From the perspective of someone who has lived in Boston, Pittsburgh, small-town PA, small-town OH and Orlando:
Davis is great! It's a small city, but not so small that it lacks diversity. Cost of living is higher than the immediately surrounding areas (many people commute from Woodland or west Sac for cheaper living) but lower than the Bay Area. People have always been generally friendly to me, though I tend to avoid areas with high concentrations of undergrads. That's probably just because I'm old though. I don't know what your taste in "stuff to do" is, but like, in Davis itself there probably isn't too much. However, Sacramento and San Francisco are 20 minutes and an hour and a half away respectively. Within a day trip there are beaches, mountains on two sides with skiing, hiking and rock climbing, lakes...really whatever. There's a Farmer's Market twice a week, various CSA services that will deliver produce, a couple farm stands, the co-op
😍, normal grocery stores, a lot of different kinds of restaurants, and we even have a Target now!
One of my favorite parts:
I have been without a car since I moved here, which is a huge plus for me. The city prides itself on being really bike-friendly and it is. The flat land and mostly dry climate allow for bicycling and walking to be viable main modes of transportation most of the year and there are bike lanes and bike paths on or near most roads. The bus system is run by the undergraduate student association and is a bit inconvenient (reduced service) during weekends or university breaks, though there are county-run buses that hit a few points in Davis. I get around without my own car through a combination of my awesome bicycle
😍, walking, the Unitrans buses, Amtrak and zipcar (a car sharing program that has some cars on campus).
Yeah, if you got through this, I apologize for its meandering. If you have any specific questions you can ask or consult
daviswiki. Take the comments there with a whole shaker of salt though; people don't usually comment unless they're complaining.
😉
I don't want to leave.
