The town of Shasta Lake is very much a real town with very few tourists.

The lake itself is very close to Redding and several other small towns. There are some tourists, but most of the people on the lake are locals.

Thinking about visiting, moving, or just generally curious?

On the negative side: It's really, really, really RED. There are a lot of rednecks and tweakers. There's a crazy church here. It's BRUTALLY hot in the summer. It's not an educated area of the state at all.

On the positive side: Most of the people are friendly. Crime rates are low. It's near some of the most beautiful areas in the state. There's usually four distinct seasons, but right now we're enjoying a fascinating combination of late fall and early spring when it should be cold and pouring. The cost of living is low. If you like the outdoors, there's lots of it.

Would you be moving up here with an SO or a family, or would you be by yourself?

that there are about a dozen other small towns around Redding where land is cheap and the livin' is easy.

Anderson, Cottonwood, Palo Cedro, Happy Valley, Igo, Ono, Oak Run, Jones Valley, Old Shasta, Shingletown, and Bella Vista are also areas that you might look at.

What are you looking for? Are you looking for 3 acres, are you looking for 100 acres, are you looking for a cute house in a small town, are you looking for something dirt cheap, do you want something old, do you want something new...?

n/t

I always wanted to make time to stop over one day and spend some time there. It's very beautiful to begin with and it does benefit from vacationers mostly I believe.