California City, CA any info

[montevista1]

CA City is wasteland! Its a bunch of redneck hicks living there. I have been there several times for business and do not particularly enjoy going there.

[Mvn2nc]

Originally Posted by montevista1

CA City is wasteland! Its a bunch of redneck hicks living there. I have been there several times for business and do not particularly enjoy going there.

Jut curious Monte Vista1 where your name came from if you dont mind me asking?

[gmoorhouse]

I'm not so sure of this "Calinvester". I think it is good to think of but my parents went looking back in 65' because they wanted land cheaper than San Diego. I'm not sure it has grown much since then if you have out the Prison. I do have some land there but just to wait and see.

Cal City does have some good aspects to it. I know a few businesses have went there and the Edwards AFB near is a good thing especially for me being a retiree but I cannot see it being a Lake Havasu City in any time soon. I wrote the Cal City Mayor to get some town information........they played ping pong on who is responsible on doing this and who wanted to do this. If I were a Mayor and someone was interested in my small city I would think I would be quite excited.

Now I can say I search for the yearly building permits, growth indicators and general information but still it doesn't seem happening unless you go to ebay and want to buy property, sellers seem to have all the answers. However, if there are enough buyers sooner or later someone will live there and slowly whether it is this generation or next it will grow.

If anyone has any information please share it. I started a yahoo group as well so we can post pictures, links and all that if anyone is interested.


Thanks.


http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/grou...ntyCalifornia/

Originally Posted by calinvester

I would like to add an unbias opinion to California City land investing.

I am a private, independent investor who has purchased a few city lots there about three or four years ago, when not much growth was going on at that time. I could see the city was posed for some future growth eventually. Nearby Palmdale and Lancaster had already expoded with growth because it was affordable. Not so much today! I still remember back in 1985, certain land companies selling city lots in Palmdale for $500.00! Palmdale was a city in the desert and nobody could vision the growth of Los Angeles ever extending in that direction. But it did. I believe the same senario is true for California City. Hundreds of new homes have been built there in the last year and a half. My property value has jumped four time's it original value from when I purchased it, and is still very affordable compared to Palmdale and other desert cities closer to Los Angeles. The time is now to invest in this city if you are looking to make a real investment. The city is now posed for more growth and has seen more people from Los Angeles move into the area looking for affordable homes. If you still do not believe what I say, do a simple search of how many legetimate Real Estate companies now reside in Cal City. You will be amazed. If that still doesn't convince you, then trying visiting the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Office in Cal City on the weekend. Everytime time I've stopped by to get a sales list from them, they have been jammed with potential buyers. I kid you not. Now is the time to invest. Good Luck to you.

[perks]

If you're going to be a snowbird, bear in mind that California City--and any other town nearby in the Mojave Desert--is at a fairly high elevation, and it gets pretty darn cold out there in the winter. In fact, according to weather.com, the average December & January low temperatures in Ridgecrest are lower than the average lows in Victoria.

If that's important to you, figure that the winter temperatures are going to be considerably higher in "lower" areas further south, such as the Coachella Valley or even Borrego Springs. Of course, those areas will certainly cost you more buying in the Mojave Desert would...and they're also hotter during the summer.

[jeffncandace]

I was born in Lancaster and spent most of my formative years in Boron and North Edwards. I moved out of the area when I was 17 and never looked back. I still visit occasionally because I have family there. The bottom line is it is not a nice area at all, and basically depressing. Lots of drugs, unemployment, and ugly towns. Run, don't walk, in the opposite direction!

[oleboy]

Talk about a boring place to live!!! There is nothing there, no supermarket, movie theatre, bowling alley, nothing!!!! It is nothing but a good ole boy town that will never go anywhere or do anything. The biggest lie ever told was "coming soon". Look around.....nothing is coming soon and never will. There are signs in cal city that say coming soon or will be built in 2007 and it's still not there. They city council can talk the talk but they can't walk the walk!!! Now their talking about raising our water rates 75%. Do yourself a favor and move to tehachapi or rosamond! Atleast they have something besides mom and pop stores. You'll regret it just like us!

[oleboy]

Talk about a boring place to live!!! There is nothing there, no supermarket, movie theatre, bowling alley, nothing!!!! It is nothing but a good ole boy town that will never go anywhere or do anything. The biggest lie ever told was "coming soon". Look around.....nothing is coming soon and never will. There are signs in cal city that say coming soon or will be built in 2007 and it's still not there. They city council can talk the talk but they can't walk the walk!!! Now their talking about raising our water rates 75%. Do yourself a favor and move to tehachapi or rosamond! Atleast they have something besides mom and pop stores. You'll regret it just like us!

[Beth56]

I know people who bought land in California City 30 years ago and are still waiting for its potential to be realized.

There is a reason some areas of California are cheap.

[CalCity1970]

I bought a peace of the future there for $3,690 on October 28, 1970. I was in my late 20s and the lot was to be my retirement nest egg. I still own the property today. This is the only piece of California real estate that is worth less today than 39 years ago.

The "Land Company" that was selling the lots back then got their training from selling snake oil. They boasted how there was a Holiday Inn and a Shakey's Pizza Parlor. But what they didn't tell you was that those were franchises and not owned by their respective corporations. They used those businesses to lure sucker/investors, by depicting CalCity as an up & coming city of the future. Those places ar gone now. Couldn't survive! The Snake Oil salespeople also touted one local newpaper article about how the Palmdale Airport was going to expand to accommodate LAX's overflow and how the great metropolitan masses were migrating out of the city, heading North to the Mojave area. None of this ever came to pass in 39 years. They could have sold ice to an Eskimo. However, Saugus & Newhall boomed instead. In 1970, I should have bought a beautiful 3-BdRm 2-BaRm home in Saugus/Newhall for $30K instead of my $3K CalCity piece of Crapola!

The Land Company was later sued time & time again for not delivering on their palnned community. They were pocketing all the money and not performing on their promissed development (utility lines, paved roads, street signs, etc.). Then they went bankrupt. They also owned similar scam land deals/companies in Arizona & I believe New Mexico. They were also investigated by their Attorney Generals, sued for fraud and filed for bankruptcy.

I have visited CalCity many times over the years. It was always a depressed area, not well kept and a struggling little town. My last visit was on October 13, 2001. I stopped in to Best Realty - a Coldwell Banker office to see what my property was worth and if I could sell it. They told me that there just wasn't any market for vacant land in that phase of the "community" and the land closer to Phase 1 was a very depressed market too.

In March 2008 I got a letter from "Land Parcel Liquidators" in Encino, Calif. offering me $1,500 for my parcel. I should have taken it because 8 months prior to that, I was offered $3,000 for it by a "different" liquidator. (I think it was the same liquidator because my research showed links between them and numerous other similarly named liquidators.)

In conclusion, your posting of "... an unbiased opinion" is a fraud. You must be a developer or a real estate agent trying to protect a ficticious image. Or maybe you're the Mayor (or other city official) with a real stake in the CalCity image.

If you are lured to CalCity, for whatever reason, The old adage still applies: LET THE BUYER BEWARE!!!

Originally Posted by calinvester

I would like to add an unbias opinion to California City land investing.

I am a private, independent investor who has purchased a few city lots there about three or four years ago, when not much growth was going on at that time. I could see the city was posed for some future growth eventually. Nearby Palmdale and Lancaster had already expoded with growth because it was affordable. Not so much today! I still remember back in 1985, certain land companies selling city lots in Palmdale for $500.00! Palmdale was a city in the desert and nobody could vision the growth of Los Angeles ever extending in that direction. But it did. I believe the same senario is true for California City. Hundreds of new homes have been built there in the last year and a half. My property value has jumped four time's it original value from when I purchased it, and is still very affordable compared to Palmdale and other desert cities closer to Los Angeles. The time is now to invest in this city if you are looking to make a real investment. The city is now posed for more growth and has seen more people from Los Angeles move into the area looking for affordable homes. If you still do not believe what I say, do a simple search of how many legetimate Real Estate companies now reside in Cal City. You will be amazed. If that still doesn't convince you, then trying visiting the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Office in Cal City on the weekend. Everytime time I've stopped by to get a sales list from them, they have been jammed with potential buyers. I kid you not. Now is the time to invest. Good Luck to you.

[YellowHorse]

I know this thread is pretty old, but I'll add something anyway for anyone else that's interested in the area.

I find California City pretty low key and relaxed. There is more activity on the weekends when all the off roaders come out to play, other than that, it's very quiet.

In reply to the statement that it's just a bunch of redneck hicks, that is something I'd expect a big city, liberal leaning, big time executive/business person to say about the place. I like the conservative values, the small town feel, everyone gets to know you real quick. Plus, check the ethnicity distribution, it has quite a diversified ethnic background for a "buch of hicks and rednecks."

But yes, it doesn't have any big grocery store, or theater, bowling alley, etc, but then again I like that. It's quiet, and if it weren't for the desert scenery, it's a bit like Mayberry, lol. It does have a small market, a couple of decent restuarants, a Rite Aid, a Napa Auto parts store, an Ace hardware, a central park, a golf course and a couple of fuel stations (both have diesel as well), three, if you count the fuel station in "Wonder Acres."

I can see how someone might find this place "boring," but many here are into off roading/ATVs and trail riding. This place has miles and miles of trails on the outskirts availible for ATVs, and trail riding if you don't mind sharing it with the off roaders. I haven't encountered a rude person on an ATV/dirtbike yet. They have all been very considerate and either slow down, stop, or completely turn off their motors until the horses pass.

It is very low cost of living, we came out here a little over a year ago after hubby got being laid off and I was out of work because it was easier to live within our means here. Many who live here (at least a good half of my neighbors/friends I know) work on base at Edwards AFB. The others mostly commute somewhere else for work. Hubby works for a local trucking company.

Yes, any town will have it's problems with drugs, but that is mainly in one part. It's not hard to find a nice little home in the nice areas. I do find the roads are very strange, though. A lot of roads have "frontage roads" for lack of a better term. And the funny thing is the dirt roads seemed to be maintained better than the paved roads, lol.

It does seem like there was a lot more activity in the past, the park and other parts have closed down "resort" like infastructure. I can only imagine how beautiful it was from the things that are stil standing. They are starting to renovate it now.

The big thing I really dislike about the town is it's geographical location, I dislike living in the mojave desert and it's weather. I can't stand wind and if there's one big thing that is bad about this place, it's the wind. Fall is the only season that is somewhat pleasant, winter and spring are very cold and very windy, and summer is hotter than heck (my sister lives in Phoenix and we were comparable in day time temperatures, but we cool off a lot more at night).

But, if you want a quiet, laid back, conservative town and like the desert/don't mind the wind, don't mind "taking a trip to town to get you supplies," then this is a nice place to live on a budget.

If I forgot anything and non of this answered your question, feel free to PM me and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.