Metro Center

Right at the convergence of I-80 and I-5, Metro Center is basically an office park on its eastern end, with several apartment complexes in its center and uncultivated fields, just waiting for further development to the west. You are right on the northwestern edge of Sac with long stretches of farmland to the west, and you definitely feel as if you have reached the edge of Sac’s little civilized world.

The office park is made up of law offices, engineering firms and regional HQ’s (I believe Ikon and Comcast both have offices here). There is also a fairly strong health care presence here with the Huntington Disease Society having an office here, as well as yet another Sutter Health office (related perhaps to the Sutter Health down in Gateway Center to the south.

Both the University of Phoenix—the well-known private business and trade college—has a campus in the office park, as does Art Institute of California (though the office parks manicured lawns, symmetrically placed trees and extensive parking lot are anything but inspirational).

Three gated communities make up the rest of Metro Center, each with its own wrought iron gates blocking their only entrances—like medieval villages weary of strangers. Each of the three communities has its own architectural style with the one at the western edge having slightly older, block-like two story homes with variously shaded tile roofs, the northeastern community having gray roofs and pleasant green spaces interspersed throughout, and the southern community having red tile roofs in a faux Spanish theme, palm trees and a swimming pool and tennis courts at its heart.

What does it cost to live in one of these complexes?

Rents are pretty standard throughout this area with 1 bedrooms going for around $1000/mo while 2-bedrooms hover at around $1300—slightly higher than neighborhoods to the south but not significantly so. Home prices are depressed by the real-estate troubles we’ve been having, with few home prices going for more than $300K. Most homes in the area were built in the last decade.

Nightlife is virtually non-existent here, but if you are looking for a quiet gated community or want to take some art-classes, this isn’t a bad place to set down roots.