2018 Best Places to Live in the Modesto AreaAbout this List

Ripon

• Town in California
• 60

Current Resident: Ripon is a small, family-friendly community. The police and fire departments are very responsive. There are church of several different faiths in town. There are annual family-oriented activities such as the Almond Blossom Festival in February and Night-Out in August. There are five public elementary schools and one public high school. There is also a private elementary school and a private high school. There are lots of restaurants in town.
Read 60 Reviews

• B+

• B+

• 15,173 Population

Turlock

• Town in California
• 167

Former Resident: I love Turlock. It’s a very nice, quiet town to live in. I moved there from Merced when I was six years old, and I’m now twenty-five years old. After living there for almost twenty years, I can definitely say it’s a great city to grow up in. The people are nice, there’s good food all throughout the town, there’s great shopping, and it’s centrally located to the larger cities like Modesto. It’s definitely a city I could see myself living in for a long time, and it’s a great place to raise a family in. I even had great experiences attending the school there, and there’s a great university in town, too.
Read 167 Reviews

• B

• B+

• 71,906 Population

Salida

• Town in California
• 24

Current Resident: Salida California gives off an air of safety with schools everywhere, police often around, and kids walking to and from school. Very rarely do I hear of any crimes, and the ones I do are not very violent. There are plenty of orchards around for people who enjoy those things, and the houses are beautiful, but it gets a bit dusty and smelly because of the harvesting and the cows around.
Read 24 Reviews

• B

• B+

• 14,424 Population

Del Rio

• Town in California
• 6

• B-

• B+

• 1,078 Population

Riverbank

• Town in California
• 64

Current Resident: Riverbank is a small town here in the valley. Although its not as entertaining as larger cities, its peacefulness makes up for it. Most people are very respectful in the streets. In addition, the city has one of the nicest movie theatres in the valley, and we have a shopping center on the outskirts of the town. There are also various local restaurants as well as fast food chains located in the area. I have been living here for over a decade now and I do not plan on moving out anytime soon. It's a great place to live if you are looking to settle down in my opinion.
Read 64 Reviews

• B-

• B

• 24,047 Population

Oakdale

• Town in California
• 58

Current Resident: I have grown up in Oakdale. It has grown a lot in the past ten years. Overall my experience has been pretty good. I love the football town. I enjoy that you can talk to everyone and they are always friendly.

Like every town it has its downfalls. There has been an increase in crime in the past couple of years. I would like to see that disappear. But overall, not a terrible experience. 4 stars!
Read 58 Reviews

• B-

• B

• 22,256 Population

Hughson

• Town in California
• 8

Current Resident: Hughson is a beautiful small town set in the heart of california. It has small town charm and lots of fun events throughout the year. The arboretum houses trees and plants from around California displayed within a walking trail with a map to follow. There is also fox Grove fishing access down by the river which also houses a wildlife refuge. Between the parades and highschool football games Hughson welcomes you into the heart of California and the heart of the thriving almond, walnut and peach industry.
Read 8 Reviews

• B-

• B-

• 7,295 Population

Modesto

• City in California
• 409

Current Resident: Modesto is my home town, being born and raised in this medium sized town allows me to have a sense of pride. I have seen my city grow and become what it is today, a hub of growth, new business and great community events. Modesto was the first city to star Love Modesto and many other surrounding cities have caught on. We have problems with poverty and many other issues but the community really comes together to help one another!
Read 409 Reviews

• B-

• B-

• 210,166 Population

Keyes

• Town in California
• 3

• B-

• C

• 6,237 Population

East Oakdale

• Town in California

• B-

• B+

• 3,146 Population

Empire

• Town in California
• 1

• C+

• B+

• 4,177 Population

Denair

• Town in California
• 13

Current Resident: It's a very small town on the edge of Turlock, quite and residential. It does not have very much going on in the actual town, we have a post office, a few churches, fire department, small convenience stores, gas station, and a library. Denair is very close to all the amenities Turlock provides. And Denair is very family friendly and patriotic.
Read 13 Reviews

• C+

• C

• 4,988 Population

Escalon

• Town in California
• 23

Niche User: Escalon is a small little Agriculture town in California's central valley. Due to its small size, it has a close knitted community and almost everyone knows each other in some way or another. The majority of the job opportunities revolve around agriculture. There are tons of acres dedicated to almonds and pasture. There aren't many choices regarding schools in Escalon, but they have pretty good teachers.
Read 23 Reviews

• C+

• B-

• 7,449 Population

Merced

• Town in California
• 218

Current Resident: Merced is small town with stores that adhere the simple amenities of living (Costco's, Food4less, Targets, Walmarts, etc.). In regards to weekend and nightlife, there a several trail locations, dessert/hangout bars (milk tea, wingstop, In&out, etc). The only issue with some of these activities is that several of these "hangout" locations involve payment to use and can be discouraging for the average person on a budget.
Regarding free activities and locations to visit, most people step out of town to visit sight seeing spots near by (Yosemite, Atwater, Turlock).
Read 218 Reviews

• C+

• C+

• 82,008 Population

Atwater

• Town in California
• 77

Current Resident: As a mom I love Grocery shopping in Atwater. The stores are neater and cleaner than Merced.
Atwater is improving slowly over the years, but change that I would like to see happen, is more shops and activities for teens to go to, to hang out, help keep them out of trouble, drug free, and off the streets. Setting guided paths for their success. Speaking from my own teenage experience, this would have been beneficial for me and my piers. Keeping kids safe and building economic growth within it's own community.
Read 77 Reviews

• C+

• C+

• 29,118 Population

Waterford

• Town in California
• 7

Current Resident: A small town that is extremely close-knit. Lacks food choices due to low population but has easy access to larger towns such as Modesto and Turlock, within a reasonable distance.
Read 7 Reviews

• C+

• C

• 8,786 Population

Livingston

• Town in California
• 17

Current Resident: Living in Livingston has so far been a great experience. Livingston is a small town but despite its size, it offers a variety of opportunities. Currently, Livingston has around eight fast food restaurants, three grocery markets, two pharmacies and a lot more to offer. Livingston also hosts a Sweet potato festival during September in dedication to the local sweet potato companies and the biggest firework show in the valley for the Fourth of July. Overall, Livingston has a lot to offer and has so far been a great expirience living here.
Read 17 Reviews

• C+

• C

• 13,831 Population

Newman

• Town in California
• 18

Current Resident: I am a current resident of Newman. It is a small town which is good because you are comfortable and familiar with everyone. I would like to see a change in the local Recreation department. Overall it is a safe and quiet town. There are three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The school system cares about the students and offer many different programs for the students to take part in. There are rarely any major crimes committed in Newman. Mainly petty thefts. I would not say it is dangerous at night but as a quiet town there is no night life. Great place to live peacefully.
Read 18 Reviews

• C+

• C

• 10,951 Population

Ceres

• Town in California
• 99

Current Resident: Ceres is a great place to grow up or to raise a family. I've lived here most of my life, attended schools here, and now I’m raising my family here. I am very happy with the level of safety and the public schools. There isn’t much of a night life in Ceres but one could typically find many fun activities in the neighboring cities, both within a 15 min drive. Ceres has small town feel without sacrificing local and comfortable amenities such as varied shopping centers and choice of schools and parks. We are very happy to live in the city of Ceres!
Read 99 Reviews

• C+

• C

• 47,650 Population

Delhi

• Town in California
• 32

Current Resident: I have been living in Delhi, California for almost two years. It's a peaceful and friendly town. The cost of living is minimum. I have been substituting as a teacher for the schools and they are well organized. The town has a population of about 10,000 residents. I enjoy going to the local park to play soccer with my family and friends.
Read 32 Reviews

• C

• C

• 11,622 Population

Winton

• Town in California
• 6

• C

• C

• 11,487 Population

Gustine

• Town in California
• 5

Current Resident: Gustine is a very small town, with the population of 5,687 people. It is a very peaceful town, in which you barely find out about bad news. Downtown Gustine is very small, but has enough stores to survive with. It includes; a clinic, pharmacy, a few stores, Subway, McDonald's, gym, bar, schools, and some antique stores. This town has grown a lot in the past few years and the mayor of Gustine has big plans to change it in a positive way. I highly recommend living here.
Read 5 Reviews

• C

• C-

• 5,735 Population

Patterson

• Town in California
• 38

Current Resident: It is a very small town, and there are many resources around. There is one major problem. There is no fun! Students have no place to hang out after school or during the weekends. We mainly consist of fast-food restaurants and 2 major grocery markets.
Read 38 Reviews

• C

• C+

• 21,497 Population

Bystrom

• Town in California
• 5

• C

• C+

• 4,136 Population

Planada

• Town in California
• 2

Current Resident: Planada is a really small town and a place that I've called home my whole life. It is a very humble and quiet town for the most part. Most of the people here are kind and helpful. What Planada needs is a more integrated youth outreach to help end gang violence.
Read 2 Reviews

• C-

• C-

• 4,472 Population