Modesto? Is it a nice area? (Fresno, Sacramento: apartments, rentals, crime)

[Leilani]

Hi, I was looking at Craigslist and saw that Modesto looks cheaper for rentals and they look decent. What kind of a town is it? Is there a lot of crime?

I googled it and saw there was some odd satanic groups there, is this true?

Thanks for your comments.

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by Leilani

Hi, I was looking at Craigslist and saw that Modesto looks cheaper for rentals and they look decent. What kind of a town is it? Is there a lot of crime?

I googled it and saw there was some odd satanic groups there, is this true?

Thanks for your comments.

I know someone (female) who lives there in an apartment by herself and loves the area. However, I want to warn you that I have heard Modesto has gang and crime problems. If you are not afraid of these things (some people are not), and don't mind a 'rough' area, than maybe it would be worth it for you to live there.

[Leilani]

Well, if I saw a gang member "live" instead of seeing them on TV, I would probably have to change my underpants. LOL Maybe I better scratch that possibility!

Thanks

[KidBlue]

There are some nice areas in Modesto, but there are also some really rough areas. Since you don't want to have to invest a lot of money in underwear, you might want to look just a little further out to Ceres or Turlock. Turlock used to be mainly big turkey farms (not making that up), but is now a bedroom community for the Bay Area. There are a lot of nice, new apartments and homes going in. Definitely stay away from Stockton---you'll need even more underwear.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by Leilani

Hi, I was looking at Craigslist and saw that Modesto looks cheaper for rentals and they look decent. What kind of a town is it? Is there a lot of crime?

I googled it and saw there was some odd satanic groups there, is this true?

Thanks for your comments.

I grew up in Modesto and spent a lot of time going back and forth as an adult to visit my grandmother who lives near Orange and Sunrise (not so good area... ) , and my parents who live northeast of Modesto outside Oakdale on the Stanislaus River. I grew up in the La Loma neighborhood of Modesto (a few blocks from where Laci Peterson lived) and I attended La Loma Jr. High, then Downey High School. I came back to Modesto after my military service and went to Modesto Jr. College. It's become a big city and McHenry Avenue is still the main drag, though the city has spread northward too. It used to be that the Vintage Fair Mall was the northern limit, but now Modesto sprawls all around it. There are nice areas, like around the college, and there are charming older neighborhoods as well as newer areas. I never experienced crime there, but my understanding is that gangs indeed are a problem in some areas. However, the Modesto Police Department is very good too. I'd think renting should be relatively inexpensive there and there's lots to do and lots of job opportunities. However, don't even think about buying a house there until the housing market has truly hit the bottom. Modesto is rated among the top five most overvalued housing markets in the nation. OH, and no one mentioned it, but if you get winter blues, Modesto might test your patience...it is shrouded in a freezing super-dense fog for weeks at a time in the winter called Tule Fog. It's like a freezing cold wet blanket that dims everything and all is gray for weeks on end. Some people can't take it. KidBlue is right about avoiding Stockton..yuck... if Fresno is California's armpit, Stockton is California's infected wart.

[StampinTami]

Originally Posted by MoMark

I grew up in Modesto and spent a lot of time going back and forth as an adult to visit my grandmother who lives near Orange and Sunrise (not so good area... ) , and my parents who live northeast of Modesto outside Oakdale on the Stanislaus River. I grew up in the La Loma neighborhood of Modesto (a few blocks from where Laci Peterson lived) and I attended La Loma Jr. High, then Downey High School. I came back to Modesto after my military service and went to Modesto Jr. College. It's become a big city and McHenry Avenue is still the main drag, though the city has spread northward too. It used to be that the Vintage Fair Mall was the northern limit, but now Modesto sprawls all around it. There are nice areas, like around the college, and there are charming older neighborhoods as well as newer areas. I never experienced crime there, but my understanding is that gangs indeed are a problem in some areas. However, the Modesto Police Department is very good too. I'd think renting should be relatively inexpensive there and there's lots to do and lots of job opportunities. However, don't even think about buying a house there until the housing market has truly hit the bottom. Modesto is rated among the top five most overvalued housing markets in the nation. OH, and no one mentioned it, but if you get winter blues, Modesto might test your patience...it is shrouded in a freezing super-dense fog for weeks at a time in the winter called Tule Fog. It's like a freezing cold wet blanket that dims everything and all is gray for weeks on end. Some people can't take it. KidBlue is right about avoiding Stockton..yuck... if Fresno is California's armpit, Stockton is California's infected wart.

I'd have to agree with all of the above. There are some definate bad areas of town but there are also some really nice areas. Here in Stockton, even the areas that are suppost to be on the nicer side have thugs bringing it down...atleast Modesto does have nicer areas. I too grew up in the La Loma neighborhood and not too far from the Lacy Peterson thing (actually lived there during the whole ordeal). The fog is bad in the winter and it gets really cold. The traffic is really really bad! They have had so much new housing go in and did not do much to the roads to support all the new people. I hate driving through that town! I'd go to Modesto (in a nicer area) over Ceres. Turlock is a nice town that is also growing leaps and bounds. I moved there right before HS and went to HS there. I like the town but to me a lot of the people are a little snooty. Where are you coming from?

[leavingcali]

i lived in Riverbank for 18 years which meant I spend a lot of time in Modesto (Riverbank did not even have a movie theater when I lived there nor a major grocery store). My advice---don't live anywhere south of sacramento, especially Riverbank, Modesto, or Stockton. They are ugly, boring, overpriced towns. Oakdale is considerably better than Modesto and Riverbank, but it is also overpriced. Sacramento is much better.

[Leilani]

Thanks everyone for all your help and info. I am trying to avoid areas that have gang issues.

Now this Tule Fog, turkey farms and gangs along with over priced homes just makes it really "interesting". LOL Maybe I will skip Modesto.

I have been in California for the "June Gloom" and that was bad enough but at least is was warm. Now if this one is a freezing one....I'll pass

Thanks again for everyone's help

[RCL]

Not only Stockton, but whatever you do, stay out of Lodi.

Bad crime area.

[RCL]

Originally Posted by Leilani

Thanks everyone for all your help and info. I am trying to avoid areas that have gang issues.

Now this Tule Fog, turkey farms and gangs along with over priced homes just makes it really "interesting". LOL Maybe I will skip Modesto.

I have been in California for the "June Gloom" and that was bad enough but at least is was warm. Now if this one is a freezing one....I'll pass

Thanks again for everyone's help

There are some nice smaller towns outside of Modesto. And there still are some very nice areas in Modesto.

A very nice area to live is a bit further north in Paradise. It's not really within commuting distance to the Bay Area but you can commute to the Sacramento area from there. Winters are relatively mild. It's in the foothills so they do get some snow, but not a lot, and it melts away quickly. Due to the higher elevation, summers are also mild.

Auburn is also nice, but pricey...similar wintertime scenario.

Folsom and El Dorado Hills are nice areas, also pricey, and milder winters (occasional dusting of snow). They are considered bedroom communities for Sacramento.

Roseville is also a nice area. It's in the flatland so no snow and summers are a bit warmer, but the community is clean and safe.

One area to avoid (a bit further north) is Oroville. Also bad crime and drug area. But outside of Oroville are some very nice little towns.

I would avoid Chico unless you have an academia-related career. The university there is known as a party school and it has a heavy influence on the town.

If you are not dependent on a certain employer, another nice area to live in that's not as built up is near Redding. You have 4 seasons there (not too much snow but a little bit every winter). There is Lake Shasta nearby which is a great recreation area. And you're about 3 hrs from the coast (Humboldt County). Summers are hot, but dry, so it's bearable and it does cool off a bit at night because of the Pacific Ocean influence. If I could do it all over again I think I would have moved there instead of Southern Utah. It's not perfect, but it's a nice area of CA to be in. The area is growing so the economy is not upside down, although property is starting to get expensive. But I would imagine that it's going to continue to appreciate well over the next decade as the area grows.