patrick.net

WE'RE NUMBER #1! WE'RE NUMBER #1! Oh, wait...

I'd consider retiring in Stockton someday, to be honest. I lived there for 5 years while going to UoP and while some parts of the city are as worthy of ridicule as they seem to people that have never lived there, the place is not really bad at all. There are nice older neighborhoods with really neat houses, large yards and low crime (and I am not talking about the gated communities along Brookside). There are nice Italian grocery stores, coffee shops and parks, and the university has all sorts of fun events that locals can attend.

High-paying jobs are sparse, but the cost of living is crazy low, especially given the fact that they are #1 in foreclosures (again). So, while I wouldn't really want to be there at this stage of life, I can see myself retiring there on a large lot with a 1000SF detached garage/workshop. Hell, I could probably buy 3 adjacent lots and bulldoze two of the houses lol.

dude,

I have spent a lot of time in Stockton for over two decades as my partner has deep roots there, all over the city. I have seen it from many different socioeconomic perspectives during all of those years.

I dunno when you got out of UOP, but if it was before the past couple of years, take my word, like the Bay Area Hipsters say about The Fortress, "it's different there", and "it's different this time".

But the difference is it's not a good kind of different in Stockton.

I left in 2007 and was frequently there until 2009.

I am willing to take your word for it that the economic downturn and housing implosion didn't do the place any favors.

Ah yes you were there during the very brief period of Gentrification.

It was nice and it was ridiculous at the same time, and now Stockton's just very quickly crashing back down to the Bad Old Days of Bad Old Stockont.

B.A.C.A.H. says

But the difference is it's not a good kind of different in Stockton.

...and THAT applies to most areas.

stockton? oh heck no.

the only thing good about stockton is it's proximity to the sierra nevadas.

but, really, once the CIF state wrestling championships left UOP, it was all downhill from there.

here's stockton for ya:

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120927/A_NEWS/209270327

I am very fond of my partner's relatives in Stockton, it's not about them. Heck I wish they resided here. It's about Stockton.

For me, the good thing about Stockton is when I see it in my rear view mirror when I'm returning from there.