The Evaluation

 Introduction

After visiting Sacramento and checking out neighborhoods and boarding stables it was time to evaluate the feasibility of living there. The process was similar to what we did after returning from Portugal -- only this time rather than just considering the merits of life in a potential new place on its own we compared it with Portland (the most likely back up destination should Sacramento not work out).

In the table below we have listed what we consider to be the most important aspects of our desired lifestyle and itemized how well we expect to realize each in Sacramento and Portland. The urban and suburban neighborhoods that represent each city were chosen because they are within our budget and are what we consider to be livable, but there are other examples in either city we would consider for living. 

Evaluation

Text in green indicates a perceived advantage of one city over another worth noting.

	Sacramento	Portland
Cost of Living	Slightly above national average	Slightly above national average
Crime	Worse than national average	Worse than national average (slightly worse than Sacramento)
Social Environment	Liberal	Liberal
Climate	Dry most of the year, mild winters, very hot summers Road conditions remain good throughout the year Tule fog -- historically there has been a greater chance of foggy days between December and February; however this phenomenon has been less common with each passing year Allergies: better than central Oregon	Moderate for most of the year, wet and cold winters, warm to hot summers Road conditions can be bad in the winter No tule fog Allergies: better than central Oregon
Friends	Friend north of Auburn, another friend further south during the winter; visits from endurance friends likely	Numerous friends on west side and east side
Traffic	TomTom world wide rank is 374 (higher is better), taking an average of 9m 20s to travel 10km (11m 49s worst)	TomTom world wide rank is 225 (higher is better), taking an average of 13m 40s to travel 10km (16m 40s worst)
Housing	Urban: East Sac: expensive ($600K+); very low inventory; small houses with limited parking; good public transit Suburban: Rancho Cordova: moderate ($450K-$525K); low inventory; moderate sized houses with 2+ parking spaces; close to light rail; close access to green way on the river	Urban: St John's: expensive ($600K+); very low inventory; small houses with limited parking; limited public transit Suburban: Orenco Station: moderate to high ($500-$575K); low inventory; moderate sized houses with 2+ parking spaces; close to light rail; close to local restaurants and stores (New Seasons)
Health Care	Extensive list of health insurance options Extensive list of health care providers	Extensive list of health insurance options Extensive list of health care providers
Travel	Regional airport with more direct flights to warmer destinations (Hawaii and Mexico) Hubs: 2 hour drive, 3 hour public transit, or 20 minute flight to SFO; 40 minute flight to LAX 10 commuter trains daily to San Francisco 30+ trains daily to Los Angeles (and cities in between) Coast Starlight and California Zephyr Closer to key western destinations (ex. Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas, Death Valley, Sequoias, Bryce Canyon, Escalante)	Regional airport with direct flights to Europe, Canada and eastern US Hubs: 3 hour drive or 40 minute flight to SeaTac; 1.5+ hour flight to SFO or LAX 4 Cascades trains per day between Eugene and Seattle (2 to Vancouver, BC) Coast Starlight Closer to key northwestern destinations (ex. BC, Alaska, Yellowstone, Glacier)
Horses	Multiple boarding stables that meet our requirements Trail riding from boarding stables is common and often extensive Many options for trail riding within an hour Trails have good footing year round Multiple local and many regional endurance rides, including Tevis	A few boarding stables that meet our requirements Trail riding from boarding stables is not common often limited A few options for trail riding within an hour Trails have good footing during the drier months A few local and many regional endurance rides
Sailing & Scuba	Sailing clubs and activities on the lakes and rivers Relatively close to the San Francisco Bay Not too far from the Channel Islands or Catalina Island Comfortable sailing conditions for most of the year Direct flights to some scuba destinations Shorter multi-leg flights to more distant scuba	Sailing clubs and activities on the Columbia Not too far from to the San Juan Islands Comfortable sailing conditions for at least half the year Direct flights to some scuba destinations

Conclusion

Sacramento has the clear edge over Portland when compared in this way. It is a compromise destination and neither of us is overly enthusiastic about moving to here, but it should provide both of us with opportunities to do what we enjoy (a very big improvement for me) and will be a nice place to live.

Work

 Elayne plans to retire this month (March) and I plan to retire at the end of April.