roadstaken

As a visitor to this area, I have to say that there needs to be some serious renaming of streets in this area. There are no fewer than THREE Dawn Drives in about a half-mile radius. The Dawn Drive that I've been to is a nice enough neighborhood - across from a park, so it's pretty ideal for kids - but it is really, really difficult to find if you don't have specific directions from someone who lives there.

My aunt and uncle moved to Monte Vista Ave. a few years ago and it's a fantastic neighborhood. They live right at the bend between Monte Vista and Durant so they're sort of snuggled in the quiet part of that area (further from Tully and Briggsmore which are quite a bit more developed - and loud). They're retirees, so I can definitely recommend the area for people getting on in years, but I also know they're surrounded by families. Good for both, I would say.

The locals in Ceres use this street as a shortcut out of town when traffic is bad. You can take Faith Home to Keyes and then take that to the 99, which helps skip some of the congestion if you're heading out to Turlock. This is a country road that contains mostly farms and mobile home parks.

I can't really speak to the maintenance of the road, which the other review mentioned, but I can say that the shopping along this road is great. I’ve visited this area many times around the holidays to shop at the Vintage Faire Mall or to go to the Target center, which has a Best Buy, a Borders and a Beverages and More. The road is a frontage road that runs alongside the freeway, and it’s really just shopping center after shopping center. I like that you can do all of your gift shopping in one place!

Pelandale is a major exit on the 99 freeway and the first few miles have great restaurants and shops. One of the first major shopping centers off this road has a Costco and a Cost Plus, and I've actually gone on a date in that area to the Color Me Mine pottery studio - followed by dinner at Baja Fresh.

Kruger is a straight shot down Rose Ave. from Briggsmore, so it's easily accessible from major roads but extremely suburban. The houses on the street are well-maintained and there are quite a few trees lining the road, which makes for a bit of shade in the hot summers. I'd recommend the whole area for couples who are starting families - it's a quiet little safehaven.

I have a couple friends who live on Rossmoor Way and they love it. It's a small, quiet suburban street in the heart of town - far enough away from major roads to be quiet, but only a half mile or so from Oakdale (and right around the corner from Orangeburg), so you can get anywhere you want pretty easily. There's a big park a few blocks away, as well, so it's a great area for children.

When I'm visiting family in Ceres I try to avoid Hatch road as much as possible. It's not the worst street in the world - I've lived in Southern California, and believe me, the congestion could be much worse - but there are a lot of stoplights and it does get backed up. There are a lot of places to shop along the street, though, including a Dollar Store, quite a few restaurants and supermarkets, too. It's a good road for running errands, but not a good thoroughfare.

When I first started visiting my husband's family in Ceres, I'd take Hatch Rd. into town from the 99 freeway. It turns out, though, that Whitmore is a much nicer option. It's a little harder to get to from the highway itself, but it's a lot less congested than Hatch and has fewer stoplights.

Before the housing bubble burst, the housing developments kept moving closer and closer to Gilbert Rd., but it looks like the street is going to remain a quiet farming area for a few more years, at least. There isn't quite as much traffic on Gilbert as there is on Faith Home, but people often use it as a thoroughfare between Whitmore and Hatch and it could probably use some speed bumps.