MOVING to Palmdale or Lancaster (?) Recommendations (?) (Los Angeles, Oakland: foreclosure, crime, buying a house)

[Californiadreams]

Hello everybody, I am thinking about moving to Palmdale or Lancaster, I recently moved from Oakland California (Bay Area) and currently i am in L.A. I been looking for places and Palmdale and Lancaster seem to be a pretty good choice when it comes to price and size compared to houses in L.A. city etc, for example , I could get me a Huge 4 bedroom house in Palmdale for the price of a small 2 bed apt in L.A. I have an online business so most of my income comes online so i don’t have to travel that much to L.A. Exept some times. So my general question is, Is Palmdale and Lancaster a good place to live for a decent low key chill educated Latino married couple with a little Kid? If so what parts do you guys recommend? (East, west etc) we are a pretty Cool family and don't like to deal with ignorant attitude from people that claim themselves of being "Ghetto" etc, so make sure to mention where NOT to move to lol. We are a very friendly family always on the look out watching for and taking care of neighbor’s etc so i would like to find a place where family and community oriented people live. Any Info greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Flashbaak]

There are a lot of good deals to be had right now. You want to stay on the west side of both Lancaster and Palmdale. Usually the farther west, the better. There are a few bad areas on the west side too, so make sure you visit in person.

You may find a lot of naysayers on these boards, but it's not as bad as they make it out to be. If you're already in LA, drive up and take a look; see if it would work for you. Good luck.

aak

[Californiadreams]

Originally Posted by Flashbaak

There are a lot of good deals to be had right now. You want to stay on the west side of both Lancaster and Palmdale. Usually the farther west, the better. There are a few bad areas on the west side too, so make sure you visit in person.

You may find a lot of naysayers on these boards, but it's not as bad as they make it out to be. If you're already in LA, drive up and take a look; see if it would work for you. Good luck.

aak

Thanks! thats exactly what im going to do today!
I will post my comments and maybe some pics, Thanks

[Flashbaak]

So what did you think?

aak

[CaliforniaPatriot]

It's true that you generally want to stay on the western sides of Palmdale and Lancaster. Rancho Vista and Quartz Hill are pretty nice. If I still lived in the Los Angeles area I would definitely live in the Antelope Valley because you just can't beat the value.

Like many places, crime is an issue, but much of the Antelope Valley has a nice suburban feel. Buying a house in Palmdale or Lancaster is a good way to be close to the amenities of LA without having to pay the exorbitant prices.

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

There are lots of threads about the Antelope Valley, and many make the point that there are reasons the home prices are so much lower. If I were to move there (a big if), I would lean toward an established neighborhood that would seem less likely to have as much foreclosure activity as a new development.

[elousv]

I hope you like wind, because there is plenty of it up there. I left work there a couple hours ago and it was really blowing, sand everywhere, tumbleweeds flying.

[robertpolyglot]

In this order: Quartz Hill, Palmdale, Lancaster.

In this order: West, East.

You really want to stay out in the very western part of this area, as the houses are newer, nicer and the crime "appears" to be lower.

I think the area will turn. It's too close to Los Angeles, and all it offers, for it NOT to turn. In fact, it's IN Los Angeles County.

[elousv]

I wish Californiadreams all the best, but the place is bad and getting worse. Another person blasted with a shotgun on Halloween night and that was the third one in 10 days.

[Nayola]

I've lived in West Palmdale for almost 14 years. I've never had any problems, and I really enjoy this community. I do not feel unsafe. I am very active and spend many mornings running outside for exercise. I feel very comfortable doing this in my neighborhood.

I have seen some parts of Antelope Valley that are less desirable (mostly areas in East Lancaster and East Palmdale), but there are still pockets of nice neighborhoods even in those areas.

The bottom line is that all cities have "good" streets and "bad" streets, but overall I do not regret moving out here from Los Angeles, and I have no desire to move anywhere else.

So good luck to anyone thinking about moving out here. Make sure you drive around, get a feel for the area, and follow your gut instincts.