Retiring - Paradise , Chico or Magalia (Grass Valley, Nevada City: low income, sale, renting)

[mgforshort]

If we couldn't live in Paradise, my second choice would be Magalia and Chico the third.
Cost wise, Magalia is the cheapest for real estate, and Chico is the highest.
Magalia has propane only, no natural gas, and cost of heating is higher.
I lived in San Diego and Orange County from 1978 to 2015. The biggest shock after moving here was the winters are colder than in the South, but compared to Europe where I spent my youth our winters are a walk in the park.

Magalia is by far the most beautiful with the abundance of trees, but also a bit dull, most homes are new and look the same and lot size is usually .25 acre.
Paradise is much older, most homes have a certain character, lots are larger, and it appears to be a real small town while Magalia is like a big, quaint resort.
Chico, the older parts, have great character and beautiful, charming streets. But Chico is flat, doesn't have the mountain town vibes.

As for shopping and services, Paradise has just about anything but new car dealers. Chico is even better, and Magalia has barely anything.
If you need a new car, get it now. The Chico dealers might have three Honda Accords, two silver and one white; if you want something more different you might have to go to Sacramento. We get a new car every ten years, so it doesn't bother me.

There are "mountain men" types here and also hippies from the sixties who just grew to be old. Doesn't bother me a bit.

Chico has much crime and many homeless. Paradise has not much crime and few homeless. Magalia is, dare I say, 98% crime free.
Most crime is related to the marijuana trade. Most accidents are caused by impaired driving, under the influence, alcohol or narcotics.

My wife and I spent the last fifteen years driving all over the West, looking for a retirement place. Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Northern California. Paradise was the yardstick and nothing could measure up to it, at least for me.

We are not a tourist destination or a pass-through like Redding or Dunsmuir. On the map, we are a huge cul-de-sac, starting with Chico and passing through Paradise, Magalia, with Stirling City at the end, then comes nothing but the forest.
I posted here a lot about Paradise, if you have time, look it up here on City Data.
I'd recommend to drive up here and get a room at the Ponderosa Motel on the Skyway, in the hearth of Paradise. A week or ten days would give you a good idea about the differences in these three towns. It is a 10-hour drive from San Diego. If you can manage leaving around midnight you can get through the Los Angeles area without much traffic, and after leaving LA the road is wide open.
Compared to Southern California the lack of traffic and the peaceful tempo of life is addictive. Last month I had to spend a half day in Sacramento and I found it extremely stressful. Once you get used to our life style going back is very difficult.

[anythingyouwant]

Chico real estate is more expensive than Paradise, which is more expensive than Magalia. My friend with a house in Magalia has had to evacuate a few times over the years due to fires. (Her house is okay.) I like Paradise but would only choose it over Chico because of its slightly cheaper RE. I don't find it cooler in the summer though and you really need a car to get anywhere. If you are retiring, like me, you might want more proximity to services. There is no real downtown in Paradise.

My vote's for Chico if you can afford it. I lived there on and off for years so I have friends there which makes a difference in how you view a town. But I also loved and miss the smaller town vibe, the lovely parks and neighborhoods, and you get used to the heat. The first summer is hell. Lots of gardeners in Chico (not me). If you want to see snow it's a short distance away. One winter Chico was socked in with tulle fog for days so we hopped in the car and drove 15 minutes to Paradise. Sun!

[anythingyouwant]

It's true as mentioned above that crime and homelessness have increased in Chico. I nor my friends have never been a victim but I have heard some scary stories second hand.

[CosmoPoppy]

I moved from Santa Rosa to Butte County- Magalia has serious Meth problem. Magalia stay away from! Paradise is OK, lived there 5 years and had to leave moved to Chico. I called Paradise where the dead and dying live. Boring and it was like living in the 50's! Very fundamental religious community.

Chico has better energy, more liberal, and things to do. There is a lot of growth in Chico people moving out of the Bay area and Southern Ca. for the lower housing costs. The big negative about Chico right now is the crime rate is bad...police don't seem to be able to get control of it. The Homeless population terrorizing the downtown area and live in beautiful Bidwell Park.
We are looking to move elsewhere...

[evening sun]

Originally Posted by CosmoPoppy

I moved from Santa Rosa to Butte County- Magalia has serious Meth problem. Magalia stay away from! Paradise is OK, lived there 5 years and had to leave moved to Chico. I called Paradise where the dead and dying live. Boring and it was like living in the 50's! Very fundamental religious community.

Chico has better energy, more liberal, and things to do. There is a lot of growth in Chico people moving out of the Bay area and Southern Ca. for the lower housing costs. The big negative about Chico right now is the crime rate is bad...police don't seem to be able to get control of it. The Homeless population terrorizing the downtown area and live in beautiful Bidwell Park.
We are looking to move elsewhere...

I have to disagree with you about Paradise, Life is what you make it, & just becasue there is a large amount of retired people, does not make it the land of the walking dead. Life is what you make it, & there is plenty going on, if you get out & about to find it.

I have not once, been approached about religion, & I have not discussed it with anyone either.Where were you that you experienced religious fundamentalism?

Some people are not happy no matter where they are.


I am sorry if you have had a crime committed against you, but Chico stills seems safe to me.

[GracieKarm]

Originally Posted by evening sun

I can't speak for Gracie, but it is a very different culture here than the Bay Area, where we moved from. For instance many people love to hunt & fish, so it is not unusual to hear that someone got their first turkey/deer, etc this morning etc. Hunting is something I rarely heard about back in the city, so that took some getting used to. It is also a good mix of liberal & conservative, there is a mix of both political beliefs.

One thing I don't like, as I mentioned, is all the long ugly beards so many of the men wear. They are hideous (imo) Duck dynasty nastiness level. I hate un-groomed beards; I have seen food lost in them, it is beyond gross. I hate being in a waiting room with such a beard,they really creep me out. I am doing better in learning to live in a town full of them. For me it was an adjustment from a busy city to small town, but we like it here, long nasty beards & all those long beards down to navel button are just not my thing.

I hope Gracie will chime in with her opinion too.

It is still hard to explain and not come off as supposedly racist...so...I will decline to respond further except to say HAHAHA about the beards!!! I told my husband "Look! We live in Duck Dynasty!"

[GracieKarm]

Oh, and this is the land of Hoarders, it seems. Packed houses, packed yards. It is something I am not used to seeing. Lots of thrift shops too. Almost too darn many! But, I am starting to really like this quirky little town.

[Radaghast]

Paradise is generally a more popular choice for retirees, I'd suggest going there.

[bedastde]

I never ask how is Grass Valley to compare with Paradise?

Any one ?

[xani]

Originally Posted by bedastde

I never ask how is Grass Valley to compare with Paradise?

Any one ?

Grass Valley is incredibly overcrowded, stores, parking lots are crowded, rude, impatient drivers, LA-style driving, complete lack of city planning that shows in road layout.... no way I'd want to live in Grass Valley area. Paradise/Magalia is just a whole different world, waaay more peaceful and more rural feel to it....

Cons are extreme fire danger around Paradise/Magalia.....State Farm doesn't even insure there. Haven't seen any
concentration of "meth heads" around Magalia....may be some from big city confuse rural people with meth heads? Also, there's only one road out of that canyon and you have to drive through Chico or junction with hwy 70 near Oroville first to get anywhere like camping, pretty much.....If there's fire event driving out fast might be a challenge. Magalia/Paradise are way more isolated compared to Grass Valley, have isolated feel to them; Grass Valley is like a suburb of Sacramento....Magalia does have its share of manufactured homes--they have big HOA that allows manufactured homes, but Paradise got some trailers parks in it scattered all over.

I like Magalia more than Paradise: a lot more pines, Paradise is drier...very dry.
Climate is very hot there and Paradise is hotter than Magalia, it's lower in elevation. Magalia is greener. Not true that lots there are smaller than in Paradise, I see the opposite. Also, home values are lower in Magalia and one can have a bigger lot for the same $$. Also all businesses are in Paradise not in Magalia, Paradise has less rural feel to it.