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Is Sacramento Underrated?

Updated: Aug 04, 2022 09:44
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Sacramento on a map.

The Bay Area and Sacramento have a complicated relationship. When people from the Bay fall on hard times, we often seek refuge in Sacramento. Then we complain about it. We say Sacramento is too hot, boring and that the city’s mostly flat topography doesn’t compare to the temperate weather and plentiful vistas afforded to us by our many hills and hiking trails. 

Life in the Bay is stressful. Rent is high, and unless you’re making well into the 6 figures, you’re probably worried about keeping a roof over your head.

And in a sense, that’s true. But it’s also an oversimplification of life in the Bay Area. While yes, the Bay Area’s weather is much better and its geography is much prettier, we don’t really get to experience all the greatness that the Bay has to offer because, well, we’re bogged down by life in the Bay Area. 

Life in the Bay is stressful. Rent is high, and unless you’re making well into the 6 figures, you’re probably worried about keeping a roof over your head. That’s not to say Sacramento is a paradise, it’s not. I lived in Sacramento for 6 months, and, to be honest, I fucking hated it. However, I was there during the summer of 2020, and if you don’t remember the summer of 2020, let me refresh your memory: It was a fucking nightmare. The air was bordering on unbreathable, the state was on fire and there was no vaccine to shield us from the worst complications of COVID-19. That’s when I was in Sacramento, so to say I didn’t get to experience the city in favorable conditions is an understatement. 

But I’ve heard whispers that despite the fact that Sacramento is a sweaty farm that pretends to be a city, people may in fact be happy and live a higher quality of life there. 

Life is cheaper in Sacramento. You can get an apartment in walkable neighborhoods like this studio in Midtown for less than $1200. A one bedroom that’s almost around 600 sqft. goes for just $1300.  This is how much we pay for fucking rooms in San Francisco and Oakland.

There’s even 2 bedroom spots that are under $1500, all of them in urban neighborhoods near bars, concert venues, movie theaters and the capitol building… if you’re into that. 

Buying a home is way easier in Sacramento than it is in the Bay. You can actually buy something for under $500k. I know that’s still hella expensive, but that’s way cheaper than the 1 million dollar average we have here. Literally… who the fuck actually has a million dollars anyway? 

I’m not saying we should all pack up and move to Sacramento, I’m just saying we should stop badmouthing it. A lot of the people who live in Sacramento aren’t only surviving, they’re thriving. They’re saving money, they’re buying property, and they’re living their best sweaty ass life in the sweaty ass Capital of California. 

A lot of us in the Bay Area are constantly stuck in survival mode, while people up in Sacramento are just able to live their lives.

I wonder if we’ll ever be able to…

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Abraham Woodliff - Bay Area Memelord

Abraham Woodliff - Bay Area Memelord

Abraham Woodliff is an Oakland-based writer, editor and digital content creator known for Bay Area Memes, a local meme page that has amassed nearly 200k followers. His work has appeared in SFGATE, The Bold Italic and of course, BrokeAssStuart.com. His book of short stories, personal essays and poetry entitled Don't Drown on Dry Ground is available now!