Davis

A cozy place in a college town Often referred to as the “Bicycle Capital of America,” Downtown Davis in greater Sacramento is a neighborhood beaming with north California charm. Situated near the University of California-Davis campus, the area is a magnet for young adults and families looking for a moderately bustling environment to live in. Young students in Downtown Davis get access to some of the best education in the county with ample resources for STEM-focused individuals. Apart from that, Folks enjoy the neighborhood’s easy-going community. Places like Central Park offer both a place to shop for locally sourced goods and to lay back and relax. At night the streets buzz with college students sampling local drinks. During the day, locals enjoy the art both displayed in the street and in the gallery. Downtown Davis has bikes and trains Since the “Bicycle Capital of America” is one of the most bike-centric neighborhoods in one of the most bike-centric cities in the United States, it's unsurprising that the area holds a near-perfect bike score of 96, with plentiful bike lanes and other bike-accessible amenities. “Bike lanes are wider than car lanes,” says Anna Aljabiry, 25-year resident and Realtor with eXp Realty. “Our town logo is a bike. We have a bike parade in April.” The neighborhood’s main local Thoroughfares are 5th Street, B Street, 2nd Street, 1st Street and Richards Boulevard. These streets are also the site of the bus routes running through the area. Those wanting to take the car can use Richards Boulevard to hop onto Interstate 80, which can take them to nearby Sacramento, 14 miles away. The neighborhood is also home to the Davis Train Station, which can take passengers to both Sacramento and San Francisco, 70 miles southwest. Central Park has a farmers' market For outdoor fun, downtown locals can walk to Central Park in the neighborhood’s northwest corner. This 5-acre space houses two playgrounds, a large grassy area, a small walking trail, and a farmers’ market. The Davis Farmers’ Market is open year-round on Saturdays, regardless of weather, allowing locals to be within steps of products fresh from the farm, “The Farmers Market is our hub,” says Aljabiry. “People bring their families and blankets and just relax there. Even on rainy days, people come out.” The park is also home to two small museums, the Hattie Weber Museum of Davis, a local history museum, and the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. Downtown has cozy cottages that are hard to come by Folks roaming Downtown Davis can see straight asphalt streets flanked by concrete sidewalks and hedges, all buried under heavy tree shade. When it comes to single-family housing, Downtown Davis has a shallow market with prices ranging from $500,000 to $1.25 million. House hunters wanting a home can expect cottages and bungalows often built in the Craftsman style. Many properties sit in thin fenced lots. Front yards typically leave less than 20 feet between the door and the sidewalk, while back yards are spacious enough for a detached garage and a shed with enough left over for larger gatherings. Davis Senior High has a robotics program Downtown Davis is not home to any k-12 education resources, but the Davis Joint Unified School District still assigns students to an education pipeline. First, students attend North Davis Elementary School on East 14th Street, less than a mile north. The school earns an A from Niche and teaches grades k-6. Next, they move on to Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High School for grades 7-9. Niche rates the school as the No. 1 public middle school in the greater Sacramento area and gives it an A-grade. Lastly, students are expected to attend Davis Senior High School for their last three years before graduating. Niche rates the school as the best public high school in Yolo County and gives it an A-plus. In early 2023, the school opened a $6 million robotics facility, giving its robotics team a new place to engage in hands-on learning. Look out for the Yeti Downtown Davis is home to a slew of locally owned restaurants, nearly each serving a different style of food from the other. Many residents point to Yeti as the best restaurant in town. Sat along East Street, this Indian-Nepalese fusion restaurant is accessible via a commons area with nearby parking. Inside, customers find a quaint-sized establishment adorned with both Indian and Nepalese décor, including a large and imposing painting of a stern yeti wielding a club. As for shopping, residents have easy access to a number of convenience stores. If residents need general groceries, they can travel east along Russell Boulevard to shop at Trader Joe’s and The Davis Collection Shopping Mall, less than a mile away. Downtown has pretty windows in the winter Downtown Davis hosts a slew of events year-round, from those organized by the Davis Downtown Business Association to independent celebrations. Pence Gallery is a common event space for local culture, organizing events like art walks held on the second Friday of every month that take attendees around the neighborhood to see new exhibits presented by local businesses like the Logos Books Book Store. December to Remember is a month-long holiday event held by businesses across the neighborhood. One popular festivity is the Window Decorating Competition, in which local businesses decorate their windows with holiday themes and are rated by a panel of secret judges. Some recent increases in the crime rate In a 2022 annual report, the Davis Police Department announced that the rate of aggravated assault cases increased by 80% from the previous year, with 113 documented cases. The Department disclosed that much of this increase is due to broadening its definition of assault. Vandalism was also reported as increasing by 56%, especially involving damage to vehicles.