Is Lancaster / Palmdale as horrible as they say?? (Glendale, Santa Clarita: sales, foreclosure)

[AllAboutEve]

Yes, it is awful there. The only positive thing about it is the desert and the hiking. There are some very beautiful places to see in the area, but that is about it.

[Cali-moving]

You know, I find these posts all over City-Data really interesting. They are such an insight into how mean and angry alot of people are. just in general. When someone asks for help, what is the point of being soooooo over the top nasty? If the negative posters say they are just trying to help that's just b.s. These ultra nasty commentaries that go back and forth are POINTLESS. Get a life...read a book...read about what you're talking about before you go ranting on and scaring the heck out of some poor young person looking for some sane, sage advice.

Palmdale and Lancaster. Well, houses there are available with plenty of bedrooms, pools and space for under 200K. I know because I'm looking - as we speak. I'm only looking in the west side of both towns - because the east sides of both towns are pretty gross. I've driven extensively all over and while there were some decent little pockets on the east side, there was nothing surrounding those pockets but scary, rundown urban areas with scary looking people. Whereas in the west side of both towns the houses were better kept (not all), some even had rather pretty gardens and greenery (which surprised the HECK out of me since I was expecting ONLY desert hell hole cookie cutter properties). I was pleasantly surprised.

I have several friends and co-workers (I work in Burbank) who live in Palmdale (not Lancaster - most people still say Lancaster is worse than Palmdale, tho I don't know why...they seem pretty comparable to me in my exploration of both places). My friends and coworkers kids have all graduated from the public schools and they're not criminals or druggies, tho 2 of them have their own rock band that plays all over the L.A. basin. Is it perfect? Hell NO. Perfection would be a vista overlooking Malibu beach, but I don't personally have 2.1 million to spend on perfection. Heck...paradise for me would be to be able to buy a 3BR/ 2BA in the town where I grew up and went to high school - Glendale, CA or even to buy in gross, nasty Tujunga, where I live NOW, but shacks in Tujunga are still in the stratosphere. I simply don't earn a high enough salary - I'm not a pauper...my husband and I make a decent, living wage, but I refuse to get myself into a financial mess by taking on a mortgage I can't afford - that's worked out SOOOO well for so many people, as we can see from the amount of short sales everywhere (what a joke...they're another whole story). So my hubby and I are restricted to Palmdale on the one side or Riverside or San Bernardino County on the other side. Pretty sad, but it's a reality.

There is crime everywhere btw, at all times. I lived in Glendale with the damn Hillside Strangler back in the late 70's. You couldn't go to the mall or walk home from school. It was scary. While growing up in Glendale, you were told to stay out of Atwater and south Glendale (Toonerville Gang). I've lived in the grossest part of east Hollywood in an old hotel turned into one room apts at Beverly and Vermont. Talk about nasty and dangerous. I currently live in the old meth capital of the San Fernando Valley (or is it the San Gabriel Valley...or neither?) I live in Sunland/Tujunga. The bikers all moved up to...where did they go? But the crack and the meth remained. I miss the bikers!

But I digress...the other day, while house hunting in Palmdale on the westside - we struck up a brief conversation with a young police officer and his partner. We had seen several cops that day in the neighborhood and we were curious - was there trouble of some kind? We asked these cops. The answer we got was that alot of homes up there have burglar alarms and the wind blows fiercely sometimes and sets off the alarms. The cops have to come out to the alarm going off. That's why we had seen so many black and whites cruising. This young police officer also said to us "stay on the west side if your moving here; west of the 14 freeway and you should be fine". Our other friend who lives on Barrell Springs Rd told us to stay west of 12th Street, which is only a couple blocks east of the 14.

Anyway...this is an old punk rockers advice. Always research your town. But bear in mind that alot of what is on here (City-Data) is VERY subjective and you can't understand a place til you've been there. Some info on here is really helpful but some of it is just garbage that should be discarded and left alone. And I couldn't figure out - was that poster earlier in this thread saying that Mulholland was John Wayne's father? I was confused. John Wayne's father was Clyde Morrisson. No offense to "old Bill". And I can't find any references to Mulholland "designing" Palmdale's street grid. But the aquaduct...yes.

My husband, tho not myself, is also a California native, contrary also to the assumption of a previous poster. The poster made the point that HE was the only CA native on this thread, posting his lofty opinion about Palmdale, et al. Well...my hubby (who shares my opinion of Palmdale and Lancaster) has lived in the San Fernando Valley all his life...he was born at Queen of Angels Hospital and his family came here in the 1870's. My point is....BIG DEAL. What the heck has that got to do with the price of tea in China? Who cares? People still live here in CA and have opinions on what is a good or a bad place to live - who cares if you're a "native". Just because you consider yourself CA royalty...good for you...WHATEVER!

Anyway...good luck to the original poster. Just remember, dear, there's good and bad everywhere, but take what you learn on here - on City-Data - with a grain of salt. Even what I have to say is just my big mouthed opinion. Life, alot of times, is what we make it. If you look for the bad you WILL find it. If you look for the good, well that is out there too. Peace...

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by KNJO

Lancaster/Palmdale; is a great place, if you want to see your kids run over, shot, stabbed or raped. If you enjoy having a gun stuck in your face, car jacked or shot while loading your groceries; then by all means Lancaster or Palmdale (east or west), is the place for you. If you have any doubts, get a police scanner and get an ear full. The Antelope Valley Press the local newspaper; only reports one tenth of the crime, and only if it happens on certain days. The schools are like a war zone with all the armed gang-bangers roaming the hallways looking for European appearing students to attack!

You can also easily get economically trapped in the Antelope Valley, and this depression is not the first major downturn in the Antelope Valley. You are better off commuting to Ridgecrest where things are more stable; both housing and crime wise. Housing has only taken a 10% dip in Ridgecrest, and unemployment is still below 5%. That could all change when Obama guts the Military; In which case the whole area will get hammered!

An obvious white supremacist.

[seodonna]

haven't been here, reviews here has been very helpful for me in deciding where to stay in lancaster as we visit it next month.

does anyone here heard of Lancaster PA Hotels? a colleague of mine referred this to me. But i need some reviews from people who have stayed here.

[elousv]

Dude, that is a different state!

[Alleyghost]

Lived here for 10 years and yes it's horrible. The heat sucks in the summer, and there are no real job openings for anything unless you go to Valencia. It is indeed very possible to get economically trapped here and the crime is off the wall. Couple weekends ago two guys walk into a VERY small kickback we were having in Lancaster right by AVC and robbed us at gunpoint. My friends have their cars broken into on a regular basis, rims are stolen off vehicles, the police don't really give a ****. The schools are terrible, bomb threats and the like. Huge concentration of meth.On the plus side.. Um.. it's cool if you like desert, and Angeles National Forest is close by.

[KNJO]

An obvious white supremacist.

No an obvious resident of the Antelope Valley; you pinhead from Oakland!
The Antelope Valley is very dependent on military projects for its survival. Obama is very anti military and like Carter; willing to gut it for his far left supporters.

By the way, I voted for the first and only 100% black presidential candidate: Alan Keys

[KNJO]

There is crime everywhere btw, at all times. I lived in Glendale with the damn Hillside Strangler back in the late 70's. You couldn't go to the mall or walk home from school. It was scary. While growing up in Glendale, you were told to stay out of Atwater and south Glendale (Toonerville Gang).

I lived in Glendale at the time; even had the Hillside Strangler offer me a ride. Glendale is far safer compared to Lancaster/Palmdale; even today.

Glendale had its bad sections in the 70's, those would be considered good sections in Lancaster/Palmdale. Glendale High, did not have the problem with gangs like the High Schools in the High Desert. In the late 70's; Glendale High had one or two black students I know of.

You might consider the far westside around Neenach, if you have kids; or Antelope Acres around 90th west which is very nice too.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by KNJO

No an obvious resident of the Antelope Valley you pinhead from Oakland!

The AV, prior to diversity coming, was known for white supremacist groups, and the Aryan Brotherhood and Nazi Lowriders(which began in Lancaster) are still strong there, in addition to a plethora of other gangs.

Really, if I had to choose between the AV and Oakland, I'd actually choose Oakland. There's no equivalent of Rockridge in the AV, I guess the Quartz Hill area could be called the equivalent of Montclair but it's quite dull and plastic. Both the AV and Oakland are deservedly infamous for gang, drug, and crime problems, but at least Oakland has historical and cultural value aplenty.

[elousv]

Originally Posted by KNJO

You might consider the far westside around Neenach, if you have kids; or Antelope Acres around 90th west which is very nice too.

Just know that Neenach has wind and LOTS of it. I tied two cinder blocks to a patio table and it still took flight.