roomiematch.com’s Sacramento roommate rundown:

From Sacramento’s Gold Rush of yore until . . . about a decade ago? Most still believed Sacramento was nothing but a podunk cowtown. Many hadn’t noticed it’s California’s capital, probably imagining L.A. or San Francisco or maybe even San Diego instead?

But Sacramento appeals to many roommates lately for its lower cost of living, the lowest for any major metro in California. And while government is still the largest employer, education, healthcare and medical research have now proliferated locally as well. Tech is increasingly popping up too. Some companies are enjoying proximity to the Bay Area for less rent.

You can drive to San Francisco in decent traffic conditions in about two hours. Some do this regularly, called “super-commuters.” They’re super tolerant of such a long commute, or they super love driving? Both? Might be worth it you go in once a week and already have your parking squared away. Otherwise, if you have to search for a space after you arrive, that’s another two hours.

Sacramentans do tend to be more relaxed, and somewhat slower paced than Californians in other large cities. Extra especially the outdoorsy bicyclists. They’re really in the zone.

Sacramento is an urban forest. Along with an extensive network of parks (about 5000 acres), this city loves commuting via bicycle on dedicated bicycle paths. And local urban bike paths eventually connect to the 32-mile American River Parkway, which itself connects with several other parks and beaches and other trails all the way to Folsom. You can even ride in the dark as long as you wear a forward-facing light visible from 300 feet away. Helmets are also encouraged, but motorized vehicles and skateboards are not. And you can walk your dogs too, as long as they stay on their leashes.

Along with milder weather and relatively flat terrain, Sacramento’s bicyclists love how many of their bike paths are lined with gorgeous green trees. They started long ago, planting cottonwood and eucalyptus to dry out some swampland, then diversified into several other varieties, including willow, palm, and fruit.

Now they’ve nicknamed themselves “City of Trees” and claim more trees per person than anywhere in the world. Downtown is definitely tree-lined, making urban walking more pleasant too.

But if you’d like your outdoorsy more badass than walking or bicycling, Sacramento (or nearby-ish, within reasonable driving distance) has you covered too. If you’re into anything mountainous, the nearby Sierra Nevada range is excellent. Tahoe’s ski resorts are close too.

Sacramento really only has a couple of frequent environmental hazards. #2, the monsoon clouds of summer. They can cause flooding, so be wary at lower elevations during warmer storms with a lot of rain.

#1 is the fog that often makes driving hazardous. There are many entire days driving in Sacramento is a lot more dangerous than usual, merely due to heavy fog hanging around. Fog is possible all year, but usually happens in winter. We’d recommend looking at severe fog like a Southern “snow day,” where you’d consider driving just too hazardous to be sane.

So you and your roommates would avoid driving altogether by staying home or walking, at least until the fog lifts. Or bicycling, but sloooooooooooowly, and only on car-free trails and separated bike routes.

But otherwise, if you can tolerate some unpredictable water, and life near but not at all within the Bay Area sounds promising . . .

. . . enjoy your friendlier urban forest inside California’s increasingly buzzy capital.