I’ve been recently offered a position in Stockton, CA. What say you, ST? I’ve never been there personally and would to have your insights as I prepare to make a visit. Is Stockton the ‘mole on the ass of northern cal’ or ‘Oakland’s country cousin’ as I’ve heard so far, or is it better than this?
Is Stockton the ‘mole on the ass of northern cal’
More like the crap coming out of the ass. I’d much rather live in Oakland.
DON’T GO THERE!
Chris
Thanks for the candor guys. My fiancee is the of same opinion as you. I think it’s a no-go.
Where are you coming from? Just because you work at a location, sure does not mean you have to live there.
Dave
If you like water skiing it is the bomb!
Seems to be OK for one of the fastest master’s AGers in Kona.
clm
I lived in Stockon (Weston Ranch off I-5 now the forclosure capital of Ca.) three years, sold the house and cashed out on 2000. I would not recommend living there, working in Stockton would be ok. I use to commute from Stockton to Oakland each day it was about a 75 mile commute. If you don’t mind commuting.
I would recommend living in Livermore which is about a 40 mile drive each way. If you work normal hours it would be reverse commute. Alternatives also would be Modesto, Tracy. Anything but Stockton.
The valley is an ok place to live. It compares no way to the Bay Area where I grew up. That being said I Sold my house down in Modesto for about 130% profit in 2005 and moved to the midwest.
The
What is interesting is no matter what city you talk about, there are “good” sections and “bad” sections.
But, if I were to compare this to a lot of the country with things like the snow and ice, it is great.
Being able to basically train outside 95% of the year with things like no humidity is worth every penny!!
Dave
My first move into California was a transfer into Stockton. I would say if you are going to take a position there, live in Lodi or somewhere North and travel in. Stockton, is the armpit of the central valley and the hardest hit with the mortage crunch, so you can probably get a deal on a home though. Stockton is a very spotty town. one block are great homes, they next you wish you were carrying a gun. The local is great, a hour from the bay area, close to the foothills and Yosemite, close to Sac for even more races. and about 4-5 hours from LA for the weekend.
I currently reside in Long Beach, so there would be relocation involved. I’m engaged, and no kids.
Another place to look at is Discovery Bay. I think ST’r Mike C lives out there.
Well, Long Beach is a little tougher than from back east, but, as a native northern Calif person, you can image my
thoughts. I live 32 miles from work. I work in Roseville, but live up in Auburn. I LOVE living in the foothills.
I know when I first was told me job was being transfered here 20 years ago, I said no way in hell was I going to leave
the Bay Area for the sticks of Roseville. Well, hell frooze one day.
So, depending on which direction you go, lots of other places you could live. But, as I said, any city has good parts
and bad parts. Sure a lot few folks around than what you are used to.
Dave
“I would recommend living in Livermore which is about a 40 mile drive each way. If you work normal hours it would be reverse commute. Alternatives also would be Modesto, Tracy. Anything but Stockton.”
I live in Livermore and it is a great place to live, raise kids and train. The commute to Stockton isn’t too bad but you will pass a wall of cars coming the other way. Stockton was improving but the sub prime scam has hit it as bad as any place in the US so I don’t see it heading the right direction for a long time. There are some serious ghetto areas and a lot of the criminals have moved from Oakland to set up shop. I am in Stockton at least once a week and there are places I wouldn’t drive on even stop to fix a flat.
So if the job is good and you don’t mind a commute you and make it work. Let me know if you want any info on the Livermore area.
Dave
I had to go there for work. It didn’t strike me as anywhere I would want to live but that could be the area I was in.
There is a nice little article about Stockton on the front page of msn.com today titled “America’s most miserable cities”
http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Article_forbes.aspx?cp-documentid=6171960>1=10932.
Stockton is also frequently in the news as the poster child for home foreclosures. All over the valley really displaced bay area residents and real estate speculators made stunningly bad purchasing decisions and the market has just dropped. There are, as people mentioned, good parts and bad parts. A lot of bad parts though.
I hate to ever recommend Sacramento, but commuting to Stockton from parts of Sacramento (Lodi, Galt, Wilton, Elk Grove especially) would be feasible. There’s a strong Triathlon community and you’ve got one of the best bike trails anywhere and you’re not too far from anywhere good (bay area, wine country, mountains, etc).
I would go with more Oakland-y than mole ass-y. I wouldn’t want to live in either place.
I would not live in Stockton, but as others have pointed out, you could live in the Tri-valley (Dublin, Livermore, or Pleasanton) and have a reverse commute. There is also a commuter train (Altamont Commuter Express-ACE) that originates in Stockton and ends in San Jose. I’m not sure if the return schedule is suitable for a 9 to 5 job, but it would be something to check out. Commuting by bike would also be an option with some interesting rides through the hills east of Mt. Diablo.
You could live east of Stockton on HWY 4- milton or copperopolis or something.
As you go east of Stockton you head for the hills.