Sacramento
entertainment scenes in addition to business and real estate. One example of the upward momentum is the 2010 expansion of the Crocker Art Museum and the July 2018 announcement of the $40 million Crocker Park Project; when complete, Crocker Park will be a public, artfocused gathering place with gallery, event and program space.
Greater Sacramento or Tri Counties — what’s the correct name?
Even smartly planned growth can cause identity confusion, but Broome makes no mistake about the area’s name. “It’s Greater Sacramento and it actually includes
six counties — Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yuba and Yolo.” He agrees that residential real estate growth has been most prominent in three counties — Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer. But the most important and potentially most exciting part of the growth is the possibility of creating of new employment centers.
Broome said the region is bucking the trend of bedroom communities that feed in to larger employment centers, which is the greatest cause of traffic in other metropolitan areas. The goal is to ensure that employers and municipalities work together to form employment centers right where people live. This is already happening, Broome noted. “The Sacramento Area Council of Governments is doing a great job getting ahead of it.”
The eclectic draw
Many people are of the mind that the main draw to the region is the lower cost of housing than some of its California counterparts. “But the lesser-known reason is that people really enjoy living here; it’s a fantastic place to live!” Broome said. Located about halfway between Lake Tahoe and the Pacific Ocean, the region has lakes, rivers, mountains, forests of tall pines, picturesque views, a thriving business climate and many of California’s top public schools. “We’re underestimated for our strong arts and music scene; this is a very creative and smart community.”
Within that sense of community is diverse dining, music and unique festivals such as the Wide Open Walls festival — a festival of mural painting throughout the entire region. “Our food scene is exceptional,” Broome said. “It’s not just Farmto-Fork, but top chefs; we’ve got great Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Mexican food in the entire area, a cool street-food scene in cities all over, plus a reputation for great Indian food.” Don’t even get Broome started talking about Sacramento’s characteristic “dive bars” — a destination all their own. Moving to — and living in — the region
“We have 25,000 people moving here from the Bay Area every year,” Broome said. The greatest majority of newcomers are collegeeducated millennials around 33 years of age. When such a prominent segment of society begins to make a mark on a region, change for the better follows. Other investors range from major corporations to startups and companies relocating their headquarters.
Newcomers’ great expectations for residential real estate are immediately met on arrival, according to builders. Among the top counties for new construction, Sacramento County is known for its very close proximity to the city’s arts and culture; El Dorado County for its luxury, land and some of California’s best school districts; and Placer County for its probusiness posture as well as the highly regarded William Jessup University in Rocklin. Given that both Folsom Lake and Lake Tahoe have shorelines in both El Dorado County and Placer County, skiing and watersports are integral to the lifestyles of each county.
Andy Pedersen, group vice president of marketing and merchandising for the Arizona and California divisions of K. Hovnanian Homes, said that while the Estates at Blackstone in El Dorado Hills (upper $700,000 range) are nearly sold out, K. Hovnanian has nine other communities in the Sacramento region. Their Westshore communities in Sacramento’s Natomas neighborhood vary from the upper $300,000 range to the mid-$400,000 range and include a 55+ community. “Westshore has a little bit of everything, including an easy commute to Sacramento and the airport, plus tons of retail,” Pedersen said. “But what makes the community so unique is the variety of home sizes and homesites,” with numerous one-level homes and thriving neighborhoods near good schools.
About 35 minutes north of Sacramento, Aspire at Wheeler
Ranch in Olivehurst features modern homes from the $200,000 range. With open and spacious floor plans, the homes offer desirable amenities including great rooms and luxurious owner’s suites. Wheeler Ranch is a short drive from the Sutter Buttes — the lush, rocky hills topped by eroded domes formed by volcanic activity 1.6 million years ago — that make the perfect morning or afternoon getaway for hiking or cycling enthusiasts.
K. Hovnanian’s Parkview at Sterling Meadows in Elk Grove, just south of Sacramento, features a vast array of floor plans ranging in size from 1,974 square feet to 2,771 square feet and are priced from upper $400,000 range to the lower $500,000 range. “There’s a fantastic public park right across the street, with sports, a play area and an amphitheater,” he said. Pedersen notes that everyone from millennials to seniors are interested in Parkview, given the diverse mix of floor plans for all lifestyles.
Meanwhile, back in Natomas, Beazer Homes offers Natomas Field, a master plan mixing townhomes and singlefamily homes. Residents will enjoy low-maintenance living near the heart of Sacramento and just minutes from Interstate 80 and Interstate 5. It’s an easy jaunt to downtown.
If house hunters take the advice of Barry Broome, a dive bar crawl may be worth the trip. “The dive bars reflect the community!” Broome said with a laugh. “There’s the Torch Club with the best live music; the Ace of Spades; the Flame; and the Zebra Club, which looks like it should be torn down, but it’s an institution.”
For many reasons, greater Sacramento itself, is an institution. And it’s being built up in amazing ways.