How is Palmdale? (Los Angeles, Lancaster, Rosamond: foreclose, job, health)

[midnightbirdgirl]

Stick to the West Side: 93551 zip code... sat away from the East Side, it is horrid!!
West side is okay, though, more west the better. I live here now, moving soon the drive to LAX is way to much!
MBG

[LeoDiva7]

All these posting are silly. No matter where you live there is always crime. Santa Clarita, Valencia, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, etc. There is crime every where. Is what you make of where you live, not that where you live makes of you. Criminals live all over. Criminals target the nice neighborhoods just as well as the bad areas. I think we like to live with a false sense of security. I live in the westside of Palmdale and I still close my doors and put the alarm on like I would if it where anywhere else. I know people who live in Santa Clarita that have been victims of robberies as well as friends who live in Santa Monica that had their car stolen.

Open your eyes people! Live where you want and make the best of where you are. Not all of us come from money. This is a sad society. The only thing I do agree with, some of these comments, is that if you grew up in a bad neighborhood like I did (South Bronx, NY); don't bring ignorance and the same bad behaviors with you. If you are trying to move up into a new neighborhood to get away from that, leave it right where it is. Just because you grew up ghetto, like I did, it does not mean you have to act or live ghetto. Leave it behind. That is the point of a fresh start.

One day we will all be affected by something greater than ignorance, racism and just plain stupidity. All of this will seem nonsencical and we'll look back and wonder what was the point.

[Mumof3]

Originally Posted by LeoDiva7

All these posting are silly. No matter where you live there is always crime. Santa Clarita, Valencia, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, etc. There is crime every where. Is what you make of where you live, not that where you live makes of you. Criminals live all over. Criminals target the nice neighborhoods just as well as the bad areas. I think we like to live with a false sense of security. I live in the westside of Palmdale and I still close my doors and put the alarm on like I would if it where anywhere else. I know people who live in Santa Clarita that have been victims of robberies as well as friends who live in Santa Monica that had their car stolen.

Open your eyes people! Live where you want and make the best of where you are. Not all of us come from money. This is a sad society. The only thing I do agree with, some of these comments, is that if you grew up in a bad neighborhood like I did (South Bronx, NY); don't bring ignorance and the same bad behaviors with you. If you are trying to move up into a new neighborhood to get away from that, leave it right where it is. Just because you grew up ghetto, like I did, it does not mean you have to act or live ghetto. Leave it behind. That is the point of a fresh start.

One day we will all be affected by something greater than ignorance, racism and just plain stupidity. All of this will seem nonsencical and we'll look back and wonder what was the point.

LeoDiva7 - Utterly and completely agree with you in every respect!!!! When We bought our house in West Lancaster last year - the woman who did our escrow papers was EXTREMELY RUDE to us about moving to this area - she couldn't have been more unpleasant if she had tried really. All She could talk about was how We would be living with rednecks and that the crime was rife here. As you can imagine We were annoyed!!! Anyway, She went on about living in a so-called 'up-scale' community in Canyon Country - Which I don't personally think is 'up-scale' at all. Anyway, the point is, her community has been struck by a rapist this year who has apparently raped two women at knife point. So you see, crime is EVERYWHERE...no matter where you live in this world -

I come from the UK originally and the 2 houses We owned there were both broken into and robbed. Both were in reasonably nice areas as well. Cars we had were also broken into. Infact, one outside our own house - the window was smashed and all the thief got was an empty sandwich box because I had had the audacity to leave it in the car overnight!!!! The only difference between there and here is the use of guns - in the UK they are banned because the government doesn't trust people with them. This was after someone broke into a primary school and shot dead 15 kids for no reason whatsoever. Anyway,back to the US, apart from hearing about the odd gang related incident which to me sounds more like the kids are acting out their fantasies from their favourite TV Cop show - I personally haven't heard of any personal crime happening here lately - Touch Wood obviously!!! Infact I have been in CA for nearly 6 years and am very happy to say that no item of mine has ever been stolen from me etc.... Mumof3

[miracle]

Statistics say the truth:

PALMDALE, pop. 141.000

Homicides 10
Total violent crimes 996

SANTA MONICA, pop. 104.000

Homicides 2
Total violent crimes 557

So, Palmdale is far from being one of those new paradise-suburbs in southern california, its closest to those places people living there is trying to avoid to a real medium-class american suburb, these are the statistics for real safe and living places with population over 100k and not 3 hours conmuting:

TORRANCE, pop. 143.000

Homicides 0
Total violent crimes 269

BURBANK, pop. 106.000

Homicides 4
Total violent crimes 262

GLENDALE, pop. 202.000

Homicides 5
Total violent crimes 270

This are the cities, Los Angeles not included, that lead the homicides ranking in southern california, and Palmdale is in the top 5

1. - LONG BEACH
2. - COMPTON
3. - INGLWOOD
4. - POMONA
5. - LYNWOOD
6. - LANCASTER
7. - PALMDALE
8. - HAWTHORNE
9. - SOUTH GATE
10. -EL MONTE

[Mumof3]

Yes, but don't forgot that places like Santa Clarita keep their crime stats under wraps because they are scared stiff of their areas losing the status of "one of the safest places to live in Southern CA". Also, nobody said that Palmdale was 'paradise' it was just a better option for us as We didn't like Santa Clarita and their ridiculous house prices. - also way too crowded as well.

[ibarrio]

Palmdale is growing worse by the day. Just look in the local AV Press for the facts. The past week we have had the LA County Sheriffs doing Saturation patrols because of the out of control crime that is going on.

Sorry, but Palmdale is getting bad.

[Out of AV.]

I lived in the Antelope Valley from 1989-2001 (great time in my life) and 2004-2006 (big mistake). I moved to Lancaster in 1989 to work at Edwards AFB as an aerospace engineer. If you an AE, the flight test center is your dream job. Lancaster was a quite white collar aerospace town where every 4th car had a Department of Defense sticker on the windshield (Edwards AFB or Air Force Plant 42). The schools where good and even the East side (Lancaster and Palmdale) were nice places to live and raise a family. Not a lot of retail back then, but enough. I rented a few years, bought a home in Quartz Hill in 1992 (didn't know it was the top of the last housing bubble). Got married and proceeded to watch my home lose 40% of it value over the next 4 years.

That's when everything started down hill for the Antelope Valley. Hundreds of HUD foreclosures all over the A.V. and the wise city planners allowed tat wonderful thing called "Section 8". This is what killed the East side as all these repos and people fleeing to the West side rented their Eastside homes on "Section 8" subsidized rent. A lot of bad element moved into the A.V. durng this period (1996-2000). East side schools went from barely acceptable to right down the toilet. Mass exodus from East to West side (if you were smart).

I moved to the Southeast in 2001 to Work for NASA and again didn't realize we were in the makings of the biggest housing boom ever. I enjoyed my 3 years in the South, but thought I was missing out and took an oportunity to return to the A.V. (back to Edwards). This proved to be the biggst mistake I've made so far. Not going back to work at Edwards, but moving back to Palmdale this time (West side - Rancho Vista). Luckily I was renting until we could find a home we liked. Wow! what a change. Everyone had drank the kool-aid in CA and thought their 2,000 sq/ft POS stucco wonders were worth a half a million dollars (HELLO!! Is this thing on?).

Very quickly we realized this was not the A.V. we knew just three short years ago. It appeared much of Creshaw, Compton, Ingelwood, Picquioma moved to the A.V. since we moved away. Serious crime had become common and in places we used to shop and visit. The schools had lost the battle too. The West side schools were still safe, but no longer challenged students and were dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. We rationalized why on earth would I pay for a home in the A.V. that was twice as expensive and half as desireable as it was three years earlier? I didn't, I moved back to the Southeast as soon as posible and that turn my worst mistake into my best move.

I fear the Antelope Valley will become "Compton North" and I really feel bad for those who stay and put up with the poor quality of life there now. I am amazed and angered to see just how quickly a once thriving and unique town can change to a crap hole (crime, poor schools) and to top it off, the A.V. will get hurt severly in the coming real estate crash that is coming. All the genious' that thought the A.V. was worth $500,000, are about to get spanked hard. Those homes are going to revert back to 2001 prices. Can you say "REPO CITY"! This will finish off the West side and it will be done. Loved working flight test at Edwards, but would never return to the A.V. in a million years!

Let'em Burn

[s123]

The entire Antelope Valley is horrible. Since day one (13 years ago) I hated Palmdale. The people are VERY rude and weird. I still live in Palmdale and can't wait to get out. Palmdale is a waiting room for me.

*I had to erase some of my post due to its depressing content.

Think very hard about Palmdale.

[Cattknap]

One of the worst places to live in So. California - Palmdale - you will be sorry if you move there.

[srad98]

I am currently living in mississippi, struggling to make ends meet on 50,000 a yr. I have an offer to work at Edwards, afb. I've been researching homes and apartments etc... and i am only gonna be making 65,000 a yr @ Edwards with a wife and two kids age 7 and 3. My wife works in a doctor's office. so i'm sure she want have a problem finding a job. But i don't see how in the world i can afford to live out there!!!!!!!!!!! What can i find for 1100 a month, house or apartment? I don't wanna buy anything right off until i know if i'm gonna be there a while.