SacTown, the geographical midpoint between the Bay Area and the beauty and ski slopes of Lake Tahoe, has a bevy of lakes and rivers in and around the city if you're looking for lazy beach days away from the coast. The capital of the Golden State provides residents with many classic California amenities for an average total cost of living that hovers right around the national average. This gives newcomers, used to being priced into cramped apartment lifestyles in other California cities, a fresh start, and roomier living.

Sacramento has been hit as hard if not harder than the other major west coast cities in the summer months in recent years. With increasing droughts, frequent summer days in the triple digits, and proximity to California wildfires, those moving to Sacramento for the warm weather might be flying too close to the sun, literally and figuratively. Bad air quality can make some Sacramento summers difficult to enjoy for those with expectations of a consistently idyllic California.



California for Midwest prices

LookyLOO Review of Sacramento

One of the most diverse cities in the nation, Sacramento is filled with celebrations of culture. Known for its Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Carnaval celebrations, and more. Have kids? Check out some of Sacramento’s wide variety of museums or cheer your lungs off at a Sacramento Kings game. Sacramento is also known for its theater and opera scenes, and you’ll never be far from a critically acclaimed cup of coffee. That ‘suburb’ vibe is diminishing but still hangs over the city a bit, however, so maybe check out some of the other California cities if you’re hunting for a city with a torrid nightlife. Hitting the road for a weekend adventure to the slopes of Lake Tahoe, the shores of the Pacific Coast, or the big cities by the Bay are also massive draws.

If you want to see what's happening in Sacramento check out the [**calendar of events**](https://www.sacramento365.com/). 

Lifestyle

Being the capital of the most populous state in the country has its perks. Politics is one of SacTown’s biggest draws, headlined by the State of California being a huge employer. Sacramento is an ideal destination for the politically minded who want to get away from massive metropolises. Health jobs are also big in Cali’s capital. Sutter Health is headquartered in Sacramento, along with Kaiser Permanente are the two biggest private employers in town. The startup/entrepreneurial scene is also on the rise, as many expats from SF hit the road to Sacramento at the start of COVID. Check out [**startupgrind**](https://www.startupgrind.com/Sacramento/), [**Sacramento Angels**](https://sacangels.com/), or [**https://www.blackstar.fund/**](https://www.blackstar.fund/), a Black-led VC firm that invests primarily in Black founders. 


Worklife

Sacramento has a few school districts. [**Natomas Unified (NUSD)**]( www.natomasunified.org) and Sacramento City Unified (SCUSD) and [**Robla Elementary School District**](robla.k12.ca.us). 

Robla is just five elementary schools in the northeast section of the city. It receives [**"B-" scores on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/robla-elementary-school-district-ca/) with much higher grades for the quality of the Teachers and Diversity. 

Natoma is a mid-sized district that has a mix of elementary, middle, and high schools. The schools range in standardized scores from [**"C's" to "A's" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/natomas-unified-school-district-ca/) with [**Inderkum High School**](https://www.niche.com/k12/inderkum-high-school-sacramento-ca/?map) the highest-ranking in the district. It also includes, [**Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep**](https://www.niche.com/k12/the-met-sacramento-ca/?map), the #2 best charter high school in the area. 

SCUSD is the largest of the three districts and it comes in with a [**"B" ranking on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/sacramento-city-unified-school-district-ca/). Among these schools is [**West Campus**](https://www.niche.com/k12/west-campus-sacramento-ca/?map), the highest-rated niche standout high school in the area. It also includes [**"The Met"**](https://www.niche.com/k12/the-met-sacramento-ca/?map), an "A" rated public charter school. 

Schools

Sacramento offers some amazing perks including: tree lined streets a great local food scene and as previously noted affordable and spacious houses. This made it a prime target for pandemic movers. Those with the option to work remotely are trading up from big city apartments for Sacramento’s homes, mostly from other cities in the Golden State.


The Suburban Draw

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**OHdulcenea**
Living in Sacramento
1y ago
✭✭✭✭


We were a bit leery about leaving Austin after 30 years because we both had good jobs we liked and our kids were pretty happy. But then I looked around at the state, at what happened during COVID, at what the legislature was doing, what’s happening at school boards and medical centers, and decided even the Austin bubble didn’t seem safe enough anymore.

We visited Sacramento in fall of 2021 and again last July. We sold our Austin house, got here in September 2022, and then bought a house in a walkable neighborhood.

Our lives have improved in nearly every way. I’m no longer angry and stressed all the time at what’s happening around me and feeling at risk from the government that’s supposed to be in place for the people. My kids go to schools where healthy free breakfasts and lunches are served to every child, as opposed to Texas where school kids were fundraising to pay off other students’ lunch debts. Most of my neighbors don’t support insurrections against the government. Some Proud Boys showed up to try to start some trouble at a Drag Queen story time near us and were immediately shouted down and run off.

Our cost of living went up somewhat but our pay went up more - lots more - so financially we’re doing really well. I’m almost positive my youngest was literally the only white kid at his school - a big change for him - but he got settled right in and had a great year. My kids love their new schools, had kind teachers, and made friends quickly.

The weather has been superior here compared to Austin nearly every day. We got here in the fall and the weather gradually cooled. I kept waiting for it to get hot again like Texas, where the weather is very schizophrenic, but it never did. It was a gradual cooling and a beautiful changing of leaf colors. There was a ton of rain in the winter and we were repeatedly told how abnormal it was. But even with that, it was nice. The cold isn’t as cutting here as in Austin, so we were usually comfortable, even when it was near freezing. Now that it’s summer, I still barely use my AC. It’s cool at night - in the 50s and 60s - so we sleep with the windows open and leave them open for most of the day. Sometimes by the afternoon the house has heated up enough that the AC kicks on and I’ll close the windows then. But by dark it’s cooled again and the windows get reopened. And even with that, I’ve had perhaps a half-dozen mosquito bites total. I‘ve gotten that many in 5 minutes in my Austin backyard before.

For this review in full and more reviews from locals check out [The Reviews](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/sacramento/reviews)

Reviews of Sacramento from Locals

**The Best Thing About Sacramento?** California for Midwest prices

SacTown, the geographical midpoint between the Bay Area and the beauty and ski slopes of Lake Tahoe, also has its own bounty of  lakes and rivers in and around the city for those looking for the lazy beach days the state is known for. The capital of the Golden State provides residents with many classic California amenities for an average total cost of living that hovers right around the national average. This gives newcomers, used to being priced into cramped apartment lifestyles in other California cities, a fresh start and roomier living.

**The Worst Thing About Sacramento?** Only You Can Prevent (Living Near) Wildfires

Sacramento has been hit as hard if not harder than the other major west coast cities in the summer months of recent years. With increasing droughts, frequent summer days in the triple digits, and proximity to California wildfires, those moving to Sacramento for the warm weather might be flying too close to the sun, literally and figuratively. Bad air quality can make some Sacramento summers difficult to enjoy for those with expectations of a consistently idyllic California.

**How You Living?** Your Own Family Home

With single family homes ranging from classic Victorians to more modern architectural styles in neighborhoods with front and back yards, Sacramento has plenty of local living options that make big chunks of the city feel more like a suburb than a big Cali city. 
Sacramento does have a growing downtown for younger newbies and renters but it has historically emptied out at night so it might be awhile before it feels like a destination for Gen Z or younger Millenial professionals. 


**Why You Should Move Here Now?** The Suburban Draw

Coupled with the aforementioned affordable and spacious houses, Sacramento’s tree lined streets and great local food scene have made Sacramento one of the country’s most moved to destinations since the pandemic. Those with the option to work remotely are trading up from big city apartments for Sacramento’s homes in droves, mostly from other cities in the Golden State.


Sacramento is northeast of San Francisco and the city center is centrally located between the coast and Nevada. The city itself is pretty flat, but still very gorgeous. Given the title “Tree City USA,” Sacramento is an urban forest and the city has more trees per capita than anywhere else in the world. Just outside the city you have Folsom Lake state Recreation Area and Mendocino National Forest. 

The city also sits at the confluence of the Sacramento and American River. The Yolo Bypass, sitting just west of the city, interrupts the urban sprawl, serving as a large flood control basin. If you look at a map, you’ll see that Sacramento only goes out about 4 miles west of downtown, but as far as 30 miles in other directions. And unlike other major cities, there is no highway bypass around Sacramento. Instead the roads come from all directions and converge in the center of the city. Just west of the Sacramento River is a city called West Sacramento. Despite being right across the river and almost sharing a name, this city is not part of Sacramento, nor is it in Sacramento County. WestSac is a part of Yolo County and a completely different city. 


The Area

Downtown and Midtown are definitely the place to be for young professionals in Sacramento. Although you can’t go wrong with either, the more popular choice is Midtown. It’s definitely walkable and bikeable, it has the most restaurants and bars in the area, and it has great apartments, even if they are a little more expensive than neighboring areas. The best part about Midtown is that in a city like Sacramento that can feel really spread out and less dense than other major cities, Midtown feels contained. You can get anywhere within a 20 minute walk, which makes weekend plans so much easier!
- Midtown
- Downtown
- East Sac


Young Professionals

Midtown

Lavender Heights is the city's LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Home to restaurants, boutiques, art galleries and 1/2 dozen LGBTQ+ clubs fill the area with commercial draws. Plenty of cool housing options: homes, condos and apartments pull in a growing population.
- Lavender Heights

LGBTQ+

Lavendar Heights

Anyone wanting to settle down and start a family is going to love East Sacramento. Located just east of Downtown, you still get a neighborhood feel without giving up the nightlife that Midtown offers. It’s also close to both the UC Davis Medical Center and several highways, making commuting to work a breeze. The houses in East Sac lean towards the expensive side, but when you see the tree-lined, shady streets with gorgeous homes you won’t mind a bit. The style of homes does vary to where you can find a brick bungalow or adorable cottage-style homes on the same block.
- East Sac
- Elmhurst
- North Natomas/Natomas


Young Families

East Sacramento

Although suburbs like Folsom and Elk Grove are very popular with families, there are also neighborhoods inside city limits that have great schools, great homes, and are distinctly not the burbs. If you are in the market for a home in Sac for you and your family, we suggest starting your search in the Pocket. Yes, it’s a weird name, but it’s deserved as it’s nestled between the Sacramento River and the West Side Freeway. Situated south of Land Park and Downtown, it’s close enough to the city center without being right on top of it. On top of above average schools, there are also great parks and the very popular Device Brewing Co.
- Pocket
- Natomas
- Tahoe/Oak Park


Established Families

Pocket

Sacramento

**TakeNameInVain**
Living in Sacramento
1y ago
✭✭✭

Edited 1y ago
Moved here from Dallas recently. Your response resonates with me in so many ways from body autonomy to inclusiveness of differences. I love Sac a lot already in comparison to TX & other states I lived in. So far I really like Sac for the combination of a lot of varied events going on around town & inclusive of families, singles, young, old, culture, etc. Only thing I dislike is the high gas prices, but I'll gladly pay that for better living.

I like that I can get to so many different areas in a short time vs hour of gridlock just to run errands. In comparison, humidity is so much lower that at least I can enjoy the summer mornings. Pay is better even factoring higher cost of living. I like that my cost of living helps (teeny bit) subsidize better benefits for the community rather than a state where withhold even basic benefits.

I hope I feel the same way later on that I do now. I can't really think of another area/state that I would prefer more that is somewhat affordable.

Downside: while I can afford to rent here, I can't afford to buy here. So because of that, I may ultimately have to consider other options, but I'm going to enjoy here while I am here. Lived in more cities than I can count, 8 states, and Sac is high up on the list of favorites so far.

Edit: this may sound silly, but I love living in the same state as Rep Katie Porter. Elected officials like her have been the balm to my battered democratic soul since 2016. Every state has elected asshats, but no other state has Katie.

**notthehighground**
Lived in Sacramento
1y ago
✭✭

I moved from Western Massachusetts to Davis 6 years ago to get away from the -30F winters and then moved to Sacramento 2 years ago so that I could live in a place with better nightlife options + get a head start on networking while I was getting my master’s degree. Now, I’m planning on moving back closer to my family in Seattle in a couple months.

I don’t so much regret moving to Sacramento, I just learned what I was looking for. Here are my takeaways:

I feel like I don’t “click” with people here. Maybe this is just me, or because of the political circles I’m in, but most of the friendships I’ve made here seem shallow and we end up talking about work instead of hobbies or interests. I definitely have found some solid friends though, but we either don’t meet up super often due to life getting in the way or they end up moving elsewhere soon afterwards. I’ve also tried to find hobby groups, and I’ve had success with playing airsoft (after trying all sorts of things), so I have that going for me at least.

Transit (or the lack thereof): I was spoiled as a kid growing up in Hong Kong with a gazillion transit options, as well as Seattle’s bus + light rail systems, but Sacramento is completely abysmal when it comes to safe, reliable transit that operates past 8 PM. Sometimes, buses don’t show up and have headways of 30 minutes or more. Western Mass doesn’t have the greatest transit either, but at least the cities there are walkable and the buses show up on time. I also miss not being car dependent, so Seattle is an appealing option for me.

The “Sacramento Process”: It’s like the Seattle process, where there’s constant introspection as to what to do about a certain issue until it’s planned repeatedly to death, but with a twist—it’s not an issue when sports (light the beam tho) is involved. There’s other quirks to it too such as the constant shift in priorities which makes implementation very difficult and having no unifying vision of what Sacramento should look like.

The culture: Coming from Davis, the nightlife scene is markedly better, but I don’t really sense a city culture like I do for Seattle or NOLA or SLC. The food scene is fine (although dominated by hipster culture in certain areas, not that I take issue with that) but not something to write home about. I am pretty miffed about the Jeff Koons sculpture and the weird neon Old Sac sign that you can only barely see while driving on I-5 because it does seem that the people in charge of things are more interested in importing culture rather than fostering it organically (and I’m 80% sure the farm-to-fork slogan is GMO’d in some corporate board meeting as well).

**bomersjc**
Living in Sacramento
1y ago
✭✭✭

I was born here, and like most 18 year olds, I was desperate for something new. I joined the Navy, traveled the world, and lived in San Diego for 10 years where I met my wife. We moved up to the Bay for work, but the cost of living was ridiculous. Moved to Tracy and killed myself commuting to the Bay, and had kids. My family still lived in Sacramento and we really wanted the kids to be closer to them. The pandemic hit and opened up more flexible work opportunities, so we moved to Sacramento. Best move we’ve ever made. Close to family, and despite lots of folks bashing it, Sacramento has so much to offer. We plan on staying here the rest of our lives.

Sacramento, California

Sactown

Looklyloo Score: 83

We're on it!