Don't stay in Redding - 12/22/2018

5 years ago Redding was a safe, friendly virtually crime free place to live. Not any more. Now, early release criminals, vagrants and drug addicts openly steal from stores, knowing that nothing will be done if they are observed doing so. Talk to Walmart, the Cypress CVS drug store, Lowes or Pennys employees. They won't try to stop the thieves because it results in violence. Talk to the security guards at Walmart and Safeway. They will tell you they are just for show and not allowed to pursue any thieves in the store. They will tell you that the store could be sued by the thieves if they grab one of them. The stores don't want that kind of bad publicity. The police won't respond to shoplifting reports because they are "too low on their list of priorities." The criminals know all this, and are robbing the stores blind. Walmart is now locking up more and more of their merchandise behind glass cabinets, due to millions of dollars of annual theft. Even men's athletic socks are locked up. Cars in Shasta mall, Safeway stores and hotel parking lots are routinely broken into and robbed. Drugs are openly sold on the streets. Homeless camps filled with early release criminals and drug addicts infest public parks and along the Sacramento River walking path, as well as under bridges like the one across Churn Creek in front of Lowes. Schools are erecting tall fences in failing attempts to keep the vagrants off school properties at night. School custodians are continually finding syringes, condoms and feces left overnight on school properties. Home robberies are frequent. Small businesses are leaving due to vagrants standing around their entrance ways, scaring off customers. Jack In the Box on Bueneventura and 273 is infested with foul smelling vagrants. They lay on the grass in front of the restaurant watching you as you go in, or buy a coke and then nurse it in the restaurant for hours, just to stay in A/C comfort. They use the bathroom to shoot up drugs. Talk to the RPD. They will tell you that their hands are tied due to various pro-criminal propositions passed in CA, and due to lack of personnel and funding. They will tell you that drug houses selling meth and heroin are everywhere. There isn't enough prison beds to contain all these criminals, and if arrested, are released immediately. They then never show up for their trial, and nothing is done about that due to lack of funding. The criminals all know this. They come from all over CA because Redding lacks the resources to combat them. You will see vagrants and drug addicts sleeping in bus stops, on the grass at the Cypress Safeway store, in local parks, and begging on the streets at exits from stores. Before you decide to live here, ask the police about how their hands are tied and how badly they are underfunded. Ask them how bad the Meth and drug problems are. Ask employees at Walmart, CVS pharmacy and Lowes on Cypress. Do your research before deciding to live here.

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Redding was once the Prettiest Little City - 10/8/2018

First I was raised in Redding, grew up when to school and graduated. It was the best city. It is beautiful, there are lots of different lakes for fishing, skiing, and boating. There are sky resorts nearby like Mt. Shasta. There are a lot of eclectic restaurants to eat at which makes eating out fun and the mountains are beautiful. I loved Redding as a kid and young adult. Once I went off to UC Davis, graduated and moved to Missouri I have come back to visit my parents, sisters, and brother. I was shocked that in just a few short years the town has become run down, there are homeless everywhere and crime is soaring. In the 80s you could leave your car unlocked and no one would bother it. Now my car was broken into and all my belongings stolen in from of my parents home and they live in an upper middle class area. The homeless sleep everywhere and it is gross when the pee and poops everywhere. My family are very upset and angry. The city counsel does little to promote growth and business so the wages are stagnate and median income is 10,000 below the state income. It is really sad. My husband and I would love to move back but with the economics climate and the heavy tax burden we have chosen to live in Missouri. It is free here and cost of living is much better. It is not complaining to point out that the government has worked hard to destroy one of the best little city’s in America. Wish they would get it together.

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Redding is horrible - 7/10/2018

Redding is horrible now. City gov. is corrupt. Full of crazy Bethel people. Welcome to our Crazy cult ! Im waiting for the weird sex/ money scandal to hit and shut that crazy church down. Parents do not send your daughters to that BSSM. This place is so dangerous for women.

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been here since 1973 - 7/6/2018

i moved here in Nov. 1973. i'm now a shasta college student and the instructors are great! the atmosphere at the college is really wonderful. i might just decide to work there. :) the housing prices are incredibly low for CA. i had to post after i read some of these posts. here is my take on redding: 1. the heat; i hate it. this year it hasn't been bad. at least it's dry heat. i found out from my family running all over the country that most of this country has humid heat. i can't stand humidity. that's what makes it hot for me. 2. about crime; it is about comparible per capita as any city in the country. 3. child molesters; according to stats, we are a dumpimg ground for them, something we intend to change. i have never had that affect me or my family, but i was always careful about leaving my children alone with a man, especially one without a family. i simply didn't leave them alone. duh!! 4. the homeless; there are a lot if you are actually in the city of redding. downtown or south of town. but no one would live there. there are nice homes there, but they are owner occupied and mostly hidden from view. personally, i wouldn't live in the redding city limits. only because i like the burbs. redding is just like the burbs in most cities. most of the area around here is outside of the city limits. it sounds like the people on here who are complaining live in the downtown area. or south of town. every town has a bad part of town. i grew up in the bay area and there were areas no one got near. the bad part of town here is not even close to how bad it was down there. nor is the crime rate. i can go to the worst part of town here and while not feeling exactly safe, i know i will make it home. i am a woman. not young anymore but felt the same then as now. i would not feel safe at all in oakland for example. i only saw oakland out of my car window as we were driving through it for some reason. but it scared me even from the safety of my car. but i have heard there are nice parts of oakland, up in the hills. 5. utilities: we use swamp coolers up here. they work great, there isn't any humidity, so my bill in the summer of 2018 is $150.00 a month. my home is about 1000 sf. i have pg&e. city of redding i hear is more costly, but most of the people i hear that from rent apts. with a/c. i use low cool on a swamp cooler and i am comfortable. 6. the cops; a man stole a rpd cop car and when caught died from a tazer zap in the chest accidentally?! in the one place there wasn't a camera. rpd was investigated by shasta county sheriff's, they were cleared within 24 hours! you decide. 7. i have heard of bethel, but don't know much about it. i don't hang out there. life is what you decide to make of it. the people who are hating this place should move somewhere else. they sound like the kind of people i definitely wouldn't want to have as a neighbor. bottom line: the area is beautiful. jobs are scarce. property is cheap. i have a lake one mile away and a creek in my back yard. i didn't pay a fortune for it either. the house i grew up in is going for $743.000 in the bay area. needless to say, i didn't pay that for my house in shasta county! there's not much to do if you aren't into outdoor activities. great hospitals. all the shopping you need is here and if you want something else, there is the internet. basically, life is what you make it and that includes your town. after about a year here i was accepted as if i had lived here all of my life. if your staying and making this your home, you will be accepted with open arms.

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P.L.S. - 5/21/2018

These values are so ridiculously off it is sad that they are published for review. I wonder where they aquired these values.

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Corrupt dangerous city - 5/10/2018

I worked at the city of Redding. The government city counsel and city manager are completely corrupt dangerous people with the local paper, police force,judiciary, grand jury and local electric utility all protecting the corruption. Sad, good luck finding local services. The area is unbearably hot half the time. But on the plus side there are plenty of outdoors activities.

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Redding only where we shop,Live in suburbs love it - 8/11/2017

Hello Todd Chrisler Here... I have a 32 acre ranch in Tehama county about 16 miles south west of Cottonwood California. I moved up here from the SF bay area. I have had a very positive experience here. We bought this ranch in need of some TLC and it has been wonderful. We have a four to five acre lake stocked with bass and other sport fish. And the large two parcel estate is fully irrigated as well. We have two houses two septic systems many outbuildings and with zoning ord we can still build two more dwellings on the lower 11 acre parcel that holds our bass lake. The spring and winter are so beautiful up here it really takes your breath away.I have dozens of photos at many times of year to give example. Yes it is quite hot in the summer months however the humidity is usually quite low and I was surprised just how easy it has been to tolerate it. My grapes are doing well and all my pomegranate trees are fruiting. The apricot tree had a bumper crop as well. We pull massive large and small mouth bass out of the lake often. I am a contractor and I like to work with distressed property's. I must say that this is an exceptionally private and beautiful retreat up here. The ranch is located on the top of Quail ridge on a private road with 360 degree views of the Sierra and the Yoli Bolli Coast Range as well as views of MT Shasta. I am getting very attached to this one however I will let this estate go for 410,000 cash and not a penny less.That's 32.6 acres in two parcels with two houses two separate septic systems a full size dual tank high capacity well head designed for ranching and farming with heavy duty capacity a four to five acre private lake stocked with sport fish and zoning allowing you to build two more homes on the lower 11 acres. It's the most bang you will ever get for your buck and seeing is believing.... If I keep going improving on this one I will be asking a whole bunch more for it... We have Deer,Boar,Turkey,Quail,Rabbit and other game in abundance as well. If you want private sustainable ranch land this is the time to act. Interest rates are at historic lows.. If You Want Privacy and a million reasons to go outside and enjoy it this is what you seek I assure you It is a value that is unequaled any where much less in California.If I continue to add improvements the price will increase dramatically, Compare For Yourself a 12 acre raw undeveloped lot with no power no home no septic no perc test Just right down the street goes for 99,000 ! If these people move to a city and then complain about city life they have them selves to blame.Don't let one city taint the beauty and convenience of this whole area. There is no traffic whatsoever in this area. I am from the bay area where it will take an hour or more to commute 20 miles on the freeway... This is a great area with all the convenience of a metropolitan area and almost none of the drawbacks it usually comes with. Redding is a great place to shop but You don't have to live there to do so...The Redding area is an excellent choice and I am glad I made it. Just like in the bay area you don't judge the whole area by what happens in Oakland. We keep the shopping centers in Redding but just drive 20 miles in any direction and you are in some of the most beautiful and unspoiled wildernesses any where in the world. A truly unique and inspiring as well as convenient place to live. Check for yourself.... 17055 Quail Ridge Road Cottonwood California 96022.

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What was I thinking? - 5/30/2017

I was born and raised in Redding. In 1970 someone got the idea to bulldoze all of the historical buildings,stores on Market street to build an indoor mall that failed. The spirit and the soul of Redding disappeared! There is NO downtown. I went to college and was successful in Portland Oregon for 30 years. In my 60's I came back to Redding to be near family. Most of my family now have moved to Hawaii. I have been here for two years and have not been able to get out yet. I am having trouble finding a professional,decent paying job. I am working minimum wage and am worried about my utility bills. I try to count the blessings of living in Redding everyday so that I can survive here. I feel validated in my experience after reading these reviews. We will see if I can get a good job,save my money and move to Brookings,Oregon. I commend those who can survive and thrive here!

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Bring your money & reside where the cows roam - 1/13/2017

Redding has always been a unique city in that it's the last "large" city south of the CA/OR border. While there are several hotels & motels, none are 4 or 5 star. The Holiday Inn & Best Western are the nicest in town & while Redding has recently built a new hotel at Turtle Bay, it backs up to an extremely rough patch of town where homeless people & crime abound. The homeless population has increased dramatically & the police department has their hands tied as to what people can be arrested for. Crimes committed in which property damage is deemed to be at or under $950, is a simple infraction which results in a fine. No arrests are allowed by law to be made in those types of cases. Theft is rampant in both residential & business & again, law enforcement does little to nothing per the laws in both CA & in the City of Redding, which is a very greedy city. The City of Redding is run by a few individuals largely from southern California. They brought their artistic ideas to town & while they were welcomed, the cost was not. they made back-door deals with cities in southern California, received money & agreed to use the money to build another homeless shelter for the homeless who would be relocated to the area. Crime has risen just as the City Council's paychecks have. There are NO checks and balances for law enforcement (no internal investigation. They investigate their own) just as there is no checks and balances for city employees either. The city is greedy. Taxes are raised without taking a vote from the tax payers & when people complain, there is no one to respond. Schools are not well funded & have been receiving less & less funding over the last few years. The city can afford to build a milt-million dollar sun dial shaped bridge yet affords its youth nothing in the way of a proper education. Simple upgrades such as desks & chairs are long over due. Teachers are very underpaid. Their union is always squabbling & recently, the teacher's union has taken away even more benefits to local teachers. This does not give them incentive to do anything. In addition to grade & high schools, Shasta College is sorely in need of basic upgrades as well. The professors seem to have lost their spark & the few who still have a spark, are few & far between. Housing is overpriced & based on not only this report (here on Sperlings) but on other sites as well. The unemployment rate is higher than the national average just as housing prices are above the national average. Jobs are sparse & likely minimum wage. Benefits are few & far between. In my nearly 20 years as a Redding, CA (Shasta Co) resident, I have watched the town grow in population, but not in industry. The outdoor aspect (hunting, fishing, kayaking, trails, etc) are largely what seem to draw people to the area. One thing to note is the city council has hired people from both central & southern California to govern the way things are run here in somewhat rural northern CA. The problem with that is, this are doesn't need all the laws that the lower part of the state does because the population is considerably less & the land size is considerably more. As mentioned earlier, the city council doesn't always allow Redding/Shasta county citizens to vote on what new laws will impact they & their way of life. Since the public lands are closing down to the public (take a drive to beautiful Whiskeytown for signage proof), people are forced to share areas which means we have trail runners, walkers, & bikers all in the same, dwindling in size space. This creates animosity among the various groups. Hunting spaces are shrinking as laws grow. Fees are being enacted in order to utilize public spaces & spaces which already charge fees, are being raised. Redding really used to be a great place to raise your kids, get a solid education & find gainful employment. Those are days long gone & the future is looking more & more bleak. We are currently scouting a new home in another state so if you're looking for a fabulous rental in a spectacular location, look up Mygrant. They offer finer, tight-knit bedroom communities just up the hill from where the cows roam. We are close to town yet far enough away not to worry about things the average townsman worries about.

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We love Redding! - 11/9/2016

I am so completely appalled by how many complain about Redding. It seems like the people that do only spend time inside, complaining on social media. We moved here almost two years ago from Southern California( a town one hour north of LA called Palmdale). We enjoyed the AV but were seeking adventure. We literally just picked a place on the map, visited Redding, and fell in love. I wish people appreciated it more. Just look around you. Anywhere you drive, you see trees instead of massive buildings. You're 20 minutes from two gorgeous lakes, waterfalls, and mountains. Twenty minutes! You're right on the Sacramento River for crying out loud. There's an abundance of bridges, and hiking. There's what seems to be a never ending Sacramento River trail that is PAVED. There's great people here too. Many complain about the Bethel church, but they are good people who make good choices and want to help the community. Can't complain about that. People also complain about the heat. Yes, I hate the heat, but the fall, winter, and spring really make up for it. It's absolutely beautiful and it's never too cold to get outside and explore. People also complain about utilities being too high and I was scared of that when I moved here, but have no fear! The people who complain must be running their ac at 50 degrees 24/7. Our bill is rarely over $100 and only about $60 in the fall, winter, and spring. My one and only complaint about Redding is the abundance of homeless people and drug users. It's easy to avoid them, but they're there! Overall, Redding is a gorgeous place, booming with water and green everywhere! We are in love with this town and all of its beauty. To those who complain, go for a walk outside and see what this place has to offer.

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After moving away from Redding I'd never live ther - 1/29/2016

I wish when I was thinking about moving to Redding in 2012, I'd read this review I'm about to write. I've lived around the world and internationally and been happy something I was able to do anywhere until I made the mistake of my life and choose to move to Redding CA. I actually moved for a job with the county. There were many things I didn't know about Redding, the dirty underbelly of the monster when I naively bought a house in hell. This is why I don't recommend it particularly for those that do not have family there already 1. WORK -it is hard to find and being isolated as it is, the workplaces can be horrible. The branch of county government I landed in was terribly mismanaged and coworkers were discouraged and desperate about the management but stuck 2. UTILITIES - I had a small house, used utilities conservatively but my utilities bill was more expensive than my mortgage every month 3. HEAT - I was from the North and while 80 degrees in October and April can be nice, over 100 day after day after day for what seems like 6 months makes this outdoor supposedly mecca too hot to be outdoors. For a period of about 3 months the weather was comfortable enough to be outdoors for me, I'd get cabin fever in the summer when I just didn't want to be in a blase furnace outside 4. CRIME RATES - Forbes documents that Redding is the 5th most dangerous city in the US for women. Rapes, assaults, violence. Had I known this when I considered moving there I would have rethought it. I was scared and housebound 5. PEOPLE ARE CLANNISH - It was the hardest place to make friends including places where there was a language barrier. There are 2-3 bible colleges there and a megachurch that many consider a cult. It is divisive in that some think it a cult, others think it the place of the second coming of Christ, its hard to be someone that thinks neither. It does impact Redding and not in a good way. 6. DRUG PROBLEMS SEX OFFENDERS-- I ended up living in a part of Redding that had meth activity and I found out later was in the vicinity of approximately 30 sex offenders. Sometimes you leave a place and you think, really that wasn't so bad, I miss some parts of it. I don't feel that way about Redding. Almost every day of the 2 years I've been gone I cry with gratitude that I'm not there. In fact, to survive the place I was in denial about how hideous living there was. Now that I'm in a wonderful climate, with actual friendly people, and a low crime rate, cheaper bills and the ocean nearby I'm sad for the years I wasted their. I'm sad at how unsafe it felt, how uncivil people were and how arrogant the Bethelites were. And I'm releieved. If I ever have to drive to California, I'll drive down 101 or go out of my way to not pass through what I believe is the most horrible place in America.

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Pretty Great here - 6/25/2015

I admit Redding bored me at first, and I hated the hot weather and the scrubby looking trees here. (They're even called "scrub" oaks). But the people are really decent here. Cowboys, mainly, who are the best people on earth. Old-fashioned values are admired here, and although it's true that Redding has been a dumping ground for felons and sex offenders (Thanks Sacramento), they are limited by the fact that everyone has weapons here. Very safe place, and the scenery, wildlife and outdoor recreation is endless. Love it.

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Redding is not for me - 4/29/2015

I have lived in Redding since I was 9 and honestly I have been looking for the opportunity to get out! Redding is currently the worst place for women in California due to rape and sexual assault and last time i checked it was the 6th for car theft per capital. There are homeless and drug addicts everywhere asking for money.

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things to know before moving here - 9/9/2014

My decision to move to Shasta County was an impulse that I regret more than any foolish thing I ever did. I bought a house, paid too much and am waiting for the day I can sell it and fly out of hell. What I didn't know that made it a horrible place to live 1. Utilities are extremely expensive. I lived in a bigger house in another place and paid a 1/4 of what I'm paying on electricity. Friends with bigger houses pay 600 a month for A/C 2. It gets hot here and stays hot making it hard to be outdoors a good portion of the year. starting in May temperatures can reach 100 and stay there day after day. Heat stroke is not fun. Its mid September as I write this and there is another month of hideously hot days many over 100. I got skin cancer here and I slathered on the sunscreen. 3. The choices of doctors are awful either incompetent or unprofessional (not all of them, just enough to make it not pleasant to live here) 4. Unqualified people are in management positions all over this town amazingly unprofessional and frustrating incompetence when you need something done 5. Culture is sparse enough to make this a very vanilla boring place 6. The worst dirty little secret. This is the 5th most dangerous place in the US for sexual assaults against women. There are more sex offenders per female than most places in the US like 3 times the average. I was warned by a former cop that if he were a female he'd go no place without gun and for sure wouldn't walk alone -- sure enough there are a lot of shady looking characters and meth addicts lying around in the park looking menacing. 7. People move here to go to the cult Bethel not understanding the risk to young women in particular, they end up chewed up and spit out by the cult and pastors have some sort of bodyguards around them. Locals resent Bethel because the kids end up on food stamps and going to the cheap medical clinics and some end up homeless. The combination of the odd cult like Bethel, the sex offenders, the scarcity of work (its who you know and the locals don't want to know you if you are in outsider) The lack of professionalism, the crappy doctors and lack of choice and the hell like heat combined with an inability to walk around freely if you are a female both for the heat and the sex offenders makes this a truly horrible place to live. I've lived in a lot of areas always found something to like about them, I find nothing here. I wished I'd been warned. If you are thinking of moving here for Bethel,you will regret it when you find out how impersonal the megacult is.

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Redding, CA. Sucks! - 8/12/2014

Redding, CA. Much too hot in summer for most folks. Temps stays above 100 degrees for three to four months every year. Serious drought has been in affect for over five years. Wild fires are rampant. Drugs are the number one business in Redding. Crimes is out of control and there is no government representation in the north state. Schools are second class and overcrowded. Need to know more?

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Redding is a Good Place to Live and Visit - 10/8/2013

I've been a part time resident of Redding for years and have enjoyed all the area has to offer on many levels. The downtown area still has a lot to be desired but it has improved over the years and now has a beautiful renovated theater and several new trendy restaurants. The retail section of town has also grown over the years to include all the large chains such as Trader Joe's, Costco and Macy's so nothing lacking there. The area appeals to retirees and families who come to town looking for value in property compared to what they would find in the big California cities. Those who can afford it can purchase nice homes on acreage that would be unaffordable in places like LA or the Bay Area. Yes, it is hot in the summer with July and August being the hottest so Ac is a must. Yes, there are also undesirables just like in any city but that doesn't mean you have to associate with them. There are many wonderful people living in Redding enjoying this lovely scenic part of the state.

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Can't wait to get out of here. - 7/22/2013

I was born and raised here. If you asked me 2 years ago, I would tell you that you couldn't pay me to leave. The area is beautiful, but now, that is the only thing keeping me here. The city government is beyond corrupt. The economy has always been on the slow side, but now, jobs are virtually non existent. The utility rates are outrageous. However, what is really driving me out is the crime. The police force has received many cut backs and the meth population is out of control. 6 years ago, I purchased a house in a nice neighborhood, but now my neighborhood has become the target of thieves and vandals. I no longer feel safe here. I know that it will be hard to find somewhere that compares in beauty, but the corruption, a city council that can't manage money, crime, and continuous utility rate hikes, as income keeps dropping is pushing me out.

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Hot Weather - 7/15/2013

Redding< California sits in the far northern Sacramento Valley, at the base of the mountains. Lakes, streams, and recreation abound, but realize that this geographical location traps the poor air from the Sacramento area as the winds blow it north up the Sacramento Valley and is held at the base of the mountains. Visibility is greatly affected in a negative manner and the heat index can be terrible. +100 degree days are common in the summer months and often reach 110-115 degrees. Going outside is limited during these days, especially for the retired and elderly. Winter months are usually above freezing with some occasional dips into freezing temperatures. Rain is usually heavy in the winter.

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Hot: too hot to breathe in the summer and utilitie - 4/20/2013

Redding is the hottest place I know of and the cost of utilities is very high, especially if you live in the country. We had to keep the air going on the hot days all the time and our bill would be $600.00 plus per month. The cost of living is very high for a town with so few jobs, what really runs it up is food and utilities, housing seems to be reasonable some what but very diddicult to find a home with raised foundation, most a slab.

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move - 7/20/2012

desire to move their

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