Lancaster, CA area (Sacramento, Santa Clarita, Palmdale: sale, rental market, mortgage)

[lexi]

The best thing about Palmdale is seeing it in your rear view mirror as you
leave!!!

[sue-z]

My best and only advice for anyone even remotely considering moving to Lancaster is DON"T!! I've lived in the Antelope Valley since 1964 and I'm in Lancaster the past 20 yrs. and counting the hours until I can get out of here, it can't happen soon enough! Used to be a nice place to live but that is long gone and never coming back,long term plans for both Palmdale and Lancaster are to build thousands more low income units...this place is toast as far as any future quality of life for regular folks. We already hit 113 blistering degrees this summer,that followed the near zero record lows in January... can hardly wait for the water and power infrastructure to fail sometime in the not so distant future and let the riots begin...I used to love this place and yes I am bitter, it is totally ruined. It's bad enough for adults but I can't even imagine what it would be like for kids in our schools these days, not to mention the ever present gangbanging culture.

love the "enema" quote from previous poster, says it all! sue-z

[itstartsathome]

Thanks for the honesty and the warnings. I am in Louisiana (born and raised) except I spent most of my adult life in Lancaster, Ca. I arrived there just before my 18th birthday (1987) and left there just before my 30th birthday (1999).

I see many things have changed. I was considering moving back because my old job there is open again. I am still with the same company I was working for when I lived there so I did not have that long commute. I am so glad I read your post. I have a lot of thinking and research to do.

I will either stay where I am here in my hometown or find an opening in our corporate office in Texas.


WOW!!!! What an eye opener. I have children and I see I had better rethink this.

[itstartsathome]

Thanks for the honesty and the warnings. I am in Louisiana (born and raised) except I spent most of my adult life in Lancaster, Ca. I arrived there just before my 18th birthday (1987) and left there just before my 30th birthday (1999).

I see many things have changed. I was considering moving back because my old job there is open again. I am still with the same company I was working for when I lived there so I did not have that long commute. I am so glad I read your post. I have a lot of thinking and research to do.

I will either stay where I am here in my hometown or find an opening in our corporate office in Texas.


WOW!!!! What an eye opener. I have children and I see I had better rethink this.

What other cities are there in So. Cal that have a low crime rate. I know economics play a major role in low-crime vs. higher-cost living.

I do want diversity. I just happen to be black but I do not want to live in a predominatly black area or a predominately white area. I know it is not just black and white. I just want to be around a diverse group of people

[VickyVicky]

Its,
Good to hear about your decision! Actually seeing as you left in 1999 (thats when I bought my house in Lancaster) A LOT has changed since then. I bought my home for $69,000 back then here in town. There were homes all over town under $100,000. for sale. The market was low.
Its changed so much, I had some friends visit who grew up here and had not been here in 5 yrs, they came back and didnt even recognize anything, they didnt know where the police station, library, post office, etc was. Everything has moved.

The housing market has exploded out here like crazy, last year homes were selling really high, tracks going in everywhere. Whenever a house on my block went up for sale it had a SOLD sign on it within the week! And Im in a 1950s housing area!

Its now slowed, and so many people have spent way too much on housing here with Adjustable rates, 100% financing, interest only loans.... so the foreclosures are on the way!

At least your time here wasnt a bad period, from what I recall, even though homes were cheap at that time, Lancaster didnt seem that bad to me back in 99. But yes, a big fear is the schools here, if you can afford private school or the most expensive home areas thats the only way you can get into a better district.

[lexi]

Originally Posted by itstartsathome

Thanks for the honesty and the warnings. I am in Louisiana (born and raised) except I spent most of my adult life in Lancaster, Ca. I arrived there just before my 18th birthday (1987) and left there just before my 30th birthday (1999).

I see many things have changed. I was considering moving back because my old job there is open again. I am still with the same company I was working for when I lived there so I did not have that long commute. I am so glad I read your post. I have a lot of thinking and research to do.

I will either stay where I am here in my hometown or find an opening in our corporate office in Texas.


WOW!!!! What an eye opener. I have children and I see I had better rethink this.

What other cities are there in So. Cal that have a low crime rate. I know economics play a major role in low-crime vs. higher-cost living.

I do want diversity. I just happen to be black but I do not want to live in a predominatly black area or a predominately white area. I know it is not just black and white. I just want to be around a diverse group of people

That's funny because I would say it was around 2000 to 2001 when it
REALLY started going downhill. Santa Clarita is awesome or Valencia..
not sure about the diversity but I would imagine it would be? Seriously
though..... I would NOT bring my kids back to Lancaster Palmdale if
you gave me a free house in the best neighborhood. I'd rather rent
a condo in Valencia than own a home in Goode Hills... if you decide to go to Texas
you would really have your pick of homes.. it's so much cheaper there! Not sure where your
corporate office is but Austin is supposed to be really nice...

[swanktown]

I lived in Palmdale from 1994-1998. I had a nice condo in a middle class neighborhood. It certainly was far from the friendliest place I've ever lived, but there was a mix of good & bad aspects of the AV. You always had that desert rat element, along with the longtime residents, illegals & rednecks. However by the time I moved down to Carlsbad CA in lat 1998 the whole AV was one big sh*tstorm of crime, bad neighbors & dust/smog. My condo complex went from a nice & laidback mix of professionals, some young families, & retirees, to an increasing amount of trash from LA ghettos. The area had basically mid-level chain restaurants and red neck nightclubs. If I wanted to take my girlfriend to a decent restaurant or bar we went to Valencia or Burbank. Avoid this crap hole at all costs.

[Sambazon]

I stayed in the Palmdale/Lancaster area a few years ago with my parents to attend a funeral (of some guy I didn't even know existed...husband of my mom's friend I guess?).

The place is a complete wasteland. There's NOTHING there but freeways/highways, desert, tumbleweeds, sand, desert, tumbleweeds, nothing, tumbleweeds, and desert.

I was about 14 when I went and I can tell you right now...your children would die of boredom. I couldn't even last 2 days in that craphole.

[Blockheadofaknew]

Originally Posted by swanktown

I lived in Palmdale from 1994-1998. I had a nice condo in a middle class neighborhood. It certainly was far from the friendliest place I've ever lived, but there was a mix of good & bad aspects of the AV. You always had that desert rat element, along with the longtime residents, illegals & rednecks. However by the time I moved down to Carlsbad CA in lat 1998 the whole AV was one big sh*tstorm of crime, bad neighbors & dust/smog. My condo complex went from a nice & laidback mix of professionals, some young families, & retirees, to an increasing amount of trash from LA ghettos. The area had basically mid-level chain restaurants and red neck nightclubs. If I wanted to take my girlfriend to a decent restaurant or bar we went to Valencia or Burbank. Avoid this crap hole at all costs.

Oh Please! I don't care too much that my parents moved me & my family up here back in 77-78 from Venice Beach, Ca but please! your kids can actually learn something in the schools out here, and who knows (beach front property one day maybe) Somebodys gotta live somewhere, the whole world is being infested by humans like cockaroaches,,, should we all get up and move to Carlsbad? or Valencia? R-N-D

[Guerilla]

It is funny, because just a few miles south is Santa Clarita...a suburban heaven.