Moving to Bakersfield. Have not heard good things. (San Diego, Sacramento: sales, apartment)

[JACKEDjames123]

I'm moving from TN to Bakersfield, CA or at least one of the surrounding areas.

I have a few friends who currently live in northern California and they all say the same thing, "Its the armpit of Cali". Now I understand that it is in the middle of nowhere, I know it is hot, It is "boring" (Boring means safe?), and that it isn't like the rest of California.

My biggest issue is my fiance, Everything that I have read online or googled talks about the gang violence and the crime rate. Now I understand the news is usually just reporting on negative outcomes so I take that with a grain of salt but honestly I am not finding anything good.


Can someone please give me some feedback on the area? Prices, crime rate, etc.

I am also looking at Tehachapi, I read a good deal of places online that it wasn't as bad.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by JACKEDjames123

I'm moving from TN to Bakersfield, CA or at least one of the surrounding areas.

I have a few friends who currently live in northern California and they all say the same thing, "Its the armpit of Cali". Now I understand that it is in the middle of nowhere, I know it is hot, It is "boring" (Boring means safe?), and that it isn't like the rest of California.

My biggest issue is my fiance, Everything that I have read online or googled talks about the gang violence and the crime rate. Now I understand the news is usually just reporting on negative outcomes so I take that with a grain of salt but honestly I am not finding anything good.


Can someone please give me some feedback on the area? Prices, crime rate, etc.

I am also looking at Tehachapi, I read a good deal of places online that it wasn't as bad.

Oddly, most people who live in Bakersfield seem to like it. Tehachapi would be a good choice. Smaller town, nicer weather and air quality.

As far as not being like the rest of CA goes, the same can be said for San Diego or LA or the SF Bay Area or Sacramento or the Sierras. It is a large and geographically diverse state. And less than 3% of the state is urban/suburban. The rest is rural or wilderness. Take a map of CA and place over your part of the country and notice how many states are covered.

[JACKEDjames123]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

Oddly, most people who live in Bakersfield seem to like it. Tehachapi would be a better choice.

As far as not being like the rest of CA goes, the same can be said for San Diego or LA or the SF Bay Area or Sacramento or the Sierras. It is a large and geographically diverse state. And less than 3% of the state is urban/suburban. The rest is rural or wilderness. Take a map of CA and place over your part of the country and notice how many states are covered.

Im reading through some of the other threads about Bakersfield and it seems like its no where near as bad as people are saying but then again im digging the negative stuff up from 6 years ago.

Im not terribly worried about the drug issues or anything of that sort, it is more the gang issues and home invasions.

I'm from a crappy part of my city and I know what to look for and how to keep my nose clean but I dont like the thought of someone breaking into my home.

Honestly I think I am focusing too much on the negative and not seeing enough of the positive lol

[volosong]

I wouldn't live in Bakersfield if you gave me a house free-of-charge in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town. By the same token, if Techachapi wasn't just out of arm's reach of a commute to my job, I'd live there as soon as I could sell my current house. Bakersfield really isn't a very attractive place to live, but there's just something magical about Tehachapi, at least to me.

"Hot", you know about. "Crime and drugs", you just stay away from those areas. But, the one thing you can't get away from is the awful air quality. It's in a bowl, at the south end of the central valley. No escaping it, (except up the hill into Tehachapi).

I do miss the Gold Skate competitions that were held at the every year in Bakersfield. Those were good shows! Every bit as impressive as ice skating, but done on quads.

[Flovis]

Cheap, easy living and Short drives to the coast and LA.

As for the air quality, California is byfar the #1 buyer of electric cars. The bad air will get fixed sooner than youd imagine.

[Curmudgeon]

Have not heard good things.

There are reasons for that, ya know. Lived there 25 years ago and while it's grown significantly since then, from what I read it hasn't changed all that much. I thought it was a miserable place to be, left as soon as I could after three years there for my job and remember it as the only place I've ever lived where it rained mud.

It's cheap by California standards for a reason as well.

[Flovis]

Originally Posted by JACKEDjames123

Im reading through some of the other threads about Bakersfield and it seems like its no where near as bad as people are saying but then again im digging the negative stuff up from 6 years ago.

Im not terribly worried about the drug issues or anything of that sort, it is more the gang issues and home invasions.

I'm from a crappy part of my city and I know what to look for and how to keep my nose clean but I dont like the thought of someone breaking into my home.

Honestly I think I am focusing too much on the negative and not seeing enough of the positive lol

Southeastern usa crime is worse than inland California crime. Don't worry if you're in a good neighborhood.
Take badmouthing with large grains of salts. Some Californians are just big babies when it comes to certain aspects(crime/weather) of life. Ex. I've seen people cry over 80 degree heat on here

You'll be fine

[mstnghu2]

People who call Bakersfield the armpit of CA don't get out much. There are MUCH worse places you could choose to live in CA. Places like Barstow or Stockton come to mind immediately. I'd take Bakersfield any day of the week over them.

OP, keep in mind that many people on this forum call any city or town in the Central Valley "the armpit of CA". As far as your friends saying "it's not like the rest of CA", it's kind of like comparing your arm to your nose and saying "it's not like the rest of your body". CA is a huge state with lots of diversity. There are many parts of the state that are nothing like other parts of the state.

I'd be most concerned about air quality if I lived in Bakersfield, not crime.

[RosieSD]

If you move anywhere - ANYWHERE - with the idea that it will be horrible, it will be.

Stop reading junk online written by strangers who don't know you, your fiance, or probably much about living in Bakersfield. Ignore what your friends are saying, unless they have lived in Bakersfield in the last two years. The more opinions you get, the more confused you will get, and the more you will worry.

Buy a plane ticket or hop in the car with your fiance and go visit Bakersfield. You may hate it, you may like it, but in the end the ONLY opinions that matter are yours and your fiance's.

But don't make the decision just about Bakersfield. Weigh whether this job is a move in the right direction for you, and whether it can lead to other opportunities. If so, a few years in Bakersfield is not going to be the end of the world.

Good luck with your decision!

[Moddedintegra56]

Originally Posted by JACKEDjames123

I'm moving from TN to Bakersfield, CA or at least one of the surrounding areas.

I have a few friends who currently live in northern California and they all say the same thing, "Its the armpit of Cali". Now I understand that it is in the middle of nowhere, I know it is hot, It is "boring" (Boring means safe?), and that it isn't like the rest of California.

My biggest issue is my fiance, Everything that I have read online or googled talks about the gang violence and the crime rate. Now I understand the news is usually just reporting on negative outcomes so I take that with a grain of salt but honestly I am not finding anything good.


Can someone please give me some feedback on the area? Prices, crime rate, etc.

I am also looking at Tehachapi, I read a good deal of places online that it wasn't as bad.

most of the people in norcal who hate the valley probably are in their 30s or even 40s still living at home with a high chance they will never ever own their own house unless its a run down fixer upper in the ghetto, or they wait until they are 50 or 60 years old and inherit the home from their parents. or they rent forever and they have to justify their barely getting by lifestyle by hating on anything else.

plenty of people are happy in the valley, this quote sums it up from another thread

Originally Posted by Bruce81

I am in retail sales and work throughout southern and central cal. I stay in Bakersfield and in the SF valley but Bako is not that bad. It's a good place to be when you have a good job since the COL is low and there are some good dining options, concerts here and there and other mid sized cities amenities. Being located 80 miles from the SF valley helps as well. I think I rather live in a decent area of Bakersfield and have money leftover to travel than be in a crappy neighborhood in LA but only having the bragging rights of being in LA and nothing else. I also wanted to add that the time I spend in LA every week is hectic with all the traffic and could not live there even if my rent was free.

dude is in retail, a retail job in the bay area even management position basically means you are poor and no sights of ever being anything but a person who rents a room in the ghetto or living with your parents forever. in the valley, there is still a chance with good savings someone can own a decent home. live the "american dream". people in medical, law, gov jobs, etc are def living the life.

most of the people who hate and are from the bay area and talk about crime-- i bet you a high percentage of them live in the worse parts! where having a decent job in the valley you are in the good parts of town. you have to pretty much make $300K a year to own something in the "good" part of town in the bay area. everwhere in the valley you just have to be in the "middle class" which is roughly $60-70K and a dual income family even working a retail job pays $30K a year thats 60K a year for dual income even those folks can at least show working hard yields them something. imagine the many families in the bay who just work retail making that much, they have to squeeze a family of 4 in a bedroom or a janky apartment.

if you can find a decent job even if it pays less anywhere but the bay area, you live the good life in a less desirable place. but that almost seems better than living in poverty in a desirable one.