A Typical Midtown CornerTree-canopied streets, 100 year-old stately victorians and cozy bungalows, hip restaurants and boutiques alongside bohemian coffee houses, vintage clothing shops, and tattoo parlors--all mark the neighborhood that has emerged as the artistic and cultural epicenter of Sacramento. Midtown is easily one of the most exciting and engaging neighborhoods in our fair town. It is generally considered that part of town that is bordered by C Street to the North, W Street to the South, 16th Street to the West, and Alhambra Blvd. to the East. It has a great mix of historical homes and popular businesses. It is walkable and bike-able. Most of the streets have bike lanes and it often seems like foot and bicycle are the preferred modes of travel by neighborhood residents.

MARRS at nightI am sitting here now, at the MARRS building at 20th and J. The MARRS building is just one of the new features of this part of town that have helped to add to the vitality of the neighborhood, with a Peet's Coffee (one of the few chains in this part of town) and a couple of great restaurants and shops. There are a number of new mixed-use developments in town that are planned that will continue to (hopefully) have a minimum impact on the nature and character of the neighborhood.

A Midtown BungalowI first moved to Midtown Sacramento just after marrying my wife, more than 10 years ago. I moved from an old victorian in the Alkali Flat neighborhood (that I had been renting with a couple of buddies) to my wife's small tudor on E Street. I didn't think much about the neighborhood at that time. Not that I didn't like it, I really just didn't think about it much. I had a new wife, a new job, and other things on my mind. A couple of years after leaving our home on E Street, I found myself back in Midtown after selling our home in Land Park. We got ourselves an amazing old victorian (that was in less than amazing shape) about a block from where I am now sitting. We have since had homes in Tahoe Park and East Sacramento, but find ourselves back here now, in Midtown. Whether it is the change in me and what I am looking for in a neighborhood or the changes in the neighborhood itself, I don't know, but I have really found myself feeling at home here.

Over the years, I have seen the neighborhood change and grow into something quite special. Not all of the changes have been for the better, but most of them have. It seems that, unlike the Sacramento suburbs, Midtown has been able to stay relatively free from the chain stores and restaurants that sap neighborhoods of their character and individuality. Most of the shops are independently owned by locals who are interested in a thriving Sacramento.

The arts and music scene here is unrivaled in Sacramento, especially every "Second Saturday" when most of the shops open their doors late, bands play (often in the streets), and the art galleries all hold shows. There is an incredibly active business association, the Midtown Business Association, as well a number of publications and websites that celebrate the neighborhood (such as Midtown Monthly and The Midtown Grid).

Boulevard Park in AutumnIf you are looking for a neighborhood that is bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly, a neighborhood where the neighbors know your name, where you can walk to the latest hot restaurant or gallery showing, or hang out at a great, funky, coffee-house--all without giving up the idea of living on streets where the 100 year-old trees stretch from both sides of the street and touch above it--this just might be the neighborhood for you. It is for me.