Moving to Bakersfield, CA (Los Angeles, Vista: relocating, estate, housing)

[pawsinten]

My husband has a new job in Bakersfield and we will need to relocate from a little rural town just outside of Nashville Tennessee ove the summer. I have two children ages 9 and 10. My question is that I am looking at two neighborhoods 1. Haggin Oaks and 2, Brimhall estates. Based on value for money, schools, resale, family life which neighborhood would be better and why? We chose these neighborhoods beause they seem to be more established. Not overly keen on new developments with construction all the time and a surprise being built next door! I was surprised at the large class sizes (up to 33 students in 4,5 and 6th grades) Is that an issue? Your comments are very welcome

Pawsinten

[gorideaquad]

First of all, I am sorry your husband must move you guys here, it is not a good place for kids, families etc. There is horrible smog, no educational opportunities, gangs and really nothing to do. We are getting out of Bakersfield after living here since 98. I now have asthma because of the poor air at 34 years old. Be prepared for A LOT of farm workers AKA migrant workers in the stores and schools. There really are no "good" parts of town, take if from someone who lives here.
Yes there are various levels of housing and the SW area has good expensive houses. The neighboorhoods you note are all right, cushy cushy but once you are away from you area, all bets are off. The shopping is fine.
If your husband were to get laid off, God forbid, people fight over jobs and they are lower paying and employers know they got you.
The air here SMELLS, literally smells, I have never lived where you can step out of your home and smell either cow manure, straight pollution or whatever it is. Summers are miserable unless you have a pool. Also there is NOTHING for kids to do unless you plan on many playdates.
We have a 8 and 3 year old boys and it has really been a poor experience living here, as a matter of fact we are moving to Maryville Tennessee once our house gets sold.
You mentioned the class sizes, just to let you know the state of California is now undergoing a 10% decrease in state funds for public education, meaning class sizes will be bigger by next school year with many programs being cut altogether. This is not a joke, look it up or Google california education. You will fall on some OK schools, Panama Buena Vista Distric seems to be a favorite (mostly white). My son is in the GATE program and the school he goes to is plain scary. So I do apologize for this stern warning, it is out of concern and experience that I post this message. Unless your husband's pay is really worth the move, please reconsider your move for your family's sake. Crime is very high with a log of Gang activity on the East side and South side of town. All the gangs are coming from LA with no stopping at all. You will be scared for your kids when you move here...

[ZeeDante]

For the love of everything I implore you and your husband to reconsider.

As a 22 year resident who has lived 22 years I will tell you that ever since I gained the powers to reason, I have hated living here. I'll give you a pro/con list:

Pros:

Affordable living costs

Friendly people in most areas

Small town living (but be careful, we are growing rapidly)

Near a lot of good things (beaches, mountains, ect.)

A university in town (Cal-State Bakersfield) and a couple Junior Colleges

Cons:

Overbearing Smog (we live in a cloud...of smog)

Nothing to do, a couple movie theaters and bars, but that is it.

ultra-conservative attitudes (unless you happen to be one, in which case, you will be welcome here.

Speak spanish? If you don't, you will probably not be able to understand some of our residents.

Crime Rates are rising due to gangs migrating from LA to here.

I hope you like to drive, public transportation is limited and you can't walk anywhere due to how spread out the town is.

Public school system is in the crapper. I should know, I just got out of it 4 years ago. I didn't even try in high school and I was in the 112 in my class of around 450. I kid you not, I didn't do any of my homework and I still got out with a 2.66. I may be a smart guy, but with the effort I put forth, I should have at least flirted with not graduating. Sad thing is, we still had one of the lower graduation rates.

And in your case, since you have young children, the class sizes in the public school system are growing astronomically high. This only further hurts the quality of education because one on one teaching is much harder when classes get that large.

Frankly, moving here is like moving to the lowest rung of the ladder. I love this town like a son loves his deadbeat father. I am doing you a favor in advising you and your husband to reconsider. I am getting out soon, it can't be soon enough. As someone who was born here, I can only tell you knowing exactly what this place is like, coming here by choice would be crazy, and relocating due to a job might be a bad choice.

[gorideaquad]

ZeeDante amen I concur!!!!!!Glad to see I am not the only one with this feeling.....

[pawsinten]

Well thanks a lot. I said in my link my husband already has the job. We had to move from Tennessee for work. Having said that I asked for advice on different areas not whether to make the move or not. We have lived in 3 continents and basically we make the most of wherever we live. Sure there is good and bad everywhere. But where we live now is a dry county, no pharmacy open on weekends within 45 min drive, no restaurants where you can buy alcohol with 4o min drive, no sidewalks, no parks for the kids, no movie within 40 min drive, walmart is 40 min away. I'm kinda looking forward to having everything close by. WHat kind of entertainment are you looking for? We love being at home and love going away on weekends - both seem to be available in Bakersfield!!! We had to travel 13 hours to get to the snow last year - we are looking forward to a shorter commute this year. And the Beach is 8-9 hours away if the roads are clear. We have tobacco farms here and at certain times of the year when they burn off the air quality is also bad so we figure Bakersfield can't be much worse! Yes we are concerned about the schooling system but understand theat we do have choices.

[The A-Team]

It may have its problems, but for some reason, even in my short visits to Bakersfield, i grew to love it there. I can't explain it, maybe its how nice the people were to me, warm weather and palm trees, just the vibe, i don't know.... something about it just makes me want to keep coming back. OP, i hope you find this same feeling in Bakersfield!

[gorideaquad]

yes the people are really great and down to earth that is very true. You can feel at ease and strike a conversation and most people are really great. That being said, I suppose Bakersfield would have a lot to offer considering it sounds like where you live is somewhat rural. Entertainment meaning educational opportunities for the kids to grow their minds; museums, theather etc. all non existent. Bakersfield is ultra conservative but I am sure you know this. If you think you have choices with schools, think again. Garces is the Catholic high school other than that there are a couple of other religious schools, period. No montessori, no good private school. If you send your kids to private school here it is basically to try to keep them safe from public school kids.
Sorry so bleak buy you are right, make the most out of ny place you live. Pismo Beach is great and only 3 hours away. You can camp, ride dirtbikes etc. The mountains have great skiing and overall you can go to Los Angeles in 3 hours where cultural opportunities abound! Good look and Bakersfield does have great people who welcome newcomers with ease and you will enjoy it here from what your needs are stated.

[momof4girls]

Hi,
I would just like to say that if I was buying a house in one of those two areas I would buy in Haggin Oaks. Nice area and pretty central to most places of interest in town.

[ERIC N]

I would lean towards Brimhall Estates as the rule is pretty much the farther west you go, the more you'll enjoy it.

Don't listen to the negatives. Yes there are issues with smog and traffic, but the people here are by and large wonderful. Yes there is an almost offensively conservative attitude which seems to hold sway over a significant portion of the town, but I enjoy views from both sides of the political spectrum and have lived happily unmolested for years. Crime isn't an issue in the neighborhoods that you mentioned and there are plenty of safe places to shop, though shopping in L. A. is always a more exciting way to go.

Children with involved parents can enjoy quality learning at many local schools. Parents who are uninvolved will likely have children who won't compete effectively.

One thing I've noticed on city-data is that no matter what city you plug in, there are hordes of individuals ready to tell you the place is miserable. I wonder if they ever find Eden.

[tangodoodles]

Ooh! I live in Brimhall Classics, we're right across the street from Brimhall Estates. Personally, I'd choose Brimhall Classics because of the district. Haggin Oaks is near some good schools but in terms of high schools I think Liberty (the one near Brimhall) is better than Stockdale (the one near Haggin Oaks). You should also consider Brimhall Classics, I know there are at least two houses for sale in the area, plus it's gated, and all the lots have been filled so there won't be any construction in the future (although the same could be said for Brimhall Estates as well).

There are some issues with Bakersfield obviously but you can find negatives in every city. If you have a positive attitude you should enjoy your time here and this is a good place to raise kids although I can guarantee that they, much like me and most other kids going off to college, won't want to move back to find a job. But I think most kids can find problems with the place they grew up in.

One thing I don't like about Haggin Oaks is that the streets are bigger and cars sort of fly through faster. As a plus though, they do have a park. However, in Brimhall Estates (or Classics) you're only a block away from Liberty Park and there's another park further down Brimhall that my sister rides her bike to to play tennis. The areas around Brimhall are quickly being filled up with commercial development and we have new shopping centers including one going in at the corner of Jewetta which is quite useful. One thing that bothers my mom's friend about living in Haggin Oaks is her house is backed up onto Ming and on the weekends there is sometimes a lot of noise coming from the Marketplace. I will admit that occasionally, if I sit on my front step on Friday nights in the fall and listen quietly, I can hear the football announcers over at Liberty and the cheers when somebody scores.

Gosh, this post is making me feel almost bad that I'm moving away for college next year. Honestly, people get down on Bakersfield but it's underrated. There is a lot of good development in the northwest that shouldn't be taken for granted and both Liberty and Stockdale high school are known for having very strong academic programs. I think you'll do well in either subdivision so it would really be down to picking your favorite house. Good luck! And feel free to message me if you have any more questions about Bakersfield.