Davis homes for sale and real estate guide

Living in Davis

Davis is shaped by UC Davis, by the flat valley landscape, and by a long civic commitment to cycling and open space. The campus sits directly west and south of downtown, so the city center, the Mondavi Center, the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, and the UC Davis Arboretum are within a short ride of one another. Davis was the first city in the country to earn a Platinum rating from the League of American Bicyclists, and its dedicated bike lanes date to the 1960s.

Most neighborhoods connect to a greenbelt or a grade-separated bike crossing, and the 1914 Mission Revival Amtrak depot on Second Street is a short walk from downtown. Davis is also one of the few California cities where voters, through Measure J and its renewals, must approve any conversion of farmland at the city edge to urban use, which keeps the city compact and new supply limited.

Neighborhoods and housing in Davis

Davis housing falls into recognizable districts. The oldest homes sit inside the Conservation District that follows the original 1917 city limits, taking in Old North Davis, Old East Davis, and the University Avenue and Rice Lane blocks, plus the College Park Historic District west of campus: bungalows, Craftsman houses, and mid-century infill on walkable blocks.

Central and North Davis were built out largely in the postwar decades, with ranch homes on modest lots. In West Davis, Village Homes, built from the 1970s into the early 1980s, is a nationally known planned neighborhood with streets oriented for solar gain, lots backing onto shared common areas, and fruit and nut trees along the paths. East Davis holds Mace Ranch, developed from the 1980s onward, and Wildhorse, which wraps around the Wildhorse Golf Club north of Covell Boulevard.

South Davis lies across Interstate 80, with El Macero, an unincorporated golf course community from the early 1960s, just outside the city limits. The Cannery, off East Covell Boulevard, opened in 2016 as the most recent large new-construction neighborhood, with a working urban farm, a pool and clubhouse, and a homeowners association.

Parks, trails, and recreation

Davis has more than forty neighborhood and community parks and a greenbelt system that links them into a nearly continuous network of paths, with bridges and tunnels at the major roads and the marked Davis Bike Loop tying the segments into a ride around the city.

The UC Davis Arboretum follows the old north channel of Putah Creek along the south side of campus and is open to the public. Wildhorse Golf Club is public and El Macero Country Club is private, and city parks include tennis and pickleball courts, sports fields, and a disc golf course.

Dining, shopping, and daily life

Downtown Davis is the commercial center, a grid of blocks between the campus and the railroad with independent restaurants, cafes, bookstores, and small shops. The Davis Farmers Market in Central Park runs Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings year-round, and the Davis Food Co-op is on G Street. Neighborhood centers handle everyday shopping, with Second Street Crossing in East Davis adding a Target in 2009, and Woodland and Sacramento cover larger retail.

Schools and public services

Davis is served by the Davis Joint Unified School District, which operates elementary schools, four junior high schools, Davis Senior High School, Da Vinci High School, and alternative and independent study programs. The university is the city’s largest employer, Sutter Davis Hospital is the local hospital, and the Yolo County Library has a Davis branch.

Getting around and commuting from Davis

Interstate 80 runs along the south edge of Davis and carries traffic east across the Yolo Causeway to West Sacramento and downtown Sacramento, and west toward Vacaville and the Bay Area. State Route 113 heads north to Woodland and Interstate 5, and Russell Boulevard and Putah Creek Road run west to Winters. The Davis Amtrak station at 840 Second Street has Capitol Corridor trains to Sacramento, the East Bay, and San Jose.

Unitrans buses cover the city and campus, and Yolobus connects Davis with Woodland, West Sacramento, downtown Sacramento, and Sacramento International Airport.

What to know before buying in Davis

Measure J, renewed as Measure R and Measure D, requires a citywide vote before farmland at the edge of Davis can be developed, so new single-family supply is limited and resale homes make up most of what is available.

Inside the Conservation District and the College Park Historic District, exterior changes fall under the city’s historic resource rules and design guidelines. Homeowners associations are uncommon in older neighborhoods but standard in Village Homes and The Cannery, and The Cannery also carries a community facilities district assessment [[VERIFY: confirm the Cannery CFD is in place and how it appears on a current tax bill]]. Davis also regulates street tree removal and conversions of single-family homes to high-occupancy rentals; the Yolo County guide covers the county-wide checklist.

Buying or selling in Davis

Nick Sadek Sotheby’s International Realty works with buyers and sellers in Davis from its Woodland office at 435 College Street, with additional offices in Sacramento, Roseville, and Nevada City. Buyers can search current Davis listings, and sellers can request a home value estimate grounded in recent Davis sales. Listings are marketed locally and through the Sotheby’s International Realty global network. Meet our agents or contact the office to start.