Redding CA??? (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno: real estate, condos, incomes)

[imlen]

Redding is in my opinion the only place to live.
the best place in the world to live.

there are places right out by you that are Quite amazing
just off jones valley road is a spot we used to call mineral pond
it has blue water really deep with crystals all over the bottom.

just off intermountain road there is a place covered with sea shells and oily goo that comes up from under the rocks
you can literally feel the indians presence there.

on one of the creeks near paso robles drive, there are some unique fossils
in the rocks by the road.


as i walk around the ranch (whats left of it) 12 acres not a thousand.
i still find arrow heads that are 100's of years old.
no geologic activity here. they are still laying right on top where they fell.

ross's ponds were a really neat place to swim.
the hot weather here is something you never get used to.
it makes me wither Still.
i Have learned that during the summer
the thing to do is to go to whiskeytown lake. (the water there is Blue and colder than the big lake) have a picnic. or just lay on the beaches at oak bottom and brandy creek.

if you could sneak up on the ross's pond off chicken springs road there is a bass in that pond that can and has pulled my rowboat around.
a biggie. you know the one that got away.

i used to sneak up the back way. i would take a few beers and a coat hanger
and a lemon, Build a small fire right on the dam. use the coat hanger to cook the Bass and eat them as i caught them. Yummy!

big bend just 40 or so miles up the highway has the most beautiful hot springs.
go there on a cold snowy evening about dusk. the pit river rushing past and the smokers billowing fumes off in the distance is the most amazing sight i have ever seen.

as for beauty, untill recently i drove a truck daily all the way to crescent city and back.
and i Realize more than most that we live in one of the most beautiful areas in the world
Bar none.

snow skiing and water skiing are possible on the same day.
all within an hours drive of each other.

Superb Fishing in the many lakes and streams

hundreds of miles of nature trails to bike or hike.

go river rafting on the pristene trinity river.

some of the best golf courses are here.

if you can get across shasta dam and drive up to mammoth mine
you can watch the fireworks from as far away as corning all at the same time.


did you know that the manzanita that grows all around you
is really tasty in the late summer you can harvest the bark
it becomes all flakey and you can just brush your hand over it to get some.
put it in a tea ball and boil it you will get a really yummy tea with soothing medicinal properties. the leaves can be used also (a little more bitter than the bark)


What all the negativity was about was.

i was surfing the net and googled redding.
and came across a page asking "should i move to redding"
or "relocate to redding something like that"
that led me to a page (here) that let me voice my opinion.
for me the answer was obviously hell no stay away.
Very selfish!
so i put up the most negative statistics i could find.
most are Quite accurate.

the people that are moving here in droves.
have every right to do so.
and i wish them well.

the people that move in around me everyday scare me.
they buy small parcels mostly 3 or four acres.
before they moved here they lived city lots 150 by 50 feet.

they say wow we are living in the country now.
but they do not have much country ettiquette.
they buy their children dirt bikes.
and some actually buy their kids 22's
they begin riding and shooting.
hopefully not at the same time!
thinking that they are in the wild west.
it's still legal to fire weapons here.(county)
and bullets seem to be flying all around.
the erosion caused by dirt bikes can really set off a chain reaction on reddings odd soil.

most of the recent fires were caused by inexperienced
(Newcomers) operating Equiptment in very dry tall weeds.

i feel Another Flash Back coming on.
the cattle and horses we used to have here were the fire prevention of old.
they ate everything. no grass no fire.
only good ole boys remember that!

our last horse got out one night last year and was killed by a speeding garbage truck.
ironic to say the least.
over 140 years of continuous ranching the last horse gone
end of an era.

i Just wonder if reddings economic growth can be tuned towards Quality
rather than Quantity.

about the second rant
Somone called me miserable
i am not.
i live in a Virtual paradise.
Redding
i have many children
and a loving wife.

as for me inheriting the ranch. i am by no means a wealthy man.
and do not really think comments about how anyone aquired their Place here relevant.
i was merely responding to the comment that stated "who is this miserable person".

a personal comment deserves a personal response.

my perspective is like you said "skewed", of course it is.
i cannot compare your experience
in the world with mine.
i have a extremely limited field of view.
i have never traveled very far
i have never moved.
i never even had cable tv untill 10 years ago
but my naievity Should not cause my opinion to to be negated.
or lessened because you have more worldly experiences than i.

my Lower opinion of redding Comes from it's politics
not it's Beauty.

they build a bridge but can't fund the library
(yea i Understand about the county being broke and the city not being responsible for the counties library).
but being a ignorant old hillbilly i see myself paying taxes and getting a taj mahall cityhall and the library funding getting cut.

i see great funding for turtle bay while they cut p.e and music courses at our schools

i see huge hiking paths being built while the police dept is in great need of more officers.

i see an over crowded jail filled with loonies and no mental health facilities

i see a multi million dollar bridge over the river that looks like a giant construction crane
(from the freeway i really thought that is what it was untill my wife told me about it) poor people camp out under it to escape the rain.

i see columbia school district getting a 10 million dollar bond issue passed
and the first thing purchased a giant leather desk and new office
for the principal.

they are blowing money on the downtown area in another haphazard plan
to revitalize the downtown area.

maybe i do not make myself clear sometimes. and i am sorry for that.
but the reason i keep bringing up the cascade theater is the red bricks,the new benches, the money spent on one side of the street.
the clover club and redding hotel on the other side.
how much more of an example of a half ass plan is there.
i am not going downtown untill it is all fixed. both sides of the street.
i mean that is what they are trying to do is'nt it. attract more people to the downtown area?
i use this thing as a metaphore for the crackminded policies of some of our elected officials.

Bragging about how nice it is here is the same as when my ancestors blew it
when they started yelling gold in the 1850's.

yes redding is changing
what i would like to see is a plan.
not just trying to get as many people as possible to rush here.


to maintain the quality of life here if uncontrolled growth continues at the current pace i think will be next to impossible. and soon all of you or your decendents will move away seeking another Place With Clean air and Natural Beauty.

"just like the cattle" there is only enough grass to support so many cows.
(get it it's another metaphore!)

something my ancestors used to argue over with the new settlers.
ironic also that i would be doing much the same thing 140 years later.

maybe the difference is i look at redding as my home and have no intention of profiting
from the value of my "real estate".

Visit my Website for some interesting stories and rare pictures of redding
Redding City Hall.com Get a Premium Email Address Join Now! and click the public link.
the website is just a cheesey way for me to make some money selling email addresses but it has some neat pictures and stories about redding.

[skitow]

What are you smoking?

[notmeofficer]

Many of your observations are accurate

I know all the places you speak of.. I have also hiked them... I live at one of them that you described... however for sake of security I will not say which one

I hate the shooting, it destroys the beauty, It kills living beings (and yes,, I am a vegan.. have been for nearly 50 years)... and for me as a retired policeman it makes my adrenalin go up.. theres a million places to go to do it .. why do it where people live.. So I work with neighbors to ask them to be polite.. sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't

I hate the motorcyclists,, they destroy natural things.. instead of trespassing why not go to the dedicated ORV area... opps I forgot.. selfish people or spoiled children without supervision,,, so I am compelled to fence and post (only for the same sanctuary you seek.. otherwise I dislike fences) and have the Sheriff respond,,and talk to clueless parents who should get licensed to learn good parenting skills... what a pain in the ass

We agree on just about everything.. and your information about local things where I live is right on... Ive been to all the places you speak of.. and they are that way.. and yes Indian arrowheads and the Wintu spirit is apparent all over my place... and the manzinita that is here makes wonderful food for the coyotes... btw.. the flocks of wild turkeys, coyotes,ducks, geese, deer, a zillion different birds, and even that big cat (mountain lion) are safe on my place,,,, kindness to all beings is practiced

Yes.. downtown is a mess... will it straighten out,, hell who knows... I doubt it.. Yes the bridge is weird in an area NOT known for modern architecture..yes the schools are mismanaging resources and getting shorted at the same time.. as an aside I dont like paying for other peoples children.. I didnt burden our planet with any... why should I pay for yours... ahh,,, the conundrum .. we ALL have to live in society as a whole.. and as such sometimes.. well many times.. we get to put up with things we dont like

Scaring people off because one is pissed because of how things are changing is like trying to stop a leak in Shasta Dam with chewing gum... isnt going to work..people are going to see past this veiled attempt as soon as they see the place

So.. what do I do personally about it... try to make the place better
thats why
I stay involved in public safety, go out on DUI checkpoints, run victim impact panels at the court,work with boating safety at the lake, volunteer with the fire department, do cleanups for my organization (coast guard) on the 5 below Mountaingate, give to Shasta College, chair for MADDSHASTA COUNTY, sit on the Injury Prevention Coalition Council, keep my property neat , clean up after piggy trashy people who use the world as a garbage can, try to be a good neighbor respectful of others, leaving any place I go looking like I was never there... this is what I do personally to make the place better.. this isnt about spotlighting ME.. its about what YOU do to make the place where you live better... again.. none of us have any more "right" to this place or any other place than any other person

At some point Ill leave here... only because I want more sanctuary that isnt available for me.. and I personalize me...here.. and that IS because of how fast it has changed.. I realize that I cant STOP change.. perhaps I can positively impact it.. but I cant stop it... for now.. I just deal with it.. and enjoy life

To personalize this to you... this last post.. its interesting.. because it does tell the real story here and the overwhelming negativity is less apparent..

Ill close by saying... howdy neighbor... hope you have a nice summer.. gosh I hope we get some more rain.. the place is already drying out and Im worried its going to be a bad fire season

Cam

[imlen]

i am not smoking anything, got any?

[skitow]

Originally Posted by imlen

i am not smoking anything, got any?

I guess that was a little harsh. Sorry. No, I don't use drugs, not even a cold beer. Not even coffee. My god, I just realized I don't have a life.
I wasn't sure how to take you at first. I see you are trying to discourage any new imports. It won't work. It used to be nice here(Mountain View), it's a sewer now as far as I'm concerned. That's why I'm coming to Redding. I think the heat and the fear of acid water will keep people at bay. Who know's? I may be your neighbor. Take care, skitow.

[notmeofficer]

Skitow.. looking forward to your read on Redding.. and whether I steered you right. I celebrate and appreciate your desire to see life fully awake without dull senses numbed by anything

I forgot.. this weekend is cool april nights.. (also we have hot august nights).. a zillion street rods come up for the weekend.. they close off some streets for a cruise on friday night.. all in all pretty harmless...

Big Bike weekend is here as well...

Very few problems at these events

The lake is still down.. but you can rent a boat and ski if you like... or go ski at Mt Shasta Ski park 90 minutes to the north..plenty of snow there still

Enjoy

[imlen]

i do not smoke or drink either
if you move here dispite my selfish discouragement
i welcome you to our city
you should look for something just outside
the city limits.
i think the mc collum place is still for sale
nice ranch house with a view of both mt shasta and lassen
probably a bit pricey.

[skitow]

Originally Posted by notmeofficer

Skitow.. looking forward to your read on Redding.. and whether I steered you right. I celebrate and appreciate your desire to see life fully awake without dull senses numbed by anything

I forgot.. this weekend is cool april nights.. (also we have hot august nights).. a zillion street rods come up for the weekend.. they close off some streets for a cruise on friday night.. all in all pretty harmless...

Big Bike weekend is here as well...

Very few problems at these events

The lake is still down.. but you can rent a boat and ski if you like... or go ski at Mt Shasta Ski park 90 minutes to the north..plenty of snow there still

Enjoy

Hi Cam. Yes I am looking forward to our trip next month. I did check out the info you pm'd me. Lots of interesting material. The housing market here has crashed, big time. It looks like the same has happened in Redding. All in all, it's about a wash. Sell low and buy low. Thanks again for your help, skitow.

[skitow]

Originally Posted by imlen

i do not smoke or drink either
if you move here dispite my selfish discouragement
i welcome you to our city
you should look for something just outside
the city limits.
i think the mc collum place is still for sale
nice ranch house with a view of both mt shasta and lassen
probably a bit pricey.

Hi imlen. I will definitly be looking outside of the city limits. Thats what I'm wanting to get away from. Cars, traffic, people, asphalt, concrete. I'd love to swim the waters again, and actually smell a tree. It's been a long time since Iv'e been in a forest. Say, 25 years or so. The last thing I want is a MCmansion. Hell, I don't even know how to spell it! Take care, skitow.

[skitow]

I have a question I always forget to ask. I do know Shasta Lake. Camped and skied there many times. I'm not familiar with Redding. If Shasta Dam ever broke loose, say an earthquake, Isn't Redding in the flood zone??