Bakersfield?? (San Diego, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo: house, school, allergies)

[Aunt Wonnie]

Originally Posted by canibeyou

I think the whole of Bakersfield is judged unfairly.

Thank you! People zip through on the 99 and think we're Zingo's and a bunch of poorly designed off-ramps to gas and fast food. In a recent issue of Westways (the AAA Magazine), in two different articles the phrase was used, "on the streets of Bakersfield," in a kind of lumpy inarticulate cotton-picker sense, and it was just infuriorating. We have concerts and theater groups and galleries and both a community college and state university; there are plenty of world-class professionals here; and while we can be proud (or not) of ol' Merle and Buck bein' from round these here parts, there's just SO MUCH MORE. One of the main attractions is that we are NOT LA, right?

[viraj]

thank u very much,so i think the edgewater condos seem excellent!! and aunt wonnie by the way no i aint moving to study at cal state, but just graduated out of texas tech to work now for berry petroleum in bakersfield

[elcapitan]

First of all, Bakersfield isn't for everyone. I lived there for about four years, my wife grew up there, and we still visit her family regularly, so I would say I know quite a bit about the place.

I would say it definitely has a bad reputation within California (known as the "armpit" of CA.) It does have one or two perks though. There a couple of decent schools, but that is irrelevant since you do not have children. It is also semi-close to better places; its about two hours from San Luis Obispo, 2 1/2 hours to coast, mountains, etc. People there consider it a positive in that it is close to Los Angeles, but I see that as a negative.

It is very flat, VERY dusty, and extremely hot from May through October. I always have to laugh when people there say "But it's a dry heat"- after twenty consecutive days of 105 degree temps you will see what I mean ; I was so miserable with having to stay inside with the A/C on full blast, paying astronomical electricity bills. It also heats up very early in the morning and doesn't really cool down much at night, so the heat is truly relentless.

We have two small children and decided to move away for their sake. The air is SOOO bad, especially when you consider that Bakersfield isn't really THAT big. Gang crime is on the rise, and we just decided that what was once positive about Bakersfield exists no longer. It has grown a lot recently BUT this growth is very deceiving. They basically keep building more and more housing tracts, but infrastructure and amenities have remained stagnant. Every once in a while they will build a new chain restaurant, and this strangely seems to keep the residents pacified.

There is definitely a sort of "Good 'Ol Boy" mentality in the air there, which you may be fine with, depending on how conservative you are. I do know that there is a very low percentage of college graduates, so the socio-economic landscape reflects that. There is a Cal State University there, but it ranks very low and has absolutely no presence in the town (i.e. it doesn't feel anything like a "college town.")

Another thing is that it is supposedly one of the most over-inflated real estate markets in California. A few years ago there were many speculators with money from Los Angeles buying up property. It created a kind of artificial demand, and now prices a facing drastic corrections. It is still relatively affordable for California, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

Sorry for all the negativity, but I would definitely think twice about moving anywhere in the Central Valley, as they all seem to suffer from the same problems. Sure, there are nice people there, but there are nice people everywhere. Good luck.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

elcapitan - I could have written your response as I feel exactly the same way. I also lived there for four years. At the time we were a young family and were so excited to be able to move from the coast (after years of renting) and be able to buy a brand new home. We lived in the NW area with new homes, schools and shopping. After the novalty wore off, it was quickly discovered that it was not a place that I personally would wanted to live forever. I felt land-locked and in the middle of nowhere. The crime was pretty rampant even though it was mostly on the east side of town. There were a lot of gangs moving up from LA in the early 90's, I can only wonder what it is like now. I did feel very safe on the west side of town but always wondered if you ended up somewhere at the wrong place and the wrong time....

I had terrible allergies when I lived in Bakersfield too. The air quality is really bad. There was still a lot of agriculture in the area at the time and when they would spray the defoliants on the crops, I would be a mess.

All in all it's not the most terrible place to live especially if you haven't lived anywhere else. But, to those of us who have, most would not consider Bake as a fantastic place to live. But there are plenty of locals who wouldn't live anywhere else. After a few years I found that driving over the Grapevine got really old (in order to enjoy the beach or LA or anywhere else who provided fun and entertainment) and I was never so happy to leave that place. My kids have fond memories but for me it was just a pit stop.

[PugLuv1]

Oh wow!! Now you have me thinking twice about moving there. I live in Arizona now and the weather has been 118, 119. I can't take this heat, i just moved here about a year ago from Chicago which i don't like snow either that's why i came to Arizona. Well now i can't afford LA, so what town has reasonable prices for rent but a good place to live also?

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

The summers are long and hot. You would not see a cloud in the sky for months. Just the hot blazing sun. You must have a pool if you live there. We did not but the kids managed to swim in all the neighbors pools. There have to be more affordable and enjoyable places for you to go than Bakersfield. Do you have a job lined up there? Or are you just moving? Unless things have changed, getting a decent job there is pretty tough. There aren't that many major companies there. Do you homework before you move there because you may regret it.

[PugLuv1]

I'm transferring wtih my job that i have now, or i can stay here in Arizona. Are there other place (towns) that the price is a little cheaper than LA??

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

The summers are long and hot. You would not see a cloud in the sky for months. Just the hot blazing sun. You must have a pool if you live there. We did not but the kids managed to swim in all the neighbors pools. There have to be more affordable and enjoyable places for you to go than Bakersfield. Do you have a job lined up there? Or are you just moving? Unless things have changed, getting a decent job there is pretty tough. There aren't that many major companies there. Do you homework before you move there because you may regret it.

[Suzer]

I moved in to Bakersfield knowing very little about the city. It really grew on me, and its proximity to other desirable areas can't be beat. It is very easy to travel throughout the city, and it really is self-contained - everything you need is right here. Late Fall and Winter are wonderful, it really is just a few months that the weather/air quality becomes unpleasant and harmful to those with allergies and respiratory problems.

[Roaddog]

Originally Posted by Suzer

I moved in to Bakersfield knowing very little about the city. It really grew on me, and its proximity to other desirable areas can't be beat. It is very easy to travel throughout the city, and it really is self-contained - everything you need is right here. Late Fall and Winter are wonderful, it really is just a few months that the weather/air quality becomes unpleasant and harmful to those with allergies and respiratory problems.

I agree, Bakersfield's location is the key, I love the coast and the mountians and i'm close to both. It gets hot but it's only a few monthes and the rest of the year is great.

[Caliguy2007]

Pugluv1...If your looking to escape the heat,then Bakersfield isn't the place for you.

It sounds like your looking for someplace near the Coast,but this also means it will be pricey.

If I were you,I would stay put in AZ and travel throughout the Coastal Areas of CA so you'll be able to decide what area you'll like to relocate to