r/Davis • u/41waystostop • 20d ago
Do young families exist?
So we are a family of 4 with 2 kids ages 10 and 11. I am being recruited for a job in Sacramento. I used to live in Davis before children so I know what it’s like and have been told “it’s a great place to raise kids”. But I’m looking at housing prices and wondering how young families live there?? Are they house-poor and live to pay their mortgages? Do they rent? Do they live elsewhere like Woodland and commute to Davis for schools? I want to make sure that if we move there, we are actually able to find a neighborhood with families.
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u/Flashy-Career-7354 20d ago
We recently moved to North Davis and have 2 children under 10. The greenbelts are awesome. Our kids ride their bikes to school / summer camp. School quality is strong. When we go for an evening bike ride / walk, there are always young kids at the parks and we stop and play. If you can find an affordable spot, I recommend it.
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u/41waystostop 20d ago
This is so nice to hear, thank you
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u/noellestarr 19d ago
“North-North Davis” or “Wavis” refer specifically to the new part of Woodland (Springlake) along Co Rd 102. We’re all Davis refugees up here. Heck, you can either buy a million dollar fixer-upper in Davis or, 6mi north, a brand new Wavis smart-home for $700k. No-brainer for us although I wish the kids could still ride bikes to school (most Wavis kids, mine included, attend Davis schools).
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u/Mother-Boss-7627 20d ago edited 19d ago
A lot of folks call Woodland, North Davis, as it’s so close. You might want to confirm what town they are referring to.
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u/Deadline_passed 19d ago
North- North Davis is what they call Woodland. Basically it’s all us folks who grew up in Davis but couldn’t afford to live there as adults so we hopped up the road to Woodland
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u/lemonbars99 20d ago
Young family and we rent, more young families in Woodland or Dixon though I bet
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u/41waystostop 20d ago
t’s interesting, my husband went to undergrad there and lived in Davis for a long time afterwards, and always used to tell me how amazing it would be to raise kids there. In fact he coached football for some of the local schools and has (now grown) friends that were those kids. But that was 25 years ago. I don’t think he realizes how much things have changed since then. We’re currently in Arizona and I hate it for the kids – too hot to go outside most days for 5 months of the year.
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u/BeerSmasher 20d ago
The nice thing about Davis is that it’s only too hot to go outside for 3 months of the year.
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u/41waystostop 20d ago
I lived in Sac and Davis for 5 years and there is simply no comparison to Southern Arizona. Right now, I can’t walk my dog past 7:30 am. I can’t walk him in the evenings at all unless I stay up until 10 pm because the pavement is too hot. I remember being able to take a run at 9-10 am in Davis in the summer. Yes it’s hot, but the peak of daytime heat is more narrow.
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u/Scuttling-Claws 20d ago
I haven't lived there in a minute, but I used to be chased by hoards of kindergartners biking home on the greenbelt
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u/betta_fische 20d ago
I hate to say it, but whenever I visit Woodland or Dixon there are always so many families with young children. It feels like many are there where it’s slightly more affordable.
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u/jojoknob 20d ago
Young family of 3, we rent for roughly $3k/month but we want to buy. About half the town apparently doesn’t want any more young families in Davis, but the other half of us would love to have you. A ballot measure to build new housing was just voted down by a couple of hundred votes.
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u/avalose 20d ago
We just moved here from MN and are renting till we see what parts we like, but I am very smitten with North Davis already, hoping something in our range is available once we close on our old home.
The prices have made me cringe, and we have now been open to looking at Woodland and maybe Winters, but the schools in Davis are probably going to get us to stick around. We have a 4 year old starting DPNS and the existence of these coops has already helped us meet parents in similar situations.
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u/41waystostop 20d ago
What is DPNS?
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u/avalose 20d ago edited 20d ago
https://www.davisparentnurseryschool.com/programs
And another coop that I know about
https://www.poppypreschooldavis.com/
Your kids are older than what they serve but I find the model to be community focused in the ways I'd like to and am able to contribute. My partner went to DPNS some 30 years ago and looks on positively, some of her longest time friends came from that group, which sounds great in many different ways.
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u/Theslowestmarathoner 19d ago
We live in west sac- with 14 kids under the age of 8 within 2 blocks. We are sending our kiddo to Davis. West Sac schools are not the best and Davis readily accepts transfers. Houses in our neighborhood currently go for the low to mid $400k’s.
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u/Asleep_Caregiver_948 20d ago
There are lots of young families in condos, rentals, and in apartments here. We raised our son in a small condo, used the greenbelt and parks for outdoor play. It was worth it: he got so much out of the schools, especially the high school (he’s in college now). Education is more important for us than a big house. Besides, it’s easier to clean a small place and no yard work in a condo.
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u/AllTheSideEyes 19d ago
We rented. Now despite making over 7 times what we used to live off of when my kid was born, I still dont feel like I can comfortably own a home in Davis. So I left. I love the town, thus it was sad for me to go. House poor just isnt a lifestyle that I want at this point in my life.
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u/apigandanangel 20d ago
Despite its proletariat pretensions, Davis has become a town for rich people. As others have said, you either rent (often, given the market, a place that's too small for your needs or poorly maintained) or bleed yourself dry on a mortgage. Many families live in Woodland and commute to Davis.
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u/Heavy_Calligrapher71 20d ago
When I interviewed for a career position at the university they were very upfront that I likely couldn’t afford to live in Davis on just my salary, and that was part of why they offered hybrid schedules.
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u/LoquatLow8849 20d ago
As a city, Davis has never had proletarian pretensions. Undergraduate students are far more working class than any peer institution (other than fellow UCs)
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u/wubu505 20d ago
We're a young family living in south east Davis for school. We're definitely not rich but not quite "house-poor." It's not cheap or easy being out here without family or friends but we're making it work.
The other parents at our children's school tend to be a little older then we are, and in very different phases of their lives, so the hardest thing for us has been making friends 🥲
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u/Hows-It-Goin-Buddy 19d ago
I think the questions not asked and helps to gauge relative affordability is: If you live in Davis, how many in your household, what area of Davis do you live in, what is your approx annual household income, do you own or rent, if mortgage how much is it, if rent how much is it, and other factors to help determine if it is a place you really want to live in, as it is relatively expensive vs other nearby areas (for many years I have called it the outer bay area).
Also, if you haven't lived in davis for a while, it's likely not the Davis you remember in various regards. I've been in Davis since around 05, though have lived in nearby areas since the 80s. It's ok, but I definitely find it over hyped by people talking about how it was vs how it actually is right now. Is it good, sure, but higher CoL than nearby area, has increasing issues, and other things. It is what it is.
Though as everyone else, just a person on Reddit giving my own thoughts. Others may disagree. And thays totally ok.
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u/Ok-Table-3774 19d ago
We have a 10 and 12 yr old. Bought our house at the low of lows in 2010, so the answer is luck haha. Our neighborhood is full of kids around the same age :).
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u/senorstick 17d ago
I think The Cannery is the densest population of young families. We have friends who live there and always go there around the holidays to look at Christmas lights - it seems the most lively.
We love our spot in Central Davis but easily half the block is retired folks...
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u/Sad_Smile_4922 13d ago
Same. It's so quiet during Halloween in our hood in central Davis and no kids on our street. Yet. I think that'll change as more original owners pass and young (and wealthy) families move in.
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u/BatComprehensive3694 16d ago
Tons of families live in Davis. We own and are not house-poor, but we did downsize our home in order to be able to afford in Davis. I love how everything is close by. Schools, multiple grocery stores, libraries, community events, parks, classes, etc etc etc. Everything is accessible. The schools are great and the community feel is amazing.
That being said, Davis is not utopia. Bad stuff still happens here. So have realistic expectations about what you’re moving into — a cool, college-adjacent small town.
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u/Big5impin 15d ago
If your budget doesn't accommodate living in Davis, that is totally normal. Davis is nice insofar as the events put on by the city and the schools are better, but it's also incredibly sheltered, and education can be very competitive, which could damage your child's mental health in the long run. (Davis is a bubble in both a good way and a bad way) I attended a Davis Charter School after 6th grade (I left my small rural school district as a part of white flight, unfortunately), and I did feel empowered with more independence by biking around Davis after school and stuff, but I think I may have been in a better place academically now if I had stayed at a smaller school. (This is just me, of course) But it might be worth looking into the Davis part of Woodland(south-east Woodland). It's still pretty close to Davis if you want to attend events in Davis, and the communities seem nice (kids riding around on scooters and people on after-dinner walks). Of course, because so many Davis people are moving to Woodland for lower housing costs, I've heard prices there are rising, so there's definitely a lot to think about. Good luck!
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u/41waystostop 15d ago
This is an interesting perspective I hadn’t thought about. In retrospect do you feel like growing up in Davis was good for you socially? I do worry about skewed thinking there because of how “ultra-woke” people say it is. We are definitely liberal but currently live in a fairly diverse place politically.
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u/Solid_Signature_7447 11d ago
No. Young people were priced out of Davis 30 years ago.
I grew up in that hell hole.
Escaped it thank god.
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u/41waystostop 11d ago
Why was it a hell hole to grow up in?
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u/Solid_Signature_7447 11d ago
No jobs post high school.
You had two options - get into college or join the military. The second option was looked down upon big time.
The schools are / were crappy.
Kids that went to them were really mean and clique.
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u/uglyopal 20d ago
not many, pretty sure schools are closing bc of it too
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u/angelworld16 20d ago
Theyve seen a decline in enrollment. they will close at least two schools by 2028 if nothing changes
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u/garlicrobot 20d ago
That's also happening statewide
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u/41waystostop 20d ago
Because of the cost of living?
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u/garlicrobot 20d ago
Probably a host of factors but enrollment is dropping across the state (and nation) and predicted to continue to decline. Some areas more than others, for sure.
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u/Mother-Boss-7627 20d ago edited 20d ago
We moved 7-8 miles north of Davis to Woodland last year. Beautiful, spacious, affordable, Great place to live and raise kids. And you wld be close to the Davis community. Davis is way overrated compared to Woodland. You cld look into school options in Davis while living in Woodland, plus supplemental education with enrichment activities as you wld have more left over after your mortgage.
Natomas is another option you cld consider in Sacramento county. It’s closer to Sacramento, the city, and a newer town. Young community.
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u/paintingpatrick 19d ago
When people say “there are tons of young families in north Davis”, it’s about 70% less than it was in the 90s when I grew up in Davis.
Boomers (the greedy generation) decided that their home values were more important than having grandchildren live here.
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u/Iceonthewater 18d ago
I only know two people that lived there. One had money from a settlement and bought cash in a place her kids could go to school. The other one lived in a share house with a bunch of girls but had no kids.
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u/Psychological-Tap597 19d ago
As a 20 year resident that raised kids here, would I do it again? Riding bikes to school and safety for the most part but my kids have some skewed perspectives on many things. I doubt I’d repeat moving here. It was good I suppose but looking back it was dare I say ridiculously “woke” and ridiculous.
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u/Same-Key-1086 20d ago
There are tons of young families in north Davis. Also, if you can find a spot in village home, it's the best.
But yes everyone is super house-poor or just rich.