Guys first of all Thank you for the reply and very helpful information
I have offers to work in Central Coast, CA, Palm Springs, CA, Porterville, Visalia and Tulare, CA. Salinas, CA, Red Bluff, Paradise and Weaverville, CA.
Any info on any of these would be helpful too...
guys once again thank you for your help, i really really appreciate it.
🙂🙂🙂
I grew up in the Red Bluff/Weaverville/Paradise area (Redding to be precise), and have since lived in San Diego, just to give some background on my response. Here it goes....
Paradise is kind of a suburb of Chico, but not really. There are lots of old, retired people up there. The town has a small feel to it (even though its population is like 20,000) due to the way it's laid out and due to the millions of pine trees that block visibility. If you choose to work there, I would live in east side of Chico and commute, as Chico is a much nicer town with a lot more character and entertainment options. Its Z is partially correct about the fire thing, as skyway parkway is the main route in/out of town, but there are plenty of roads to get out of there, but most don't lead anywhere too important, just into the hills. For a decent house in Chico, expect to pay about $300k. Weather-wise, it's usually hot and dry in the summer with highs in the 90's, cool and wet in the winter, very rarely getting snow. Chico is somewhat of a diverse place for the northern valley cities, and is much more liberal than any northern valley city.
Red Bluff is an interesting place. The city itself is kinda poor and run-down. But the areas surrounding it are pretty. The Sacramento River runs through the town, and there are some nice areas around there. The biggest event of the year in Chico is the annual rodeo, which is one of the premier rodeos in the nation. Lots of cowboy-types in the area. It's about a 30 minute drive to Redding and 45 minute drive to Chico from Red Bluff. If you like rolling hills dotted with white oaks, Red Bluff is the place to be. Red Bluff is much hotter than Chico in the summer, with temperatures often in the 110's. Also, it is a little cooler and wetter than Chico in the winter, but still hardly ever gets snow. Dining and entertainment wise, you need to go to Chico or Redding for anything decent. I would characterize Red Bluff as a blue collar community. Red Bluff is a pretty cheap place to live. Can probably get a decent house for $250k. Red Bluff is a pretty conservative area.
Weaverville is a pretty small town. I think the area's population is like 10,000. It used to be a logging town (kinda still is, but not like it used to be). It has a neat old fashioned down town area, makes you feel like you're back in the 1800's almost. If you are single and hope to date and meet other singles, I would not live in Weaverville. I would live in West Redding and commute to Weaverville. Depending on where you live in Redding and the weather, it's a 30-60 minute commute. Weaverville does get a fair amount of snow, so you would need 4-wheel drive up there. Also, the road from Weaverville to Redding is one of windiest you've ever driven on. Also, you'll probably hit a deer or two at night if you live/work up there. If you are into outdoor stuff, I highly recommend Weaverville/Redding. The outdoor activities are literally endless. If nightlife stuff is your thing, Chico definately has the edge on Redding. Also, Chico has more 20-30 yr olds than Redding, for what that is worth. Redding is a fairly conservative place. The Weaverville area draws people who want to "get of the grid", like Libertarian types and "hippees." The mountains surrounding Weaverville support large crops of illegally grown marijuana. A decent house in Redding will cost you $275-350k, depending on what part of the city you live in. Redding weather is like Red Bluffs, but will be a tad bit hotter in the summer, and a tad bit cooler and wetter in the winter. Redding will get get snow about every other year, but only like for 1 or 2 days. Everything closes when it snows. Weaverville's weather is Redding's minus 10-15 degrees at all times of the year. It does get a fair amount of snow. Oh, and there's HUGE forest fires up in the mountains every 5-10 years. I think the area is due for one....
What part of the central coast could you work? There are definately some nice areas (SLO, Monterey, Santa Barbara) and some not as nice areas. Palm Springs has lots of old people, golf courses, resorts, but is hotter than hades in the summer. If you have never been to/lived in the desert, know that some people love the desert, and some absolutely hate it.
Porterville, Visalia, Tulare: Well, they're all San Joaquin Valley towns. The San Joaquin Valley has some of the worst poverty in the nation. Also, if you have never heard of Tule fog, look it up. That stuff is nasty in the winter. On the bright side, cost of living is next to nothing. You'll be living like a king. Also a positive, if you're an outdoorsy person, the Sierra Nevada's are in your backyard.
Anyways, if you want more specifics on Weaverville/Red Bluff/Paradise, I could go on all day. Let me know.
