Moving to Lodi: 16 Things to Know before You Go

Are you considering moving to Lodi, California? We put together some tips and background information for you, if you are thinking of such a move. The tips section is an interview with a StoragePRO manager who lives in the area.

What do you think someone who has never lived in Lodi would be surprised to know about living there?

First of all, the real estate market is booming. Secondly, Lodi wine is almost passing up Napa!

Are there outdoor activities you can do around there?

So many nice parks for the family. Lots of shopping and boutiques antique shops and bike trails.

The population is 63,000 or so, does it seem like a smaller town than that?

It does seem like a smaller town. The streets never seem congested with traffic. The neighborhoods aren’t overcrowded with properties and the families all seem close. There are so many schools in Lodi the classrooms are never crowded, thus the teachers seem happy to be at work every day.

Vineyards and wineries seem like a big part of the culture, is that true, and how do you like the local festivals?

The vineyards are HUGE here. It has become “the New Napa”. The wineries can be seen all along Highway 12 as you come into Lodi. They take so much pride in the wine produced here. There are generations of families who are tied into the wine culture.

What might be an insider tip or two about something fun to do there? (It could also be something about a favorite restaurant for locals.)

There is a variety of restaurants in downtown Lodi. There is the Lodi Beer Company that has amazing food and seasonal beer choices. There is also a BBQ joint called “Stuck in Lodi” it’s fairly new, but the food is so good! Service is incredible—the BBQ cook comes out and asks you personally was it good and even lets you sample new plates.

On Thursdays in the summer months, there is a farmers market in downtown Lodi.

The very first A&W that’s started in 1909 is in Lodi and every Thursday night Lodi hot-rod collectors club park their cars in the parking lot and pop their hoods and anyone can come and check them out.

Is it easy to get to mountains for camping or skiing or snowboarding from Lodi?

Right out of Lodi there is a road taking you directly to Lake Camanche. There you can enjoy camping, wakeboarding, fishing, and boating.

Are there lakes around there for boating, swimming, water skiing, or wake boarding?

There is Lodi Lake where families can swim, fish, and barbecue in the summer months.

A Fourth of July fireworks show is put on by the City of Lodi for its residents to enjoy.

Are there many music events, like concerts?

There is Hutchins Street Square where the Parks and Rec. department put on summer family movie night on a large white screen.

There is the famous Grape Festival in mid-September. It is a festival of food, beer, arts and crafts, local vendors, carnival rides, and of course WINE! Lots of fun for the entire family.

The night-life here is cool too. Pubs, breweries and lounges with live music and DJ’s.

Stockton is close by…are there any restaurants, museums or things to do that people from Lodi like, or that they visit for frequently?

There is the Stockton Flea Market, The Asian Farmers Market, there are a variety of festivals throughout the year, Wineries along 8 mile road, and then they have concerts and sports games at their new downtown arena. Lots of bars, restaurants, and night clubs. In Lathrop, which is about 25 minutes away, there is the Boat House which is a very nice restaurant off the water that makes the best drinks!

Are there any particular things you like about Lodi?

I like the fact that the city is very family oriented. The focus is on community safety and unity. The schools genuinely care about the student’s education. The people are SO nice and always ready to give a helping hand. The city is growing and I have met many Bay Area transplants like myself who have quickly made Lodi their new home. The city isn’t as diverse as I am used to but the people still seem very welcoming and kind. I really love it here. I’m grateful that my family and I ended up in a nice little place like this.

Background Info

Industry

Some of the top employers are General Mills, Kubota Tractors, Archer Daniels Midland, Blue Shield of California, Holz Rubber Company, Lodi Iron Works, Pacific Coast Producers and so forth. For a town of about 63,000, it has more industry than some might expect.

The Lodi Unified School District has 2,762 employees, and Lodi Memorial Hospital has about 1,300. Pacific Coast Producers has 1,000 and Blue Shield about 850. Of course, Lodi is also known as the Zinfandel Capital of the World.

Climate

The climate is hot-summer Mediterranean, with maximum temperatures around 90 in the hottest part of the summer and 55 in January. Evenings are usually much cooler in summer—in the 50s.

Wine

Today, there are over 100,000 acres of vineyards in the Lodi area producing many grape varieties. Over 50 wineries operate in the area today, and there are annual events related to the wine industry, like the Lodi Grape Festival, and Taste of Lodi is another. Robert Mondavi is located in Woodbridge, which is very close to Lodi. Lodi was ranked as one of the better California cities to raise a family in.

Cost of Living

An analysis conducted by SalaryExpert.com found that Lodi had a lower cost of living than Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta. All these other cities are livable and ones that many people enjoy living in and visiting, but Lodi is cheaper.

It’s much cheaper than San Francisco too. A small 3 bedroom house in Lodi could be as low as $260,000, but the same property in San Francisco might be 3 times that, and with no yard.

Transportation

There are public buses and the Lodi Transit Center, which provides access to AMTRAK, if you want to take a longer trip.

History

Lodi was settled in the 1800s; early economic opportunities were in endeavors such as cattle ranching, orchards, vineyards, a saw mill and a flour mill. A&W Root Beer was created in Lodi almost 100 years ago.

Travel

Here are some of the other communities in the area, with distances:

Stockton, 16 miles
Sacramento, 37 miles
Oakland, 76 miles
San Francisco, 84 miles
San Jose, 96 miles
Yosemite, 104 miles
Lake Tahoe, 127

So, if you are considering moving to Lodi, you may want to visit at least once and see if it appeals to you. Many people like it and it is a community which is growing slightly.

We have storage units in Lodi, in case you need those.

Image Credits:

Lodi Arch

Steveozone, CC BY-SA 3.0

Lodi wine

Agne27, CC BY-SA 3.0

Lodi Transit

kla4067, CC BY 2.0