What the Students Have to Say:

The City of Davis

As I often tell people, the choice to come to UCD was as much a lifestyle choice as an academic choice. It's impossible for me to express how much I've enjoyed Davis. My wife worked for the Chamber of Commerce for half a year and is now employed by the police department. Between those jobs and a keen interest in this small town, we've gained a bit of insight into the personality of the town.

Davis is a town that people come to for its emphasis on healthy living, conscientious citizenship, and community involvement. Additionally, many come for the great public school system or a good real estate investment. However, if you're truly a learner at heart, then you can expect to gain a great deal more from Davis than a PhD in neuroscience. In the last year, I've heard Stephen Hawking talk on astrophysics and philosophy, Granny D (Doris Haddock) talk about the political history of the country, and taken mini-courses in gardening, stargazing, and natural home building.

As far as entertainment goes, every Friday during the dry season, there's a pick-up game of volleyball hosted by Ken Britten and Mitch Sutter where you can be sure to have fun relaxing with colleagues. Wednesdays and Saturdays the Farmer's Market has some of the best produce you've ever seen. There are bike races happening all year round and the town periodically has parades and picnics. The newly built Mondavi center offers both performing arts and public speakers of astounding quality. In addition to the bounty that Davis has to offer, 20 minutes will see you in Sacramento (the state capitol), 90 minutes will get you to the bay area for more great academic offerings at UC Berkeley and tons of fun in San Francisco, 2 hours will get you to the mountains for skiing, a few more will get you to Yosemite national park, and 5 hours will get you to the largest trees in the world. We definitely don't lack for something to do on a weekend. If you want to enjoy your grad school years, Davis is a great place to do so.

-Daniel Rathbun, Graduate student in the Usrey Lab

The city of Davis is a great place to go to grad school. Being an older student, married and with a young child, Davis is a great place for all of us. I'm just minutes from work and able to go home during lunch to care for my child. There are lots of young families in my neighborhood, in contrast to the "student hubs" which are numerous here too. My husband is in a great location for all the major northern California metro regions for his work. You can't beat the greenbelts, the farmer's market, and the climate - being a Seattle native, I love the heat!!

-Amy Lincoln, Graduate student in the Baynes Lab

While I always wanted to live and work in a "big city," Davis offered a unique charm that was hard to resist. Certainly, the town was quiet, laid-back, and far more livable than the bustling metropolis of the Bay Area or Southern California. However, Davis has a worldliness and sophistication seldom seen in a small town, perhaps due to the presence of the University. After living in a large city where all resources were scarce (e.g. clean air, parks, open roads, and even spare time), it was relaxing to come to a place were daily living offered no stress. The only stressors are those you place upon yourself, generally because of your work habits.

-Manu Hegde, MD/PhD student in the Gorin Lab Davis is a mid-sized town of about 60,000 people which is largely built, both geographically and culturally, around the university. It is a bicycle-oriented city, with many bike paths, a freeway underpass, and two freeway overpasses (with a third in construction) that serve as alternatives to motor roads (which bicycles often share as well). It has a very consistent climate: hot but not humid in the summer, wet but not frigid in the winter. While it lacks the nightlife of larger cities, it makes up for this with a friendly, comfortable feel, a sort of "home is here" charm that percolates through the town. Those who are looking for a little more excitement or a change of pace can find Sacramento only 20 minutes away, San Francisco an hour and a half, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains two and a half hours distant. -Jeffrey Johnson, Graduate Student in the Olshausen Lab Population: 56,000. You sure wouldn't know it from walking the streets in the downtown area! Davis has a nice little downtown, complete with 8 cafes, 2 movie theatres, and 4 bars. The downtown area has two jewels in its crown: the Borders plaza, where you can sit outside in the garden area to chill out or sit near the grassy area and watch the little tykes and puppies play; and the Farmer's Market twice a week, where you can buy a great cinnamon roll and watch the little tykes and puppies play or listen to the band. The whole town is extraordinarily bike friendly. The climate: We have a rainy season (other areas know this as winter), during which you can expect rain 3 times a week or so, and a dry season lasting from May to end of September, where the sun ALWAYS shinesŠ.. -Trish Harness, Graduate Student in the Britten Lab Davis is a wonderful town to live in and you can¹t beat living 5 minutes away from the lab! You can bike anywhere in town on scenic paths without ever riding on a major street. Davis provides a safe, family atmosphere with the energy of a college town. We are also in a great location: you can take a day trip to Lake Tahoe or spend the evening in San Francisco! -Cyndi Mills-Schumann, Graduate Student in the Amaral Lab I've lived here ever since I came to get my undergraduate degree 11 years ago. You can easily ride your bicycle anywhere in town, and in many cases going by bike is the quickest way to get somewhere. I really like that. It keeps me from getting fat. I ride my bike all over the place. Davis has a small-town feel to it, but it's no problem getting big city action. Sacramento is about 20 minutes away by car (there's a bike path that goes there too), and you can find just about anything you'd want there. Snowboarding in the mountains is also key. If the roads are dry, you can make it to the slopes in less than two hours. -Eric Leaver, Graduate Student in the Pappone Lab I'm from Sacramento, so I thought I knew all about what Davis was like before I moved here. I'd heard all of the statistics: Davis is a town of 60,000 with 30,000 students, with the highest percentage of women who breast-feed their babies in the nation. It probably also has the highest percentage of people who bring their own organic hemp shopping bags to the grocery Co-Op to save paper, ride their bikes to save the air, and wash out all of their cans and bottles before putting them in the recycling bin. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive before moving here--I thought I'd be bored living so close to the city where I grew up, in a medium-sized college town not known for it's cosmopolitan atmosphere. But I was wrong--I definitely grown to love it here, and miss it when I'm away. I've become the biggest recycler of them all. I walk to the Farmer's Market twice a week to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables, play pick-up soccer on Campus with the Argentinean exchange students, run with the Golden Valley Harriers, and see plays and music in the campus amphitheater whenever I have time. If I want attitude, I can be in San Francisco in 90 minutes. -Noah Merin, MD/PhD Student in the Amaral Lab Davis is a great place to live! It has a friendly, small town atmosphere, with the benefits of a large university and academically oriented community. For weekend trips, Davis is close some of the most beautiful hiking and backpacking in the country! -Melissa Prather, Graduate Student in the Amaral Lab Back to What the Students Have to Say!