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The Lowdown on Downtowns

The best downtowns are 16/6 districts — they are lively places at least 16 hours a day, 6 days a week. The worst downtowns are those that stand largely abandoned, but nearly as depressing are those that operate almost exclusively from 8 to 5 on weekdays.

Redding has an 8-to-5 downtown for the most part. Sure, there are signs of life at other times, especially just south of the mall. In general, though, the sidewalks are largely deserted by 6 o’clock. In fact, the sidewalks are pretty empty most of the time … Continue Reading