Redding itself might not be the most scenic place, but it's nice to the north, east, and to the west... very pretty country. It's hot in the summer (can get into the 110s! hope you really do like heat) and it can also get foggy at times (mostly winter) but usually the weather isn't terrible. There's enough shopping and such for day to day, but for culture or such you might want to head over to Ashland, San Fran, or Sacramento. Wages are a bit on the low side... it's not very upscale at all.