I grew up in Sacramento and lived there throughout my childhood. In my opinion Sacramento is the most pleasant large city in the Central Valley. It has a nice walkable core (though the areas outside the core are generally examples of classic unwalkable suburbia), and Sacramento has a lot of trees (though this may be a negative if you have allergies). If you prefer a more suburban lifestyle, there are many nice suburbs such as Fair Oaks, Folsom, Roseville, Rocklin, and Elk Grove. The Amtrak Capitol Corridor may be a good alternative to driving to/from the Bay Area depending on your starting and ending destinations. Rents and purchase prices are more affordable than in the Bay Area, but prices have gone up a lot in recent years.
Some other places in the Central Valley that I find pleasant are:
- The Sacramento River Delta region along Highway 160, which runs from the southern portion of Sacramento to Antioch. The towns of Hood, Courtland, Locke, Walnut Grove, and Isleton are quite nice.
- Mountain House is a master-planned community just over the Altamont Pass near Tracy. Just to be warned: home prices in this area are quite expensive here by Central Valley standards due to its proximity to the Bay Area; it is the closest Central Valley community to Livermore.
- Ripon is a nice town along Highway 99 between Manteca and Modesto with high-quality public schools.
- Some of the neighborhoods in the northern parts of the Fresno metro area are quite nice. You can access Yosemite from Fresno via Highway 41.
