Rocklin - Roseville CA?

B

bostonwendy

Cathlete
Are you familiar with this area? I am looking for info! I may be spending 4-6 months in this coming year as my husband will be there for an extended training. I have never lived away from the boston area! I have a ton of questions but these are the most pressing:

- your experience with the public high schools

- general safety and accessibility of the different areas

- good health clubs, food shopping, salons

- what to do with a toddler every day

We are a very active family and I am used to walking everywhere (Boston area is very walkable and has great public transit). Right now, my teenager is in a great public high school and runs XC. I take my little one out to music, story time, playgroups, etc -- all free in my area. I know that being in CA will be very different for us and am trying to look at it as a new / exciting adventure.

Your help is appreciated!
 
It could be worse. I live not too far from there (about 35 miles) and that area is nice. There is the Galleria for shopping, plenty of restaurants, a Raley's for grocery shopping, and its close to Granite Bay which is a very prestigious place to be. Lots of very high end homes in there. The lake is great. I don't know about the schools. There is an art center which can be fun with the little one. There are plenty of parks. Also, I think there is a place where you can take riding lessons. There are two movie theaters. This is a really nice place to live, you can find meetups for Mom's with children. I'm not a Mom, but I know they exist. We have California Fun Fitness and 24 hour, I don't remember what they have out there. But, the weather is so temperate you may not want to do that. There are great trails along the river and at the lake. People bike, hike and run.I don't belong to a gym because I don't need to. There are personal trainers and smaller gyms too. I have seen plenty of gymnasiums for little tykes like gymboree. Also, there are dance companies and plenty of martial arts available. And, lots and lots of yoga studios. They are everywhere.

Have you been out here yet?

You won't be walking to much of anything. The distances are just too great for that and there is no real bus line to speak of in Rocklin/Roseville. There is public transit in San Francisco. If you want to visit the city take Bart downtown and get off at Market Square. The only really easy to use public restroom in Market Square is in the Galleria on the 4th floor, but at least its free. ;) I love it down there for shopping but it is a day trip.

Sacramento is just about an hour drive down 1-80 and there is plenty of shopping there but you should be fine in Rocklin.
 
thanks for all the info! it sounds like this is a pretty upscale area then? possibly we will rent an apt but more likely will take the placement in a long-term suite hotel. the good news with that is the staff can hopefully help me find my way around a bit. but i think it will be even more important for me to get out every day with the kiddo and not be stuck in a hotel.

I'm really looking forward to this even though its also scary! I have never visited the west coast or ever lived anywhere other than the boston area and think it will be good for me to shake things up, see new places, have a different experience. but it is scary! I am actually learning to drive right now in preparation for this trip. have my first lesson on monday.

fitness-wise, I need a gym at this point as i have had joint issues since my pregnancy and have to keep my workouts to very low impact and pivoting. in my gym search, the concerns are mostly price and cleanliness (crowds arent a prob because im a mid day exerciser, just need to be sure they have childcare). i love yoga classes but find I can practice at home pretty easily now with dvds i like and yoga studios NEVER have childcare. unless this is different in cali? i also do a ton of walking with the little one, at least a few miles a day. good way to get to know my neighborhood i guess!! but i am worried that i will literally be living on a freeway and wont be able to walk at all. hope thats not the case.

do you have any friends who would recommend a particular gym for me? also, any idea how i can find groups of moms like you mentioned--are there organizations i should look into?

if you wanna send me a pm, instead...

Thanks =)
 
I used to live in Roseville and it's VERY family friendly. You'll have no problem finding your way around and plenty of activities for kids. There are tons of neighborhood parks, ample shopping, family dining options etc. It's classic driving suburbia. It's safe, friendly & kid oriented. There are sidewalks everywhere so walking for fitness is very easy & plenty of places for kids to ride bikes. You may want to look into renting a house vs. a hotel or apartment if the company will pay for it.

It get extremely hot in the summer (think 100 degrees), w/ some rain/fog in the winter months. Sacramento is smallish despite being the state capitol but there's a terrific railroad museum in old Sacramento (historical, western town). Kids and adult train buffs love it.

W/ traffic, downtown Sacramento is about an 50-60 min. W/o traffic, it's maybe 35 min. In Roseville, you'll be close to Lake Tahoe for skiing too.

San Francisco is about 2 hours away and you can also take the ferry from Vallejo into SF.

Good luck on your adventure!
 
There is way more to do in the Sacramento area (which is near Roseville) there than where I live. I live in Yountville CA a town with probably a population of about 2,500 people. You would be super close to Lake Tahoe which is just beautiful. We Californian's do do things differently than the rest of the United States but I can tell you I wouldn't trade it for living anywhere else, . . and I've lived lots of places. Fresh farm produce, great wine, hiking, beaches, shopping, great restaurants too, . .some of the best in the world.
 
I think you would probably like the apt. option best. Go to meetup dot com for groups. They are usually free. Driving is essential in CA. It is unlikely that you will be living on a freeway. Especially if you get an apt. The roads are often very large though so no letting junior out without supervision at all, it is a bit dangerous.

If you want, when you get here we could go for an afternoon of driving around so that you could be familiar with the area. Sometimes its easier if you have a local with you. There is an older part of Roseville which is not as nice but its not bad so I wouldn't worry about driving there.

There are parts of Sacramento that are not nice. I grew up here and I really know my way around but you probably don't want to go to Oak Park in Sacramento. Just don't. Also, be sure to always lock your car because there is a certain amount of auto theft. Its usually opportunistic.
 
Ladies, thanks so much for your thoughtful responses. had my first driving lesson Monday and I must say I’m FREAKING right now. Just learning now in my 30s and knowing that i MUST drive when we get there has me so nervous. deep breaths... next lesson tomorrow.

So I have done lots of web searching since you all responded. Food shopping, I found a trader joes and whole foods in Roseville and a few farmers markets so that’s great, love that they are mostly yr-round unlike here! Seems to be quite a # of regular supermarkets too (circle k, safeway, winco, raleys – any of these have a better selection of naturals and organics?). the galleria looks great for recreational shopping. For gyms, 24hour, Cal Fit and Tru fitness are all in the running-- can decide when I get there but it was reassuring to see that there were places that fit the bill. Still need to look for more information about parks, trails, and other outdoor stuff.

It is very likely we will be staying here: http://www.staybridge.com/h/d/sb/1/en/hotel/SACSB?hotelCode=SACSB

Anything you guys could tell me about that neighborhood? I am still looking at the apt options but find myself nervous about renting sight unseen, incl renting furniture and kitchen stuff. Somehow it feels more comfortable to go to an extended stay hotel thats already furnished and equipped, and a new one at that. Its only 1 yr old.

rapid breath, I think I remember talking yoga with you once on another thread =) I would love to tour a little with a local, that would be fab!
 
Raley's has a great organic's section. Its right next to the regular fresh foods and there is also a health/natural foods section. The meat and deli departments are great and very helpful. But, some of the house brand items do have fillers like high fructose corn syrup so watch out for that.

Costco has a location in Stanford Ranch (close to that hotel.) They have great prices but staying in a hotel, you probably don't want the amounts that they sell. Still, my dad really likes their organic wheat bran. Also, they have clothing. I get some of my vitamins there.

Winco is more of a discount store but has great prices. I buy bulk nuts, flours, cereal, and frozen foods. Ok, I confess, they do have good prices on ice cream. :eek: Highway 65 is a bit to the northeast of town. I don't know that neighborhood but I was under the impression that most of that was fairly new.

Trader Joe's is great. Its very popular here. I go there for dairy products, soups, organic peanut butter, and they have great crackers (I can't eat those anymore, but your children might like them.) I don't care for the snap pea crisps, but some people like them. I also get my protein powder and psyllium there. They have good enzymes with papaya in them.

There is a wonderful health food store called Elliott's Natural Foods. I think they have a location in Roseville. Its off of Blue Oaks Blvd. I have been shopping there all of my life. Mrs. Elliott was a friend of my grandmother and mother. They have a wonderful selection of supplements, herbs, organics, and natural products and their staff is usually helpful. The best location is the one in Sacramento. I get a lot of my gluten free products there. Also there is Sunrise Natural foods.

I don't know if you have a special diet but there is a gluten free vegan bakery in Cameron Park (just up the street from me, no kidding.) They have great treats for when you want something on your cheat day or for your cheat meal. (if you have one.) Cameron park is probably a little far for you, about an hour or so.

Btw, I do the yoga. I would be happy to show you around. Although, I gotta say I don't look like a cathlete, I'm significantly plump (about 50# over.) so you probably wouldn't pick me out of a crowd as a member of this forum lol.:D:p
 
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LOL at not looking from a cathlete - me neither =) i still have 30 lbs to lose (on a 5 ft frame) more than 1 year after a difficult pregnancy... and im sure it is really more than 30lbs considering how much muscle i lost, thats just the number, ya know? maybe we should ask cathe for "Cathlete in training" t-shirts?

i dont have particular allergies but prefer clean eating (bringing my fam along for the ride) and for my produce and meats/fish to be natural, local and/or organic. aside from my fresh stuff i like CHEAP, lol. i buy a lot by weight like beans, nuts, flours, rice. here at home i walk to the store or farmers market almost every day and buy fresh what i need but i think that will not be fitting in cali, we shall see. i usually do a monthly trader joes run and was glad to see it is on the west coast. glad to know raleys has a good selection of naturals over the others. also forgot to mention i saw a store called nugget with great reviews on yelp, right across from winco apparently. so maybe i can get my el cheapo goods at winco and then produce and meats/fish at nugget =) i saw reviews for a new elliotts naturals in roseville and willdef have to check it out. costco would be a disaster staying in a hotel suite because who can resist a great deal?!?! not me! lol.

my dh does not have orders yet but we expect to hear a date after the first of the year, and should be leaving well before spring.

my next driving leson is tomorrow. sweating already.
 
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