Turlock or Stockton? (San Diego, San Francisco, Long Beach: crime rates, neighborhoods, theater)

[juju226]

I'm relocating from San Diego and am looking into areas where they have affordable paralegal certificate programs. So far I have found the [u]most affordable [/U} programs at the Cal State University @ Stanislaus where they have the program at both their Turlock and Stockton campuses. I have never been to either of these places. Can anyone give me some feedback as to the pros and cons over one of the areas over the other? Thanks.

[cleosmom]

Okay, so far that's not much of a choice I'm afraid I'm guessing from when I was there last, Turlock. However if you have the choice of anywhere else, I'd go for some place entirely different.

[gizmo980]

Sorry, but I have to agree with Cleo on this one! I don't know much about Turlock, but I lived in Stockton for a few years (while attending UOP), and really didn't like it... HOT weather, high crime, boring scenery (what scenery??), no real downtown, racially divided, bad shopping, and so forth. On the up side, it's in-between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, affordable, UOP's campus is beautiful, and there are a few decent neighborhoods - namely Brookside, Grouse Run, and parts of North Stockton. You may want to consider the town of Lodi, which is about 15 minutes north... it's fairly cute, and has less crime than Stockton. Hope this helps!

[EscapeCalifornia]

I thought paralegal programs were something you could get just about anywhere. Why move the the middle of nowhere for it?

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I thought paralegal programs were something you could get just about anywhere. Why move the the middle of nowhere for it?

Well, she (he?) did say "affordable" in the post, and that's not possible anywhere else in California!

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Well, she (he?) did say "affordable" in the post, and that's not possible anywhere else in California!

Hmm. My wife's getting an approved paralegal certificate from the local community college. I can't see a Cal State being any cheaper.

[gizmo980]

Oh, but if I HAD to pick between Stockton and Turlock, I'd probably choose Stockton... simply because it's a bigger town, with all the basic amenities you need. Turlock is pretty "boonie", and that can get annoying after a while (to me, at least).

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Hmm. My wife's getting an approved paralegal certificate from the local community college. I can't see a Cal State being any cheaper.

I was just kidding... honestly, I have no idea about the costs, at least not without doing some research. But the cost-of-living is certainly cheap in the Central Valley, for all the reasons I listed above as "negatives".

[RobE]

Dude,Stockton is a grimy hole. It reminds me of Long Beach and other scummy towns, though even Long Beach is probably nicer. Avoid it like the plague! Here are the crime rates for Stockton and Turlock:Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

[Scooby]

Originally Posted by RobE

Dude,Stockton is a grimy hole. It reminds me of Long Beach and other scummy towns, though even Long Beach is probably nicer. Avoid it like the plague! Here are the crime rates for Stockton and Turlock:
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

As RobE says avoid Stockton at all cost. I live about in the center between both. Stockton being 20 minutes north and Turlock 20 minutes south. I will not go to Stockton for anything let alone live there. I really have a hard time believing that the crime data for there is correct. We went there once, downtown, for an evening comedy show at the theater and I was literally scared. I really had my doubts weather the car would even still be there when we came back out. Stockton has one nice area (housing) which is the west side (west of hwy 5). You will still need to go into town though for major shopping. Stockton is a scary enough place to drive through, please do not even consider living there.

Turlock is a very nice older town. The downtown area has been restored nicely with lots of nice little shops. As with any city you still have some not so nice areas, but NOTHING like Stockton. I feel safe pretty much anywhere there I would care to go. There are lots of major stores for shopping and good dining. Lots of options for housing available.