bakersfield (Tehachapi, Mojave: health insurance, home, dangerous)

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by piping engineer

i have no problem with heat as long as there is no snow and frigid temp @ -20 centigrade for 3months im ok.

Well, then, you wouldn't like Tehatchapi. It's apt to snow like the dickens up there. Hart Flat too. It can get thick enough that the CHP and CalTrans closes the passes and Rt. 58.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by littleword

i have a question for the above post. i would like to know just how much crime is in southwest bakersfield vs. east bakersfield? cause, every night when watching the news its always the same same thing, east-east-east bakersfield is always making the news. to me its quiet and safe in southwest bakersfield? can u shed some light as to how bad the crime really is in southwest bakersfield? i just wonder if the news makes southwest bakersfield safer than it really is?

It was 20 years ago. At the time, most crime was found east of Union Avenue. By the time I left much of it had jumped the 99 and was spreading west, as were the newer, ritzier housing areas. It seemed that as the haves moved west the have nots moved west right behind them. There was also plenty of crime in "The Okie" and the sparcer areas in the southwest.

I haven't been to Bakersfield since I esacaped in 1989 and have successfully avoided even going through it.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Just saw some listings in Bakersfield for homes in the $90,000 range and those were built within the last few years. A couple of people that I work with (They commute about 4 hours a day.) have seen home prices plummet from the high $200,000 range to under $100,000.

[FresnoFacts]

The homes that are currently selling in the Valley are typically "starter" level which is bringing down the median price reported.

On the other hand, Bakersfield's unemployment rate in June was 10.3% vs. the statewide 11.6%. Bakersfield's unemployment rate is also lower than most of the Inland Empire.

[littleword]

well so far after living here for a year in the southwest bakersfield all is good. nothing bad has happened "yet". i still need to get renters insurance and an alarm system to have piece of mind whenever i leave for a weekend trip. it seems that i am the only person at work who doesnt have an alarm system, lol.

were thinking of buying a place here in southwest bako, prices here are so damn cheap compared to most of california. despite my reservations about the crime (eastside mostly in my opinion) and heat, i think the place is a fine place to live. in the sw, i dont see any gangs or graffatti or beggers or low-ridding cars or rice-rockets, very little walking traffic (no buses it seems, so most ppl here drive). from what i see, people have pride in there homes and most homes in the sw have well maintained green front lawns, and......since most of the houses are newer, it has a....."new" feel to most neighborhoods (mind u, im talking about the sw and not eastside bako). note: there are alot of gated communities in bakersfield.

okay how about this.......fine dont visit bakersfield i get it, but.....can u at least go online to realty websites, and check out houses in bakersfield around the 93311 area code, and tell me what u think? most houses here are newer that 20 years old, and i think the place has really changed? look at the normal houses in the $175k-$300k price range, forget about those mansions in seven oaks that are $1,000,000+.

short story here: i had some friends visit from san jose this past weekend, and he was out bid buying a house in san jose. here are the facts: 3bd/1.75ba, 55 years old, raised foundation, 1500sqft, 6500sqft lot, lots of traffic, okay part of town, and the house needed alot of work (roof, windows, kitchen, doors, new fixtures, paint, carpet, hardwood floors, etc.....like....$75k+ to fix), and.....the house selling for $500k, and was bidded up to $565,000 (btw, he didnt get the house). anyways, we went driving around the various "nice" neighborhoods in southwest bako (seven oaks, haggin oaks, silver oaks, the oaks, southern oaks, stockdale estates, brighton estates, brimhall area), and they were absolutely amazed at what kind of house u can get for the same money ($565k). but...if u were to add the $75k, u would need to fix up the house, the price would have go up to $640K.

also, for the longest time i thought bakersfield was the armpit of california, i have to admit, its very very unslightly when u drive thru it going along highway 119 E to 99 N to 58 E (going east/west bound) or thru 99 (going north/south bound), it does in fact look all "ghetto" from the freeway.

[canibeyou]

Originally Posted by stillkit

Well, then, you wouldn't like Tehatchapi. It's apt to snow like the dickens up there. Hart Flat too. It can get thick enough that the CHP and CalTrans closes the passes and Rt. 58.

Really??? I don't know one single person in Tehachapi that even owns a 4-wheel drive (which you would need when talking snow levels like you are). And I know a LOT of people in that town. Matter of fact, the snow levels in Tehachapi are so low that even City Data themselves don't have it recorded on their info page for Tehachapi.

The freeway gets closed due to big rigs... and their inability to drive safely no matter what the road conditions are.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by canibeyou

Really??? I don't know one single person in Tehachapi that even owns a 4-wheel drive (which you would need when talking snow levels like you are). And I know a LOT of people in that town. Matter of fact, the snow levels in Tehachapi are so low that even City Data themselves don't have it recorded on their info page for Tehachapi.

The freeway gets closed due to big rigs... and their inability to drive safely no matter what the road conditions are.

I won't argue about the big rigs as I drove one myself for over 30 years and watched the level of expertise among drivers decline steadily over those years to the point that even I'm afraid to be around them now.

However, I will stand by my assertion that it can darn sure snow up there. I've sat, more than once, in Bakersfield or Mojave waiting for CalTrans to plow the road enough for the CHP to escort traffic over the summit. I've seen that happen more than once on the Grapevine too.

[piping engineer]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

I'm sorry! Having lived there for three years because of my employment at the time (narcotics agent) I would not recommend it. There are more comfortable and nicer places where your skills would be a bonus than the anus of California....ummm....Bakersfield.

thanks for the info. im half way doing my paperworks for USA,, anywhere for now.. where are this comfortable and nicer place?im not very familiar with california, i currently live in toronto canada and every bits of info are very much appreciated during this time .

[piping engineer]

Originally Posted by littleword

well so far after living here for a year in the southwest bakersfield all is good. nothing bad has happened "yet". i still need to get renters insurance and an alarm system to have piece of mind whenever i leave for a weekend trip. it seems that i am the only person at work who doesnt have an alarm system, lol.

were thinking of buying a place here in southwest bako, prices here are so damn cheap compared to most of california. despite my reservations about the crime (eastside mostly in my opinion) and heat, i think the place is a fine place to live. in the sw, i dont see any gangs or graffatti or beggers or low-ridding cars or rice-rockets, very little walking traffic (no buses it seems, so most ppl here drive). from what i see, people have pride in there homes and most homes in the sw have well maintained green front lawns, and......since most of the houses are newer, it has a....."new" feel to most neighborhoods (mind u, im talking about the sw and not eastside bako). note: there are alot of gated communities in bakersfield.

okay how about this.......fine dont visit bakersfield i get it, but.....can u at least go online to realty websites, and check out houses in bakersfield around the 93311 area code, and tell me what u think? most houses here are newer that 20 years old, and i think the place has really changed? look at the normal houses in the $175k-$300k price range, forget about those mansions in seven oaks that are $1,000,000+.

short story here: i had some friends visit from san jose this past weekend, and he was out bid buying a house in san jose. here are the facts: 3bd/1.75ba, 55 years old, raised foundation, 1500sqft, 6500sqft lot, lots of traffic, okay part of town, and the house needed alot of work (roof, windows, kitchen, doors, new fixtures, paint, carpet, hardwood floors, etc.....like....$75k+ to fix), and.....the house selling for $500k, and was bidded up to $565,000 (btw, he didnt get the house). anyways, we went driving around the various "nice" neighborhoods in southwest bako (seven oaks, haggin oaks, silver oaks, the oaks, southern oaks, stockdale estates, brighton estates, brimhall area), and they were absolutely amazed at what kind of house u can get for the same money ($565k). but...if u were to add the $75k, u would need to fix up the house, the price would have go up to $640K.

also, for the longest time i thought bakersfield was the armpit of california, i have to admit, its very very unslightly when u drive thru it going along highway 119 E to 99 N to 58 E (going east/west bound) or thru 99 (going north/south bound), it does in fact look all "ghetto" from the freeway.

i like your post. we drove along 93311 houses when i visited my sister and were also amazed...i currently live in toronto canada and just sold my tiny 3br townhouse for 320k last december 08..im planning to buy there but still waiting for my immigration stuff. im hoping the price would still be like that when i got my immigration papers..

[JessicatheRabbit]

Hi Everyone.Yeah, that's true FresnoFacts! My Dad is a cousin of Merle and they grew up here in Bakersfield.
And Merle lived with his childhood family in a house made out of a train or box car. Crazy-cool huh? Merle would sleep on my Dad's families couch as a teenager.
I don't really know much about him yet, except I know he had a lung removed from I guess smoking. Sucks smoking hurts people... or maybe our air does.
But he is a SINGER and he is fine, thanks for saying kind things you guys.
But if a volcano went off in Yellowstone, or the Lake Isabella dam broke, I believe everything in the valley would be pretty much in a giant hole of water.
My Dad thinks it would only be only about two foot of water in Oildale or something..(where i live now) What do you think? Would that change where you want to live?
My Mom and my Sister (rest in peace... Danica) both have had Valley fever, and Guess what; we live in a valley. My mom said the other night (the dr. found "old" valley fever in her blood) people could get Valley Fever just from driving thru Bakersfield? My sister went into a coma from having it with diabetes.