Reviews & Comments
Stockton, CA
re: Yes, Stockton is a good place to move to.
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9/28/2019Stockton is much more like East Palo Alto than Palo Alto. I lived there while in college and found the place to be undesirable. Too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, high crime with a mostly uneducated population. The air and water pollution is terrible as well. Contributing to the problems are the city's finances, and bankruptcy was declared in 2012. This has obvious implications for the residents. If one is moving here for family or college, those are possibly valid reasons, but for most this is not a city that can be recommended.
Stockton, CA
re: Commute to Work
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9/28/2019Most people don't commute 2-3 hrs by choice. The fact is most people that do this can't afford to live in the Bay Area, especially if they insist on buying a large home. If the cost of living ever dropped in the Bay Area, a good portion of Stockton would pack up and move. The jobs in this town are scarce and mostly low paying jobs for mostly an uneducated workforce. That's why most professionals work someplace else and 95% of the University students leave the area after graduating. Throw in the air pollution and crime and there's no reason to live here...Sacramento is much better option if one can't afford the Bay Area.
Stockton, CA
Stockton is a dump -
9/28/2019I lived here for college, over a 6 year period. There was no redeeming qualities to this city, except the the low cost of living compared to most cities in CA. The air quality is atrocious, mostly due to agricultural, which gets trapped in the central valley because of adjacent mountains. This contributes to the area having an unpleasant odor, which is aggravated in the summer by blazing heat, which is frequently over 100 degrees.. the winters are, cold, dreary and not comfortable, but it does not snow. The crime rate is high and, for the most part, the quality of the townspeople is low. There's minimal career/professional opportunities outside of trucking and agriculture. Almost everyone that attends the University here leaves for greener pastures. There's minimal recreation outlets, unless you leave the city;however there are some worthwhile places within an hour or two driving, such as Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Napa, the CA Central Coast and the SF Bay Area...the University of the Pacific is the only redeeming aspect. After 4 years though you will develop a unique appreciation for every where else.
Walnut Creek, CA
Best place to live in the San Francisco Bay Area -
9/25/2019Apart from the congestion, Walnut Creek is one of the best places in the San Francisco Bay Area to live. It is one of the most compact/walkable cities in the entire area and the BART station is just a few minutes from downtown. We don't have peons or junkies shooting up and passed along the sidewalk, and no one defecates on the side like in SF. San Francisco and Oakland have a high prevalence of street urchins and undesirables... neither is particularly safe and both are dirty and seedy, apart from the expensive neighborhoods. Walnut Creek is the exact opposite. Besides the winter being colder than most of Bay Area, during the rest of the year the climate is usually superior, except for 10-20 days when it exceeds 100F. Most of the bay area, particularly near the bay/ocean is not very warm or comfortable most of the time, with SF being the worst. Except for some relatively infrequent property crime, usually related to car break-ins, it is a safe place to live. The property crime seems to be adjacent to freeway exits, particularly in the north, closer to Concord. The cost of living used to be very reasonable, but since 2012 it has gone up a lot, which is the biggest downside. The quality of the people that live here is very good and everyone seems very civilized...a rarity in the Bay Area. I've lived here for most of the past 15 years, but it is not a good place to retire early due to the cost of living...so I'm relocating to Portugal next year to escape the rat race. If you like living in civilized area, with everything nearby, quality weather most of the year and can earn a better than average salary for the area, I'd definitely recommend Walnut Creek.
Walnut Creek, CA
re: Very congested living, good weather, expe
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9/25/2019I will admit that the number of new apartments/condos going up in the downtown area seems excessive. The parking situation will only get worse; however, Walnut Creek is one of the best places in the San Francisco Bay Area to live. It is one of the most compact/walkable cities in the entire area and the BART station is just a few minutes from downtown. We don't have peons or junkies shooting up and passed along the sidewalk, and no one defecates on the side like in SF. Besides the winter being colder than most of Bay Area, during the rest of the year the climate is usually superior, except for 10-20 days when it exceeds 100F. Most of the bay area, particularly near the bay/ocean is not very warm or comfortable most of the time, with SF being the worst. Except for some periodic property crime, usually related to car break-ins, it is a safe place to live. The property crime seems to be adjacent to freeway exits, particularly in the north, closer to Concord. The cost of living used to be very reasonable, but since 2012 it has gone up a lot. The quality of the people that live here is very good and everyone seems very civilized...a rarity in the Bay Area. I've lived here for most of the past 15 years, but it is not a good place to retire early due to the cost of living...so I'm relocating to Portugal next year to escape the rat race.