Bakersfield - Campus Park? (rentals, crime, houses)

[RobertKF]

I'll be transferring soon for work to Bakersfield and am looking around town for a temporary place to rent until I can buy a home. I'm looking at the SW and NW parts of town and keep seeing homes in "Campus Park." What kind of neighborhood is it? Safe area?

As for the NW part of Bakersfield, how long is the average commute along Hwy 58 and the other East-West thoroughfares going towards the 99?

Thanks in advance!

[tangodoodles]

Originally Posted by RobertKF

I'll be transferring soon for work to Bakersfield and am looking around town for a temporary place to rent until I can buy a home. I'm looking at the SW and NW parts of town and keep seeing homes in "Campus Park." What kind of neighborhood is it? Safe area?

As for the NW part of Bakersfield, how long is the average commute along Hwy 58 and the other East-West thoroughfares going towards the 99?

Thanks in advance!

Campus Park is just south of CSU-Bakersfield near Tevis Junior High. I know quite a few people who lived in that general area and it seems like a nice place. Anywhere you have rentals the place might be considered a little less safe. One example is Silvercreek. Silvercreek was THE place to buy when it was being built up but then there was the housing boom and a lot of the houses were turned into rentals which led to some crime in the neighboorhood. But in terms of safety for Campus Park, it's not a crime infested neighborhood. Sure, there may be some small stuff from time to time as in any neighborhood but it isn't a hotbed of criminal activity like some places in East Bakersfield are.

As for the commute, based on a map I looked at, your closest thoroughfares would be White Lane, Ming, and Stockdale (if you're stretching a bit). I don't really drive on White during rush hour so I'm not sure how bad it gets but Stockdale and Ming get pretty darn crowded. The closer you get towards the 99, the more crowded it gets, especially near Ming where the cars seem to really get crowded. But it's not terrible, people make those commutes everyday and I'd say it would take you around fifteen or twenty minutes depending on exactly when you leave. Traffic at least moves, it very rarely stops unless there is an accident. Actually, depending on where you'll be staying in Campus Park, it may only take you ten minutes to get to the 99. It all depends on how far out you're going. Downtown is a few miles past the 99. My parents live on Brimhall so they drive Brimhall to Coffee to Truxtun and I'd say it takes them about twenty minutes on average to make it to downtown.