Would you recommend Bakersfield for a recent college grad?

[scubashawn68]

Originally Posted by Grass4

Right now I live in New York, work in NYC, and I hate it.

I'm looking for a place that's

1. Warm
2. Low cost of living
3. Decent amount of people my age (22)

Would you say that Bakersfield matches this criteria?

Thanks.

No. Bakersfield is kind of gross.

I would recommend the Phoenix,AZ area.

[elston]

I never lived there....but from driving thru ..... Bakersfield is the least desirable, most depressing place I could imagine living......it is flat and ugly and smells of cow manure and totally cut off from everything.....it reminds me of a community such as John Steinbeck described in Of Mice and Men...."Salinas". It lacks all of the charm that a rural community might have....it is flat, tired and ugly.....please dont even consider it. Stay away from Temecula California also.

[NumberGuy]

Originally Posted by FresnoFacts

Different strokes for different folks, right?

Some people want city, some rural, some suburban.

But what you prefer is not what everyone else prefers, so to insult other ways of living was uncalled for.

Using terms like "wasteland" doesn't respect that not everyone wants to live the same way as you.

I'm glad you can live where and how you prefer, but don't make it out to be the only or best choice for everyone.

I used to do the condo life, but hated sharing a wall with a neighbor. Too much noise passed through.

I used to rent a place right on the beach in Florida. Opened the windows and listened to the waves at night. But I eventually got tired of the noise during the day from beachgoers. It sometimes felt a John Candy movie.

I also have lived right in a city, I used to have an 2 bedroom apartment in downtown LA on Bunker Hill. I could walk to work but I didn't find enough things that I liked to do at night. I want room to work on restoring a car, gardening, etc.

Now I have a house with a yard (and that is with no kids at home) but I like gardening and home projects, peace and quiet, and room to spread out in the house. It may not be your choice but for me at this time in my life it is perfect.

Also, how far from where you live would gorideaquad have to go to be allowed to ride a quad? Sounds like they could do that close to where they live in Bakersfield, not drive an hour or 2 just to do it. In a more urban city it would be difficult to just hop on the quad and start riding.

So again, different strokes.

Wow what a great post... Ten years ago I lived near Bakersfield while going to college and I truly enjoyed the atmosphere the small town had. I then transferred to South Orange County to continue school... Life has had its ups and down for me but I do miss the slower pace of life in the Central Valley. There are many things I dislike about that entire area, but there are MANY more things I dislike about So Cal. I live 15 minutes from some of the most fantastic beaches in California; YET, I NEVER get to spend time there as I have to work like a DOG to pay for the extremely high cost of living. My goal has been to advance in my job and career and education, but in this horrible economy, even a very prosper city in OC can be depressing. By the time it's night and I am ready for a "night life" I am way too tired to want to do anything... Yes the weather quality is much better than the Central Valley area, BUT if you are not truly enjoying it (i.e., by going out, to the beach, etc.), then it really matter not a whole lot... Just last week it got up to 104 freaking degrees out here and w/ the added humidity, I was just about to...

I DO want a nice big house where I don't have to throw out my stuff every time I move from one tiny apartment to the next smaller one... I have moved many times in the last few years while here and it's mostly been thanks to horribly expensive tenants (big management type corporations in OC) who hike up their rates every single year. I could've paid for two nice houses in the valley w/ the money I have wasted on rental. No thank you!

Cost of living is extremely high here. I do want to own a house and even in this bad economy, the housing prices are still overinflated in my opinion out here. With half of what I am paying for rent here I can purchase a brand new house in Bakersfield. I have done extensive research about Phoenix, Vegas, Riverside County, & San Bernardino County. Based on my knowledge about Bakersfield and my research about other places, I am definitely interested in moving back to that area as it seems to have more room for growth. I have dealt with horrible hot weather before and I have survived just fine. Just make sure the A/C is working! I have to also add that while living in the Central Valley area I was surprised at the variety of restaurants that are out there. I truly have had some of the best food (yes, even compared to South OC that I have lived in for more than 5 years) in or around the Central Valley.

Sorry for the somewhat unorganized post. But I am an opportunity seeker (in a good way of course!), and right now I see the opportunity for growth in the Bakersfield area. Call me crazy if you want, but I am moving back (yes, actually the negative posts here helped me make up my mind, as it tells me who not expect to see in Bakersfield, which I am totally fine with )

[canibeyou]

Originally Posted by elston

I never lived there....but from driving thru ..... Bakersfield is the least desirable, most depressing place I could imagine living......it is flat and ugly and smells of cow manure and totally cut off from everything.....it reminds me of a community such as John Steinbeck described in Of Mice and Men...."Salinas". It lacks all of the charm that a rural community might have....it is flat, tired and ugly.....please dont even consider it. Stay away from Temecula California also.

It's truly amazing that you'd give your opinion of a place when you've admittedly only driven through... and by that, I think it's easy to say you mean only on the freeway, not even surface streets.

Wonder what you'd think of someone looking for advise on the town you live in, and someone posting their opinion based only on what they see from the freeway. As you may or may not know, the best parts of towns aren't seen/ situated near a freeway.

And, FTR, I don't live in Bakersfield, but I've been there. Plenty of times. Good food, good shopping. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bakersfield gets a bad rap by many (many who've only driven through) and I kinda like that, as it keeps out a lot of people. The more the myths can be perpetuated, the better.


Good for you, NumberGuy! Best of luck on returning!

[TimC2462]

Originally Posted by canibeyou

It's truly amazing that you'd give your opinion of a place when you've admittedly only driven through... and by that, I think it's easy to say you mean only on the freeway, not even surface streets.

Wonder what you'd think of someone looking for advise on the town you live in, and someone posting their opinion based only on what they see from the freeway. As you may or may not know, the best parts of towns aren't seen/ situated near a freeway.

And, FTR, I don't live in Bakersfield, but I've been there. Plenty of times. Good food, good shopping. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bakersfield gets a bad rap by many (many who've only driven through) and I kinda like that, as it keeps out a lot of people. The more the myths can be perpetuated, the better.


Good for you, NumberGuy! Best of luck on returning!

canibeyou,

Obviously, people with negative perception of Bakersfield have never driven off of Highway 99 when driving through the city... There are plenty of nice areas in the SW and NW. But hey, as long as we can keep these folks away from Bakersfield, right?

[TimC2462]

Originally Posted by NumberGuy

Wow what a great post... Ten years ago I lived near Bakersfield while going to college and I truly enjoyed the atmosphere the small town had. I then transferred to South Orange County to continue school... Life has had its ups and down for me but I do miss the slower pace of life in the Central Valley. There are many things I dislike about that entire area, but there are MANY more things I dislike about So Cal. I live 15 minutes from some of the most fantastic beaches in California; YET, I NEVER get to spend time there as I have to work like a DOG to pay for the extremely high cost of living. My goal has been to advance in my job and career and education, but in this horrible economy, even a very prosper city in OC can be depressing. By the time it's night and I am ready for a "night life" I am way too tired to want to do anything... Yes the weather quality is much better than the Central Valley area, BUT if you are not truly enjoying it (i.e., by going out, to the beach, etc.), then it really matter not a whole lot... Just last week it got up to 104 freaking degrees out here and w/ the added humidity, I was just about to...

I DO want a nice big house where I don't have to throw out my stuff every time I move from one tiny apartment to the next smaller one... I have moved many times in the last few years while here and it's mostly been thanks to horribly expensive tenants (big management type corporations in OC) who hike up their rates every single year. I could've paid for two nice houses in the valley w/ the money I have wasted on rental. No thank you!

Cost of living is extremely high here. I do want to own a house and even in this bad economy, the housing prices are still overinflated in my opinion out here. With half of what I am paying for rent here I can purchase a brand new house in Bakersfield. I have done extensive research about Phoenix, Vegas, Riverside County, & San Bernardino County. Based on my knowledge about Bakersfield and my research about other places, I am definitely interested in moving back to that area as it seems to have more room for growth. I have dealt with horrible hot weather before and I have survived just fine. Just make sure the A/C is working! I have to also add that while living in the Central Valley area I was surprised at the variety of restaurants that are out there. I truly have had some of the best food (yes, even compared to South OC that I have lived in for more than 5 years) in or around the Central Valley.

Sorry for the somewhat unorganized post. But I am an opportunity seeker (in a good way of course!), and right now I see the opportunity for growth in the Bakersfield area. Call me crazy if you want, but I am moving back (yes, actually the negative posts here helped me make up my mind, as it tells me who not expect to see in Bakersfield, which I am totally fine with )

C'mon back, Numbers. I've lived in Monterey for 21 years before relocating out here. At first I wasn't very enthusiastic about it, but things are definitely more affordable than most areas in California. Bakersfield is STILL growing and will pick up the pace once the economy recovers. Companies have been sending their workers out here because we have strong agriculture and oil industry here.

[rhv]

shut the **** up ***** if you don't like move the **** out no one said bakersfield is for white people mexicans role around here.if u hate it good so be it but if ur gonna ***** about it then move the **** out your white right ur supposed to have money to move out take ur ass to L.A. cuz out here in bakersfield white people have nuttin to do. but we mexicans party our asses off with the party crews all day everyday 24/7