Relocating to Bakersfield?? Not sure. (Los Angeles, San Francisco: home, school districts, living in)

[swopoe]

My husband is a geologist here in Houston, Texas. He got offered a great job in Bakersfield. He visited there last week for interviews, and he really loved the job, the company, the people he'd work with, and he really liked the area too. I could tell when he called me from Bakersfield how happy he was in his voice.

So now we are trying to decide if moving to Bakersfield is for us or if my husband should just accept another job offer he has here in Houston (but he's not as sure about the company or the job as much as the company and job out in Bakersfield).

My husband and I are both in our mid 30s and we have three small children (all age 5 and under). I'm a stay at home mom. We are originally from the east coast (mid atlantic), but we do like Houston.

I have read so much on these forums about Bakersfield, but it is really hard to get a read on the place. Some people really like it, and some really hate it. I know people have said it is too hot there (but dry heat is better than Houston humid heat) and that the air quality stinks (but it is very bad in Houston too). So, heat and air quality are non-issues to us.

If my husband accepts this job, the company will fly both of us out there for 7 days to look for a house. But, we need to know if we should even consider moving there.

What can anyone tell me about Bakersfield for a young family? The people DH met said to live on the west side of town, specifically any area with "Oaks" in the name. Is that right? Any other places to look at with good schools, safe/nice communities?

My husband and I are just so confused. He thinks this job in Bakersfield is the perfect one for him, but we aren't sure if we should take the risk and move. Please help if you can!

[RPEP09]

I lived in Bakersfield for about 6 years and now I live in Sugar Land. Bakersfield is ok and it kinda reminds me of houston but smaller of course. There's a bit of everything. definitely the west side is a nice place to live. I don't know much about the schools but I would think they are similar to the schools out here and there's always private. You just have to visit and see for yourself. there's always LA to drive to, it's an hour and a half away. there's mountains out there, when there's none here. just much more stuff to see and do over there.
this is just my opinion, but I like bakersfield better than houston.

[swopoe]

Ha...we are in the Sugar Land area right now. My husband met several people out in Bakersfield that lived in Houston prior to coming to CA, and all said they much preferred Bakersfield over Houston. Thank you for your help.

[conovercourt]

Go ahead. What Bakersfield lacks is easily accessible nearby. The San Joaquin Valley is hot, but the humidity is nil. The ocean is is a close drive (Morro Bay and Pismo Beach) as are the High Sierra, as well as all the options of Los Angeles. (And San Francisco is just a Houston to Dallas drive away).
Do it! You will not be sorry.

[FresnoFacts]

I spent a summer in Houston about 15 years ago, so I know what you mean about the humidity and air quality. If you have not been concerned there then Bakersfield is even less of a problem in those areas.

Of course Bakersfield will be smaller than the Houston area which might mean fewer recreational and cultural activities, but you are only a few hours north of Los Angeles when you are seeking additional activities.

Culturally and politically Bakersfield has its roots in the Oklahoma and Texas areas dating back to the early 1900s oil discovery followed by the Dust Bowl migration. So it is not like the California that people hear about.

Bakersfield is not for everyone as you learned. But I don't think it is a bad place to live.

I would definitely take advantage of the opportunity if it is the right job for your husband and you feel that you find no disadvantages for you or the family.

Definitely look in the west and northwest areas for housing and schools as your first choice. Probably the best area elementary school districts are in the west and NW side of the city (Fruitvale Elementary District, Norris School District, Panama-Buena Vista Union District, Rosedale Union Elementary District, etc.) as well as the best public high schools (Stockdale High and Liberty High are the 2 that come to my mind but there are a couple of others that are good too).

And for my friend City Boy, looks like we have another one asking about Bakersfield.

[swopoe]

Thanks for all the help. We are concerned about air quality and the heat, but we already deal with those problems (and even on a worse level now), so Bakersfield would be an improvement in that respect. We just have a lot of thinking to do about where we really want to be. Thanks again.

[jdavid93225]

I have never lived in Houston, so I can't personally make the comparison, but I would say the earlier posts comparing Houston and Bakersfield seem to agree with what I've heard from those I've talked to.

I like Bakersfield compared to other, larger cities in California, especially Los Angeles. To me, Bakersfield feels more like a "big 'small town'" as opposed to Los Angeles, which just feels like a big city with no soul. Bakersfield is not without problems, but they don't seem to be as prominent as L.A.'s problems. Traffic, gangs, and graffiti all seem much worse in L.A. than they do in Bakersfield.

Another advantage to Bakersfield is its central location in California. It is close to many recreation destinations, including the Pacific Ocean, Yosemite, Sequoia, and King's Canyon National Parks, the Kern River, Lake Isabella, and several national forest areas.

There are also places you can live outside of Bakersfield that seem a world apart from most of California. Lake Isabella, Kernville, Tehachapi, Hart Flat, Lebec, and Frazier Park are all mountain communities within an hour's drive of Bakersfield, that are close enough to commute from, but far enough away that the lifestyle and weather are very different.

[keldebacom]

I have been to both Bakersfield and Techachapi. Bakersfield is good if you want a small city feel. Techachapi is a much smaller town. The weather is much cooler than the surronding area. I'm not certain, but My sister in Edwards tells me that the temp. dosn't get much past the mid 80's in Techachapi where as in Bakersfield it has been known to get close to 100. Just something to consider. Last time I was there, I thought the air quality was slightly better than that of Bakersfield.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by keldebacom

I have been to both Bakersfield and Techachapi. Bakersfield is good if you want a small city feel. Techachapi is a much smaller town. The weather is much cooler than the surronding area. I'm not certain, but My sister in Edwards tells me that the temp. dosn't get much past the mid 80's in Techachapi where as in Bakersfield it has been known to get close to 100. Just something to consider. Last time I was there, I thought the air quality was slightly better than that of Bakersfield.

Tehachapi will get into the 90s a few times each summer, and may even break 100 degrees from time to time. Bakersfield on the other hand, actually gets over 110 degrees at times, and has numerous days each year that exceed 100 degrees. Those are general temperature extremes for summer highs. Tehachapi, being a mountain community also has colder winters and has four seasons, with winter lows dipping down into the teens and occasional single digits. Bakersfield usually drops below freezing several nights each year, but only rarely does it get down into the teens during the winter.

Tehachapi is approximately 40 miles from Bakersfield, so there are people that make the commute on a daily basis to avoid living in the valley. The Lebec and Frazier Park areas are about the same distance, give or take a few miles. Like Tehachapi, they are also small mountain communities within commuting distance of Bakersfield, but also closer to parts of L.A. It all depends on what your priorities are.

[swopoe]

Thank you for all the help. I'm used to temps over 100 during the summer, since I live in Houston now. Last summer was our hottest summer on record in Houston (it was over 100 for weeks straight), and I was hugely pregnant at the time, so if I can deal with that, I can deal with anything!

We'd personally rather be closer to everything than out in the mountains, but mountain visits would be something we would do for sure (my husband misses mountains and hiking and the outdoors...things we can't do much of/don't have here in Houston).

We still have a ton of thinking to do, but are going to need to make some decisions soon. The hard part is that I can see us staying in Houston, but I can also see us in Bakersfield.