Sacramento, California

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.

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

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

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

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