There is regional snobbery her in my NYC suburb. CC is often considered “Grade 13” and is considered less academically rigorous than even the less competitive colleges/universities. My friend taught briefly at one local CC that is considered quite good and found the students were less engaged and interested than even the inner city secondary school kids she had previously taught.
That being said, I know some kids that did not make it through college at the traditional age and have used CC to get back to academics quite successfully. For some kids, it is truly a lifeline.