I've lived here since 1974. The only disagreements I have with this writer are: 1 There are many fine physicians in Redding. 2 The writer has UNDERstated the rampant crime; meth-heads abound here.3 The climate is a source of true misery here; This is the SECOND hottest city in the world north of 40 degrees latitude. 3 Corrupt or inept city government; their answer to every fiscal problem is to raise utility rates and local fees and permits. 4 Law Enforcement is either uninterested in doing their jobs; or they go extreme ie: murder or rape you. There are examples of an officer raping a woman in his car, and another Fatman with health issues dying from being forced stay on the ground while suffering breathing difficulty. Too many questionable police killings by gun fire. The police have killed more people than smallpox. 4 City electric rate are extremely high; PG&E rates are plain criminal.
jusmaknalivn | Redding, CA | Report Abuse

I've lived in Redding six years because of the VA care here. If it wasn't for the VA I would be far, far away from this city. Horrible place filled with ignorant ultra conservative politicians, Bethel Church is a curse, plague and the prime factor for the demise of Redding.
arne | Redding, CA | Report Abuse

We travel to Oregon yearly and always spend a night in Redding. The people have always been very nice and helpful. We will be retiring there as we feel this would be a great place to live. Originally from Oregon, miss all the trees and rivers as well as the fresh air, but cannot move back to the cold. Our stays in Redding reminds me so much of Oregon without the cold. We are used to the heat since we are from central California as we have the same temperatures. Look forward to moving up there and fishing the rest of our lives.
Alex | Visalia, CA | Report Abuse

how can you say a female can't walk around town? no cop ever said that. i don't believe it for a minute. if anything, it's the cops you had better worry about. 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.
Lorena | Redding, CA | Report Abuse

People that complain about the heat in Redding are IDIOTS. It's like complaining about water being wet. That's just what water is. Similarly, that's just what Redding is: hot! It's not a secret. If you were too dumb to know that before moving here than you are an idiot and should be ashamed to admit your stupidity in a public forum like this. Why don't you move to death valley? I hear it's cool there... And the rest of you complaining about high utility rates, well, that's because you are running your frigging AC 24 hours a day because it's too "hot". Here's an idea: buy a swamp cooler and fans instead. Or just learn not to run the thing non stop. The utility rates aren't high, your utility usage is high. There's a difference. Still others of you want to complain about the lack of jobs....you do know we've been in a recession for the last 5 years, right? Redding isn't the only city affected by this economic downturn. All the whimpering and boo-hooing about how horrible Redding is.....go live somewhere else where you choke on smog year round, or fight traffice non-stop, or gangs, to say nothing of the natural beauty that is abundant in Redding. Honestly, you have no idea what you are talking about.
John | Redding, CA | Report Abuse