Where to move? Modesto or Riverside, CA?

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by orangeapple

Besides, LA is ranked the worst county in SoCal for health risks from bad air quality, and San Bernardino is the worst for overall smog, with Fresno in second place (for whoever implied it's worse in Riverside than in Fresno - riiight ).

Yes Riverside is worse for ozone than Fresno. Ozone is the main component of smog. Sorry, hate to burst your bubble.

The Lung Association numbers are done on a county level but show many more ozone violations for Riverside County than Fresno County. Purple is the worse (unhealthy ozone levels), Riverside County saw 14 days in that category while Fresno County had none.
http://www.stateoftheair.org/2009/states/california/

But Riverside and Fresno Counties are huge with areas outside both cities that see the highest levels of smog, like Banning or Perris in Riverside County.

So here are the city level numbers from the California Air Resources Board.

This is the number of days each of the last 3 years that the city of Riverside and the city of Fresno violated the Federal 8-hour ozone standard.

Fresno (Sierra SkyPark Monitoring Station): 2008 - 39 days; 2007 - 18 days; 2006 - 54 days
Riverside (Rubidoux Monitoring Station): 2008 - 64 days; 2007 - 46 days; 2006 - 57 days

I pulled the actual data by drilling down in the data at Welcome to the California Air Resources Board

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by SouthSideModesto

Just as you proved, those stats were not accurate.

And what you have to understand is that Modesto is a traditionally racist community. The worst areas of the city are in county pockets and they are composed of mostly Mexicans, blacks, Asians and poor whites. So the area that should be considered the city of Modesto is really above 300,000 in population and has a much higher crime rate than what is currently in the city limits.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. In 1995 almost 1/2 of all violent crime in the county was committed in South Modesto, which is composed mostly of county pockets, and made up only a small portion of the county's population at that time.

Modesto used to be a rural community, so most of the crimes here went unreported. As Modesto has become a bigger city it has become more safe, but it is still bad.

I understand about the pockets completely. That is a basic problem with some numbers, be it crime or demographics or something else. The boundaries can be a problem.

And even within a city, some neighborhoods are safer than others. For all of the high crime in the flatlands, Oakland has some great safe areas in the hills.

[Reignman]

Originally Posted by SouthSideModesto

Reignman, this is coming from somebody who has lived in Modesto most of his life, and has stayed in LA County for long periods of time. Modesto isn't considered the Worst City in America for no reason. It has been the card theft capital of the nation 5 of the last 6 years. Crime here is horrible, and most of it goes unreported. You can definitely avoid living in the ghetto by buying a house for over $200k, but remember, you still have to go shopping where everybody else does.

The southern part of Modesto is VERY BAD by any standards. Below Yosemite Ave and Maze Blvd, there are no good areas. If you decide to buy in Modesto, head as far North-East as possible. Modesto is by no means a "small town." It is a metro area of over 500,000 people. What most people don't understand is that even people in neighboring counties, like Ripon (San Joaquin) and Delhi, Livingston (Merced) come to Modesto for a lot of things, so it is more like a metro area of over 600,000.

Lately, crime has spread to North Modesto, and places that were once considered safe, like the Vintage Faire Mall and Red Lobster, are no longer safe. Just do a search on google news for Modesto gangs, Modesto shootings, Modesto robbery, etc., and you'll get a little taste of what you're in for. Don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.

SouthSideModesto,
I do appreciate the "insider" view of Modesto. That's invaluable for me. My wife and I did visit Modesto in October of 2008 and it had a "small town" feel to it. Of course, I'm coming from the Seattle area. All expressions of sizes are relative. What can I say

I've lived in some real dumps in my life -- NYC, New Haven, CT, and Philly. But my home has always been the Seattle area. I know my life in either Modesto area or Inland Empire area will be different than my life in Seattle. That's as clear as the sky (Seattle sky, that is). In Seattle, I feel fairly comfortable driving through housing projects. It's that safe here. Housing projects in NYC or New Haven were like war zones -- cars burnt up on the sides of streets, no one walking around, ... You could really smell danger. Well, this was in the late 80s and early 90s.

If I take the job in Modesto, we'll most likely live in Ripon -- what appears to be a safe haven or sort, likely far enough for gang bangers to not bother with. Well, I hope.

[SouthSideModesto]

Originally Posted by Reignman

SouthSideModesto,
I do appreciate the "insider" view of Modesto. That's invaluable for me. My wife and I did visit Modesto in October of 2008 and it had a "small town" feel to it. Of course, I'm coming from the Seattle area. All expressions of sizes are relative. What can I say

I've lived in some real dumps in my life -- NYC, New Haven, CT, and Philly. But my home has always been the Seattle area. I know my life in either Modesto area or Inland Empire area will be different than my life in Seattle. That's as clear as the sky (Seattle sky, that is). In Seattle, I feel fairly comfortable driving through housing projects. It's that safe here. Housing projects in NYC or New Haven were like war zones -- cars burnt up on the sides of streets, no one walking around, ... You could really smell danger. Well, this was in the late 80s and early 90s.

If I take the job in Modesto, we'll most likely live in Ripon -- what appears to be a safe haven or sort, likely far enough for gang bangers to not bother with. Well, I hope.

If you like the safe, quiet life, then Ripon is the best place for you. In between Modesto and Stockton, but with almost none of the crime that goes on in these areas.

[molokoid]

Modesto and Riverside are both located in a valley setting and each has its share of positives and negatives. I would choose Riverside because you would be much closer to lots of stuff. Riverside is an hour away from everything: L.A., San Diego County, Beaches, Mountains, etc. Riverside has a beautiful historic downtown with many turn-of-the-century homes. There are a great variety of homes from bungalows to mansions. Riverside has lots of recreational opportunities and is a good place to race a family. There are gangs everywhere. Personally, I live in a colorful neighborhood of Los Angeles but I have never felt unsafe.

[Hawk J]

I don't know about now but years ago Oakdale (north of Modesto) was a pretty nice town.

My son & his family live in Jamestown.

[SouthSideModesto]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

I don't know about now but years ago Oakdale (north of Modesto) was a pretty nice town.

My son & his family live in Jamestown.

There are some gangs in Oakdale, but for the most part is still a quiet town.

[LissieAnn]

I live in Modesto and it's terrible here. If you have lived here you would beg a difference on your opinions. I challenge anyone looking into Modesto to read the rant and raves section on craigslist. I have never lived in such a "poor" city with stuck up, unfriendly people. The majority of the people here are racist so beware of those attitudes emerging. For a city with a population over 200,000 people there are no jobs. If you are commuting to Tracy, Fresno, Sacramento, or the Bay Area and want a low cost of living, then I would choose somewhere else. I am from Sacramento, lived in the Bay area and the gold country (El Dorado County) and can't stand it here. Many of the non-Modesto natives will agree, this city is so centrally located with nothing to offer; it's not somewhere looking into. My fiancé is from SE Texas and he too hates it here. What a great impression of California he got, living in Modesto...HOOT!