California can be obscenely expensive for those not used to coastal housing prices. The Sacramento area is cheaper than its counterparts on the coast but Citrus Heights really gets more gentle on the wallet with a median home price hovering around $450k. If you work in the capital or are looking to escape the Bay Area housing crisis and can work from home then Citrus Heights should be on your shortlist. This is really true if you're a lover of the outdoors and the skiing and mountains of the Sierra as Citrus Heights is just an hour from the foothills and just another 45 minutes or so the rest of the way to Tahoe. 


Housing Prices a Short-ish Drive From Tahoe

The Best Thing About Citrus Heights?

Suburban families get nice homes, blocks, schools and outdoor recreation. However, if you want a suburb with a built-in nightlife this ain’t it. There are a couple casinos and bars/restaurants but if you want to go out you really have to drive the 15 miles to downtown Sacramento. Many suburban cities have purposely built up their commercial districts so locals can have some fun without the big drive but Citrus Heights isn’t one of them (yet!). 


Quiet - too Quiet

The Worst Thing About Citrus Heights?

As noted above the lifestyle of Citrus Heights is pretty much entirely built around families and children. Suburban homes, nice blocks, good schools, and plenty of great parks and sports fields for kiddo play dominate activities. There are plenty of more adventurous outdoor activity spots both in-town and east in the Sierras so if you’re an outdoor person or family you’ll like it here. 

Nightlife lifestyle is largely spent making the commute into downtown Sacramento. Not unusual for a suburb to have the in-town lifestyle filled with family fun and then nights out making the 20-30 minute drive to the big city. 


Get Some Fresh Air

Lifestyle of Citrus Heights

Citrus Heights is primarily served by the San Juan Unified School District. This can be a good thing as the district rates a B+ on [**niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/san-juan-unified-school-district-ca/).  

As with many school districts with this level of ranking, you get varied scores from the many different schools in the district. Which means keep an eye on the neighborhood for the schools it zones for as the scores can range from C’s to A’s depending on your block. There are a number of private and religious schools with very high rankings including [**St. Mark’s Lutheran**](https://school.stmarkslutheran.com/) among several others. 


Schools of Citrus Heights

In 2021 Citrus Heights approved a plan to redevelop the land the Sunrise Mall occupies. In the [**words of the Vice Mayor**](https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/sunrise-mall-redevelopment-new-heart-of-city/) locals *should picture a downtown area that has all the convenience and necessities within the community, walkability and a place where you can come and gather*. Assuming the coming years deliver on the plan then Citrus Heights will be a much more interesting place to live. 


Sunrise Tomorrow

Why You Should Move Here Now?

Larchmont Northridge is a popular neighborhood in Citrus Heights. It’s primarily filled with homes built in the 1970s that are mostly 3-4 bedrooms. The median home price is $520,250 although it is common to find homes just under $500k. The area has a number of excellent parks, with [**Rusch Park**](https://www.sunriseparks.com/rusch-community-park) the showcase spot. It’s filled with every kind of sports field and court, including the much-loved pickleball courts and a skate park. It also has a big pool, community center and plenty of picnic spots, BBQs and open green spaces for general play. This truly is the community center of the area and is one factor in driving a tight-knit neighborhood.


Families

Larchmont Northridge

Canyon at Mitchell Village is a master-planned community built to serve families looking for a neighborhood with plenty of amenities and nice, new homes. The neighborhood has plenty of open spaces for grownups, the kiddos and doggos to play. This includes a  beautiful park, trails for hiking, biking or just strolling and plenty of picnic areas for family and neighbor hangouts. 
It’s also one of the few neighborhoods that is walking distance to the shopping at  Sunrise Mall and the Marketplace at Birdcage. Median home prices are in the mid to high 400’s. 


Canyon at Mitchell Village

One of the great benefits to Citrus Heights is the fact the housing is more affordable than most cities in the area dn throughout Northern California. This is doubly true fo the Arcade Creek, neighborhood where  you’ll find a mix of single-family homes and condominiums at a median home price of $344,898. 

[**Arcade Creek Park**](https://www.acrpd.com/arcade-creek-park)  is one of the real gems of the area. 12 acres of beautiful greenery for general walking and hiking along with basketball courts, children’s play area and open grass fields for soccer and general recreation. There is also a large fenced off-leash doggo park so Fido can get in on the fun. Arcade Creek Park is also the trail head for the [**Jo Smith Nature Trail**](https://www.acrpd.com/jo-smith-nature-area) a beautiful walk that winds its way over the creek and eventually onto the American River College campus. 


Families/DINKs/Retirees

Arcade Creek

Citrus Heights

**What's it like living in Citrus Heights**

I live in Citrus Heights and love it. Not sure where all these negative comments about CH are coming from. I work downtown and the commute general takes about 30-45 min depending on the time of day. In my neighborhood there is a good sense of community and friendship. The food may not be as good as downtown but it is sure as hell cheaper. There are some really good restaurants in the area as well. Roseville is right next door too. The nightlife obviously isn’t there but if you are in that next chapter of life then that’s a mute point. Not too mention there isn’t really a homeless population out here either.

**What's it like living in Citrus Heights**

Lived in CH for 10 years in 4 different areas of the city. Antelope/Van Maren, Greenback and Birdcage, Dewey and Greenback, Auburn and Greenback. My favorite of the 4 areas was the neighborhood at Antelope and Van Maren/Garden Gate, so right up behind Mesa Verde HS. Safe, relatively quiet, lots of families, kind neighbors. I think it's one of the better places to live in that area. Living off of Greenback just kinda sucks no matter what end you're at, especially closer to Auburn, or even worse, by the mall. I never hated living there, but I didn't love it either. Citrus Heights is just, meh. Live in Carmichael now and it's a little bit better, but ironically we go to Citrus Heights now if we need to go to Walmart or Target or something, lol.

**What's it like living in Citrus Heights**

Definately a lot of Trumpers but CH is so spread out, we dont run into them except at the stores or sometimes a bumper sticker here or there. Still though, I think more people here are accepting and open minded than not. Plus, as ppl get priced out of midtown/downtown, its only going to get more diverse over the next decade. I grew up in FO and as a kid my biggest complaint was that it was boring... looking back and considering how things are now, boring might not be the worst thing in the world. My wife grew up in Salinas and after seeing/hearing her experience, I see now that I was quite lucky to grow up in this area.

So, I think its a great place to raise a family. However, if you’re not done with the city life, I could see CH being a bit dull. Im 35 yrs old and even tho we dont yet have kids, I was def ready for a quieter life.

We are left to ourselves here and can afford a much better place than we could elsewhere. I dont regret moving back here.

And restaurants... well, they just got closed down again. Id rather make dinner w my wife here any day. And there are certainly a few really good ones. If you crave constant ‘newness’, CH might not be your thing.

**Living in Citrus Heights California | EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CITRUS HEIGHTS CALIFORNIA**

Citrus Heights, California

The Heights

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What's it like to live in Citrus Heights?