Livingston, CA

13 Apartments for Rent

"Livingstone, I presume?" Attributed to Henry Morton Stanley, a reporter who traveled to Africa in search of the famous explorer Dr. Livingstone.

Livingston was originally supposed to be named after the famous African explorer, Dr. Livingstone. When a petition for a post office was made in 1873, the letter 'e' was accidentally dropped from the name and the town officially came to be known as Livingston. But Livingston is anything but forgettable with so many things to do in town, from shopping and dining to the great outdoors.

Moving to Livingston

While not exactly bargain basement prices, rental rates in Livingston are 23.5 percent less than the California average and 15.1 percent greater than the national average.

Rental properties are decent sized with mostly one- and two-bedroom apartments for rent. You'll find an assortment of rental homes in Livingston, from the mom and pop owned 10-unit apartment complex to elegant Melrose Place-type of high-rise apartment complexes.

When to Look

If you want to live here, start your search now. It may take a while because rental apartments are in demand. Six weeks or longer out from your proposed move-in date isn't too early to find an apartment to call home. You'll probably have better luck at securing something if you start searching apartments locators towards the end of the spring or during the summer before fall begins.

Where to Look

Livingston's Liveability score of 66 is a little higher than average for California and the country. The town's WalkScore varies, so depending on how tied you want to be to your car for local errands, you might want to take this into consideration. The highest WalkScore in Livingston is 66 out of 100 in the area around 2nd Street, just a block or two east of Livingston's downtown area. Because of the small size of this town, there are no distinct neighborhoods to speak of.

What You Need

You'll need your credit score, a letter verifying employment and salary, and a copy of your last paycheck stub to secure your dream place in Livingston. When it gets serious, you'll need cash in the form of a cashier's or bank check. Prepare for first month's rent and security deposit. Bringing your pet? Bring more money for a deposit.

Life in Livingston

Most restaurants and services in Livingston are spread out along Main Street. You'll find the basics you'll need like grocery (there are 13 within a mile of the downtown area) and hardware stores, but you'll probably want to head to larger, nearby Modesto, to do your big time shopping.

The Dented Chef is most definitely a chef's heaven. This unique store is very large but the entrance room into the store is cozy and friendly. They carry every household chef's dream of wonderful and useful tools for every need. From apothecary jars to the newest fangled juicers, if they don't have what you want then maybe it hasn't been invented yet.

Foster Farms Chicken Caf is owned by the Foster Farms Chicken people. It has the decor and approachability of a trucker's diner and great food. Surprisingly, it's not all chicken. There is a fair amount of it, of course, but there are beef dishes as well as breakfast served all day. If you want something different from chicken, try the hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes, or the french dip with homemade chips. And yes, it's all fresh!

Amazing Yosemite National Park is in Livingston's back yard. Climb, hike or just enjoy the magnificent scenery that made Ansel Adams a household name.

Surrounded by reservoirs of the Central Valley's irrigation system, Merced County is a hub for boating, fishing and water recreation. From the foothills of the Sierra Nevada on the eastern side of the county to the Diablo Range on the west side, there are 11 lakes for fishing, boating and picnicking the days away within an hour's drive of Livingston. Los Banos Creek Reservoir has a 5 mph speed limit that keeps the lake calm for fishing.

Basically, you're going to need a car to successfully navigate the area. It's just off of Interstate 5 and Route 99 so you can easily get to all the surrounding areas.

Bike paths are all over Merced County, including Livingston. The communities have extended networks of bike paths and bike lanes in three distinct classes of pathways, lanes and routes: separate pathway for bikes, pedestrians, skateboards and other non-motorized uses; separate bike lanes along the edge of a road are indicated by a striped line; and designated routes without painted lines indicate a separate bike lane.

The closest Amtrak Stations is 10.9 miles northwest from Livingston's town center in neighboring Turlock. The closest passenger airport is Modesto City-County Airport, about 23.2 miles north.