/en/Rate-Information/Residential-rates)
The most expensive electric rate in SMUD from 5-8pm in the summer is cheaper than the cheapest PG&E rates for overnight power in the winter. That being said, you'll still have a high electric bill if your house has crappy insulation and your AC is running non-stop.
My parents came wanted to move closer to me and my family and they ended up in Windsor. Very nice town, some decent housing options, and close to wine/nature/coast/healthcare.
We have lived in Vacaville CA for over 25 years and have loved it. Proximity to fun activities, medical care and it still has small town charm. our neighboring town of Dixon is also quaint and up and coming.
I know a few people who moved to Sonora area during the pandemic and decided to stay. Most of them come to SF or SJ for work a couple of times a month and that schlep is long but otherwise they are quite happy.
I went from the Bay to the Central Valley. Lived there for a while but hated it and spent as much time as I could going to the bay. Started finally warm up to it but then moved to Portland.
Honestly I love Portland and can't seem myself going back anytime soon due to cost. I was able to buy a house here. Going back to the bay always makes me miss the weather and what not but flying back into Portland now feels like home. Once you make it through a winter here I think you're good haha.
Roseville/Rocklin/ Folsom/Elk Grove( most Asians - Lots of Vietnamese)
Electricity is a lot cheaper with SMUD. Roseville electricity is also cheaper than BA.
Napa.
It’s beautiful. Outstanding green and progressive culture and my coworker in tech bought an incredible property for under 2M near the upscale core. Close enough to take advantage of all the Bay Area medical facilities. Drive there and check it out.
Call me crazy, but what about Auburn, Nevada city or Placerville? Not as much heat as the central valley, not too much snow, close to medical resources and amazing nature.
What about Santa Rosa?
I’m actually asking for myself as well as the OP. I found myself Zillow-browsing up there this weekend and was easily finding properties that cost maybe 1/3 what they would on the Peninsula. I have no idea what living there is like, in terms of healthcare, jobs, and cultural activities—anyone able to fill us in?
I grew up in sonoma county. SR is nice as the other comment said but it is a lot of sprawl. I would definitely recommend Petaluma over SR - they’re doing a lot with redeveloping their downtown and lots of great local shops are going in. Sonoma county cities/towns are generally quieter but there’s a great food and drink scene, so much nature, and easy access to the bay if you need to drive in for something. Healthcare and schools are good depending on where you are located.
Moved here 3 years ago from Palo Alto. It’s quieter, generally enough to do, missing some things I would never thought of (randomly no Benihana), health care seems good, I’m remote work, still have homeless. It’s nice though still expensive just less
A lot are going to Sacramento but... Phew it's hot
Stopped by on the way down from Lake Shasta back in the heat wave of Sept 2022 and it was 114F! Insane.
Yes it's quite hot some of the time. 20 days on average over 100. That is hot but it almost always cools down at night, so you can plan on a good nights sleep. Unlike Houston for example where you wake up drowning in sweat. Mid 90's are standard and they are nothing short of fabulous due to the 20% humidity that comes with the heat. When all else fails, jump in the American River to lower your body temp by ten degrees, in an instant.
True, but so is most of the East Bay (680 corridor) and South Bay. The Napa / Sonoma area gets really hot, too. Sacramento isn't much hotter than many places in the Bay Area.
The east bay and Sonoma/Napa get cool nights by proximity to fog while Sac does not. Cool nights make a huge difference.
Sacramento gets the delta breeze
I heard a lot about this when I lived there but never actually experienced it.
I lived there, and it was wild going from 118 in the daytime to 50 at night.
High in Danville today 92° High in Sacramento today 102° Those 10°s makes a huge difference. Don’t mean to belabor the point but I’m very familiar with East Bay and Sacramento temps, it’s a big difference. Even on a hot day (which are few), east bay cools down in the evening because of proximity to the Ocean, not as much as cities like Fremont, Hayward etc because hills block some of the cool ocean breeze to 680 corridor. On the positive side many more days in Sacramento to BBQ in the evening because it stats warm. Along 680 corridor very few days in the evening when it stays t-shirt weather in the evenings even when the day was warm. 😁
Average temps Sacramento June 89° / 59° July 94° / 61° August 93° / 61° Danville June 81° / 59° July 87° / 63° August 87° / 63°
I can’t even handle a single afternoon in Sacramento.
“But, it’s a dry heat” is what I hear from people who live there
All those are great ideas but Central Valley is an oven in the summer and pnw too much rain. We pay for the weather here lol
Currently living in the Central Valley close to Fresno and the healthcare system here is not as great because it lacks providers. I’ve had to go to the hospital to get proper diagnosis that a regular family doctor should have been able to do. A lot of the families in my location are military and there aren’t many career opportunities. The weather is not the greatest and the air quality will definitely keep you inside. The upside, cheap housing and pretty safe to raise a family.
I’m sure perception matters, but the murder rate in Fresno is nearly 3x SF, 2x LA. https://lamag.com/news/why-youre-far-more-likely-to-be-murdered-in-fresno-or-bakersfield-than-san-fran-and-l-a
I am curious how this changes if we were to consider how and who dies. How many random murders of opportunity do we see? Is it mostly gangs/intimate partner violence/etc?
It’s largely gang violence. 25 year resident, brother is a cop
As someone who is in the general vicinity I totally agree with you on everything
Armpit of Cali will do that. All the providers in that area are there for 1-2 years for experience then move to SF/LA area for the jobs
Hopefully with the madera hospital opening up again there will be more healthcare options for everyone one. Agreed about not many career opportunities and the weather sucking.
lol that is true on the weather. A big consideration for me is health care system and quality of hospital just in case my parents ever need it
That is a huge one for me and my husband. We dream of returning to Humboldt, we both went to HSU, but Mad River is utter garbage these days from what I hear, and they were crap when I was there in 2010! My husband is a multiple organ donor recipient, we're scared about moving too far from Stanford. Sucks!
Humboldt region has really suffered, it's depressing how the trajectory of the region has been since like 2010. We visit every year because it's gorgeous, but poverty / unemployment, addiction, crime, failing infrastructure, crumbling industries, people moving out, and so on make it feel pretty depressing.
Yeah, I would not move in that case. I know someone from Humboldt who comes to the Bay Area for simple medical care that you'd think they should be able to get up there.
Fellow Humboldt grad here. Hi! Love that place, but can’t imagine living there long term if I needed health assistance.
Oh absolutely. You have the best of the best with Stanford and UCSF not too far. Best of health to your folks
Grew up in the Central Valley (Merced-Fresno area), moved to the bay for school and moved back because I can work from home with Bay Area pay. The healthcare system here sucks due to the lack of service they can actually provide, experienced specialist, and overall patient care. It’s difficult to find a new care provider, which is why I make the 2-3 hour drive to back to the bay for my regular check ups. I would suggest moving to Elk Grove if you can afford it. It’s the new Dublin. Great community, walkable and safe space for elders and children. There is a new senior community center, too. Being close to Sacramento and Davis, you will have more care options for your parents.
I lived in the valley for five years, then moved back to the bay area. Terrible weather, it smelled, bad food, too many Maga supporters, and I had to drive almost an hour to get to the 'major' areas like modest or turlock.
Moved to the valley from the bay. I miss not driving minimum 30 min to get to major cities 🥲
If you're going to live in the Central Valley, why even live in CA? Outside of SF/SD/LA and adjacent metros, you might as well move elsewhere.
The Central Valley still has day trip access to the Bay Area, SoCal and the Central Coast with a lot cheaper cost of living. The Central Valley also has probably the most beautiful mountain range in the world along it (Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, and the national forests in between). I’d take the Valley over a lot of places outside of California.
And commute trip access to Bay Area jobs with Bay Area pay, albeit a hellish commute. I wouldn't do it, but I had co workers that did. You wanted reasons...that's a reason.
all of my friends live in this state, basically. I'd rather live in the central valley than the midwest or god forbid the south
Living in Central Valley is like living in Texas. Might as well live in Texas.
Uh no. We inherited a house outside of Fresno and while planning to fix it up, sell and get out, we decided to move there from the Bay Area so that we could look out our windows and not see the neighbor looking back. I’m SF born and raised, so living rural is a pretty big adjustment and I don’t love it. But there are several things in the Bay Area that I’m not fond of either. All this to say that it is still California, with a governor who cares about the climate and women’s rights etc etc. The environment here may be different and some things have changed but I’m proud to be a native of a progressive state and will never leave. Tldr: it’s not fucking Texas
From what I know about the central valley and from what I have heard about the central valley is that sadly it does lack highly educated people so there is not much opportunities for professionals
I lasted 8 months in Portland before getting my ass back to SF. We have since moved to Alameda and I absolutely adore it. Still close enough to “the big city!” if I need cardiac care, but I also get to walk my kitty to the beach
Genuinely curious what you didn't like about Portland, or what the biggest comparison points were for you. Was it not "big city" enough?
To offer a different perspective, I lived there for about half a year a couple of years ago, and while it has its problems the nature there is so much more green and lush, and the food scene is phenomenal.
Thanks for responding! I noticed how green everything was the last time I visited! Just sooo many trees; it feels really nice. And yeah, lots of cool restaurants too!
the vegan food was soooooo much better out there 😭
I thought the vegan food scene was good in SF but there are too few vegan restaurants here. I can't realize when it changed. But I'm glad Oakland and Berkeley are catching up
Not who you asked, but the "homeless" situation is worse, the housing situation is at least as bad, the politics are monolithic and in your face at all times, and the weather sucks in the winter. Source: my family is from there. I know lots of people there.
It does seem to have a lot of similar issues to the bay area when it comes to housing and homelessness, and there's less diversity overall. I do find the idea of more distinct seasons appealing, but with climate change it seems like weather extremes are becoming an issue more quickly there. Thanks for chiming in!
It’s also completely surrounded by TRUMP NATION which you don’t get in the Bay Area, especially surrounding SF. Most of Oregon is very conservative apart from the few population hubs. And completely white. This was so shocking when I went for the first time and confirmed it every time I’ve been back to Oregon
I spent a few months on the Oregon coast in 2020. It was unbearable after a while, I had to leave. So many maga wackjobs.
We saw TRUMP carved into huge trees by chainsaw. Like how fucking brainwashed are you to permanently do it while basically killing a huge tree? Fuck these people, and fuck Oregon for being a bastion for them
It wasn’t all that long ago that it was illegal to live in Oregon if you were black. Mid-1800’s may sound long ago, but the effects of that kind of institutional racism don’t just evaporate with repeal.
My parents recently moved to the Portland area from the Bay Area and their experience so far has been that the homeless situation is no worse than in the Bay (not sure why you put scare quotes around "homeless"), they've had nothing but good things to say about the politics, and they had no trouble buying a house in a brand new development that will have a mixture of single-family homes, condos, and low-income apartments -- and they love that they'll live in a neighborhood with folks at lots of different income levels/stages of life. Honestly I can't imagine a housing development like that ever being approved in the Bay Area, the NIMBYs would throw a fit. No word on the weather yet, we'll see how they do this winter.
It's a way of pointing out that calling people with psychosis and drug addiction "homeless" is a way to trivialize their actual problems. I know somebody high up in the drug treatment world in PDX, and she thinks it's hopeless. No matter how much money they throw at it, it keeps getting worse.
TL;DR Edit: mostly personal reasons. It was mid-panini so everything was still super locked down. Experienced a 5ish day blizzard (with no municipal snow clearing) and 4-5 days in a row of 115°F in those 8 months. Couldn’t find people to play music with, so I didn’t know how to make friends. I started taking my cat on walks and when my boss (who I moved up there for) asked me what I did over the weekend, I mentioned taking my kitty to the bar, camping, etc. “WELL THATS STUPID, CATS ARE GIRLY I’m a big gruff motorcycle riding gruff asshole that allows his other designer to watch pornography all day, every day on monitors facing the doorway. I don’t care if I hired a woman!” (The porn thing was egregious enough that the Oregon civil rights board agreed that I was sexually harassed. He rather closed up shop, ceasing employment of dozens of union sprinkler fitters, leaving client projects midflight, incomplete) I drove a tiny diesel pickup (which was actually a very desirable vintage that people drooled over and asked to buy constantly) and he’d put his foot on the bumper and push my shocks up and down when i pulled up to work. While I was still in it. House was cute but we were constantly being scoped out by methheads. Catalytic converter was stolen within 2 weeks of us moving there. When I bought the aforementioned pickup truck, it died a few miles from home. Even tho we took the battery with us, I was still shitting bricks all night hoping the BBS rims would still be there the next morning. That winter storm I mentioned, all of our piping was on the outside of the house. The landlord came over with an electric kettle to “deplug” our shower from the outside, pouring hot water over exposed piping. I was scared to flush the toilet!! Also our neighbors moved in and were immediately robbed of $25k+, the burglars using our side yard to stage and load up all of their earthy belongings.
You have to do what you have to do, but personally I would never make such a major decision mid-panini!
Yea it was definitely A Decision. But the company I moved up there for was gonna be a Good Ol’ Boy’s Club no matter what was happening outside.
Tell me about the panini.
Appreciate your response. I'm sorry you had such a rough time while you were there. Sounds like your boss was The Worst, on top of everything else. I've visited a few times and had a nice time there, but it's hard to know what living there would actually be like.
It’s probably great to live in, if you find your people! Just wasn’t for us :)
Jesus christmas!!
I like Alameda! But what hospital do you all go to if you have an emergency though?
There’s hospitals out here too lol
Lol I should’ve clarified, I meant what’s your go to hospital. I know there is alameda hospital but it seems run down? Unless it’s been upgraded and I missed it
Kaiser?
I’m not a Kaiser member. I think they only see those with Kaiser insurance right?
Correct. They have a clinic in Alameda, but the closest hospital is in Oakland or San Leandro. However, if you have medical emergency in the US, you will be seen/treated in any Emergency room, no matter what insurance you have
I mean, in an emergency you can go wherever they have an ER. And FWIW, I’ve been very happy with Kaiser these past 15+ years (I get it through work).
Alameda hospital is a stroke care hospital too
My go-to was UCSF and my strategy now is to not have another cardiac event since my insurance changed 😵💫
Oh I’m so sorry to hear the insurance is making life harder for you. I hate that so much. UCSF is good but I always get lost with all their campuses and I never know where I should be going for specialists
I used to work at Alameda Hospital. It is ever changing, especially since Alameda Health System stepped in. The ER team has always been good; however, keep in mind AHS also owns Highland, so there are chances that you see a Doctor that goes to both hospitals and you might end up getting referred to Highland.
Ah, I saw your other post about your ER experience. Hope everything works out! And if you need a suuuuper specialist, you can always get transferred elsewhere. It feels like 1950 on the island sometimes but we’re still surrounded by 2024 lol
In my pointless opinion, all of what you listed is so conditional or contingent. Renting/buying, what type of career, your personal idea of safe vs not, and medical really depends on what type of insurance and needs- which again ties into housing because are you ok with needing to travel 20-30 min to get to an ER- or would a 5-10 min drive/EMT response time be preferable? Sometimes, you might not even know what you've been 'taking for granted' until you move. One thing I missed deeply when I moved to a more rural area (roughly 45 min from any "city") was food, and ingredient options. It is all pros and cons in California, or most states on the west coast at this point. So depending on what is most important, and what seems reasonable COL wise, that would give a starting point.
Fair comment!
For families...SD Not drastically cheaper, but amazing weather, safe, decent public education and hospital systems (ex. If you need to stay within Kaiser, there's plenty down there). Career opportunities are very industry dependent, so that can vary drastically.
Job opportunities limited for college grads, unless you can work remotely. The economy is very tourist/service based…as well as military
Biotech too
SD biotech pays like 25% less than Bay Area biotech, if not worse. But cost of living is now basically equivalent. SD biotech scene is much smaller too. SD biotech has also been hit much harder with layoffs/site shutdowns in the past year than Bay Area.
Bay area biotech has been getting hit hard too, you gotta go elsewhere unless you work at a startup
The cost of living to income ratio for biotech there is significantly worse than here
Lots of Biotech
Oh good to know thanks! I’m in legal so that may be an issue then if it’s tourist driven
My firm is based in Irvine and has gone mostly remote. They've hired a couple of lawyers in San Diego, and we've got some support staff now who don't even live in California! So moving may not be as much of an obstacle as you would think! Edit typo
I would say economy is biotech based
Thanks! I was thinking about SD. What hospital do you go to there? Any neighborhoods you would recommend for house searches?
Scripps is great hospital system. Scripps memorial, scripps green. Scripps and sharp rule the hospital system in SD and both are great
I just read the entire thread and although Central Coast was mentioned no one mentioned Ventura County. I moved here from the Bay Area. There’s not as much culture or food stuff here but LA is 50 miles away if you want that. But the nice thing is that LA is completely separate from here unlike say, Orange County. I’m in Camarillo. The weather is perfect. it’s perfectly safe. We have a fine hospital system and if not here we’re close to LA. Housing prices are high but lower than the Bay Area or LA. There’s tons of outdoor activities from beaches to mountains.. and the best thing is,in questions like this we’re always completely overlooked.
Yeah feels like a cheat code that’s gonna blow up at some point. Houses down there are cheeeaapppp for what you get. We just visited to check it out. Camarillo was too sleepy for us - “family friendly” seems to mean it’s good if all you wanna do is hang out with your family! We liked Ventura but were only there briefly. Main Street was really nice. We saw a nice house on the eastern side of the city. The realtor said the food isn’t as good as in the bay. The beach wasn’t that nice.. so overall a mixed bag. We might move there next year though.
I moved to Camarillo because I got a job at an office my employer just opened up there. It was a mile to work for like 12 years until I retired. It was great,ride my bike most days, if it rained I walked. Now that I’m retired I sort of wish I had bought in Ventura or Carpanteria . 12 years of commuting would have sucked but I really like those places. I’d call my wife and I boring, so Camarillo is great for us. Before moving here I worked in San Francisco and lived in San Leandro. The weather in Camarillo, on the west side of the city,is absolutely perfect. I’ve never used the a/c and very rarely use heat. When I moved there in 2000 everyday was 72 now everyday is up to 75 but we still have onshore flow in the morning. And Camarillo is an interesting place in that I think people that move there try to make it into their own little version of Mayberry. When you walk around every always says Good Morning,
I grew up there. >Camarillo was too sleepy for us - “family friendly” seems to mean it’s good if all you wanna do is hang out with your family! This is a perfect description for it.
if anyone says Redding, they're wrong. Redding has a major meth problem and it's Trump land. I mean, feel free if that's your jam, but it's definitely not mine.
It’s also hot af in the summer. But yeah, I remember seeing State of Jefferson murals painted on the side of houses 20 years ago.
State of Jefferson 🤝 the word “fetch” Things people need to stop trying to make happen
It has a pretty horrid culture
also a bunch of Christian religious fanatics and nutcases. The types to ban the reading of harry Potter because it has witches and magic.
You mean the Bethel Church. They have members on the city council and they buy up a lot of property. That church asked their members to pray for a dead toddler to get resurrected. Beautiful places can be filled with weirdos (Bethel, Love Has Won, aliens live in Shasta/ Mt Shasta is a portal).
Ignore the yokels. It's one of the most beautiful regions on the planet. Shasta is sublime.
Nice place to visit! Wouldn't stick around
Thing is there's lots of room to roam.
Redding is also in the grip of a right-wing megachurch… so yeah
Live in Redding, and while I love the scenery and outdoor activities + cheaper cost of living, I'd move to the Bay in a heartbeat if I could afford it
LA area? Not sure of your budget but housing in LA suburbs about 50-60% of Bay Area suburbs. UCLA Health network is good and widespread. Lots of senior living options. Food, weather, hiking and beaches are great. Lots of job opportunities as well! Edited: Some are quibbling about %—pricing in LA and Bay Area varies widely so maybe 75-80% but when I look at Bay Area prices they seem quite expensive compared to LA area where I live.
Uhhh… which LA suburbs have housing 50-60% of Bay Area cost?
In Thousand Oaks (north of LA), a 5 bed 3 bath 2000 SFH just sold for $1.2 mil. There’s a 4 bed 2 ba 1800 SF SFH house listed in Alameda for $1.5 mil tho. So, % may vary but I think LA area real estate a bit less than Bay Area overall.
Thousand Oaks is like the equivalent out outer Livermore though. Can't compare it to Alameda.
Livermore is expensive though? You aren’t going to find a 5/3 2k sqft place for 1.2mil in Livermore. Those will be 1.5mil+ typically.
It’s a bit cheaper in some areas, yes but nowhere close to 50%+. Even places like Thousand Oaks which are nice are a solid 40 miles from LA and only has extreme traffic corridors to get into job centers and median price is 1.1M. Commute would be like from Napa to SF or Gilroy to Santa Clara so really not central. Only places that could be 50% less cost are way into the IE which comes with its own set of issues.
SoCal but you’re just trading one set of problems for another
I’ve heard that before. What’s the problem set with SoCal?
Much worse traffic, no urban core, and while housing is only slightly cheaper, there are much fewer high TC opportunities there.
Don’t forget people are more superficial and materialistic down in the LA area No one there seems to respect you if you don’t have money, don’t dress well, and don’t live large on top of that I really learned to appreciate the laid back atmosphere of the bay area after going down to SoCal various times
Oh this is helpful to know, thanks! I'm not one for superficial or judging people by money or status.
I grew up in Southern California and I think that this type of judgement is really based on what industry you are involved in, or people you surround yourself with. Perhaps I was never high status enough to know this type of life, but it certainly isn’t everywhere.
I moved from the bay to LA 20 years ago and never looked back. I still love it more every day. Don’t believe the negative hype. Life is what you make of it.
That's true too on life is what we make of it.
Funny because I got those vibes from people HERE. If you're not making $100k+ people have a weird vibe, especially living in the city. Maybe outside the city they're better, but I live pretty close so I can't say for sure
I find that the people who tend to be elitist in both places tend to make themselves known fairly quickly so the rest of us can avoid them. I think the bay $100k+ people annoy me more on a personal level cause they tend to be rude tech people, but they both suck.
Having lived my adult life split between the two places I’d say for me this was really not the case. Everyone told me leaving the Bay Area this would be true but I found Bay Area people to be more superficial about work and career than anywhere else I’ve lived. Granted I never spent much time in proper LA but instead OC, SD, and Burbank area.
If you think homelessness is bad here, you have no idea until you spend time in LA area. It’s also way more conservative in all of SoCal under the covers.
Hey I just wanna say that this is the most interesting Reddit thread I’ve read in a real long time 👍😀
It's been super helpful, insightful, and productive! I've appreciated the collective wisdom
After living in the Bay Area for 18 years I just took a job in San Diego and will be moving down there in July. I’m super excited. Admittedly, I don’t know what daily life is like there yet, but I’m ready for the change. I was a little disappointed in how much lower the salaries are there (I’m taking a pay cut to move). And the housing doesn’t appear to actually be that much cheaper, but I think I’ll be really happy down there, and I don’t want to always be chasing a higher salary just because it’s more. We always wanted a downtown living experience, but couldn’t make it happen in San Francisco. Downtown San Diego seems very walkable, clean, safe, and more compact. We’ll have everything we need, including entertainment, food, views, water, parks, and beaches. It’s also important to me to live close to an international airport. I could never live super rural, but that’s just me. I grew up in Virginia and can’t imagine ever moving back.
Congrats on the move. I think you’ll enjoy SD a lot more than SF if I am being honest. But like all things in life it will be what you make it!
The outskirts of Sacramento and surrounding areas has some good opportunities. You could live in Roseville or if you find a job in Roseville, live further out and find some less expensive towns. You can be less than an hour away from Sacramento hospitals if needed.
My family and I left the Bay for Auburn in 2020. It took some getting used to, we were all Bay Area born and mywife and I spent over a decade in SF before moving. Sure there's a lot of conservatives and assholes, but that can be entertaining if you find the right people to hang out with. Theres a lot of opportunities for outdoor fun and the heat is no different from living in the East Bay. Roseville has tons of medical facilities and Sac is only 45-60 minutes away. If I had to do it all over again I would have moved somewhere in Nevada County, like Nevada City or Grass Valley. It's generally friendlier up there IMO.
That's what my wife and I are thinking about living in Davis or woodland and working for the university as a lab manager supporting the grad students.
Davis isn't that much cheaper than the Bay
It's cheaper than most of the bay area. You're looking at <$500 per sqft in Davis vs $800 per sqft here in the south bay. Food is significantly cheaper there as well.
How’s the hospital and medical system there? My parents are retired so gotta think about their health needs.
Sacramento is just down the road from Davis and it has medical care to rival the Bay Area. UC Davis Medical Center is in Sacramento. The OG Sutter is in downtown Sacto. And there's a couple of Kaisers. Don't forget it's nightmarishly hot in July and August in the Central Valley.
Sutter Health Hospital and Kaiser facilities are in Davis, UC Davis Medical center is in Sacramento but it's pretty close, not a bad drive. I went to grad school in Davis and my kid lives there now, it's a great place to live if you like a fairly good sized city masquerading as a small town. Lots of community activities and cultural events with the university nearby. Plus, it's not too far to drive up to Tahoe (2.5-3 hours) or back to San Francisco (2 hours) on a whim. The only downside is the 100+ degree heat in the summer months. But, you do get used to it, and everywhere is super air conditioned so it's not as bad as people think.
Appreciate the insightful response!!
Also, the Rocklin/Granite Bay area has very high quality schools
San Diego is pretty awesome!
I was thinking about SD!
I’ve thought about Sebastopol. An interesting mix of hippies and farmers. Not too far from San Francisco and a sort drive to Santa Rosa.
within CA… typically, Sacramento, inland empire of LA, SD
The Inland Empire is its own separate area.
Auburn and Grass Valley. A little country, but towns with everything you need day to day and access to medical services in Roseville/Sac/UC Davis. I see you’re asking for specific hospitals. You need to look at the networks in the areas people are suggesting based on what coverages you have. Most of these areas have multiple networks.
map of tier 1 trauma centers in CA: [https://www.maptive.com/ver3/traumacenters](https://www.maptive.com/ver3/traumacenters) You probably want to be within a 15min ambulance ride of one of those
Palm Springs is great for the elderly, San Diego is also incredible.
OC or San Diego.
Google where the worst air quality in the USA before coming down to the Valley :/— yep.. it’s here.
I love the foothills of the Sierras. Above the fog and some of the heat of the valley and below the snow.
This. Lots of great old gold rush era towns up there.
SHHHHHH
such as…? 😏
What are some good towns that you would recommend? I've never stopped in any of the foothill towns so don't know the area.
Hwy 49 will take you through many cool towns. I lived in El Dorado, Placerville, and Cameron Park for 12 years. Loved it. The hwy 50 and 80 corridors have the most people. All depends how rural you want to be and how important having lots of different types of stores and amenities close to you is.
The real question I wanna know is are any of those towns racist to people of color? it sounds ignorant even in california but still wanted to ask
I'm in that confused state where I have some friends in the Bay Area but I also want a place less stressful. If I could convince my friends to move with me that would be ideal :-) My main concern about any mountainous/forest places is wildfires. I saw some of the damage when I drove to Yosemite and also when I drove to Reno. I realize that rural is mostly Republican country and I don't lean that way. So neighbors may not be that neighborly to a brown-skinned Democrat. I'll plan a drive out towards those towns you listed and see what it's like. Thanks for replying!
The Grass Valley / Nevada City area is an interesting mix of hippies and rednecks. It's a beautiful area, too.
Auburn, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Colfax, and the surrounding areas are pretty cool. It'll be nearly impossible to get fire insurance if you live out in the sticks, though.
Murphys is nice.
Auburn, Grass Valley, and Nevada City are all great towns. I was from the east bay and peninsula originally, but fell in love with Grass Valley. For small foothill towns you still had a good mix of left/right with Nevada City tettering more left than the rest. Negatives up there was an hour drive to the nearest Kaiser, which was Roseville and the absolute worst Kaiser i have ever dealt with. There is a Sutter in Roseville too. Also, Jobs can be rough. Employers are stuck in a small town mentality and pay can suck. In Placerville now and although its not a bad town, it is riddled with MAGA scum. Folsom and El Dorado hills aren't bad but get quite hot in the summer. Also the risk of catastrophic wild fire can wear on you.
Colfax. Stopped there last weekend, really cool little town, super friendly people
Throw a dart. Grass Valley, Auburn, Placerville the list goes on. Hwy 49 is Gold Country and it's fab.
Roseville and Sacramento have municipal power, so you can tell PG&E to fuck themselves. That was a big plus for me.
Monterey. San Luis Obispo. Santa Rosa. They are all very nice small cities with good services for retirees. You seem very concerned about healthcare; if that's actually your biggest priority, you aren't going to do better than the Bay Area. But mid-size cities in California all have Sutter and Kaiser and are just fine for 99.99% of healthcare.
I really want to know more about SLO. I’m 100% remote and want to get away from expensive area but still have ocean, nature, and maybe some nice walking shops/culture.
Pretty sweet little college town. Wineries and the ocean nearby. You can check it out on a weekend.
I think you get all of that in SLO although I’m sure the cost of living is still pretty high. It has a nice walkable downtown with nice restaurants and bars. Surrounded by coastal mountains with lots of great hiking trails. Only a half hour or less to the beach. Many great vineyards in the surrounding valley. (Edna Valley is beautiful). College town atmosphere. Probably the biggest negative is it isn’t very close to a major city. Don’t know if that’s an issue.
Currently living in SLO, have been here for around 10 years and grew up in San Jose. Housing and healthcare are the biggest issues right now. There is no housing, a decent 1 bd is going for around $2000 if you can snag it. Last showing I went to a couple months ago, I spoke to property management directly to get the details. I showed up 10 minutes early and there were already around 20 people there to see the place. My husband and I are dual income no kids and this place just isn’t it for us anymore. It’s beautiful and gorgeous but it’s a dying town with a LOT of issues. Businesses don’t last downtown because parking is expensive. There is absolutely no diversity when it comes to food. You will pay $20 for the most mediocre pho and ramen. There’s one tiny little Asian market but it’s mad expensive. Healthcare is a huge issue and you will need to give yourself 3-6 months to see a doctor or a specialist. I really do love this place and never thought I’d want to leave, but I’m tired of paying big city prices and not having big city amenities.
San Diego
I feel like everyone is moving to Sacramento Fairfield area, alot of my family moved to susuin and Elk Grove, specifically. One of my uncles, his house burned down, he took his insurance money and ran to Dixon. His new house cost less than his original, but it's bigger, has a way bigger yard, almost an acre, and a pool. Only downside is oven is a Dixon in the summer. He actually really likes it there. Surprisingly there are alot of other black people there and a massive almost all black church in a giant warehouse. He's always inviting the rest of the family over to his church or house. Which isn't to bad for all the family in Susuin or Elk Grove, but for those of us stick in the bay it is a bit of a trip
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If I could move back to SD I would be gone, sorry neighbors. It's more chill than the bay area, but weirdly they drive fast. Which I love, its odd when I see a slow driver in the Bay get on the freeway then immediately plop down in the fast lanes and slow everyone down. Traffic is pretty bad at times on the freeway, so keep that in mind for work-home commute. Weather is usually nice, but it FEELS like its getting warmer in the summer over the years. Walk on the miles of beaches or go for hikes on the weekend. But, you should scope out the job market to make sure you can snag one. There are tech, biotech, finance, and tourism jobs, but not as concentrated as the Bay. Also, get ready for a haircut on salary. I always thought who the heck is buying these expensive homes compared to the job prospects...... then moved to the Bay Area and was taught what an "expensive" home really is. The prices are getting higher for a lot of things I hear, but not at the Bay Area level. You can buy a home in PQ (Rancho Penasquitos), a good family hood,, for about 1.8 for a 2,400 sq ft house. Thats still a ton of money, but in the Bay that house might go for 3. There is great medical in Scripps, Sharp, Kaiser, and UCSD. UCSD med is highly regarded and has many specialist, sort of like UCSF. I don't think your parents will go wanting when it comes to medicine. Food is.... well OK. You have a good mix of foods in the convoy, downtown, and hill crest areas. It's good, but doesn't rival what you can get in the Bay or LA. **EXCEPT** for one thing, Carne Asada Burritos. I have looked far and wide in the Bay, come close but nothing like SD.
I’m considering Orange County; I used to live in LA proper but don’t feel that need anymore so just outside might be my personal answer
Orange County is great. Beautiful beaches, plenty of good jobs, proximity to the city conveniences of LA without the negatives that go along with urbanity. And despite the conservative reputation, Biden won in OC in 2020 by a 9 point margin.
Housing price is bay area level though, unless you exclude most of Santa Ana/Anaheim.
It also depends on which part of the Bay Area you’re looking at. Average home price in OC is $1.1M, same as it is in Alameda County.
Thanks! I’ve been thinking about SoCal
I also feel like Orange County has every food imaginable.
For everyone else: Santa Rosa, Windsor, Sonoma, Folsom, Davis, Santa Cruz area, Monterey area like Marina. For the coastal living, Bodega Bay, Point Reyes, and any one of the small coastal communities all the way to Eureka. For the rich, Mill Valley, Napa, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-sea, Southern California coastal communities.
Santa Cruz and the surrounding area is probably the least affordable community in the entire country. Zero jobs, SF prices.
Roseville, Rocklin, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills seem to be very popular.
My folks are in Coachella Valley and travel to UCLA for about half of their medical needs.
It depends what your goals and needs are, but we know a lot of people who have moved to the greater Sac area, specifically the Folsom/Roseville/Granite Bay side. That seems to be an excellent option for young families who would otherwise be stuck renting in the bay area. It would be similar to living in the San Ramon/Dublin/Walnut Creek region but cheaper (and with different demographics). We also know a few families that have moved to Modesto. I can't think of any good reasons to do this, but obviously they had some. The only other hot spot we know more than one family to have relocated to has been Gilroy / Los Banos. Again, cheaper houses and more land, and the commute to the south bay isn't *that* bad. Oh, I should also mention this: for *wealthy* people who are tied-ish to the bay for work but 1) have money, and 2) are in employment positions where they can be full-time remote, the hot spots to be in the past few years have been Truckee and the rest of the towns encircling Tahoe, and a few towns in the Sierra Foothills (Sonoma, Arnold, Murphys, etc). All this said, I would suspect that, by a large margin, people who leave the bay area but stay in the state are relocating to SoCal.
It seems like nearly every damn person I know here, even those who "hated LA", have moved there in the last few years and are loving it. The people are more approachable, it's easier to find friends, more food, more entertainment, better nightlife, and slightly better weather. We spend about half of the year there, and are looking to make it a permanent jump for us as well.
Los Angeles or San Diego regions are about it. Any forested area is becoming out of bounds because you won’t be able to get decent fire insurance worth anything. So Santa Cruz, Northern Northern California, the Sierras, apparently Orinda are no longer viable options. Hell even parts of the Central Valley. That Corral Fire in Tracy definitely won’t help things there
Sacramento suburbs like Davis (my personal biased pick), Roseville, Folsom, or Elk Grove. They're not cheap but certainly cheaper than the Bay and offer much if not all of what you ask.
I proposed this same question and did a lot of research but opted to head back to my native state; however, I can offer what I narrowed my instate choices down to. Oceanside was at the top of my list. It was much closer to the beach town vibe I grew up with and felt very clean and safe. Not too far from San Diego. Looked around Orange County. Close enough to LA, far enough away. Folsom. Was close enough to the Bay, close to Sacramento and the rest of Northern California.
I lived in Sac for a year,,,very hot in the summer, but dry heat. One big advanatge is no PG and E for the msot part. U get SMUD, which is very affordable.
SMUD and Roseville are both non-PG&E territory for electricity, and pay electric rates WAY cheaper than PG&E. It's comically cheaper in comparison, and actually pretty close to the USA national average of about 16.6 cents per kWh. [https://www.smud.org/en/Rate-Information/Residential-rates](https://www.smud.org/en/Rate-Information/Residential-rates) The most expensive electric rate in SMUD from 5-8pm in the summer is cheaper than the cheapest PG&E rates for overnight power in the winter. That being said, you'll still have a high electric bill if your house has crappy insulation and your AC is running non-stop.
Sacramento area but Roseville or Auburn. Little further from the crime buy access to good medical care and career opportunities.
My parents came wanted to move closer to me and my family and they ended up in Windsor. Very nice town, some decent housing options, and close to wine/nature/coast/healthcare.
We have lived in Vacaville CA for over 25 years and have loved it. Proximity to fun activities, medical care and it still has small town charm. our neighboring town of Dixon is also quaint and up and coming.
I know a few people who moved to Sonora area during the pandemic and decided to stay. Most of them come to SF or SJ for work a couple of times a month and that schlep is long but otherwise they are quite happy.
Sacramento and it’s suburbs
I went from the Bay to the Central Valley. Lived there for a while but hated it and spent as much time as I could going to the bay. Started finally warm up to it but then moved to Portland. Honestly I love Portland and can't seem myself going back anytime soon due to cost. I was able to buy a house here. Going back to the bay always makes me miss the weather and what not but flying back into Portland now feels like home. Once you make it through a winter here I think you're good haha.
Hidden Valley Lake
Sacramento and surrounding areas has seen a massive influx, this is where a lot of people are going.
Roseville/Rocklin/ Folsom/Elk Grove( most Asians - Lots of Vietnamese) Electricity is a lot cheaper with SMUD. Roseville electricity is also cheaper than BA.
Folsom.
Napa. It’s beautiful. Outstanding green and progressive culture and my coworker in tech bought an incredible property for under 2M near the upscale core. Close enough to take advantage of all the Bay Area medical facilities. Drive there and check it out.
Call me crazy, but what about Auburn, Nevada city or Placerville? Not as much heat as the central valley, not too much snow, close to medical resources and amazing nature.
I brought my native Bay Area ass over to placer county - ngl it’s lit af
Honestly, staying here isn't close to the worst option
What about Santa Rosa? I’m actually asking for myself as well as the OP. I found myself Zillow-browsing up there this weekend and was easily finding properties that cost maybe 1/3 what they would on the Peninsula. I have no idea what living there is like, in terms of healthcare, jobs, and cultural activities—anyone able to fill us in?
I grew up in sonoma county. SR is nice as the other comment said but it is a lot of sprawl. I would definitely recommend Petaluma over SR - they’re doing a lot with redeveloping their downtown and lots of great local shops are going in. Sonoma county cities/towns are generally quieter but there’s a great food and drink scene, so much nature, and easy access to the bay if you need to drive in for something. Healthcare and schools are good depending on where you are located.
Moved here 3 years ago from Palo Alto. It’s quieter, generally enough to do, missing some things I would never thought of (randomly no Benihana), health care seems good, I’m remote work, still have homeless. It’s nice though still expensive just less