Elmhurst

Being just to the north of the UC Davis Med Center, Elmhurst, Sacramento is a favorite neighborhood for people who work at the hospital and want a commute so short they could practically do it by foot. Unlike the North Oak Park neighborhood to the east this is not known as a gang infested neighborhood, though it is right on that edge where Sac starts to get a little sketchy.

Now, despite having some doctors and a fair number of nurses, this is not a fancy neighborhood. The majority of homes here date to about WWII—lots of Ranch homes--and are on the smallish side as far as I’ve seen. This is not true across the entire neighborhood, of course. For example you can find at least one one-million dollar home up for sale in the far west of Elmhurst, which has a patch of stately manors just by the Med Center. The average home here, however, is about $250K—pretty low.

The neighborhood has also been hit very hard by the Foreclosure Crisis with more than half the homes currently on the market here being due to foreclosure. Rents will probably start to climb again as the Real Estate Crisis ebbs.

The area, is, of course, dominated by the large hospital to its south, but generally has a pleasant, leafy feel—almost sleepy.

Although Elmhurst itself does not have a lot of restaurants and nightlife, you can perhaps give it a pass since it is so close to neighborhoods that do.

The Fairgrounds are also just to the south, so you will often get spill over from events held there.

Overall, Elmhurst is a great spot to live if you work at the Med Center and want to be able to walk to work.