Late August/September and June bring a heavy wave of student apartment turnover near campus and downtown
MURDOCK’S / DAVIS
Davis Movers Who Know the Streets First.
From a studio to a full Davis household, Murdock’s plans the crew, equipment and timing around downtown loading-dock windows, 1920s Craftsman staircases, and I-5 / Highway 50 commute traffic — licensed and insured, no call-center scripts.
Licensed household-goods carrier · USDOT 3421940 · MC 1416634
Davis route context · Northern California
CHICO HUB → YUBA CITY HUB → DAVIS → YOUR NEXT ADDRESS
LOCAL MOVE BRIEF
What Changes the Plan in Davis.
A Davis move is only as smooth as the plan behind it — downtown loading-dock windows, 1920s Craftsman staircases, and I-5 / Highway 50 commute traffic decide the crew size, the truck, and the start time.
Davis's greenbelt and bike-path network means some homes are accessed by a path, not a driveway, which needs flagging in advance
Downtown streets are narrow and metered, and Farmers Market days close off streets around Central Park
Surrounding tomato and row-crop fields bring harvest-season truck traffic to outlying roads in late summer
SERVICES ON THIS ROUTE
The Move, Built Around the Address.
Local moves, office relocations, packing and long-distance planning for Davis and nearby Roseville, Rocklin, Citrus Heights, Carmichael, and Folsom, staffed from Murdock's own Chico and Yuba City yards.
Residential MovingFull-service home moving for houses, condos, and apartments across Chico, Yuba City, Sacramento, and the greater Sacramento Valley.Explore →
Commercial MovingOffice, warehouse, and business relocations with minimal downtime across Northern California.Explore →
Long-Distance MovingInterstate moves out of the Sacramento Valley under our own DOT & MC authority — Nevada, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, and beyond.Explore →
Packing & CratingFull or partial packing plus custom wood crating for art, antiques, and high-value items.Explore →
Portable Storage (MODS)Murdock’s On-Demand Storage containers delivered to your door — load on your schedule, we store or move it.Explore →
Senior MovingPatient, compassionate downsizing and senior relocation services with full-service packing and setup.Explore →
ON THE GROUND IN DAVIS
What We Know About Moving Davis.
Davis runs on a different clock than most Sacramento Valley towns — one set by the UC Davis academic calendar as much as the seasons. Murdock’s Moving & Storage handles Davis moves out of our Yuba City yard, from a September apartment turnover near campus to a quiet family relocation on a greenbelt path in North Davis, and the two jobs look nothing alike.
Student Turnover Season Is Its Own Event
Late August and early September, and again in June, Davis apartment complexes near Russell Boulevard, Sycamore Lane, and downtown turn over in a compressed window as leases flip. Buildings with single elevators or narrow stairwells slow a move down fast when half the complex is moving on the same weekend, so we book these early and plan crew size around the building type, not just the unit size. Families and staff relocating for the university lean on our packing services when a move-in date can't slide even a day.
Bike Paths, Greenbelts, and Getting a Truck to the Door
Davis is consistently ranked among the most bike-friendly small cities in the country, and its greenbelt network means some homes — especially in Village Homes and pockets of North Davis — are reached by a footpath or bike path rather than a direct driveway. That changes the carry distance from truck to door, sometimes significantly, and it's the kind of detail that's easy to miss on a phone estimate. We ask about path access up front so the crew arrives with the right expectations rather than discovering it on-site.
Faculty Homes on the Quieter Side of Town
El Macero and the larger lots in North Davis tend to house longer-tenured faculty and staff, and these moves run closer to a typical family relocation — bigger households, more furniture, less time pressure than the student turnover crunch. Downtown's Wednesday and Saturday Farmers Market closes streets around Central Park, so any move touching that footprint needs a route around it. Whether it's a studio near campus or a family home comparing Davis against other Sacramento-area options, we schedule around Davis's particular calendar rather than treating it like every other town on the route.
ACCESS / HOME TYPE / CREW PLAN
Addresses We Plan Around.
Home type decides the crew plan in Davis — here's what our estimators plan around when they scope a move.
- Student apartment complexes near campus and downtown
- Mid-century single-family homes in North and South Davis
- Solar-oriented co-housing in Village Homes
- Larger homes on acreage in El Macero
AROUND DAVIS
Neighborhoods and nearby areas we already cover.
Serving Davis and the surrounding Sacramento metro from our Yuba City yard — including Sacramento, Rocklin, Folsom, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Carmichael.
Before moving day
- If you're moving into student housing, book early for the last week of August — that week fills up fast
- Tell us if your unit is accessed by a greenbelt path rather than a driveway so we can plan the carry distance
- Avoid Wednesday and Saturday mornings downtown during Farmers Market season if your move touches Central Park
- Faculty and staff moving into El Macero or North Davis should ask about our packing services for a smoother move-in
Why is September the hardest month to book movers in Davis?
UC Davis's fall move-in crunch concentrates thousands of student and staff moves into the same two-week window before classes start, which makes Davis the tightest booking month anywhere in our service area — we recommend locking in a September Davis date 4-6 weeks ahead rather than the usual 2-3.
Can a moving truck access apartment complexes near the UC Davis campus?
Most campus-adjacent complexes restrict loading to a specific zone or time window and some require advance notice to reserve it, especially during peak student turnover, so we call the leasing office to confirm loading-dock or curb access before move day rather than assuming we can pull up to any building entrance.
Are Davis's bike lanes and greenbelt paths a factor when parking a moving truck?
Yes — Davis has one of the densest bike-lane networks in California, and several residential streets have narrower vehicle lanes to accommodate them, so trucks sometimes need to park partially on a driveway apron rather than block a marked bike lane. Our crews are used to routing around Davis's bike infrastructure rather than treating it as an obstacle.
Do older Old East Davis homes have any access challenges for movers?
Old East Davis has mature street trees and smaller, closely built lots from the early 1900s, which can mean low canopy clearance for a full-size truck and less driveway space than newer Davis subdivisions, so we check tree clearance and curb space during the estimate for these addresses.
Does Murdock’s coordinate around Davis's June student move-out rush too?
Yes — Davis has two peak windows, not one: the September move-in surge and the June move-out surge as the academic year ends, and both fill up fast. If your move falls in either window, book as early as you can rather than waiting until a few days before.
WHAT DAVIS CUSTOMERS SAY
from 862 Google reviews.
These are verified Google reviews from Yolo County and the wider Sacramento Valley — no edits, no filtering.
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“Great team with a great attitude. Not a scratch at the old place or the new place.They were cat people too, so all my cat supplies were left in a place where I could easily get to them. I hadn’t even thought to ask! Great company, very…”
Lora Staley
8 months ago
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“From the estimate to the move all the people I had contact with were courteous and professional. We had a mouse situation and they were very happy to accommodate my need to wipe everything down!”
Patti Hindiyeh
8 months ago
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“Murdock's moving crew was very professional, arrived on time, loaded furniture with estimated time period without padding minutes. The same happened after final delivery of furniture and home items. Overall I am very much satisfied with…”
Jerry Rozycki
9 months ago
NEXT DISPATCH
Tell Us Where You’re Going.
Share the Davis address, the destination and what you’re moving. We’ll help plan access, crew size and the right next step.