They say California has something for everyone and Oakdale certainly bears this out. If you are considering relocating to Oakdale, you better enjoy the country style.

Oakdale, California is a small city located in the center of the state, within Stanislaus County. This city has its own slogan - “The Cowboy Capital of the World”, and it thrives on this image in order to encourage tourism. With a population of just 15,503 people, this city is smaller in population than many towns. Oakdale takes up just 5 square miles in area, and aside from being close to Yosemite National Park, it is known for the fact that the only Hershey's chocolate factory outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania is located here.

Relocating to Oakdale, California may take some getting used to, if you are from a more populous or busy area. The median age of the residents here is lower than average, at just 34.5 years of age. The median yearly household income in Oakdale is $39,337 – which is about $10,000 more a year than the United States' average. The average cost of purchasing a house in this city is $125,300, but many choose to rent their housing in the area at an average cost of $541 per month.

The breakdown of the racial profile in Oakdale is quite different than that of the rest of California. The Hispanic population here makes up 20.1% of the residents, which is significantly above the state average. The Black population is significantly below state average, and the portion of residents of Oakdale that claim to be white/non-Hispanic is 75.2%. Only 10.2% of the adult residents of Oakdale hold Bachelor's Degrees or higher, far below the state average, and the unemployment rate is higher than the rest of the state at 10.3%.

Many of the people relocating to Oakdale, California are not from the United States. Fully 10% of the population here is foreign born, with 56.8% of the adults in Oakdale giving their status as married. Crime in Oakdale is quite high compared with the US average – on a crime scale which rates the average crime index of the United States at 325.2, Oakdale rates a 464.5. Most of these crimes fall into the theft category.

While much about Oakdale may not be similar to surrounding towns and cities in California, the climate here is average for the state. With daily highs in the summer reaching to above 95ºF and lows only falling to 40ºF this city is much like the rest of southern California. The nearest moderately sized city to Oakdale is Modesto, California, 12 miles away – which is also home to the nearest colleges and universities such as Modesto Junior College.

Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - a directory of moving companies and services along with helpful advice on moving issues.