Why is Davis, CA a great place to live?
The small city of Davis is the home of the University of California, Davis, and is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. It is small enough that you’re constantly bumping into friends, and large enough to be a can’t-miss destination for touring world-class entertainment. It is perfectly situated in the Central Valley of California an hour and a half from San Francisco and two hours from Lake Tahoe. It is the top place to live if you want to ski all day and be in the city in time for dinner and a show.
Davis housing offers everything from small studio apartments to McMansions.
If you make eye contact with someone they will smile at you. If you lock yourself out of your Davis apartment, they will lend you their cell phone so you can call your landlord. If your child is lost, they will escort him or her to safety.
Very few people in Davis smoke. Davis has a reputation for being politically liberal, but there is a significant, albeit quieter, conservative contingent here, as well.
Savvy residents read Bob Dunning’s column and the letters to the editor in The Davis Enterprise to discover what’s really going on around town. “Native” status is hotly coveted and it’s not uncommon to hear someone say that they have “only” lived in Davis, CA for 30 years. The town has grown exponentially in recent years, leading some detractors to join CAVE or Citizens Against Virtually Everything, the political equivlent of fantasy football.
If you ever forget how long you’ve lived in town, just count how many people you bump into at the Davis Farmers Market. Chances are good, the number will equal how many years you’ve resided here.
Davis is a great place to raise kids whether you own your home or live in a Davis apartment rental. If you love to bike your kids to the Farmers Market, have a picnic in Community Park while you watch the Independence Day fireworks, or get excited when you hear the brassy sounds of the Cal Aggie Band-uh, you’ll fit right in.
There are many more reasons why Davis is a top place to live. Here is what the City of Davis says about itself.
What’s the weather in Davis like?
Spring and autumn are the most temperate seasons with daily highs ranging from the 60s to 80s, depending on the month. New student bikers beware, we get fierce north winds in the fall that make getting around town torture if you’re going in the “wrong” direction.
Summers are hot (we get an average of two or three weeks’ worth of triple digit temperatures, mostly in July), but it is a dry heat so if you’re used to the steamy, humid dog days of summer, Davis will seem almost temperate by comparison. The evenings are balmy, and the Delta breezes just might have you reaching for a sweater. Summer rain is almost unheard of. (When you’re looking for Davis housing, search for an apartment rental with ceiling fans. They’ll help keep your air conditioning bills down.)
Winters are relatively mild. Highs can dip down into the 40s for a handful of days in December, but the 50s is more likely. Between November and January, it’s not unusual for thick, ground-hugging Tule (TULE-ee) fog to make driving and biking difficult between dusk and mid-morning. Between October and April, it can rain a lot or a little, depending on whether it’s an El Nino (lots of rain) or an La Nina (little rain and summer drought) year. (Consider finding a Davis apartment rental near a bus line in case we have a soggy year.) The first trees start blossoming in late February, and by mid-March the town is in full bloom. You could count on one hand the number of days that the city of Davis has gotten a dusting of snow over the last century.
Here is the extended outlook.
Can I bike to work and school in Davis?
Davis is often referred to as “The Bike Capital of the World” because there are more bicycles in town than people! Due to Davis’s flat topography, compact geography, huge number of students living in off-campus housing, and its extensive network of safe and easy-to-use bike paths, bicycling is a primary mode of transportation for many to get from their Davis apartment or house into town.
Most UC Davis students bike to school, and many Davis residents bike to work.
If you’re a new freshman or transfer student and want to buy a bike, you can pay as little as $20 at the UC Davis Transportation and Parking Services spring and fall auctions, or you can spend thousands on a spiffy new model (that will get stolen the moment you take your eyes off it).
If you bike to work or school at UC Davis, all bikes on campus must be registered. While Davis is not a crime mecca, use your common sense and assume that any unlocked bike will be stolen whether it’s outside your Davis apartment or somewhere else.
Bear in mind that the Davis Police takes the helmet law very seriously. If your kids bike to school, all individuals under 18 who are biking or being conveyed via bike must wear appropriate head protective gear. (They’ll nail you for not attaching your chinstrap, too.) Smart adults wear them, as well. Get over your helmet hair phobia. No one cares because everyone else has it, too.
Where can I find Davis, CA public transportation or a bus schedule?
No matter where your Davis housing is located, UCD’s Unitrans bus service can get you to/from campus and around town. The distinctive red buses are ubiquitous, and riding one of the old double-deckers imported from London is a fun way to see Davis.
Other public transportation services include Davis Community Transit. If you are 62+ or disabled, they can get you around town in a jiffy. Yolobus service operates within in a broader area encompassing Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento and Sacramento.
There are also several cab companies in Davis:
- Village Cab: 530-753-8294
- Friendly Cab: 530-750-1111
- Checker Cab: 530-750-7979
- College Cab: 530-756-4444
- Davis Airporter: 530-756-6715
Beyond our borders, most neighboring cities have their own public transportation services.
If you’re flying throughout the U.S., Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is 20 minutes north of Davis and can get you there. If you are an international student, San Francisco International (SFO) is your best bet. You can either drive or take a shuttle bus there in one and a half to three hours (depending on traffic), or hop a commuter flight from Sac.
How do I find the cheapest gas price in Davis, CA?
Go to Gas Buddy and type in your town or zip code (most Davis housing rentals are in 95616 and 95618). Generally speaking, the cheapest gas in Davis, CA is found at the two Arco stations in east Davis and central Davis. The best gas price in the area is at Costco in Woodland, ten minutes to the north.
I am starting my own business in my Davis apartment rental. What do I need to do?
This handy-dandy FAQ sheet from the City of Davis is a good place for info on starting your own business. You can call the Finance and Administrative Services Department at (530)757-5651 with any other questions.
How do I pay traffic tickets or pay a traffic ticket?
First, go back and re-read “Go Dog, Go!” to refresh the meanings of green and red traffic lights!
Davis’s men and women (and two canines — Hurricane, aka ‘Cane, and Atto, pronounced “Otto”) in blue take traffic safety very seriously. And thank goodness too, considering how many clueless new students there are at the beginning of every term trying to bike, chew gum, and text all at the same time once they leave the safety of their Davis apartment rentals.
Drivers beware, too. There are four red light cameras around town that will send you a $370 red light ticket if you so much as burp on the wrong side of an intersection. They are located at 5th and Pole Line, Sycamore and Russell, Chiles and Mace, and 1st and E streets. The low posted speed limits around town are taken very seriously, and cops will gladly issue traffic tickets to those drivers who flaunt them. Those new and transfer students who think they’re to clever to get a traffic ticket are in for a surprise.
Most Davis apartment rentals have free parking, but parking time limits are very stringent in the downtown area. A Davis PD cart with a photographic scanner will tag you if you’ve parked on the same block (even if it’s a different space) for more than the allotted two-hour limit. If you must park for an extended period, park on the upper levels of the free garage on the north side of 4th between G Street and the train tracks or the one on the west side of F between 1st and 2nd.
If you’re visiting a friend who lives in the downtown area just north of Russell/5th Street, be aware of the street parking limitations, and don’t get a parking ticket. Residents there need to buy special City of Davis parking permits for themselves and guests.
If you do get a ticket, this site will tell you how to pay a traffic ticket and a red light camera ticket in Davis.
Tell me about the Davis public school district.
The Davis Joint Unified School District covers nine elementary schools, three junior highs and one high school. There is also a technology junior high, technology high school, and a continuation high school. Specialized programs in the Davis school district include Spanish immersion, GATE (gifted and talented), ESL, Montessori, and special education.
Most k-12 school students are assigned to a neighborhood school within the school district based on where their Davis housing is located, but there are some exceptions. If you’re interested in Davis school ratings and how the schools compare to each other, try Trulia or Great Schools.
While many people think highly of the Davis school district, it is always nice to have independent options, and Davis has some excellent private alternatives: Merryhill (secular), St. James (Roman Catholic), Grace Valley Christian Academy (Christian), Davis Waldorf (secular), and Families First (a day and boarding school for children in crisis).
There are numerous day care centers and preschools throughout town near all Davis housing. For a complete, up-to-date listing, please call or visit the City of Davis at (530)757-5695.
I’m moving my dog to Davis, do I need a dog license for Fido?
According to law, you must license a dog over four months of age within ten days of its arrival in Yolo County. If it already has a dog license in another county of California, the pet registration must be transferred to a Yolo County dog license within 10 days.
You can obtain a dog license either at the Davis police station at 2600 5th Street in Davis (530)747-5400, or at the Yolo County Animal Services Shelter, 41831 Gibson Road in Woodland (530)668-5287. The cost of the pet registration is $25 for a breeding animal and $10 for a spayed or neutered canine. You must bring proof of a recent rabies vaccination and proof that your dog is altered to get your dog license.
Davis also has a strict leash law. Unless an animal is on private property or an authorized dog park or off-leash area, it must be on a leash and under the person’s control at all times.