If You're a UC Davis Winter Semester Transfer Student from San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego….

A lot of UC Davis winter semester transfer students come from in and around the metropolitan areas of San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They often find life here very different – not bad, just different.

If you’re considering a move from San Diego, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, here is some info about the UC Davis environs that you might find interesting.

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 anLa 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.

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.

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 aprimary 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.

If you want more information about life in Davis compared to places like San Diego, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, please visit this link.