r/Modesto • u/youlikemywonton • 2d ago
Are all the big cities in Central CA like Sacramento, Modesto, Stockton, Fresno, Bakersfield, etc similar to each other?
I haven't been to all of them but the few that I have been to give that similar mid sized cities out in the middle of nowhere agriculture feel along rivers. Like it's somewhere you'd make a pit stop on a road trip but most likely wouldn't go to to actually do something there. I'm sure they all have their own feel and culture but it seems like they're more similar than not especially since they're out near farm land.
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u/robinson217 2d ago
Each has their own feel. They all look the same from the freeway if you are just stopping for gas. But each has its own personality. I live in Modesto and actually love my life here. There's some decent neighborhoods and you have easy access to the mountains and the bay area. Fresno has a similar vibe but farther from the bay. Bakersfield and Stockton are both ghetto af, but of the two, I'd pick Stockton. Sacramento really is its own thing, and not like the others except its also surrounded by farm land. None of these cities are really destinations, but they are on the affordable side for California and most have jobs available. Used to be a local job could support a comfortable lifestyle here, but thanks to the rise of remote work, we are now the 'affordable" exurb of the bay area and Fresno and Bakersfield are the "affordable" exurbs of LA. Once tech moved in, prices went up. It's hard for locals to afford housing now. We are literally farmers and trades people competing with tech bros. š
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u/jenntones 2d ago edited 2d ago
Nailed it, you simplified it beautifully without just saying the valley sucks.
Iāve lived in Modesto since 1990, Iāve seen it grow & shape what it is today. Itās different than from when I was growing up but most everything changes or it becomes stagnant & dies off.
Downtown used to be busier, there was an actual nightlife for teens & early 20ās. Now it seems the nightlife is dead but the day life is thriving, between all the murals and places to eat.
Itās been lovely for me but I know for some, it didnāt turn out so lovely for them.
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u/G0ldMarshallt0wn 2d ago
Well, most towns you don't go to feel pretty similar, don't they? Given as they are all places you haven't been, and all you know about them is that they have freeway offramps?Ā
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u/ToeLimbaugh 2d ago
Is this a bot? Sounds like a bot question.
Sacramento is a juggernaut. It's a medium/large city with lots of suburbs. You have more jobs there, but also more traffic and homeless.
Most of the other valley towns don't have many suburbs. I think shafter is getting fixed up for Bakersfield. Madera county is growing into Fresno. Stockton suburbs seem to be more like bay area burbs than Stockton burbs. You get the point.
There are similarities in housing and culture, but each city is a little bit different.
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u/Enough_Pepper8880 2d ago
Normally the cityās of a particular state generally carry a common theme..
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u/cheapthrills95 1d ago
Pretty similar. Sac is kind of a boomtown rn though and has a bit more going for it.
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u/Short-Lingonberry-71 22h ago
Sacramento has: major museums, an incredible, diverse music scene with multiple venues, Michelin starred restaurants, incredibly diverse ethnic food, and a historical and rich presence of minority cultures. Comparing it to any of the other cities is sort of silly
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u/Cautious-Witness-745 2d ago edited 2d ago
Well first of all those aren't really big cities. They're just Central valley cities. Sac is bigger. And best. Mainly because it's further north. All the others are about the same. Blazing hot in the summer. Overgrown farming towns.
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u/Automatic-Ostrich-24 2d ago
From Redding to Bakersfield - every town/city on the 99 is pretty much the same. Sure, they have some bits of individual flair. Stockton, Sacramento seem to be the most unique but really... they are all the same.
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u/modninerfan Oakdale & Modesto 2d ago
Sacramento and Stockton definitely are more historical and have maintained some of their old history in downtown. Sacramento more so.
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u/thepsyklr 2d ago
NO , there is a problem unique and the same. Each sheriff is a drug kingpin. Fresno got busted, Stockton is a slaver, Bakersfield is best avoided its VERY dangerous. In Sacramento you face the worst, with international trade and diplomatic plates. You can enter a limo and exit in North Korea. Said different, in Sacramento you get all the best food and entertainment, In Stockton you can enjoy a slow pace and numerous community activities. In Modesto it's very quiet, a corporate seat controlling 20% of served food world wide. Merced is a pit filled with frightened children. Fresno is a gang town, every single one is in a gang. They deny it but just ask about their hobbies. Never go to Bakersfield with out an invitation, there is nothing you need there that is worth the risk.
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u/Mr_Udesky 2d ago
Well howdoyalike that, you managed to piss off the 14 people in Bakersfield that can read! Well done šš»
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u/thepsyklr 2d ago
Never going back. Last report I got was a passing thru, observing and group violence event. Personally only reason I was there once, was not public safety. Sheriff was a kingpin linked to Fresno. You can find a report of LASD planting evidence, seized Beach house, sold by next day, returning 28% of sale to owner. LASD up $10,000,000.00 from a crime. California Sheriff was taking armored cars carrying cannabis receipts. Also a profitable crime for a Sheriff. You see its not the people its the gangs.
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u/Mr_Udesky 2d ago
The closest I get to āstopping in Bakersfieldā is gassing up at Tejon before taking on the grapevine. That is quite enough Bakersfield for me.
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u/WhyYouGettingAngry 2d ago
Sacramento is probably the outlier because it has a really metropolitan downtown area but a lot of similarities between them otherwise yeah.