Help Pease Moving to !! Stockton CA (San Diego, Sacramento: for sale, real estate, foreclosed)

[resusgirl]

Hi

Have just come across this web page, now feeling alittle concerned. I have just accepted a job in Stockton. Working in Dameron Hospital. Won't be moving over until late 2008/09. Feel concerned about all the negative stuff I'm reading about the area.... is it really that bad

Living in the UK at the mo....will be moving onver with my 3 kids..all teenagers.
Where should I think about sending them to school and WHERE should I look at living

Thanks
Karen

[sonarrat]

There are some nice parts.. the Lake Lincoln area, which roughly falls into the 95219 ZIP code, represents one of the best. But it's still very affordable by California standards, probably because you still have to tell people you live in Stockton.

French Camp, Manteca and Lathrop are also better than most of Stockton. But unfortunately the whole area is being negatively impacted by a high volume of foreclosed homes; the resulting blight is leaving a pall on the San Joaquin Valley that it won't recover from anytime soon.

[elcapitan]

Might as well choose now..red or blue. Sorry, bad joke, but there is too many great places in this country to settle for Stockton. Good luck.

[resusgirl]

Thanks for that...was looking North of Stockton. Would it be worth buying up towards Sacremento and commuting??? Thanks for all your help and suggestions

[resusgirl]

what about Lodi and Woodbridge... how do they compare??

[DMenscha]

Linden just east of Stockton. nice little farming community and easy commute to Dameron. Probably cheaper than anyplace in Stockton as well. Linden has a high school also.

[resusgirl]

Thaks I will look into ...

[Stocktonian]

Alex Spanos - Billionaire Real Estate Developer; Owner of the San Diego Chargers, lives in Lincoln Village, Stockton 95207 (He could afford to live any other place!) I also live in Lincoln Village,-2 blocks away from Mr. Spanos. Our neighborhood is safe, and affordable! I am selling my house for 399,950, you might want to check out Metrolist to see houses available for sale, and check out another web sites forums, to learn more about stockton!

[JCheng91]

Stockton is not bad. If you have a higher income, move to the gated Brookside Communities.

[jdmz76]

Hi,

I'm not sure how often you check this, but I grew up in Stockton, and while it has had its negative aspects, I can say this for my hometown, it is a city that is finally growing up! The downtown has been under constant revitalization bringing leisure activities including an arena, a downtown baseball park and a new Sheraton Hotel. Cinemas and an event center are there too. Four sports teams in baseball, hockey, arena football and indoor soccer play at the downtown waterfront. Your kids, if sports fans, will love it.

I teach in the North Stockton area on occasion, and for the most part, the kids can be a little rougher than say in neighboring Lodi. If you move to North Stockton, your kids may go to Bear Creek or McNair high schools, both bad choices for education (I went to Bear Creek when it first opened, and even then it was not all that great). The Spanos Park neighborhood is where a lot of new homes are being put in, but just so you know the entire west side of Interstate 5 is flood plain. Another reader mentioned Lathrop---a few years ago it was flooded and you could only see the ridgeline of the rooftops of a few homes in the area.

Just so you know, I love Stockton....its like any big city with growth though....there are going to be problems no matter where you go. The profile of Stockton's residents is changing and has been for many years due to the influx of people from the expensive Bay Area. With this influx of more sophisticated individuals, Stockton will itself become more sophisticated.

If you want your kids to get a good high school education (you said teens), move into the Lincoln School District (like another reader posted--by Billionaire Alex Spanos); or send them to St. Mary's private high school. If any of them are in college already, Stockton has a good community college and the University of the Pacific, which is a very well known institution of higher education in the country.

I live in Sacramento (Sac) now, close to Elk Grove. A lot of people I know commute from Elk Grove to Stockton, which is closer than Sac. Elk Grove would be an ideal place for your kids where much of the city is relatively new. It will be about a 45 minute drive for you to Dameron specifically. The opportunities for education and entertainment are endless in this location due to its close proximity to Sacramento, the foothills and Tahoe/Reno.

I hope this tidbit of extra information on the surrounding area helps.

Good luck in your search. By the way....what will you be doing at Dameron?