If you had to choose....Chico or Redding (Sacramento, Stockton: crime rates, neighborhoods)

[MAXIALE02]

We are a family of three; husband, wife and child. I have a potential job interview to work in Redding with occasional commute to Chico. My concerns are: quality of schools as I have one elementary school age child, drugs (crime and them being socially acceptable), and commute to a major city for entertainment.

I thought of possibly living in Chico and commuting to Redding as it seems there are problems with meth use and a large demographic of sexual predators in Redding. I thought of living in northern/eastern Redding as my research on Columbia school district seemed like a good choice.

I haven't done or seen much on Chico which brought me here. Any information would be appreciated.

[ryuns]

For 70 miles of driving each way, there's no chance I'd choose Chico over Redding personally.

I'm not sure I would draw any conclusions from the crime stats in Redding. The numbers change based on both what crime you're looking at and what location and some things, like murders, are so small that the stats are almost worthless. Even things like assaults are a little tough to judge, since smaller towns and rural areas tend to have higher rates "intimate" crimes (crime perpetrated by friends and family) than larger cities. Redding CA crime rates and statistics - NeighborhoodScout

There's meth out there sure, but, like most places, it's mostly concentrated in rural areas, and you wouldn't get away from that in Chico. Not sure what to tell you about "sexual predators", but the fact is that most Megan's Law offenders aren't really repeat offender-type sexual predators, and the chances of your child being preyed upon by someone that is not in your family and who you don't know personally are *extremely* low.

Both locations have a pretty long road to a "major city" (Chico is closer to Sac, but it's still not a trip you'll want to make too regularly), but both will have everything you need. Redding is a bigger city and probably has a bit more going on overall, though CSU Chico brings a lot of cultural events, etc, to town.

[JohnSoCal]

I would definitely choose Redding because of the long commute from Chico. The 2 cities are pretty similar in many respects. They are both almost the same population. Housing is cheaper in Redding. Crime is slightly lower in Redding. Chico is a College town.

[calnbs]

Lived in both places and I prefer Chico. I don't know, may be it's because I was 18 yrs old and was living on my own. Looking back, all I remember about Redding was Whiskeytown Lake and the dang hot, hot unforgiving summers. I still remember like it was just yesterday; I was 16 years old and took a job as a landscaper to earn a few bucks during my break. All I can think was: Wow! It sucks to be me because it's 121 degrees outside today. LMAO.

Both are small towns, both are safe as safe can be. It's not like it's Stockton, CA or South Central LA. Not much to do in town. Not much traffic when I was there.

If you decide on Chico, best you avoid living where students are living. They can get loud and party all night long. Nothing worst than a bunch of drunk college kids screaming their heads off at 2 AM in the morning. I should know....lol. I remember my neighbor almost shank a friend of mine with a kitchen knife when he wouldn't shut up.

[MAXIALE02]

Thanks calnbs.

[Curmudgeon]

Chico! Cuter, closer to an airport and cooler in the summer.

[BeauCharles]

If you're primary workplace will be Redding make it easier on yourself - commuting from Chico would be a pain. You could also live in Anderson or Cottonwood. Small towns down I-5 a bit from Redding. It would shave 10-15 minutes off the trip each way when you need to go to Chico. If you're going to be working in Chico more than occasionally there's always Red Bluff - 30 miles to Redding, 45 miles to Chico.

[prosin]

Having lived in both places (Chico in the late '80s to early '90s and Redding from early '90s to mid 2000s), I love Chico, but the commute almost daily to Redding would be brutal. You would be on the road for approximately 3 hours total--it takes about 1.5 hours one way, given two-lane highway traffic on 99 from Chico to Red Bluff before hitting I-5 to get to Redding.

I'd also recommend looking at areas like Palo Cedro and Bella Vista just east of Redding. Both offer a bit of retail (grocery stores, auto supply, restaurants) so your family wouldn't have to go into Redding proper every day for things. North Cow Creek SD, Junction SD, and Bella Vista SD are also pretty well rated. Foothill High School is in Palo Cedro. And let's just say the socio-economic level is higher in that area. Lots of ranches/ranchettes.

My vote is to live in the Redding area, but plan on a few outings to Chico for special events (A Taste of Chico, concerts at the Fairgrounds, outings to Bidwell Park, etc.)

And if you do choose Redding, be sure to buy your season passes to Waterworks Park early. We used ours at least twice a week in the summer!

[Fargobound]

Chico hands down, Redding is a cesspool of human filth these days. Don't believe me check out local paper.

[fleens]

I have lived in the Red Bluff area for forty years and one year ago moved to Chico (LOVE IT). I agree with the other posters saying that a regular commute to Redding would be brutal, though, in terms of time spent on the road. I commute to Red Bluff from Chico for work and I wouldn't want to go any further. It costs me about $250 a month for gas just doing that.

The nice thing about the Redding area is that you have Lake Shasta, Mt. Shasta, Whiskeytown Lake, the coast, and Oregon border within a 2-3 hour drive. And of course the Sacramento River is beautiful.

Palo Cedro and Bella Vista have that nice country living feel. I would look there first if it was me. Not Anderson. To me, Anderson is just not an attractive community. Ick.

You can get an idea of local happenings and crime reports by visiting Redding Record Searchlight: Local Redding, California News Delivered Throughout the Day.. Good luck and welcome to Northern California!