The Buzz: U-Haul says Redding top growth city in 2020. Here's who also made the list.

The Golden State isn’t so golden.

I would hear that from time to time as a reason people listed their houses for sale when I did stories in 2020 about how the pandemic is affecting the North State’s real estate market.

And a story we published last Tuesday about customer moving patterns from major companies Atlas, North American and United van lines showed that California in 2020 did rank high for people moving out.

Only one of the companies, United, could give me local numbers.

In 2020, 37% of United customers were moving to Redding, while 67% were leaving the North State, and Idaho, Texas and Washington were the top three destinations.

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But it’s a small sample size.

“With that being said, we don’t have a ton of shipments. In and out of Redding is shy of 100 shipments,” a United spokesperson told me via email.

But when it comes to do-it-yourself movers who use U-Haul, there were people last year moving to the greater Redding and greater Sacramento areas.

Redding and Sacramento were the only two cities in California ranked in U-Haul’s Top 25 U.S. growth cities in 2020.

Redding was No. 16 and Sacramento was No. 11.

“Despite California’s out-migration numbers that rank it last among growth states, the markets of Sacramento-Roseville and Redding made the growth cities list as popular destinations for movers aiming to stay in-state,” U-Haul said in a news release.

U-Haul calculates the net gains of one-way trucks entering a city versus leaving that city in a calendar year to determine its top growth cities.

People coming to Redding in one-way U-Haul trucks increased 6% in 2020, while departures rose only 2% from 2019.

Last year marked a return for Redding on U-Haul’s growth city list.

“Arrivals accounted for 52.6% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Redding during 2020. … Redding was not among the top 25 growth cities in 2018 or ’19, but it ranked 13th and sixth among the leading growth markets for 2017 and ’16, respectively,” the company said in a news release.

You wonder if the Carr Fire in 2018 drove some of those outbound moves.

The top five cities in California in 2020 where people moving to Redding came from were Sacramento-Roseville, Chico, Eureka, Red Bluff and San Diego. The top five cities outside of California where people moving to Redding came from were Medford, Reno, Las Vegas, Klamath Falls and Eugene.

But again, there’s a caveat. We don’t know the sample size. That’s because U-Haul, for competitive reasons, declined to give me transaction numbers.

Meanwhile, the south dominated the U-Haul’s top 10 growth cities: North Point, Florida; Kissimmee, Florida; Port St. Luce, Florida; Auburn-Opelika, Alabama; Madison, Wisconsin; Ocala, Florida; Knoxville, Tennessee; Surprise, Arizona; St. George, Utah; and Tyler, Texas.

Old Bleachers building sells

The former Bleachers Sports Bar & Grill building on Hilltop Drive has sold.

Work on the inside of the building had started before the city of Redding ordered it to stop last month.

Building Official Jim Wright in an email confirmed the city posted a “stop notice” for interior demolition work. But he did not say why.

According to the city’s building permit database, the new owners applied for a building permit on Dec.15, and the permit is under review.

A property deed check shows the building was sold to 2167 Hilltop Holdings LLC in October for $1.1 million.

Ryan Muse, who owns Shameless O’Leery’s in downtown Redding, is a principal in 2167 Hilltop Holdings LLC.

RELATED: Public hearing on cannabis business comes before Redding Planning Commission on Tuesday

In September, the city approved plans by Muse’s Muse Cannabis Manufacturing, Distribution and Warehousing to house a commercial cannabis operation that includes a 100,000-square-foot growing facility on Technology Way.

The company estimates the cannabis business will employ 40 to 50 full-time workers.

Muse couldn't be reached for comment.

Pizza Hut closes after nearly 40 years

Pizza Hut on Hilltop Drive in Redding was one of the stalwarts of the city's pizza restaurant landscape.

But after nearly 40 years, the restaurant has closed. The sign is down on the building at 2055 Hilltop Drive and a phone message states that the location has permanently closed while thanking customers for their business.

Pizza Hut’s corporate headquarters did not reply to an email or phone message seeking comment.

That location, which opened in late 1982, was owned by PacPizza LLC, a city of Redding business license check shows.

According to the Record Searchlight way-back machine, “The New Pizza Hut Restaurant” was taking applications in November 1982 and moved into the old Poco Loco location, according to the classified ad.

Shasta Lake cannabis update

In November, I wrote about an electric grid project in Shasta Lake that was going to power up to 20 buildings that would be housing new cannabis businesses.

The grid upgrade was going to add 14 megawatts based on these marijuana businesses' service needs.

The $2 million to $3 million electric upgrade project would be paid for by the property owners seeking the extra power.

Well, Shasta Lake Electric Utility Director James Takehara told me the project has been downsized to about 5 megawatts that would power four buildings, still for cannabis operations.

“Not everyone who requested the service has stepped up,” Takehara said Friday. “But we do have some interested … and we are working to proceed with that project to meet the needs of those folks who are interested in moving forward.”

The city is now redesigning the project and Takehara said he hopes construction will start later this year.

Stay tuned.

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• 40-plus years later, Jolly Giant Flea Market still attracting bargain hunters
• Oasis property once eyed for Redding Costco has a new owner. Here's who it is.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-225-8219. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.