Three Sacramento area cities named top-10 places to raise a family

If you live in or around the greater Sacramento area, then you already probably know that it's a great place for families, with plenty of towns, neighborhoods, and communities that are perfect for raising children. The Sacramento area's family-friendly nature has now also gained national prominence thanks to a poll by NerdWallet.com. In a poll about the quality of life for families on that site, several Northern California cities ranked in the top ten for best cities to raise a family in California, including some of Sacramento’s closest neighbors: Folsom, Roseville, and Davis.

NerdWallet ranked every major city and community across the country based on these three main factors:

Affordability
Of course, we’d all love to live in San Francisco, Venice or Santa Cruz – if we were multi-millionaires. But for most, the cost of living and raising a family is too prohibitive. So in their survey, NerdWallet recognized that affordability is a huge factor for families who want a great quality of life. Other critical factors in determining affordability for families include:

• median home values in each city along with average mortgage payments,
• real estate taxes,
• monthly home expenses,
• utilities, fuel, insurance, and other typical costs.

In determining ranking, the more overall affordability a city was for a young family, the higher its number in the rankings.

Growth and prosperity
NerdWallet also carefully gauged each city’s economy and potential for growth. To make sure that future development looked promising, they tracked factors like the average household income and income growth over the last decade. Cities that earned a ten offered the best chance for new residents to land good-paying jobs, prosper financially, and provide for their families.

Quality schools and public education
Of course, one of the biggest factors for families is living in an area where their children can attend great schools/ So NerdWallet rated each city’s public school systems using academic performance rankings from GreatSchools, a nonprofit that that compares a school’s standardized test scores with the state average. This system rates schools 1-10, with 10 being the best possible score for a public school system.

Based on the compilation of those rankings, here are the cities in the greater Sacramento area that ranked in the top ten:

#2 Folsom, California
For those of us who already live, work, or play in Folsom, we don't need to be reminded that it's one of the best communities in California to raise a family. Only 20 miles east of Sacramento, Folsom has just about everything you would want in a neighborhood for your family, from fantastic schools, vibrant economy bolstered by tech firms like Intel, Verizon and Jadoo Power, and a median household income just above $100,000.

Folsom is also a haven for families because of its natural beauty, parks and recreation facilities, and outdoor lifestyle. Folsom offers endless miles of hiking trails, cycling and running paths that extend all the way to downtown Sacramento and beyond. Lake Folsom is ideal for swimming, boating, and waterskiing, and it’s an hour drive up the mountain to Lake Tahoe. Historic Old Folsom is lively on the weekends, jumping with music, street fairs, and a great art and restaurant scene.

No one ever accused Folsom of being inexpensive, but it’s still reasonably affordable for a new family, with a vibrant local economy and real estate market that always is healthy. With all the great things going for Folsom, the only thing we wonder is why it’s not #1 on the list!?

#8 Roseville, California
Sitting only a few spots back of Folsom on NerdWallet’s best places for families to live sits Roseville. It’s not surprising that Roseville is so highly-valued on the list considering that the Sacramento suburb city has a little bit of everything for young families, including a healthy supply of good-paying jobs and an economy invigorated by local employers Kaiser Permanente and Hewlett-Packard.

Just as important, Roseville is home to some of the best public schools in the state, year after year. Although it’s the largest city in Placer County (population 128,000), it’s also one of the safest communities in California. Residents enjoy the mature trees, 41,000 acres of beautiful parks, 31 miles of recreational trails, a revitalized downtown, and a little Gold Rush history thrown in.

This isn’t the only time that Roseville has been recognized as a great place to live, as CNN recently ranked it as one of America’s Top 100 Small Cities.

#9 Davis, California
The agricultural and educational haven of Davis, California lies directly west of Sacramento, and yet it feels like it’s hundreds of miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Davis is a down-to-earth, throwback academic community centered around the prestigious University of California at Davis. Often called “Berkeley North,” it’s rich with arts and culture, yet still keeping its agricultural roots - one of the University’s strengths.

Just a short 15 minutes across the causeway from downtown Sacramento, Davis is also only about an hour commuting distance to San Francisco. The public schools are fantastic, it has one of the lowest crime rates in California, and Davis has healthy job market.

As a small city of fewer than 70,000 people, Davis prides itself on being one of the most bike and pedestrian friendly cities in the entire country. It’s also one of the greenest cities in the country, and between walking trails, locally owned businesses and the Robert Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, there is always something fun to do.

Surely Davis would rank higher on the list if it weren’t for the cost of living, with a median home value of $632,000 – a stretch to afford for many first-time buyers.

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Are you interested in moving your family to one of these communities, the cost of homes in these areas, or just getting more information about the greater Sacramento real estate market? I’d love to be of assistance so please contact me anytime.

Placer County wisely adopts changes easing the way for Granny Flats and other multi-generational living

If you have aging parents who are in their Golden Years, you may be facing a dilemma. With advancing age comes medical issues, special care needs, and lifestyle considerations, but putting them in a senior living facility often can feel isolating – not to mention expensive. You’d love to have them at home where you can still spend lots of time, feel close, and help supervise their needs are met, but having them live with you would be a total compromise of privacy. Of course the best part is that everyone in the family can remain close and enjoy creating cherished memories with elder family members. 

Luckily, there is another option that checks all the boxes for seniors as well as their families: Granny Flats, and Placer County just adopted new changes that makes it much easier to have them on your existing property.

Despite their quaint name, Granny Flats – sometimes also called Elder Cottages or ECHO Housing – they’re a smart solution to a huge need: housing elders or loved ones on the same property but not necessarily in the same home. Some Granny Flats are custom built just like a small house or cottage, while others opt for the increasing number of pre-built and modular Granny Flat options. These small homes are perfectly self-contained with a bedroom, living area, kitchen, and bathroom (so pool houses and guesthouses don’t qualify) and are equipped with complete utilities, but at a fraction of the cost of buying a new home or even paying for some sort of senior housing.

And the best part is that grandma (or grandpa, mom, dad, etc.) are close enough to walk across the back yard and come into the main family house for dinner – after knocking, of course.

While Granny Flats are common in areas of the country with a high senior concentration, Placer County just adopted changes that makes it much more feasibly for an existing homeowner, or builder, to construct a second housing unit on their single lot, whether that be a Granny Flat to house a family member or as part of specialized new housing developments.

Placer County now will allow a secondary unit on lots of only 5,000 square feet, a 50% reduction from the old rule that mandated a lot was at least 10,000 square feet for a homeowner to add a livable out-building. Deed restrictions that require dwellings to be affordable housing will now have their development fees waived under Placer’s new mandates, as long as the second unit is sized 250-1,200 square feet.

Chris Schmidt, a senior Placer County planner, said of the loosening of restrictions around secondary housing units, “It’s recognizing the demographics are changing. We see it happening in other communities.”

Finding a comfortable, economical, and convenient alternative to nursing homes, retirement communities, or seniors attempting to extend years living solo longer than they should, is no small problem. In fact, by 2029 there will be 71.4 million Americans 65 years and older, comprising about 20% of the population.

Under the increasingly population arrangement of aging parents or seniors with care needs living on the same property as family members – but not at the same address, it’s far easier to supervise care, incorporate daily tasks like grocery shopping, trips to the doctor, etc., and generally care for the elder, as well as include them in day-to-day family activities.

But Elder Cottages aren’t just for seniors these days, as multi-generational family living is such an increasingly popular trend that new homebuilders are specially constructing developments with them in mind. Aside from elders, secondary structures on the same lot may also accommodate live-in nannies and child care givers, young adult children who moved back home after college, space for office or cottage industry, out of town visitors, and temporary housing for young families, maybe to help them save money while they amass money to buy a house or to be close to family if they have a new baby.

No matter what the reason, Elder Cottages are ideally adapted to the needs to the person who will be living there. Modular or pre-built structures come at a fraction of the cost of stick-built small homes, with amenities that keep seniors in mind like:

• Easy navigation created with physical challenges in mind.

• Wheelchair access through all doorways

• Kitchen and bath may be tailored for wheelchair access

• Elevated toilets

• Reinforcing behind bathroom and other walls for optional grab bars

Likewise, for counties that have restrict secondary structures all together, these pre-built cottages are designed to be easily attached to an existing house, becoming an addition for grandma or family. They are also easy to dis-assemble and move if the family every changed residences or there was a change of plans. Of course homeowners need to arrange for a foundation to be set, and electric, water, and sewer hookups to be in place, either separately or usually tied into the main house. But most general contractors could do that with ease.

The prevalence of Granny Flats is sure to grow like wildfire around the country as our population ages in greater numbers, but now Placer County has opened the door to accommodating those seniors while creating an ideal living situation for the entire family.

Neighborhood and city spotlight: Rocklin, California.

Like a modern oasis within the traditionalism of Placer County, the city of Rocklin, California has been one of the fastest-growing cities in California, with a population increase of 64% since 2000 to it’s present level of 60,000 residents. Nestled in the rolling foothills with views of the Sutter-Butte mountain range to the west and Sierra Nevada’s to the northeast, Rocklin is still close enough to downtown Sacramento for a quick commute.

Mix in great local parks and recreation, a superlative school system and safe neighborhoods, and residents weren’t surprised when Family Circle magazine named Rocklin one of its “10 Best Towns” for families in America, the only one on that list in California.

Location and demographics:

Rocklin is an incorporated city sitting in South Placer County, only 25 minutes from downtown Sacramento. Encompassing zip codes 95678 and 95765, Rocklin has an ideal position adjacent to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Sutter-Butte range, and is less than 2 hours from San Francisco and the same to Lake Tahoe. Rocklin neighbors Roseville, Granite Bay, Loomis, and Lincoln.

Rocklin as a community:

Rocklin is one of the most safest and family-friendly communities in all of California, with plenty of arts, culture, restaurants, and outdoor activities galore. According to the city’s mission statement, they want Rocklin “to become a city that provides its citizens with exceptional quality of life while maintaining its small town sense of community.” So far, they’ve accomplished just that.

A huge attraction for families is that Rocklin is one of the safest communities in all of California. In fact, when it comes to property crime, there is only a 1 in 57 chance of becoming a victim in Rocklin, compared to 1 in 38 for all of California. And violent crime is almost nonexistent, with only a 1 in 933 chance of becoming a victim in Rocklin, compared to 1 in 249 in the rest of California.

The history of Rocklin:

Rocklin was first settled during Gold Rush era, like most of the region. When the transcontinental railroad was completed, Rocklin became a popular stop in 1864 and was officially incorporated in 1893. By 1910, gold was no longer being panned from the hills but the granite industry was in full swing, attracting Irish, Spanish, and Finnish immigrants. In fact, granite unearthed in Rocklin was used to construct the state capitol building in Sacramento and many other buildings in San Francisco.

The first residential development sprung forth when the 30,000-acre Whitney Ranch was subdivided in the 1950s and 60s, giving birth to the Sunset Whitney neighborhood. High tech firms and other industries began relocating to Rocklin in the 1980s, attracted by its educated work force, low cost to do business, and proximity to Sacramento. Since then, the Stanford Ranch, Whitney Oaks, and Whitney Ranch neighborhoods have been well developed.

Schools and education:

The public school system is the pride of Rocklin, with four schools rated 10 out of 10 on GreatSchools.com: Valley View Elementary, Rocklin Academy, Sunset Ranch Elementary, and Rocklin Academy.

With 42% of Rocklin adults over 25 earning bachelor’s degrees or higher, it’s one of the best-educated communities in the region. Rockling is also home to Sierra College and William Jessup University.

Real Estate and home sales in Rocklin:

Rocklin has approximately 20,933 households, 66.3% of which are owner occupied, leaving 33.7% inhabited by renters.

Homes in Rocklin sell quickly and prices stay on the rise, thanks to the city’s desirable location, exemplary school system and low crime rates. When priced accurately, homes often sell in only a few days for asking price or higher. The current median home price in Rocklin is $401,700, which is a healthy 4.9 percent increase since the previous year.

If you’d like to hear more about homes for sale in Rocklin, or live there and would like to find out how much your house is realistically worth, please contact The Alfano Group because we’d love to help!

Jobs and the economy in Rocklin:

The economic base of Rocklin has a strong foundation with plenty of job opportunities for the 30,00 residents in the workforce. With a paltry unemployment rate of 4.3%, significantly lower than the rest of Placer County (6%), Sacramento (6.9%), and California (7.3%), Rocklin is home to plenty of companies and employers like the Rocklin Unified School District, Oracle America, Inc., United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), and Esurance Insurance Services, Inc., all employing more than 500 people. The city did see its long-established granite mining business end in Rocklin in 2004, but jobs are picking up in the fields of solar, education, and media.

The median household income in Rocklin is $79,678, well ahead of the national media of $58,328 and healthy, even for Sacramento and Placer County.

Things to do and see in Rocklin:

Rocklin residents have plenty of entertainment and recreation options. The Rocklin Community Theater, the Rocklin Event Center, Rocklin Historical Society Museum, Maidu Interpretive Center, Aerospace Museum of California, and Joss House Museum all keep visitors occupied with arts, culture, history, and science exhibits and events.

But if exercise and laughter with the whole family is more your thing, the Scandia Family Fun Center, LaserCraze, Indoor Trampoline Park, and Johnson-Springview Park won’t disappoint. Golfers can tee off at the scenic 18-hole Rocklin Golf Course or Whitney Oaks Golf Club, open to the public. In fact, If you love the outdoors, Rocklin will never disappoint, with 30 well-kept public parks for, including an 18-hole Frisbee golf course.

If you’re in the mood for a great dinner, Rocklin boasts some of the best restaurants in the region, including The Chef's Table, Via Roma Pizzeria, Out of Bounds Brewery, Anatolia Table, and the Granite Rock Grill.

Famous Rocklin residents:

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Home Improvement

Karyn White, pop singer

Jeffrey Leonard, retired MLB All-Star and professional baseball player, most notably for the San Francisco Giants

Kevin Martin, shooting guard of the Minnesota Timberwolves

Geoff Petrie, General Manager of the Sacramento Kings

Brotha Lynch Hung, rapper

John Romero, video game designer and programmer. Co-founder of id Software, creator of the video games Wolfenstein 3D, Doom (series), Quake (video game)

Neighborhood and community spotlight: Roseville, California

The city of Roseville eludes easy classification, with a charmingly quaint, small-town feel, yet also the biggest city in Placer County and an important railroad gateway to the West throughout history. Maybe that’s why Roseville residents love living there – it offers a safe, family-oriented community with plenty to do and see, but also with stable home values, great schools, and a robust economic climate.

So no wonder why CNN Money's 2008 "Best Places to Live" study ranked Roseville in the Top 100 of "America's best small cities in the country".

Location and demographics:
Roseville is located in Placer County, only 16 miles north of Sacramento, encompassing zip codes 956661, 95678, and 95747. As of January 1, 2015, Roseville had a population of 128,382, nearly a 48% jump since the 2000 census.

Roseville spans an area of 43 square miles and sits 165 feet above sea level. The cost of living in Roseville is about 40% higher than the U.S. average, though not considered high for California.

The history of Roseville:
Modern day Roseville traces back to where the Central Pacific Railroad route was extended to Sacramento in 1864, nicknamed “Junction” at the time. The area grew in size when the Southern Pacific Railroad moved its center from Rocklin to Roseville, and on April 10, 1909, Roseville incorporated. After that, the city boomed, with more than 100 buildings and structures being erected within a few years, including the Pacific Fruit Express building in 1913, the largest ice manufacturing plant in the world.

With the dawn of WWII, the railroads became more important than ever and Roseville enjoyed post-war stability and gentle growth. But Roseville was still a mom-and-pop, sleepy community until 1985, when more people started moving there and new subdivisions were built. Starting in 1985, the population exploded from 28,988 to 74,234 people as of 2000.

Industry and the economy of Roseville:
Roseville has a strong history of economic abundance, starting when large employers Hewlett Packard (1979) and NEC (in 1983) relocated to the area. And despite the fact that we don’t live in the railroad age anymore, the Union Pacific Railroad is still the 6th largest employer in Roseville. Additionally, the city is home to one of the largest auto malls in the entire U.S., which provides plenty of jobs and bolsters the region’s tax base.

Retail shopping is also a main facet of Roseville’s economy, as it has the thirteenth highest retail sales of all California cities. People from all over Sacramento come to enjoy the Westfield Galleria mall and Fountains in Roseville shopping complex.

Real estate, home ownership, and housing in Roseville:
Roseville enjoyed a robust real estate market in the boom years of the early and mid 2000s and has continued to be healthy post-recession. In fact, the median sale price in Roseville is now $367,500, a resounding 22% increase over one year. Of all the homes in Roseville, 65.5% are owner-occupied and 34.5% occupied by renters. There are plenty of great homes for sale in Roseville at any time, with as lots of families look to list their homes but then relocate into the same community.

Historic landmarks and things to do:
Roseville residents have plenty of entertaining activities to choose from, whether its outdoor sports facilities, shopping, or a trip to Golfland Sunsplash. There are great concerts and outings for the whole family, and the Roseville Arts Blueline Gallery for culture enthusiasts.

The Tower Theatre is a iconic landmark in Roseville, originally built in 1940 and now run by Magic Circle Theatre as an arts and entertainment venue.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the city’s past, the Carnegie Museum offers a walking tour of historic Roseville. The name Carnegie is synonymous with wealth in yesteryear U.S., and in fact the first library in Roseville, The Carnegie Library, was built in 1912 and funded by Andrew Carnegie.

The Maidu Interpretive Center provides guided tours that spotlight ancient Nisenan Indian culture. If you can get your kids to put their cell phones down for half an hour, take a walk through Roseville’s Telephone Museum, where you can trace the evolution of telecommunications history over 100 years, including antique telephones, cables, and communications memorabilia.

Roseville art aficionados come out en force for "3rd Saturday Art Tours" during good weather months, where local art galleries, cafes, boutiques, and businesses highlight local art along with plenty of good food, libations, and music.

Old town historic redevelopment: 
The whole area of downtown Roseville was redeveloped starting in 1988, including tens of millions of dollars to give a face lift to Vernon Street, Atlantic Street, Oak Street, and the Historic Old Town. This ambitious revitalization includes the new Roseville Civic Center and surrounding complex for family and community events.

Schools and education in Roseville:
Roseville has a diverse education base with some top-flight public schools, including Olympus Junior High (10 out of 10), Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (9 out of 10), and Diamond Creek Elementary School (9 out of 10.)

Brandman University, a private non-profit college, has a campus in Roseville, offering secondary learning opportunities to working professionals. The University of Warwick, a university over the big pond in Coventry, England, will be developing a 6,000-student campus in Roseville. And Sacramento State University is planning to open a satellite campus in Roseville, which will eventually graduate to an independent CSU campus.

Native sons and daughters:
• Evelyn Ashford, runner, Olympic gold medalist and world record holder
• Tedy Bruschi, NFL football player
• Dan Bunz, NFL football player
• Ray Clemons, NFL football player
• Andrew Susac, MLB baseball player
• John Ensign, U.S. Senator from Nevada
• Scott Pruett, 2008 Rolex sports car series championship winner
• Molly Ringwald, actress

Great restaurants in Roseville:
Roseville has a wide array of restaurants, eateries, and watering holes for residents to enjoy, like Four Sisters Café, Ninja Sushi and Teriyaki, Mikuni Japanese Restaurant, Il Fornaio, Fat's Asia Bistro, Ruth's Chris Steak House, and Paul Martin's American Bistro.

Roseville trivia:
In a 2006 CNN study, Roseville was ranked the skinniest city in the country when residents measured an average body mass index of only 24.5.

32% of all Placer County residents live in the city of Roseville, more than any other city in the county.

On April 28, 1973, 18 railroad boxcars on their way to the Concord Naval Weapons Station started detonating in Roseville after one of the cars caught fire. In all, 6,000 bombs detonated, causing explosions so big that 5,500 local buildings were harmed, 350 people injured, and blasts that could be felt more than a mile away.

How is Placer County measuring up with four important economic factors?

Population in Placer County:

The population of Placer County was estimated at 357,463 people as of the close of 2013.

The largest population center in Placer County is Auburn with 357,463 people. Roseville is next with 123,514, and unincorporated areas combined hold 109,739 people. Colfax is the smallest incorporated area in Placer, with only 1,969 residents.

Since 2003, the population of Placer County had grown 114.9%, with the largest increases in Roseville (31.3%) and Rocklin (26.5%). Since 2008, the population has grown 7.1% Loomis and Colfax are the slowest growing towns.

It’s estimated that by 2018, Placer County will have a population of 389,883 people, a 9.1% increase from its current mark. And by 2023, that number could be up to 420,187, a 17.5% increase.

Income in Placer County:

Per capita income in Placer County was $52,444 at the close of 2012. That represents a 33.9% increase since 2002 and an 8.4% increase since 2007. Those numbers are just about consistent with Sacramento income growth.

The median household income for Placer County was $70,30 as of the close of 2012, which is a modest 2.3% increase since 2007.

Projections show that Placer County income growth will continue to be positive and steady, with an anticipated 14.2% increase by 2017 for a $60,024 median, and a 22.4% increase by 2022 for a median household income of $64,337.

Employment in Placer County:

Placer County now has approximately 131,800 employed citizens, representing an increase from 120,700 employees in 2002, or a 9.2% rise. However, since 2007, Placer County has seen a -6.1% decrease in employed citizens. But that’s still better than the corresponding employment numbers for Sacramento, who experienced a -1.2% decrease since 2002, but a sharper -8.9% decrease since 2007. 

Since 2007, business growth has been most prominent in the fields of Agriculture (33.3%), Education and Health Services (29.1%). However, during that same time, Mining and Logging (-100%), Construction (-42.9%), and Manufacturing (-25.9%) saw rapid declines.

Employment projections for Placer County are still strong with an anticipated 21.7% increase to 160,464 jobs by 2017 and a 32.4% increase to 174,441 jobs by 2022.

The lion’s share of growth will be in certain industries such as education, health services, and utilities. In fact, it’s projected that by 2022, about 20% of employment will be in the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities field, and another 16% in Educational & Health Services.

Paralleled by employment numbers, unemployment in Placer County has remained lower than Sacramento averages. As of 2012, unemployment was 9.4%, which compares unfavorably to 2002’s 4.9% mark. But with the recession and real estate bust of 2008, unemployment rose to 6.4% in 2008 and an alarming 11.5% in 2010, so today’s numbers are a healthy reversal of that trend.

Real estate in Placer County:

In the 2000s, real estate sales in Placer County exploded, with many luxury new home divisions built. Currently, the median value of single-family homes in Placer is $404,900 and the median sale price is $380,250. Those numbers have risen about 5% in the last year, with stable appreciation and secure values with Placer County real estate. Houses for sale in Placer County only stay on market an average of 78 days.

Only 9.9% of homes in Placer have negative equity or are underwater, compared to the U.S. average of 16.9%. 79.9% of homeowners still have a mortgage in Placer County, with just over 20% owning their homes free and clear.

The homeownership rate in Placer County is 70.6%, with 27% of residents renting. There are currently 26.2% more housing units than existed in 2002 and 4.8% more than in 2008.

Home sales in Placer County are expected to stay hot over the next year with values increasing steadily, based on market factors and the desirability of living in the area.