Englishman considering Redding, CA (San Diego, San Francisco: houses, law school, college)

[eureka1]

Eureka to Redding takes about 3 hrs and there some twists and turns but I don't recall any switchbacks. Are you sure you're not confusing 299 with 36 which DOES take five hours and hooks up with I-5 at Red Bluff,not Redding?

[Shope]

Interesting that you switched gears from Redding to SF so quickly. Tell us what you want and we'll go from there.

[notmeofficer]

IT in Redding... hmmm.. about the only IT there is in Redding is free wi-fi at the local campground... that being said Redding to San Fran is so juxtaposed they arent even on the same planet....

You might consider somewhere north of San Francisco.. but the housing prices will reflect higher numbers than anything around Redding. English accents are pretty rare in Redding and you might feel like a fish out of water.... and you've never experienced heat anything like what we have here... over 105 its just plain hot and you do not want to be standing in it...

[City Boy]

Redding? You'll hate it. There are small towns all around the bay area also and the Tech field out here is probably the largest in the world.

[ShastaLiving]

We get a lot of folks moving to Redding from the bay area, specifically because they're trying to get a way from the high living cost. Another reason they move her is because they're tired of the congestion, too busy! Yes it's cooler (actually cold even in the summer) and yes it's beautiful but that gets old pretty quickly given it's so expensive. We like it here in Redding because it's affordable, we have water too (lakes, rivers and beautiful streams) and when we get that "city urge" we drive to San Francisco. It's tough to get a job here, it's not impossible but certainly harder give the economic times we're all facing. I suggest you start looking for something sooner rather than later (that's if you're still considering Redding). Finallly, the third reason people move here is to raise their children in a low-crime, slow-pace, quality of life town. We have excellent shools, (including the up and coming Redding School of The Arts), Charter Schools, Shasta College and Simpson University.

Our best to you and your family!
Chris & Maria

[impala666]

The job will be the key and that will drive everything else,to get a good job at this time with a BA or Bsc I would consider as almost impossible.
If I were you I would wait another year save as much as possible and get on a one year MA from September, you will be in a much stronger position in terms of getting a job and decent pay.
If the houses are cheap in a particular area there is a reason for it,usually no jobs or high crime.
Also the bigger city's give you much more opportunity LA SF and SD are all places you should consider.
I would rent for at least a year until you find your feet.
Good luck and don't be put off by the doom merchants it really is much better here.

[CherryCarrie]

Hello Sir (I am a few months late in finding your post in a timely manner, but I did run across this, so figured I would still answer, in case anyone else ever happens to have a similar question, as my answers come first hand from someone who has lived here for over 30 years).

A brief note on myself: I am a 44 year old single female. My parents completely uprooted the very happy and content life my brother and I both knew in far SOUTHERN CA (Burbank, CA), the year I turned 13.
They did not exactly have a plan for which city up "here" we were moving to, but we were just told it would be a great place with lots of room to play and have fun. Once we arrived in a location outside of Redding (about 30 mins) named HAPPY VALLEY, my brother and I realized that my parents OBVIOUSLY had just transplanted us straight into GREEN ACRES, and the only thing missing to prove it was Arnold the pig! I do not think coming from Los Angeles to this neck of CA could be described any better than to say... it was BEYOND CULTURE SHOCK. I hated my parents (and oh I hated this place). UNTIL.... that first summer.
NEVER could my parents have picked a better place to bring up two kids.
As an adult (and now armed with the knowledge of what sorts of lifes my friends back in so. CA ended up living as young adults and even now as ADULTS), I have no doubt.... I was BLESSED my parents forced this "Horrible" way of life on my sibling and I. We had not a care in the world, and the world was ours. In order to "GO PLAY ON THE FREEWAY" as city folks say ... we would have had to first walk 35 miles! We had all the freedom we wanted (good for US), and it insured us all the safety in the world (gotta love those dead end dirt roads and sprawling olive orchards... so good for our FOLKS). Anyhow, that was Redding area of my youth, and Burbank ceased to be my HOME within that first year. THIS was home..
Happy Valley was the outskirts of 'Redding', and we did actually move into the BIG TOWN about 7 years ago. To compare the Redding area of my youth to today, brings a certain amount of saddness to me. I can only answer your questions as honestly as I can.
First, the people who asked of you WHY?? in regards to considering Redding, have obviously not spent any amount of time here.
This IS GOD'S COUNTRY. It is pure candy to the eyes anywhere near Redding. We are surrounded literally by mountains to every direction (save SOUTH). We are a water lover's OASIS. My eyes drink in every inch of the beauty that surrounds me daily, and I thank God I live here.
The job market here overall STINKS though sadly (however, many more professional jobs have been arriving left and right, and I would say that YES, you could get a job that suited you, it might just take some looking). Your stated budget would land you in a LOVELY HOME with plenty of acres, far enough from any neighbor that is for SURE!

Shasta county (where Redding is), is truly an outdoorsmans dream. There are more things to do RECREATIONALLY here where I am within a 75 mile radius, than ANYWHERE in the USA. Anywhere. So on that note, raising a family here, well it can be just ideal. However, you (Or anyone considering it), would truly need to look deep inside and evaluate your definition of "warm". The reason for this is, warm to US is not what MOST consider warm. It is a bit warm right now (to me). It is 2 am. ... and it just got down to 85 degrees. Summer can last up to 5 months some years it NEVER ENDS it seems. On the average though, June-early to mid sept is "SUMMER", and there is nothing warm about it. Days RARELY will get below 100. I have seen 129 myself at the highest temp (though OFFICIALLY they list it at I think 123, I know for a fact, it was 129 one year). Summer truly is the only thing about Redding area I hate. If someone really does LOVE WARM WEATHER, well this would be there place! lol
It is the employment and job market that I would worry about MOST in your shoes. You might be better suited to either heading towards the bay area , OR, Sacramento (which I personally think is much nicer, as it mirrors Redding area much more closely).
We have volcanos, rivers, lakes galore, streams, creeks, you name it (and no, Mount Lassen is not an inactive, but an active volcano). Mount Shasta (the far bigger and purtier mountain in my view), is in fact the one that is asleep.
Where did you end up considering? Or moving to? I would highly suggest to you dear friend, no matter where, if you are anywhere in the state of CA, you DO make it a point with your family to visit Shasta County (Redding area). I do not think you would be sorry. The beauty here is unsurpassed, and no matter where I lay my head in life, this will to me ALWAYS BE HOME.
Peace and Love,
Carrie

Originally Posted by Parkers233

Hello all, After 6 months of researching different cities around the U.S, I think I have found a place that may be the perfect city for me to relocate to. I graduated from The University of Chester (England) with a bachelors degree in Information Technology and ever since graduating 2 years ago I have been looking at moving to the U.S. Since my last post on these forums I have stumbled upon Redding, California. I like the fact that its a small city in CA and has affordable homes. Anyway I was hoping that someone could answer these few questions that I have.

- What is the job market like for IT?
- What's the crime like in and around the city?
- I have a budget between about 250k to 350k, would this get me a nice home in the area?
- Would the city be a good place to start a family in? if not could you recommend a better one in Northern California?

I appreciate your time and help, thank you.

[CraftCrazedWoman]

Originally Posted by kiwilover70

It is not "warm surroundings" it is down right hellish hot in the summer. I remember driving through there one July and I felt sufficated from the heat. The temperature is always at the high end of the heat range in the summer time. Pardon to those who live in the area But next to Oroville I think Redding is one of those towns I would avoid at all costs.

Ah, I can tell that you've never lived in Ramona, the Ramona located outside of San Diego, where the llast two historic wildfires/firestorms began, where the hills and mountains grow nothing but rocks, where the rednecks are alive and well, where the school kids deal weed in order to support their cigarette habits, and the general atmosphere is just plain ewww.

Not that I hate it, as I grew up just down the hill from Ramona, in the town of Poway, which was equally dismal when I was a kid, but is pretty moneied and high-falutin' now, with McMansions all over the place.

Glad to be here in redding and away from the hell of So Cal, including the $1500 and up rent for a decent apartment in the city, and $1000 rent for a relatively crappy apartment in the boondocks. Here. we're paying closer to $700/month, free water, free satellite TV, low gas bill, low electricity bill (ours ran about $300/mo in So Cal) and at least twice the space, plus a garage!

And I am certainly not unhappy about the move, except the packing part, the driving the U-Haul over the Grapevine, the long haul up the I5, the unloading of said truck (packed to the gills) and now the unpacking.

But we've got A/C, which beats heck out of one house we rented in Ramona, where it was 100 degrees when we moved in, and stayed between that and 112 degrees until the end of November.

Then, there are those fires, but we'll leave that nightmare for another post.

[BlendyWee]

I wonder if the OP ended up moving to Redding? Lovely place for a vacation, I've spent a lot of time there visiting family. Real estate has gotten a lot cheaper recently, but there have never been a lot of jobs.

[Yestermorrow]

Redding is red-neck, conservative, tea-baggers. You need to know some one to get any where. There are two classes, haves and have-nots, I forgot the ones in debt, putting on a show. After 30 years I am leaving soon!!!!! I will miss the beauty.