All you (n)ever wanted to know about Ridgecrest (Campbell: rentals, motels)

[Desertforsaken]

All I can say is wow!!
I have lived in Ridgecrest for pretty much my entire life , and you couldn't have done a more perfect job describing it in all aspects kudos, if your thinking about Ridgecrest ? Dont move hear , its like a big black hole that will swallow you up. Its nit a good place to raise kids . It's meth problem is insane three out i f four people are on it.crime is up. Tweakers every were , no opportunity at all unless your looking at a retail clerk carrier, or big time base engineer
The valley is in a major drought' and thats a big problem here. It gets up too well over 110 Dailey in the summer, its not fun when summers 8 out of 12 mths. Ridgecrest is pretty much the gaitwsy to meth and China lake naval we app a center. That sums it up. Get out while u can. Lol

[CoreyHall]

Hello I am a 23 year old recent computer science grad moving to the city soon to work on the base. From reading through this thread however, I am extremely discouraged to pursue my job there. Are things really that bad in Ridgecrest? Even for base scientists? Since I will be working on the base I didnt think I would spend too much time in the city but these posts worry me. Im typically a loner so I didnt think it would bother me but I sometimes like to go out and from what I have read, this city just doesnt seem safe.

I enjoy hiking and dirtbiking so I thought the location would work good for me. If I just avoid the city otherwise would I be good? Perhaps thinking that way is not a good sign though.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by CoreyHall

Hello I am a 23 year old recent computer science grad moving to the city soon to work on the base. From reading through this thread however, I am extremely discouraged to pursue my job there. Are things really that bad in Ridgecrest? Even for base scientists? Since I will be working on the base I didnt think I would spend too much time in the city but these posts worry me. Im typically a loner so I didnt think it would bother me but I sometimes like to go out and from what I have read, this city just doesnt seem safe.

I enjoy hiking and dirtbiking so I thought the location would work good for me. If I just avoid the city otherwise would I be good? Perhaps thinking that way is not a good sign though.

You can't avoid the city, as you'll have to live, shop, and eat/drink there.

Some people find their personal heavens in Ridgecrest. You sound like you could be one of them.

[CoreyHall]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

You can't avoid the city, as you'll have to live, shop, and eat/drink there.

Some people find their personal heavens in Ridgecrest. You sound like you could be one of them.

Well that certainly would be nice. Honestly it did sound like a great place to me until I found this thread.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by CoreyHall

Well that certainly would be nice. Honestly it did sound like a great place to me until I found this thread.

It can be, but it can also very easily not be.

I used to deliver pizza to a guy that moved there for a similar job on base. He was from Oklahoma. He got drunk most nights, ordered pizza most nights, and would occasionally have friends over. He told me how he ended up there, and how he would never leave.

I asked why, and he pointed to the sky. He said, "because you ain't got THAT in Oklahoma".

He was referring to the cloudless desert sky, which looked like a star map so clear you could almost read it.

Ridgecrest has its merits. It just takes special eyes to see them.

[ackmondual]

Originally Posted by CoreyHall

Hello I am a 23 year old recent computer science grad moving to the city soon to work on the base. From reading through this thread however, I am extremely discouraged to pursue my job there. Are things really that bad in Ridgecrest? Even for base scientists? Since I will be working on the base I didnt think I would spend too much time in the city but these posts worry me. Im typically a loner so I didnt think it would bother me but I sometimes like to go out and from what I have read, this city just doesnt seem safe.

I enjoy hiking and dirtbiking so I thought the location would work good for me. If I just avoid the city otherwise would I be good? Perhaps thinking that way is not a good sign though.

I'd deem it safe. This is a town you can generally leave your car and home doors unlocked, and still be safe. (That said, I still lock them).


For me the good parts include:
-no traffic
-ample parking
-not having to pay for parking as well
-friendly town
-base work is interesting
-the people on base are good people
-internet is available
-swamp cooler gets the job done, and is cheap enough
-within driving distance of Palmdale, Lancaster, LA, Bakersfield, Las Vegas... where the larger city centers are at
-safer than the other city spots
-internet makes living out here better. I'd hate to live here before they got the internet
-decent selection of food (Mexican, Vietnese, Chinese, Japanese, French, American, some places that can grill up a steak, American, burgers, bar, pizza, italian, greek)
-mountains make for nice scenery when you're walking around town, and driving to and from town.
-the base provides some amenities, like a fitness center that's cheaper than In Shape (although with worse hours and lousier facilities), and some activities like movies, video games, outdoor recreation, and bus trips. Some of the latter 2 are for an additional cost
-the base seems to be on solid ground... not many places, if at all does what they do.
-great winters
-Low to no humidity means even the summers aren't as bad as other places (like Alabama). Going into the shade helps




CONS
-more roaches... this is the open desert
-roaches are bigger than I've seen elsewhere (east coast)
-low amenities
-not a lot of choices of food (e.g. no more Indian food, no real BBQ joint)
-not many healthy options
-entertainment around town is pretty much bowling, movies, a few bars, and events that happen every now and then
-even 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5 hours one way is still far, and this means it's now a day/weekend trip, instead of just "stopping by".
-lousy place for dating. Many of the women hear are already married, perhaps with kids (to be fair, I'd probably have the same woes even if I were in the city. But still, the deck is sort of stacked against you here). If your in your 20s it shouldn't be as bad.
-it's a more cliquish community. You can make friends here, but it's harder
-if the base closes down, this place will take a hit
-summers and their 95 to 130 degree (average 110 IIRC) weather still suck. You really don't want to be outside for that.




INDIFFERENT
-we don't have many chain restaurants like Applebees and Chipotle.
-no stores like Best Buy. I never really bought anything from here anyways (which is why the internet is nice to have)
-not many places to buy clothing


-I'm not big into star gazing, but I'll do it if I happen to "be there"
-ditto with hiking

[CoreyHall]

What area of the city is the "nicer" area to live? Ive identified a number of apartments that im interested and I was wondering if people who live/lived there could tell me where I should be looking for places.

Addresses are:
Cisco St @ Nadeau st
344 S Sanders st
110 W Robertson Rd
225 W Robertson Rd
831 N Norma St.

Thanks for Pros and Cons list as well ackmondual

[Count David]

Originally Posted by CoreyHall

What area of the city is the "nicer" area to live? Ive identified a number of apartments that im interested and I was wondering if people who live/lived there could tell me where I should be looking for places.

Addresses are:
Cisco St @ Nadeau st
344 S Sanders st
110 W Robertson Rd
225 W Robertson Rd
831 N Norma St.

Thanks for Pros and Cons list as well ackmondual

Cisco/Nadeau is The Ridge. Think abandoned Detroit.

The three in the middle are in the oldest, possibly worst part of town. I used to live at 225 W Robertson, #D. We had a schizophrenic neighbor that sat on her porch all day and talked to herself. The wind blew through there pretty loudly, and as of the mid-2000's, they hadn't been remodeled since the 80's. This is as close to city living as Ridgecrest gets.

831 N Norma is a nice complex, but it is next door to Briarwood, which during my time there, was pretty rough even though they look nice on the outside.

[CoreyHall]

Thanks for all the information yall. One more quick question, what do yall think of the Larkspur Village apartments? I'm still searching and these apartments say they are newly built and look nice, but I don't know much about the surrounding area. Thanks in advance.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by CoreyHall

Thanks for all the information yall. One more quick question, what do yall think of the Larkspur Village apartments? I'm still searching and these apartments say they are newly built and look nice, but I don't know much about the surrounding area. Thanks in advance.

The highlighted areas are good. The scribbled area sucks. The part I wrote meh through is very much typical Ridgecrest, more miss than hit.