Areas around Stockton, Discovery Bay, Tracy, etc. (San Francisco, Antioch: low crime, houses)

[expatfamily]

Hi everyone, we will most likely be moving to Stockton this fall for my husband's work. Based on information from the internet and current Stockton residents, we think it might be best/safest to live outside of Stockton. Ideally we are hoping to keep my husband's commute to 30 minutes or less if we can. We have 2 kids, age 2 & 4 and we are looking for a safe, fun place to raise our kids. A city with good schools and friendly people. A place where we can be outdoors, get to know our neighbors, and maybe have a little social life with other families. My first thought is Discovery Bay but we are open to other areas as well. I'm wondering how the commute is on the 4 into Stockton and if Discovery Bay will feel a little too isolated. I'm also curious about Tracy or Mountain High. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Even though it's only 10-15 minutes farther, Brentwood might be a little too far for us. I feel that we are one of the lucky few who are NOT commuting to the bay area. I would love to hear about the vibe in the cities around Stockton and to hopefully pick a city that's a good fit for us. Thanks for your help!

[mstnghu2]

Well, you're starting off on the right foot...avoid Stockton! The bad things you've probably already heard about it are pretty much all true. It does have some nice neighborhoods, but they're still close to bad ones and the bad ones can be very bad.

I have a family member who lives with his wife and kids on the north side of town off of 8 Mile Rd. and he hasn't personally had any issues. There have been assaults and burglaries within his newer neighborhood though. He is currently a deputy for the CHP and has worked around the San Joaquin county area for a long time. He doesn't recommend for anybody to move to Stockton and he would sell his house if he wasn't so upside-down (he's been trying). He also told me that Mountain House is bad too. As a CHP deputy, he says he's assisted in many drug bust operations in the neighborhoods there. It's very common for a home to be rented out and used to house drug dealing operations. He said burglaries are common as well. This is all from a conversation I just had with him a few weeks ago at a family event. I do have a co-worker who lives not far from the south end of Stockton (which is supposedly one of the highest crime areas) and he has never personally had any trouble in his neighborhood. Most of the residents around him are owners and have lived on the block for a long time and look out for each other...I'd honestly consider that to be the exception rather than the rule though. Even he knows about Stockton's major issues with crime and other problems facing the city. He got a killer deal on his house though and would never have been able to get a place similar anywhere in the Bay Area.

I have quite a few co-workers who live in Tracy, Manteca and Lathrop. Apart from their commutes to the Bay Area, they actually love living out there. They like the strong sense of community and think it's a good place to raise their families. I've driven in and around those communities many times but don't have any personal experience living there. Due to the cost of living in the Bay Area, I'd be willing to do it if the commute wasn't so terrible. Of all the people I know who live out there, none of them have anything bad to say.

Brentwood and Discovery Bay are the nicest of the communities you mentioned but also the furthest from Stockton. Discovery Bay is great if you're into boating. There's a marina there and many of the homes actually have docks behind their houses that are right on the delta. I wouldn't necessarily recommend DB if you're not into boating. That's the main theme of the community. Brentwood is nice overall but a long commute from Stockton and is too close to crime-filled Antioch/Pittsburg, in my opinion.

[LakersWon310]

I disagree. Stockton is actually not that bad. Each bad area of Stockton has a good area to it. Also, keep in mind Stockton is third busiest port on the West Coast.

[sacreole]

Just to south of Manteca and still within San Joaquin County is the town of Ripon. Very nice, stable and family-oriented community with low crime. Population is about 15,000 along SR-99, which is about 30 minutes away from Stockton. Another option would be the city of Lodi located 8 to 10 miles north of Stockton.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

I have a family member who lives with his wife and kids on the north side of town off of 8 Mile Rd. and he hasn't personally had any issues. There have been assaults and burglaries within his newer neighborhood though. He is currently a deputy for the CHP and has worked around the San Joaquin county area for a long time. He doesn't recommend for anybody to move to Stockton and he would sell his house if he wasn't so upside-down (he's been trying). He also told me that Mountain House is bad too. As a CHP deputy, he says he's assisted in many drug bust operations in the neighborhoods there. It's very common for a home to be rented out and used to house drug dealing operations. He said burglaries are common as well.

California Highway Patrol Officers are never called "deputies". Only personnel working for a County Sheriff's Department are called deputies. It would be very, very unusual for a highway patrol officer to assist in drug bust operations, they are traffic officers and only assist local police when there is an emergency situation.

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by sacreole

Just to south of Manteca and still within San Joaquin County is the town of Ripon. Very nice, stable and family-oriented community with low crime. Population is about 15,000 along SR-99, which is about 30 minutes away from Stockton. Another option would be the city of Lodi located 8 to 10 miles north of Stockton.

Ripon was my first thought in that area - especially with small children that will be attending local schools in a few years. Both the public school district and Ripon Christian Schools are very good. Clean, safe little town - somewhat atypical for the area.

[expatfamily]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions about the area. We finally booked flights for mid September so that we can visit the area.

I'm sure Stockton has some nice areas but I worry about being close to the bad areas as well as crime and even violent crime. One resident told me (recently) that there had been 9 shootings in the last 2 weeks. On paper, I'm totally sold on Discovery Bay, but I really have no idea what it's really like as well as the vibe of the area. We aren't necessarily into boating but we love the idea of paddle boarding and being outside on the weekends. On paper, DB is 20 miles and 30 minutes from Stockton. But does anyone have info on what the actual commute would look like with traffic? I'm hoping that we are going against traffic for the most part, as so many people seem to be commuting toward the bay area rather than away from it.

I have heard of drugs, meth labs, and gangs around the Tracy area, which of course makes me nervous. But I will keep an open mind and look at houses there as well as Manteca. We will definitely check out Ripon as well, thanks for the tip! Especially with young children, I am looking for a safe and quiet little oasis where we are all comfortable and where my husband doesn't have to drive too much.

And weather! I'm told its hot in the summers! But what about winters? I've checked temps online but I'd love real advice. Cold enough for boots and jackets? Or even cold enough for coats? And when we come mid September will it still be summer warm shorts weather or should I pack jeans and jackets?

Although we are moving from Panama, we are originally from Southern California and are excited to get to know the northern part of our home state. Thanks again for your help!

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

California Highway Patrol Officers are never called "deputies". Only personnel working for a County Sheriff's Department are called deputies. It would be very, very unusual for a highway patrol officer to assist in drug bust operations, they are traffic officers and only assist local police when there is an emergency situation.

Not true. The chp is in everything. My best friend was head of autotheft task force in Stockton with chp. They did all manner of busts, warrants, cyber crimes, he even did pango boat surveillance off the coast.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by expatfamily

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions about the area. We finally booked flights for mid September so that we can visit the area.

I'm sure Stockton has some nice areas but I worry about being close to the bad areas as well as crime and even violent crime. One resident told me (recently) that there had been 9 shootings in the last 2 weeks. On paper, I'm totally sold on Discovery Bay, but I really have no idea what it's really like as well as the vibe of the area. We aren't necessarily into boating but we love the idea of paddle boarding and being outside on the weekends. On paper, DB is 20 miles and 30 minutes from Stockton. But does anyone have info on what the actual commute would look like with traffic? I'm hoping that we are going against traffic for the most part, as so many people seem to be commuting toward the bay area rather than away from it.

I have heard of drugs, meth labs, and gangs around the Tracy area, which of course makes me nervous. But I will keep an open mind and look at houses there as well as Manteca. We will definitely check out Ripon as well, thanks for the tip! Especially with young children, I am looking for a safe and quiet little oasis where we are all comfortable and where my husband doesn't have to drive too much.

And weather! I'm told its hot in the summers! But what about winters? I've checked temps online but I'd love real advice. Cold enough for boots and jackets? Or even cold enough for coats? And when we come mid September will it still be summer warm shorts weather or should I pack jeans and jackets?


Although we are moving from Panama, we are originally from Southern California and are excited to get to know the northern part of our home state. Thanks again for your help!

You'll be fine with the weather coming from Panama. Stockton is a mixed bag but has plenty of good areas and people. When you live there like I did you just learn to run in your own circles. Stockton is different in that it's not a suburb it's very much it's own city as opposed to these other areas your looking at. It has some real pluses has great food options but yes choose your neighborhood wisely. Where is your husband working?

September will have great weather. Summers can be hot but are up and down from mid 80s to over 100 for stretches. Nice thing is it gets breezes coming in from the bay so it has cool nights.
Winter gets cool but not down right cold. Jackets at times for sure, more rain than SoCal. It will also get stretched with serious fog. No snow. The location allows you to be in the sierras with snow within an hour or in San Francisco or Monterey in 1.5 hours.

[BeauCharles]

Central Valley weather is pretty much shorts and t-shirts from May through October. Winters are mild by US standards - a jacket is pretty much all you usually need (definitely no boots, scarves, hats, heavy coats, etc...). Nights are usually in the 30s and 40s and days are usually in the 50s and 60s. Frost occasionally. There's ground fog once in a while after it rains enough. That can be a problem for a morning commute, although its not nearly as bad now as a couple decades ago - climate change. In general the climate is pretty darn mild compared to most of the country.