What is the area around Edwards AFB like? (Lancaster, Palmdale: section 8, rental)

[letenn]

Hello: I may be relocated to Edwards AFB. What are the citied like around there? I have kids, so I'd like to stay away from Crime, gangs, and drugs. Also good schools are a must. Any Info would be appreciated. Thanks

[fastfilm]

Edwards Air Force Base is somewhat isolated, in the Mojave desert area. Look up the threads about Palmdale and Lancaster in this forum. It is very hard to avoid crime, gangs, drugs and have the choice of good schools in all of the Southern California unless one specifically lives in the "rich"areas. Please ask your personnel dept. about the school arrangements.

Also, Letenn, be aware that you are going to find a bisection of opinions on the Southern California threads in this forum that are socio-economic. Anyone who likes their own area is probably quite well off financially and can coccoon themselves from the copious, highly unpleasant realities here. Those of us who are not are counting the days until we can move. Nice winter weather isn't everything there is to life, and the image most folks from other parts of the country have of L.A., for instance, is about forty years out of date.

[Wayne G]

The problem with Edwards AFB is it is in the middle of nowhere and you might want to consider commuting to areas such as Victorville and the other cities of the high desert (Hesperia, Apple Valley). I don't recommend Adelanto due to some high crime areas in the older parts. Fastfilm hit the nail on the head regarding the myth/perception of So Cal (outdated by 40 years). Today's So Cal is way too crowded and expensive. The freeways are dangerous and grid locked most of the day. Homes cost in excess of $400 on up for decent housing. I am looking to get out (after being here since 1960) because it has changed too much for the worse...

[Just Lookin]

Sorry you have to come here. It used to be a wonderful quiet place to live. Now it isn't. Crime is on the rise here and drugs also.

I personally don't think our schools are very good. To many kids in one school. Not enough teachers.

Very expensive to live here now. Our house insurance just doubled. Same amount of square footage and nothing has changed. Cost of living is getting harder for those who are retired. Co-payments are high and insurance company's are cutting down on some of the things they used to pay for.

If you can change your mind, do it. I guess you will never really know unless you move here. We are moving out of this State.

[Tcoro4]

Letenn, you might want to consider the Anaverde area of Palmdale. It's gorgeous. It's a master planned community. We are currently looking to move to West Palmdale. We have been pushed out of the market in the san Fernando Valley. It's horrible. I prefer Palmdale. It's much more family friendly than the Valley. It's a lot of house for your buck too. Rancho Vista and Anaverde schools are great. Quartz Hills High school is good. We are going to homeschool. That's my two cents!
Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Calibelle]

Originally Posted by letenn

Hello: I may be relocated to Edwards AFB. What are the citied like around there? I have kids, so I'd like to stay away from Crime, gangs, and drugs. Also good schools are a must. Any Info would be appreciated. Thanks

The immediate area around the base is really small. There is a small town called Rosamond just right there. It has an Albertsons, Dominos pizza, Local video rental store. The Highschool, Junior high, and elementary school are all in a row, right next to eachother. Houses are spread out, its HOT in the summer. There is a huge trailor park there as well. Mojave is about 20 mintues up the 14 freeway, its not very big, and very hot. If you want a mall, big movie theater, ect... drive about 15 minutes on the 14 towards Palmdale and Lancaster. There is a huge Cinemark out there, and a mall.
A lot of my friends I grew up with in L.A. ended up relocating out to the Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond area, because they just couldn't afford the cost of living in our city anymore. Its cheaper out in the area near Edwards AFB. Not my ideal place to live, it does have some crime. A lot of crime in Rosamond comes from bored teenagers.There are gangs in the area, but thats hard to avoid no matter where you go in and outside of L.A. I don't know too much about the quality of the schools, I wish I could give you more info there.
However, I have met really nice people from that area. A lot of people that live in the area are really into dirt biking... the desert is a fun place to do that. If you look for the positive, you will find it. Good luck.

[DeserTBoB]

Originally Posted by Calibelle

The immediate area around the base is really small. There is a small town called Rosamond just right there. It has an Albertsons, Dominos pizza, Local video rental store.

It also has a festering toxic waste problem left over from the 1950s that is still a problem. Cancer clusters from it are well documented. The PG&E disaster along the old gas line that affected Hinckley near Barstow (think "Erin Brockovitch") is far east of there.

Originally Posted by Calibelle

The Highschool, Junior high, and elementary school are all in a row, right next to each other. Houses are spread out, its HOT in the summer. There is a huge trailor

TrailEr

Originally Posted by Calibelle

...park there as well. Mojave is about 20 mintues up the 14 freeway, its not very big, and very hot.

...and VERY vacant.

Originally Posted by Calibelle

If you want a mall, big movie theater, ect... drive about 15 minutes on the 14 towards Palmdale and Lancaster. There is a huge Cinemark out there, and a mall.
A lot of my friends I grew up with in L.A. ended up relocating out to the Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond area, because they just couldn't afford the cost of living in our city anymore. Its cheaper out in the area near Edwards AFB. Not my ideal place to live, it does have some crime. A lot of crime in Rosamond comes from bored teenagers.There are gangs in the area, but thats hard to avoid no matter where you go in and outside of L.A. I don't know too much about the quality of the schools, I wish I could give you more info there.
However, I have met really nice people from that area. A lot of people that live in the area are really into dirt biking... the desert is a fun place to do that. If you look for the positive, you will find it. Good luck.

If this OP is in the USAF and is on a transfer to Edwards, he should consider base housing to get away from the crime, Section 8 and loony prices. All four towns cited in the previous post are losers. Mojave, since the CA-58 bypass job, is decaying quickly (as IF there was anything there since SP demoted it from being a division point long ago) and the primary activity there is methamphetamine use and sale. Rosamond's tract boxes are full of commuters, which means many will be walked away from when gasoline gets over $3/gallon again. Lancaster and Palmdale are new centers of gang and ghettoid activity.

[aj661]

If you could move up the road to China Lake, the town of Ridgecrest wasn't bad <10 years ago when I had relatives living there. They lived in a very quiet neighborhood. The crime stats are lower than Palmdale and Lancaster, but that's a pretty long hike to Edwards. Your looking at 75+ miles one way. If you can get on-base housing, do it!