Rosedale? (Bakersfield, Orange: house prices, safe area, buyers)

[rmoney]

I am from suburban Atlanta and have been looking at possibly relocating to the Bakersfield/Rosedale area. Now I know that this will be nothing like Atlanta but is the Rosedale area any better than Bakersfield itself? I saw that the household income is higher but the house prices aren't obscene. Is this area safer? Close to LA at all? Is traffic to/from bakersfield horrible? I would love some advice on this area.

[Caliguy2007]

Rosedale is in Northwest Bakersfield and it is considered a Good and Safe Area,but most of Bakersfield is Safe in my opinion.

L.A is about 2-3 hours away,and the traffic in Bakersfield is minimal compared to Atlanta or L.A.

Bakersfield is also one of the more affordable parts of California,and the prices continue to drop,which is good news for Home Buyers.

[MWJamesLDS]

Rosedale is one of the nicer areas of Bakersfield, keep in mind that the city of Bakersfield covers over 100sq miles. Rosedale is about as Orange County as you are going to find on Bakersfield. There is a large shopping area on Rosedale highway. Biggest downer to Rosedale is the fact that there are limited Roads out of Rosedale to the rest of Bakersfield, causing some rush hour traffic, though its no LA. Housing prices are dropping like crazy all over Bakersfield. I recently saw a 2004 home in rosedale that sold for 350K in 07, selling for 179K last month.

Keep in mind that even with the size and population of Bakersfield, it does not feel like a large city! Bakersfield feels much much more like 3 or 4 small cities that have grown together! There is a city center in Rosedale, The north east, Central Bakersfield, and varing places in the Southwest. Hope that helps.