modesto - where to live?
 

Hello! I know this isn't a travel question but I thought I would give it a try. We are considering re-locating to this city for a job for my husband (we currently live in the north east) What are the better towns to live in in this area? We would like a nice town with things to do with children and excellent schools. Any suggestions???

Modesto is in the middle of the central valley, which is mostly agricultural. There isn't a whole lot going on there, but the real estate prices are reasonable. One of my friends bought a house in a new development in a town called Salida which is near there. They don't have kids though, so I have no idea about the schools in the area.

You need to think about this very carefully....and visit before you decide. Modesto has very little going for it except cost of living (because it's not particularly desirable).
Numbers can be misleading, but if you consider all the data collected to create the Rand McNally Places Rated Alamanac to be at least somewhat indicative of the overall quality of a city, Modesto has usually ranked in the bottom 40 cities in the USA (out of approx 350 cities). Just a heads up.

"Modesto - where to live".
I'm sorry to tell you this, but the answer is easy. "Anywhere but in Modesto!"

Consider two of Modesto's own:

Gary Condit and Scott Peterson!

Enough said??

Wow! Thanks for all the info. We have never been to California before and it is a long way from CT! The other opportunity he may have is in Pleasanton but I looked at the housing prices and yikes!!!! I thought CT was bad but on realtor.com a shack in the area was going for over $400k! My husband is a little upset with me right now from all of the good advice I have gotten here. Oh well, better to find out now than after we have moved across country. He will still talk with the company and probably go out to visit but I don't think I will agree to the move. I'm holding out for Chicago anyways :-) Any more info would be great!

On the plus side you will be in a more affordable area of California (and in California vs the NE which is enough of a reason alone) and you will be about 90 min from SF, 3 hours from Lake Tahoe up in the Sierra Nevada Mtns, less than 2 hrs from Yosemite and other scenic Nat'l Parks.

You are in the Central Valley -- so it is flat and uninspiring everywhere. But you can drive to the ocean, or snow, or desert, or giant redwoods, or wine country, or The City (not San Jose) in easy day trips.

I would not want to live in California just to live in California to get out of the North East (which I love...we just have the opportunity for a change) We can do short day trips here to many things (and with a 2 year old they need to be relatively short) and the 2-3 hr trips would be too much. I think he will pass this opportunity up.

By all means have your husband visit.
Otherwise the "what if" argument will always be relevant.
He will figure out the problem very quickly once he gets the lay of the land.
I almost moved to Fairfield County last year, all my family now lives in LA, SF and San Diego, and I grew up in the Chicago area, so I can compare the above areas pretty well. Chicago's a great city in which to live, work and play if you can handle the weather. Most people from CT would be fine there.
Modesto? No way I'd move there and no way would I'd let a friend move there if they had a choice.

Does your husband's company not like him? j/k

All kidding aside, I don't think Modesto is anyone's idea of a great place to live. Definitely a visit first would in order, but if you are used to the NE, the central valley of California would be more than just a little shocking to get used to.

However, the Pleasanton area is actually quite nice. High price for homes? Well, 400k is just about the average price for a home in any desirable area of California in today's market. For me, it's "normal" - but then I've lived almost my entire life here. At least with Pleasanton, you are very close to large metropolitan centers. It still is very different from the NE, and a visit would certainly be in order.

Wherever you and your husband decide to go, the best of luck to you!

Modesto is HOT in the summer, being in the Central Valley. Snow? No! BUT there is "valley fog" in the winter, a particularly treacherous, very thick and low-lying mist which is the cause of many car accidents every year.
The area around Modesto is farms and cattle ranches, so it can be rather, um, "pungent" in warm weather.
So much for weather facts. Please think through your decision carefully and visit, as a previous poster advised. If you go online, I'm sure there is some Chamber of Commerce material to view as well as information from the school district. Good Luck.

Bigdog50 -

I resent the idea that moving away from the NE - especially to a place that sound extremely unpleasant - is enough of a reason. We live in the NE because we chose to - no one's forcing us. I love the change of seasons - winter, spring and especialy fall are just as good as summer. And there are incredible cultural and educational resources.

I've spent a little time in California and frankly found it boring. I wouldn't take it on a bet. (I recently heard Alec Baldwin on the Howard Stern show and he said the East/West cost thing was the reasons he and his wife divorced. He couldn't stand California and she wouldn't move to New York) So speak for yourself and don't assume everyone else agrees.

I agree nytraveler. As a west coast native (Southern California) I get tired of the comparisons. To each their own.

I've spent time in the east and do not care for it all. The vibe, obnoxious people (and their accents) were enough for me.
Why don't we all agree to stay on our respective coasts.

Here in San Diego, we have a military problem - they serve their term and don't go home. You can visit, just go home afterwards.

I think bigdog50 was just being snide.
Why so sensitive?
There are parts of California that are among the worst places to live in the entire USA (I won't name names, but they're all central and southeastern), and parts that are among the best.
Same with the northeast, where there are both charming small towns and rural areas along with several of America's best big cities.

It's ridiculous to simplify by saying that "California represents this" or "living in the northeast is such and so". Just like it's totally wrong to stereotype people from the south as slow or midwesterners as naive, etc.

Gee Nytraveler -- nothing like playing up to the steroetypes, eh? Us lame-ass laid back Californians (living in the state of "fruit and nuts") crackin' wise and then some up-tight overly aggressive New Yawker tells everyone what their opinion should be because its his..... and I especially love your line, and I quote --
"So speak for yourself and don't assume everyone else agrees." ummmm - I was speaking for myself (and was, as the other poster said, maybe being "snide") and never assumed anyone let alone everyone would agree. The irony is if you looked at a map and compared the size of CA to other states and then realized that other than the coast and the mountains the bulk of the state is flat boring crappy or desert (the desert area alone is bigger than several NE states combined) you would understand the point.

Let me add some disclaimers now -- all the above is IMHO, and :-)

personallly, I'd stay in Ct.

It is just sooooo stupid to say "I have visited California and wouldn't live there on a bet".

California is over 1000 miles long, has the highest point in the contiguous 48 states; the lowest point in the country; the hottest place in the country; and frequently the coldest. It has vast ski resorts, coast and mountain redwoods, over 1200 miles of coastline, Spanish, Mexican, Russian and gold rush sites from the 19th century, and world famous resorts, theme parks, huge cities and tiny villages, the most popular National Park and the most remote one. It produces more agricultural revenue than any other state.

In other words - California is the most diverse state and no one has "seen" it in one or a hundred trips.

Someone living in LA has a very different experinece and very little in common w/ someone living in Mt Shasta or Tahoe or SF or the Central Valley. So quit generalizing.

But - we can all pretty much agree - Modesto is NOT one of the prime places to live!

The comment about California was only to show bigdog50 how offensive his statement was. Obviously there are good and bad areas in all parts of the country and obviously we each have our preferences - for city vs country - for energized vs laid back. But why abuse others gratuitously?

I've lived in California my entire life and can't imagine myself living anywhere else. I wouldn't move to Modesto though.

doesn't Modesto= Gallo, the wine company?

You are making a huge mistake by not visiting the area. The central valley is growing rapidly with many areas of growth. Modesto has a number of desirable neighborhoods with fine schools and homes. The towns west of Modesto also are first rate(Livermore,Pleasanton,San Ramon, Dublin, etc)
If you just look at the statistics you miss amazing pockets of nice neighborhoods. Having lived in many parts of the U.S. (NYC, Florida, S. Cal, Bay Area, etc) I would favorably compare the TOTAL living picture of the central valley to anywhere.
Remember when you are raising a family you want convenience to schools and children's activities. The number of cultural activities declines rapidly as the children's lives become more complex.

==Mike

I think you're right LilMsFoodie. And didn't they say something like "Modesto's finest"? Shouldn't that tell us something?

This may be a little too late for you. We have lived all over the country, including Connecticut and Modesto, right now we live in San Ramon (near Pleasanton) We have loved California over every place we have lived, and I think the bay area has been the best. The housing prices suck, and we definitely had to downsize, but we are doers so we are busy every weekend. When we lived in Modesto we didn't have kids so we classified it as 2 hours away from everything we wanted to do. Not a bad place, but we like San Ramon much better. We also lived in Dallas and Phoenix in between. Is your husband with Frito Lay?

We have lived in several states, including the east, and 3 other countries. We have lived for several years in California in San Diego, The SF Bay area, and the Temecula Valley. We love California and would never consider living anywhere else. We like all of the areas of California where we have lived, though we prefer the Temecula Valley where we now live.

We lived in Pleasonton and Livermore and they are both very nice places to live. Pleasanton is expensive but very nice. We also lived in Los Gatos and San Jose.

Having said all of that, I would never consider living in Modesto under any circumstances.

Many people do not know this, but Modesto is home to "Charmin"!!!!!! If you visit Modesto, Charmin is a nice addition.

C

I have 2 cousins who live in Modesto and have visited on occasion. I would not want to live there, but Stockton (and hour north) is quite a pleasant town and is home to the University of the Pacific.

To me, Stockton and Modesto are very much the same. I wouldn't live in either place.

Housing price survey in the December 2003 issue, Smart Money Magazine, rates Modesto third most overpriced housing in the entire country. Only Santa Rosa and Salinas California are more over-valued. I lived in and around Modesto until seven years ago when we relocated to rural southwestern Ohio. Having seen the best and worst of both areas, I can only say that home is where the heart is and my grandchildren live in Modesto. It has it's good and bad points, but I think the worst thing is that Modesto was a small agricultural center until about ten years ago when people working in the bay area began moving to Modesto because of lower housing prices. Now the home prices are just as inflated as those further north and west. Consequently, the infrastructure of the city has not kept up with the population growth. We will be moving back to California soon, and we will not be living in Modesto, but a few hours north east of there. Nearer to the kids, and still a desirable area.

I couldn't help myself from laughing at the comment about Charmin toilet paper.

The irony is pretty funny, actually.
Modesto being known for toilet paper.

I doubt that whatever city makes urinals or bed pans would trumpet that as a claim to fame...but in Modesto's case....

You apparently have overlooked something -- your taxes. Granted that CT taxes are high, but you have not found out what you will face if you move to CA. My sister moved from Westport to San Diego a few years ago. The impact on her taxes was astounding -- they have simply leaped and leaped and leaped. Not just property taxes, either. All taxes -- sales, income, etc. Even the state's new governor recognized the state's near-desperate financial plight. My suggestion: do your homework.

Property taxes in California are pretty stable. That is what prop 13 was all about. A home's assessed value is capped at a maximum 2% annual increase. The big leap in property taxes occurs when you move from one home to another unless you move to a county that lets you transfer your tax base.

Gallo is actually associated with the town of Lodi, not very far south from Sacramento, but has now expanded into the Napa Valley as well.

Gallo Winery company headquarters is located in Modesto and is the largest employer in the area. There is also a facility near Healdsburg in Sonoma county, this is where all of the estate bottling is done. They did recently acquire a winery in the Napa valley. The only operation in Lodi is a receiving station and small crush site. And by the way, to my knowledge Procter and Gamble (Charmin) closed their Modesto operation several years ago.

Actually I don't know if Charmin was ever there, it was a Pampers diaper plant.

How sad for some of these nasty comments. Proctor and Gamble left Modesto 3 years ago and they were the Pampers and Charmin plants. True that the Peterson and Levy cases were based here but that is hardly a reflection on the average citizen.

You might want to take a look at Modesto before you run it into the ground. True that it is flat, foggy in the winter and hot in the summer but it is a community in the true sense. You can get to know your neighbor any you are so close to the Sierra and the bay area. I came here 10 years ago from LA and I feel at home.

It is my home now and I love it.

TTT

<font color="red"><b>WARNING!</b> </font> Orginal post was written in 2003!
#-o

Utahtea