Central Davis is the older, closer-in part of town, wrapped around downtown and the north edge of the UC Davis campus. It is where the city's original street grid still shows: narrower blocks, mature street trees, and housing stock that mostly predates the large master-planned subdivisions further out. Its defining practical quality is that downtown, the campus, and the Saturday Farmers Market are all reachable on foot or by bike without touching an arterial road.
Because the area filled in decades ago, homes here vary far more than in newer parts of Davis. Mid-century ranch sits near bungalows and later infill, and lot sizes shift from block to block. Buyers trade the predictability of a newer subdivision for location and for streets that feel settled rather than planned.
Central Davis also carries the student overlay that comes with campus adjacency. Owner-occupancy runs lower here than in Davis's outer neighborhoods, rentals are a normal part of most blocks, and evenings near campus are livelier than in South or West Davis. For some buyers that is the appeal, and for others it is the reason to look further out. It is worth knowing which you are before touring.
The Central Davis area also takes in Old North Davis, Downtown, and Old East Davis, each of which has its own page.
Pockets within Central Davis
Sycamore South is one of the closest neighborhoods to the UC Davis campus. It turns over less often than most of Davis, so there are usually fewer homes on the market and more competition for each one. Mid-century modern architecture dominates, as most of the housing was built in the middle of the 20th century, and the student share of residents is high given how close campus sits. Its median property price was about $968,000 in 2025. See current Central Davis listings for today's inventory.
Oeste Manor sits in the central part of Davis directly across from campus. Its 656 homes are mid-size and share that same mid-century character, with a median price around $840,000 and roughly 56% owner occupancy in 2025. Most of the remaining homes are rented by students, which gives the neighborhood an energetic feel, though some owners find the occasional weekend noise wearing.
Neither pocket has its own page here. To walk either one, or to compare them against Old North Davis, Downtown, or Old East Davis, ask Anna and she will set it up.
