Hunting for housing in Davis can be tricky – there are so many options and only so much time to make a decision. Students typically form their housing groups and sign leases by March, so there’s still some time to explore your options!
(image created at Piktochart)
Apartment or house?
The first question you should ask if you want to live in an apartment or a house. Davis has plenty of both options. With an apartment, you don’t have to worry about repairs – you can just email the manager or maintenance staff and they’ll fix the problem for you. With a house, you may have to manage your own repairs if something goes wrong. Apartments tend to be a little more expensive per person and can be noisy, while houses usually cost a little less per head and are more isolated and quiet. It’s ultimately your decision to make, but be sure to do some research on your landlords or management before you sign a lease!
Where do I start to look?
If you’re interested in a house, check out the Community Housing Listing. People post about houses, studio spaces, duplexes, and other living situations that are available for rent. Additionally, houses are often passed down from friends, so if you know someone living in a house, you can ask about taking over the lease for this upcoming academic year!
Apartment housing can also be affiliated with UC Davis. Student housing includes Adobe Apartments, Arlington Farm, The Lexington, Primero Grove, The Colleges at La Rue, Russell Park, and West Village. Applying for these apartments can sometimes involve a lottery basis, so be sure to have a backup if you don’t get the apartment you want.
(Image source http://www.firststreetrealestate.com/davis-ca-area-info)
If you’re interested in off-campus apartment, it’s easiest to break down your search by neighborhood. Central Davis apartments are close to campus and have easy access to downtown Davis. These apartments tend to be more expensive since they’re so near campus. Usually, it takes less than 5 minutes to bike to school from this area! Several Unitrans lines run through this area as buses head back to their terminals. Check out Parkside, Viking Apartments, University Court, and The Arbors.
West Davis is a quiet neighborhood west of the 113 highway with mostly duplexes available for rent. There are limited bus lines that service this area: the D and K lines run relatively frequently but only to a small section of the neighborhood, and the P and Q can take a while to get you where you need to be. Take a look at Lakeshore, The Trees, and Le Tournesol.
North Davis has a lot of apartment complexes north of Covell Boulevard and it’s close to several grocery stores and restaurants (be sure to stop by Taqueria Guadalajara!) The G and J lines run frequently to the most popular apartment complexes and the F line covers the rest of the neighborhood. It’s about a 10-minute bike ride to campus from this area. Check out La Salle, Pepperwood , Temescal, Alvarado Sunset, Chautauqua, Fountain Circle, and Almondwood.
East Davis is relatively far from campus, since it lies east of Pole Line Road. This area is mostly residential, but there are some complexes available to students. The A and Z lines cover most of the apartments out there, and the P and Q run to the edge of the East Davis neighborhood as well. Take a look at Cambridge, The U, Alhambra, and Greystone.
South Davis is the last neighborhood. South of the 80 highway, it has the W and M bus lines that run extremely frequently. Some people think it’s an inconvenient neighborhood, but it’s only a 10-minute bike to campus thanks to a few well-planned bike paths. There’s a Safeway on Cowell Boulevard (which sound a lot like Covell Boulevard, I know!) as well as a few restaurants and a boba place. South Davis tends to attract people with large living groups (4+ people) because many of the apartments are townhomes. Check out Sharps and Flats, Da Vinci Apartments, Allegre, Tanglewood, Sorrento, Avalon, and Renaissance Park.
(Image source http://unitrans.ucdavis.edu/route-map/)
Now that you have all the information you need, happy housing hunting, Aggies!