safe accepting place for quiet 18 year old girl?

[cephalopede]

Hey there OP,

If you feel safe in your current hometown, I think the smartest thing to do is stay where you are and get a couple of years in at your local JC. Pretty much any California community college is going to offer the same basic classes and it's a smart way to get your gen. ed. taken care of without spending a fortune.

I don't know how things are at College of the Redwoods, CR is just south of Eureka, which can be pretty rough in some places. Even as a white guy I'm not sure I'd feel safe living in most parts of Eureka on my own (note, some parts of town are pretty safe and very beautiful, though).

I live in Arcata (15 min. north of Eureka) and attend Humboldt State. Arcata and the HSU are both mostly white, but the feel of the town is totally different. We've got at least one club on campus focused on black students, as well as a few multicultural clubs and other opportunities open to everyone. Again, as a white guy, I somehow got roped into joining a club aimed at latina women, and so now I am an "honorary hermana". :-)

The area tends to lean fairly liberal, and you get everything from activist college students to old live-and-let-live hippies who've been here forever. Everyone's pretty mellow, and as far as I know there aren't any major race-related issues in the area. Crime is mostly limited to theft.

Long story short, I'm a giant wuss and I feel fine up here.

[bradlywhite]

[quote=mateo45;36586345]Might be a good fit in most other ways, but not so sure for a young minority student. Besides, what are there, something like a dozen black folks in all of Chico (lol)?

Chcio News and Review is a liberal Paper that assumes anyone who is not a good Liberal is racist. But that aside, The fellow that was murdered, I wish you would not use it as a hit piece for racism. Please be respectful of people before throwing out wild accusations. Also, if you knew Chico at all, you would know that it leans left(which is a common perception of those that generalize things as would be tolerant to all peoples) and you would also know that racism is not prevailant in this area. The article made about the grafitti made the paper in a city of approx. 100,000-150,000 people, meaning it was noteworthy, and not common.
Bottom line is that I would like to see respect of the struggle of people who faced or face racism, and not use the struggle as political or regional folly.

[mateo45]

Well there's how we wish things to be and there's how they really are. So sure, Chico is a relatively more 'liberal island' in a conservative sea (though it still ain't no Berkeley by a long shot)! And you're entitled to your opinion, such as it is, but "liberal paper" or no, those are still true stories (among others) and facts is facts. BTW, black folks make up less than 2% of the population here, well below the average for the rest of the state, which tells you a lot right there.

Although ironic to hear Chico being defended by someone from next door Oroville, with one of the highest crime rates in the state, and a town that's not exactly famous for its 'tolerance' either (lol)!

Suit Seeks Damages For Those Prosecuted For 'Hate Crimes'

[bradlywhite]

An old news story from 13 years ago from a town of approx. 60,000 people is all you can come up with? Sorry OP for this, but I would at least like to clarify the wrong info spread by others. As to the "highest crime rates", it is a statistical abnomally. Oroville city limits has 16,000 people. The surrounding neighborhoods contain 60,000 people. The crime rates are showing the crimes of 60,000 people onto the population of 16,000 people. Other threads have covered this extensively, including other valid points of more indept department crime reporting and so on. Oroville and Chico are good places to live. Again, if you are considering something other than the Coast, it is an option.