Stockon (Stockton, Lodi, Manteca: job market, neighborhood, movies)

[FutureFormerCalifornian]

Originally Posted by catpiperx

I was born and raised in Stockton & Manteca--left after H/S and moved back a few years ago because of family. This is not the place I want to continue to raise our children.

To say that I am ready to leave is an understatement--- I would NOT recommend living here-houses are outrageous-even in the worst part of town I refuse to pay $400 k for a dump in So. Stockton with gangs/drugs on my corner--just to be able to say I am a homeowner!

Good luck

ITA, this is our case. DH's best friend moved to Oklahoma City about 10 years ago and has been bugging us to come out. Long story short, DH has a job lined up in OKC that pays 50% more than he makes now AND we can afford to buy a house for about a year's salary (not even counting mine!!!!) in OKC vs $125K for an old ratty condo in Stockton/Lodi. We were looking into a condo here because that's all we could afford. Our rent now? $920. Our rent in an OKC suburb? $545 until the pet deposit is paid off, then $495/mo and we'll live there until we find our dream house. I have grilled and polled countless people because I didn't want to move into a Jeff Foxworthy joke, but I am not getting that vibe.

We are leaving CA mid December and I couldn't be happier!!!!!

[StampinTami]

Originally Posted by FutureFormerCalifornian

ITA, this is our case. DH's best friend moved to Oklahoma City about 10 years ago and has been bugging us to come out. Long story short, DH has a job lined up in OKC that pays 50% more than he makes now AND we can afford to buy a house for about a year's salary (not even counting mine!!!!) in OKC vs $125K for an old ratty condo in Stockton/Lodi. We were looking into a condo here because that's all we could afford. Our rent now? $920. Our rent in an OKC suburb? $545 until the pet deposit is paid off, then $495/mo and we'll live there until we find our dream house. I have grilled and polled countless people because I didn't want to move into a Jeff Foxworthy joke, but I am not getting that vibe.

We are leaving CA mid December and I couldn't be happier!!!!!

Woohoo!! Good for you! Good luck on the move!!

[catpiperx]

Well-according to the Stockton Record today-we are in the top 40 cities in the country that are crime ridden--St. Louis tops the list

That doesn't make me feel any better--over the weekend a car was stolen right outside our door-BTW we live in a GATED community--and unfortunately the gate was left opened and someone jacked the car---

I am so praying for greener pastures and a better life for my children...


Almost half the women I work with have husbands/boyfriends that are locked up

Also, a gentleman that I work with is originally from the Midwest---he absolutely doesn't understand why this community is sooo polluted. It was always considered the "armpit" of California--it now lives up to it's reputation.

There's no pot of gold or a rainbow here----I live here---I've also lived elsewhere and know that there are better environments out there.

[Stocktonian]

We moved from S. Califonia 6 years ago, and we want to help make it as nice a community as we can put together!Yes, the city has problems, joblessness and public safety, but we also have possitive things! And we are not the only oneswho love Stockton! ...Stockton billionaire developer Alex G. Spanos lives here in Stockton, in Lincoln Village (95207) and his grandkids currently attend the local school.

-Stockton, is located in the north-central region of the state. This ideal location gives residents easy access to Sacramento, San Francisco, and is within close proximity to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park.

-Stockton's residents are diverse. They represent nearly every culture on the globe, and every corner of America.Stockton was twice named an All-America City, 1999 and 2004.

-Stockton itself maintains the air of a close-knit small town. It feels worlds apart from the hustle and bustle of city living, yet is one of the fastest-growing communities in California, with a population of approximately 280,000 people.

-Stockton is in the midst of a downtown revitalization program, which will bring a host of new retailers, restaurants, galleries and housing units.We will have a new baseball stadium, indoor arena and new apartment buildings, to name just a few of the improvements.

Newcomers arriving to Stockton find an array of housing options. The median price starts at approximately $350,000. Stockton also has an assortment of dream homes 2,250,000land.

I send you this links
City of Stockton stocktongov.com
Available houses: [mod cut - real estate website]
Lincoln Unified School District: lusd.net
Local nespaper recordnet.com

[catpiperx]

Yes, Alex Spanos does live here--we live 2 blocks from his MANSION--that takes up the entire block and in all fairness to him, he has a beautiful manger scene in his front yard every Christmas(in fact it is life-size)...My daughter attends Lincoln High School---we are old "stockton" residents. My dad was a cop here in the 70's...as I stated in previous post, I was born and raised here, so I've seen the "good, bad & the ugly". I think that it's great that you love Stockton....I still live here too and there are positive things about here. Our church we attend is awesome and we have great friends that go there. My parents live in Brookside(the gated part)and they love their "big" house, but they also had their car STOLEN from the driveway a few years ago! The summers are blazing HOT and the winters are normally mild, but we definately have that great tule fog---you are right that we are centrally located between the Bay Area and Tahoe(love to travel to both places)..I work for a fairly large national company here and the job market in this community is poor--the wages here are lower than in Sacramento..we have more than our fair share of gangs/drugs/meth labs and these are in the "nicer" neighborhoods.

When a person buys a home here(in Spanos)and doesn't live in it because the home is housing a "pot farm" and the "close-knit" neighbors didn't even know about it? If the community was THAT close, the neighbors would have known that people weren't living in the homes--BTW it wasn't just 1 house, it was a few.....

On the plus side: We have the Thunder, the Ports, The Lightning and concerts that come to the new Arena(which is awesome!) We do have that great theater downtown and the waterfront--but can you honestly walk around later in the evenings in that area? Probably not---

We live here because we have our church, family & friends. Can we buy here? No--We both have decent jobs w/decent wages, but we STILL can't afford a home here--granted, some of the homes have come down in price, but not by much. There was a time that Stockton did have that small town feel, but in 1999--that started changing w/the Silicon Valley boom,and more and more people moving from the Bay Area to the valley.......

[socal06]

Yes all of this about Stockton is very true. It's really sad and disappointing about how most California cities are decaying thanks to gangs. I hate to see this sh*t on the news (excuse my language), but it seems about 10+ murders everyday thanks to the gangs. Statictics prove that about 75% of gang members in California are Hispanic. Something has to be done. California is in America. Why the h*ll do we have to deal with this crap? Its our state & country. We need to enforce the laws and not just give gang members a little slap on the hand. I wanna see them stuck in prison and rehab for 30 years.

[socal06]

Oh and let me mention this also before someone gets "offended". I am not racist. I don't want California to be known as "Gang land" or "Mexifornia" or seeing those "La Raza activists".

[Onager]

Socal06, I share your frustration. I cannot comprehend how Americans can be pushed out of their communities such as Stockton. Is it preposterous to think that we, the taxpayers, should expect the criminals to leave rather than vice versa? I recently sold a rental property in Modesto (one of our meth capitals) due in part to the drug activity in the neighborhood. Modesto is also one of the car theft meccas, as well. I lost one in a burglary there. Do you remember when Fresno Bulldogs was the name of a nationally known sports team? That name has now been hijacked by one of California's major gangs. So where do we get Nortenos, Surenos and Bulldogs? Well, coincidentally, most of them are from Mexico! Surprise! Immigration brings gangs. It always has. But that's just part of the mix. Bloods, Crips, Peckerwoods. They all deserve one free, clean needle.

[Nature Girl]

My family and I lived there for almost 2 years while my hubby attended UOP. For the crime rate being so high, we did not think it was as bad as we had thought it would be! We lived right on the border of Lodi near I-5. The schools are average at best;some better than other's. We didn't find the people to be very friendly. If you like Diversity, then you will love Stockton! I wouldn't recommend it, if you are looking for a good quality of living. Not much to do there.

[moonrobot]

Like most of the other posters said, there is a lot of gang activity in Stockton. There is really no culture to speak of, everything is dingy and tagged, and the job market sucks. I grew up in Lodi and moved back after college, and it took me 3 months to find a so-so job. There are huge economic and cultural disparities in Stockton, and there is simply not enough infrastructure to handle the growing population. If I had kids I would not send them to Stockton schools. Lodi schools are alright. I am a product of them and made it to a good college though. Stockton needs more teachers, more social workers, more counselors, more police. If you're feeling idealistic, forget about the peace corps and come help improve stockton.

And to socal 06, I do not think Mexicans/immigrants are the problem. Of course immigration laws need to be enforced, but also social services for everyone (here legally) needs a boost. Anyways, Stockton's diversity is good for riling up Lodi, which is such a thickheaded hick town. Lodi is a bunch of old angry germans. Though I'm part old angry german and immigrant mexican