Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Info on California Cities |
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| Asim |
| 04/21/01 at 15:02:53 |
| Assalaamu alaikum, I would appreciate some general comments on some cities in California. I have a job offer from the state of CA and have the option of working at several locations. I have narrowed it down to a few locations (based on the division I want to work in and weather :) don't like hot weather!). The cities are in order: Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno, Stockton. Any random rambling would be appreciated and some particular info on the following: 1. The Muslim community. How cohesive is it? Institutions? Scholars? etc 2. Living cost. Rent of apartments in and around these cities. I know Oakland is most expensive but do people actually live there? Or they commute from outside? What about Sacramento? Office would most likely be in downtown. 3. Transportation. More specifically public transportation. I don't drive and would have to rely on public transport to commute. This is important and I would have to consider this in conjunction with #2. I know SF has good transport but living is expensive. Any comments? What about Sacramento? 4. Any other comments would be appreciated. In general, I like smaller cities but eventually others factors would override this. I don't know if I will accept the offer (not too thrilled about it right now) but I have to give them two options by Monday or Tuesday. Jazak Allahu Khairan. |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| Magableh |
| 04/21/01 at 15:06:48 |
| Brother Asim, Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! I live in Sacramento and can answer all of your questions, I just can't do it right now. :( Please give me until tonight or tomorrow morning and I will post everything, Insha'Allah. Wa'assalam, Serena P.S. I would not go to Stockton. That's my personal choice, maybe someone else can provide input for that city. |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| Asim |
| 04/21/01 at 15:16:19 |
| wlm Great Sr. Serena! I will wait :) |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| bhaloo |
| 04/21/01 at 22:45:58 |
| slm Asim, those are all in northern california. I have been to Oakland's airport and the area isn't all that great or safe. At least from what I saw. I believe Sacramento and Fresno are good areas, Fresno being smaller. Stockton is a very small place and I don't think there is much of a community there. Sorry I couldn't be of much help. I guess on the plus side, Oakland isn't too far from the San Jose community which has a lot of Muslims in it. |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| Asim |
| 04/21/01 at 23:35:47 |
| slm Okay scratch Stockton from the above list. Oakland/SF is just one city. The office is in Oakland though. hmm, it is unsafe? Wouldn't all US cities appear unsafe? Anyway, any more info on the above cities would be appreciated. Okay let me ask this, which is the best city to work and live in CA from the following? Sacramento, Fresno, Oakland, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, LA, San Diego, Eureka, Redding, San Luis Obispo. |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| Magableh |
| 04/22/01 at 00:13:12 |
| Dear Brother Asim, Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! These are my personal opinions: Oakland - This city is not safe at all. The crime rate is very high and the traffic is awful. Stockton - Not a high Muslim population and most of the Muslims that live there, attend the Mosque I go to here in Sac. On the news they are always talking about murders, rapes, robberies, etc in Stockton. (an excessive amount) The rents are low, but really not worth it. Fresno - My mom lived there for a while. It's in the middle of nowhere! Low rents, high crime, extreme heat! Personally, I have travelled through there and stopped for food, but that's about it. It's half way between L.A and Sacramento. I used to live in Santa Rosa, which is 45 minutes north of SF. I was born and raised there. Everyone who works in SF usually commutes from one of these smaller towns. The traffic is really bad and a drive that would *normally* take 45 minutes takes twice that time in rush hour. The rents are too high in the Bay Area. Now my town, Sacramento - What is called the Sacramento *Metro* area includes Citrus Heights, Antelope, Greenhaven, Downtown, Carmichael, West Sacramento, Fair Oaks, Rosemont, Rancho Cordova, etc. The rents are great compared to other big cities. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and pay $600/month. I live in Carmichael which has very low crime rates and great parks. Typical rents in the Metro area range from $450-$700 for a one bedroom to $550-$900 for a two bedroom, depending on the size/features/quality you desire. They can go much higher also. The apartment that I live in is very nice and I have great neighbors, although none are Muslim. :( The Brother that introduced me to Islam owns an apartment building downtown that is well-maintained and he is a great landlord. The local Mosque is Masjid Annur - www.masjidannur.com The Muslim community here in Sacramento is very big. There are over 400 Muslims in the Sac. area. They welcome all newcomers. :) We have weekly "lectures by phone" from Scholars. We have a big family conference coming up in June with Scholars from all over the world. There is a Islamic School at the Masjid. Most Islamic conferences are held in the Bay Area but the commute from Sacramento is not bad and well worth the drive. If you check the webpage you can see all the activities we have, also the MSA at UCDavis is very active in the community and they have Brothers Halaqas every week, as well as Masjid Annur. If you have any other questions just ask, I'll find out what I can for you. The local Universities - UCDavis, SSU, CSUS have Islamic conferences sometimes also, and those are very close to downtown. If you decide on moving to Sacramento, even if your office is downtown, I would highly advise you to live in one of the surrounding areas. It's safer, cheaper and the commute is not bad at all. From where I live it takes me only 10 minutes to get to downtown and that is in high traffic times. For transportation we have many city buses, and a light rail train. I would not ride any of these late at night, but I'm a female. ;) You can go from one side of the city to the next on the light rail, and it is not very expensive. They have monthly passes. So many people commute by light rail, it's fast and convenient and goes directly through downtown. Sacramento's medical community is huge also, we have UCDavis medical center, MedClinic and Sutter Health. I don't have there websites handy, sorry. The people here in Sacramento are typically friendly. Most will step out of there way to help you, and welcome you. But like in many cities, you find some ignorant ones also. There are alot of things in the city to do. We have many parks that are safe, clean, close to the river, and free. :) Overall, compared to the other cities on your list, Sacramento is the best. The rents are reasonable, the public transportation is moderate and the crime rate is low compared to other big cities. If you want, I have some pictures of Sacramento, (downtown, parks, etc) I can scan them and email them to you if you'd like. Also, you might want to check www.sacbee.com for anything I might have missed. That's the local newspaper. The downfalls - It does get hot in the summer, but, every apartment is air conditioned, all buses are air conditioned, and all buildings are air conditioned. It sometimes gets foggy in the winter, and if you have allergies(hay fever) it will bother you in the Spring....but honestly, none of these would stop me from being here. :) And a plus...we're close to the snow, although it never snows here :( If you have any other questions please feel free to ask, I might have missed a lot since I've had a *crazy* day and my mind is not working properly...lol. Wa'assalam, Serena |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| Asim |
| 04/22/01 at 08:47:26 |
| slm That was *very* helpful Sr. Serena! JazakAllah Khairan. I had heard good things about Sacramento from others also. Sacramento is also where their headquarter is. So I guess that is gonna be my first priority. BTW, others can still chime in with their comments. Wasalaam. |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| Magableh |
| 04/22/01 at 10:09:32 |
| Brother Asim, Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. If you need any other info, or want me to add links, just let me know. May Allah (swt) guide you to make the right decision. Wa'assalam, Serena |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| tq |
| 04/22/01 at 12:33:27 |
| Assalamo elikuim Brother Asim Sacramento is great!! Lived there(sacto/Davis) for about 3 years- Loved it. When are you moving ? Let me ask my brothers if they know any MSA brother there to help you out. And UCDavis MSA is great(my brothers went there but are now working in SF and SJ and have a very crazy schedule but hopefully they will know some one to help you out if they cant themselves). Inshallah I will talk to them today and will let you know. Wasalam tq |
| Re: Info on California Cities |
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| bhaloo |
| 04/22/01 at 19:43:20 |
| slm Asim, San Diego is extremely beautiful and an overall awesome place. Santa Ana (which is in Orange County) isn't a great place to work, but it borders cities that are among the top in the nation. For example Irvine (which borders Irvine) was rated the 8th best city to live in the United States. (I don't know how they did the poll, they based it on crime, schools, some more things, etc) Pretty much south Orange County is incredible and the weather and the comforts here are incredible. I preferred it much more then San Francisco. They call this area a mini-silicon valley. |
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