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Old 12-02-2022, 05:30 PM
 
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I personally like Chico much better than Redding.
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Old 12-04-2022, 07:51 PM
 
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I'd highly recommend reading the local news sites for a month or two.
Redding:
https://www.redding.com (mostly subscription only)
https://anewscafe.com
https://krcrtv.com

Chico:
https://www.actionnewsnow.com
https://www.chicoer.com
ChicoSol News - Border-crossing journalism from the Sacramento Valley

From my point of view, it comes down to politics. Redding in the last ten years has shifted to the extreme far right. Chico on the other hand is a college town and is quite a bit more liberal/progressive.
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Old 12-05-2022, 02:50 PM
 
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Redding sucks. It's disgustingly hot there in summer and the county government has been completely hijacked by far right loons who will undoubtedly run the place into the ground. Couple that with relative isolation and you've got a recipe for a bad time.


On the plus side housing is cheaper in Redding and if you're an outdoor enthusiast it's in a fantastic location - just about 2-3 hours from any outdoor activity you can think of. Lots of Redding folks will head out to the lake (like 10 mins out of town) or out here to the coast to escape the summer heat. If you hate winter Redding is a nice option for that too as winters there are very mild overall.
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Old 12-11-2022, 08:52 PM
 
Location: California
37,131 posts, read 42,196,846 times
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Chico, and I've considered both but probably won't go to either.
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Old 12-11-2022, 10:04 PM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,839 posts, read 26,247,208 times
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Redding is really hot, it's so hot that I try to driver through without stopping. It's also boring and full of meth addicts. Chico is much nicer, friendlier and not quite as hot. If you're open to other places in Northern California you might check out Nevada County, Orland or Rio Vista.
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Old 12-27-2022, 02:06 PM
 
114 posts, read 111,601 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Geog101 View Post
Getting closer to retirement and looking to relocate. Things that are on my list are:
Things to do
Weather
Crime
Medical facilities
Housing
Food/restaurants
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Chico has bother greater quality and quantity of those things but it's significantly more expensive to live there now. Housing has gone through the roof since November 8, 2018. If money is no object you'd probably appreciate Chico a bit more. If outdoor living is your speed, Redding is adjacent to more state and national park land and closer proximity to Mount Shasta, Shasta Lake, several other lakes and the Trinity Alps. Chico has access to lots of natural beauty too but it's not quite as surrounded by it like Redding is.

In Chico the average home price is almost $100K more, the average age is nine years younger (because of the university), unemployment is 1.2% lower, but the median incomes are roughly the same.

Redding also has slightly more extreme weather seeing more snow on the valley floor than Chico because it's about 300 feet higher up at the foot of the Cascades. It will also be quite a bit hotter in the summer time, often with highs at 110° while Chico might be around 100-105.

Redding has more chains like Macy's and Chick-fil-A and Chico's curated more emphasis on local businesses with boutique shops and restaurants downtown (that's not to say the city lacks chains though, there's plenty there too).

It really comes down to what your budget is and what your priorities are.
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Old 12-29-2022, 01:53 PM
 
3,886 posts, read 4,537,512 times
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Default Redding: It's not that bad.

We recently moved here to Redding to look after my aging half brother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We've been here since last May.

So far the biggest challenge we've had is finding a doctor. After 4 months on a waiting list, we finally got a call from a Medical Group who has a Physicians Assistant available for us to see.
My brother's elder lawyer who is from So. California warned about this. She also uses a PA for general, but goes back down to So. Ca. for any surgeries or medical procedures. On the other hand, one of my brother's retired neighbor has had no problems with the medical care they've received here including surgery. Part of the problem is the older docs are starting to retire, and the younger docs (especially their wives as I've been told) don't want to live in Redding. It's very rural and well...unsophisticated compared to other cities.

Other than the medical issue, it takes a little getting used to... us moving here wasn't our choice, but my brother's just not ready for a facility just yet, and my hubby works remote so we had the freedom to move here and rent an apartment. My brother was still functioning pretty well in his house of many years, but could no longer drive, so I went there every day. However, he had a mini stroke in September, so he's been living with us the past few months in our apartment. Thankfully he's recovered from the stroke very well, but the docs said he shouldn't be living alone anymore so we're getting his house ready for all of us to move back in there. His house is in Old Shasta about 4 miles from the Redding city border. It's a pretty peaceful area and more rural with propane tank and septic. There was a huge fire that burned down a lot of the forest and many homes a few years back, but my brother's house survived.

The lakes are nice, the mountains are pretty, and the shopping is good enough so you have all your major conveniences here including Trader Joe's Sprouts, Winco, furniture stores etc. etc. at the huge shopping area right in town. There are some okay restaurants, seems we mostly go out for breakfast which there are plenty of spots to do that. Redding is not a "foodie" or high culture place. There's no University, but there's a city college, no high tech industry, mostly blue collar, retail, restaurant and other services that cater to a large retirement community here.

Crime is an issue, mostly crimes of opportunity because of the drug addicts around so lock your doors. Homeless are scattered around the city. They are an interesting breed. Really some characters out there for sure. Some I suspect are parolees, meth heads, drunks and general "crazy people". It's pretty bad in places, but compared to Portland (we were living across the river in Vancouver, Wa. for a few years before moving here) Redding looks downright neat and tidy, lol! No swaths of tents lining a streets like over there. But there's definitely a "down and out" feel with many people struggling economically.

Politically it's definitely "Trump Country", but my take is it's more Libertarian. I'm "live and let live" myself, and lean right, but I don't really talk that much about politics with strangers. If there are far far right people here, I haven't run into any that have bothered me so far. My neighbor at the apartment we're in at the moment is all about crystals and vegan and stuff, that's fine, we're civil, which is all I really care about on a personal level.

There's a huge religious community here called Bethal. I've had a few interactions with some of it's members including one of the families that lives in my brother's neighborhood in Old Shasta. No problems, super nice family with teenage boys that I've been paying to help with the clean up around my brother's property. Good work ethic those kids, so I'm not complaining. I'm not a church goer myself, but so far the neighbor hasn't tried converting me, maybe because they've been members for a long time and are past their "honeymoon" period, lol! However, I'm always open to one on one discussion of religion and philosophy if it comes up. If Bethal is a real problem here, I haven't been properly informed as to why, maybe I'll find out one day. There are actually some very nice people who live here. Every worker we've had over to the house has been super nice, polite and very helpful.

The heat is no joke... it gets tiresome, but you learn to work around it. Take your walk early in the morning, enjoy the balmy evenings, make sure you have central air and it's in good working condition! Ya know, like people in Phoenix do. I've been coming up here on vacation for years since I was a teenager and there's nothing like floating on Whiskeytown Lake and dipping into the cold water when it's a 110!
My brother of course is acclimated and thinks 90's is beautiful weather. Well it's a "dry heat" lol! We get rain and occasional snow in winters for sure. It's been pretty nippy lately, but not Midwest cold.
Good luck on your search!

P.S. Yes, that link provided in this thread was me so sorry for any redundancy in this post. I was pretty upset on finding out about the doc shortage here especially since I was under a lot of strain, (still am) and knowing my blood pressure is borderline. We'll see if we end up settle here, or move on. My hubby and I have committed to at least a year and then we'll reassess and report back.
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Old 01-03-2023, 05:51 PM
 
Location: East Bay, CA
487 posts, read 323,572 times
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I've considered Redding too, but I might wilt in the summer heat. Too bad, because Redding is surrounded by great areas to hike, bike and explore.

I did visit there a few years ago to ride my bike on the local trails. Someone warned me not to go out on the trails west of town, as there were a lot of illegal weed farms being guarded out there. I've read recently that the falling prices have driven a lot of growers out of the business, so I wonder if the situation is still like that up in Redding.
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Old 01-08-2023, 10:16 AM
 
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Worked and lived in the foothills east of Redding years ago -- not bad, for what it was. Yes, warm in the summer, but evenings could cool and the shoulder seasons were pleasant. Enough retail, I guess, but this is a relatively ... worn area. Close enough to Ashland/Tahoe/Redwoods for weekend trips, but the day-to-day living is lacking.
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