Denver to Modesto area (Redwood City, Mountain View: how much, house, buy)

[TheGuac]

Thank you for all the comments. Like what was said, no matter the city there will be both negative and positive reviews and many times you have to go based on your gut feeling when you visit. I honestly didn't think the city was that bad when I visited. Nothing much to do and downtown is fairly bland but I'm a physician and won't really have time to do much in the city anyway. And to be honest, growing up in LA and having to drive everywhere, I would just skip Modesto and instead drive to the bay area if I need to do anything fun outside of work. The distance doesn't really bother me and I flew in and out of Oakland and didn't experience much traffic on 580. Near Manteca and Tracy it was bad but similar to Denver.

The only things that bother me still are the air quality and potential for further growth which would exacerbate existing problems.

[JGC97]

Potential further growth isn't speculation, it's a fact. It's happening now and has been for the past 20 years. More open land in the valley is being chewed up by developers and subdivisions of homes. It's something we just have to accept. Until the population growth reverses and people die off faster than are being born, there's no way to stop it.

If the distance doesn't bother you (as you wrote) and you don't mind the drive, maybe look for a place in Tracy or over "the hill" into Livermore or Pleasanton. If you're working days, the "rush hour traffic" is heading in the opposite direction. In the AM, it's east to west and in the PM, it's west to east. You'd be doing the opposite, although the sun will be in your eyes. Wear your shades.

[Coloradomom22]

From what my family (who still live in Modesto) are experiencing, the worst problems with Modesto now has more to do with recently changed laws. Crime, homelessness, and opioid use have skyrocketed.

However, like many places in Southern California, there are terrible areas and great areas.

What you might find surprising is that housing is not much different in price than in Denver. Only the Modesto area has few newer homes so many need updating badly.

But I would NOT live anywhere (like Tracy) where you'd have to commute. Since you'll be working in Modesto you can make your life much more stress-free by living closer. You don't want to have to drive on 120 everyday. During the winter the fog can be very dangerous. They've had multiple car pileups because of the fog. You can save that drive for when you just want to visit the Bay Area.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by TheGuac

I am originally a California native, having lived in SoCal for many years before moving to Denver. Anyway, I've been here a few years but am getting sick of the weather, including the snow and destructive summer hail storms. Super pretty all year round and not humid like most of the eastern US.

Anyway, I have now received a job offer in Modesto. I visited there a few days ago and it really didn't seem that bad. The houses and neighborhoods in northern Modesto seemed very nice, but all I hear when I research the city is the high crime rate, homeless population, pollution, and drug problem.

I also like how Modesto is close to the bay area and a quick 1.5 hour trip to the cities. It's also close to the Sierras. Do you guys think I would regret the move? Is Modesto becoming worse or better as more of the SF residents move there? It's definitely no Denver but I do think it's nice it's so close to the bay area.

Also, how is the weather there? Summer is hot, I know, but I'm from inland LA where it also gets hot in the summer. The nights however cool off significantly, like in Denver, so it isn't so bad in the mornings. Is this the same way in Modesto?

Thanks!

Oh boy, are you in for an edumacation!

[dontbelievehim]

Originally Posted by Californyun

It really depends on what your preferences and limits are. The tule fog is something to consider. I personally got depressed from the constantly grey and lack of sun in the winter and moved to SoCal. Modesto has its issue (it has been ranked worst city in the us several times over, although the metrics used are a bit misrepresentative of Modesto). For a Valley city it has okay weather. Summers are hot but not too hot. Those who mentioned Oakdale (boring, too much traffic, city dilapidating, and red) should also mention Oakdale (and other more Easter towns to Modesto are extremely - EXTREMELY - boring and also hotter than Modesto in summer by a couple degrees and cooler in winter by a degree or so as well.

I haven’t been to Modesto in some time, but I went to junior college there and there are some beautiful areas but a lot of crime and poverty (consistent with the Central Valley as a sum). As a physician I would try and make my way down to SoCal where you can live inland and temps be 2-6 degrees cooler than Modesto in the summer and 10-15 degrees warmer in the winter. You can be an hour to the beach, hour to the mountains, and hour to the desert in places like corona, Ontario, riverside, Temecula, murrieta, Rancho Cucamonga etc.

Modesto prices are also not cheap, so if you can swing it there’s more value in SoCal IMO. Those who suggested Tracy and Livermore should mention those cities are 30-60% more expensive than Modesto which are nice areas of inland SoCal type prices.

Thick fog is caused by pollution. Less pollution in the winter means there's a lot less fog than 15+ years ago. And It barely rained this year in the valley, there was plenty of sun to be had. Expect the megadrought to continue for a few more years.

I agree that Tracy/Livermore are overpriced for what you get.

[TheGuac]

I think weather is very relative. Would you guys rather have a few hours of fog per day or blizzards that require you to go out and shovel the snow or deal with the inevitable traffic and horrible road conditions? I would take the former. Would you rather deal with sprinkler blow outs, changing to snow tires every October and back to summer tires in May, or the hail? I lived in the bay area for a year and the morning fog is annoying, sure, but it burns off by the afternoon and the temps are fine. In Denver, temps can stay in the teens all day with big snowpacks even though it's sunny. Fog and marine layer is part of living in most coastal or near coastal areas in CA.

Right now the only concerns I've heard about Modesto that bother me have been the AQI, homelessness, and crime. I haven't found any recent lists that put Modesto as the worst place to live in the country. That really is an unfair title.

The northern section of the town has really nice new houses and some are actually being built as we speak.

I don't know, I live 30 min from downtown Denver and I would rather add an extra 45 minutes to my commute time to get to the bay area, which is a way better area in my opinion and in a different league.

Now, how are the bugs? Barely any flying bugs in LA where I grew up but unsure how central valley is with the nearby agriculture.

[JGC97]

Bugs . . . Ants in the yard, which can be remedied with a bucket of water and a cup full of Dawn dish washing liquid. Sometimes, mosquitos because, again, you'd be living in an area with numerous waterways and agriculture. Sure, occasional spiders, crickets, caterpillars, earwigs, snails and slugs. but get yourself a good company that comes out and sprays and you won't be bothered.

As for the fog, the only time during the year it shows up is winter and usually after a good rainfall . . . something we don't get to see much of these days. You will smell smoke, should a wildfire break out in the foothills or the mountains and the wind is blowing in your direction. The fire in Yosemite a few years ago caused a lot of smoke accumulation in that area. I, living a little farther north of Modesto, had the same thing when the fires were raging in Calaveras County. That's valley life for you. We're in a bowl, so to speak.

Spring is beautiful with the orchards blooming. There's an abundance of walnut, cherry, apricot, peaches, almonds, and even some pistachio trees but those are usually hidden in the center of the almond orchards. Thieves like to steal pistachios so farmers have now been hiding their groves away from prying eyes. Because there is so much agriculture, we have numerous small farm stands and farmer's markets where you can find organic fruits, nuts and veggies.

Winters are chilly and temps can dip down into the high 20's, low 30s occasionally but mostly stay in the 50s and 60s. Sometimes you'll even have a couple of days where it hits 70°F. Those are nice.

Your choice of the north or more northeast part of Modesto is a good one, too. There are a lot of new subdivisions going up in the 95355 zip code area. It's about as far away as you can get from the older run down section of Modesto which is in the southwest part of town. The area between Modesto and Ceres is horrible, imo. Even I wouldn't consider buying anything there. Although, I know there are some nice people living there but it's really gotten bad over the years.

I'm not trying to paint a rosy picture of some idyllic area but some of the claims that I read from people here are simply not true. Every city across this country has something that isn't a positive. However, I've lived in the area (a triangle that encompasses Lodi, Tracy and Modesto) for 60 years. I know every back road and short cut around these two counties and the cities that are included in that area because it's been my home. It's not bad and certainly not as bad as some people claim or I'd have left a long time ago.

And, just throwing this out for you, if you are in need of a good tax person, I can recommend the best tax lady I know. She lives and works in Modesto and has been my tax guru for 16 years. I don't know what I'd do without her.

[Bert_from_back_East]

Most of the well-to-do people who work Modesto live in Oakdale.

[Axxlrod]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

If I had a job in Modesto, I'd live in Turlock or Hughson.

If I had a job in Modesto, I'd find a new job.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by axxlrod

if i had a job in modesto, i'd find a new job.

lol! :d:d