Need help from Apple Valley locals (Los Angeles, Orange: 2013, apartment, crime rate)

[kaliforniachick]

You want to tell your realtor AREA 23 ONLY!!!!!!!! That is North of HWY 18 and most of it WEST of Dale Evans. Apple Valley has some very bad areas and the areas you want to stay in (a small lot is all you will get) is behind St. Mary's Hospital and near the golf course. The land near sycamore rocks is okay too but you would not have to mind a longer drive to the fwy and shopping.

[Thunderbird]

A couple of nights ago I went shopping at the Walmart on Hwy18.
I hadn't been there in a year and I'll tell ya what, first time I have gotten creeped out shopping in Apple Valley at night.
I was afraid to leave my car alone in the parking lot even though there were a couple of police cars parked out front of the store.

I saw quite a few people just sitting in their cars in the lot. No idea why, (maybe they chose not to leave their cars alone), but still, did not settle with me well. Just the whole atmosphere was creepy.

I'm not going back there again. Not day or night.

[WAFFLEFOOT]

Originally Posted by kaliforniachick

You want to tell your realtor AREA 23 ONLY!!!!!!!! That is North of HWY 18 and most of it WEST of Dale Evans. Apple Valley has some very bad areas and the areas you want to stay in (a small lot is all you will get) is behind St. Mary's Hospital and near the golf course. The land near sycamore rocks is okay too but you would not have to mind a longer drive to the fwy and shopping.

kchick has not driven the area noth of 18 and west of Dale Evans in a while,
there are some very nice homes and neighborhoods there,yes a slightly longer drive if you coming from the west

[cinhawaii]

There may be nicer homes, I use to live in one, but you do leave your house at some point. And you are surrounded by Apple Valley and Victorville. My house was robbed within one mo of living there. Don't do it!! The heat is oppressive the scenery consists of tires on the side of the road, and there is nothing to do. The schools are horrible. Do not move there.

[Martinigirl]

Look in the area of RIO VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (the "Desert Knolls" area)- very nice neighborhoods and EXCELLENT SCHOOL! Apple Valley Schools ARE VERY GOOD, but Rio Vista is the best in the district AND ranks #9 in the State of California! They have maintained high rankings at least since i have had kids at this school from 2002 (never payed any attention to it before i had children). And the caliber of the students tell you what kind of parents they have. I have to say, my children have not had ANY of the issues i grew up dealing with at their age (racial mostly- i grew up in Chino, CA in the 70's and 80's)- my parents always taught me that the kids were merely acting out what they observed in the home and were taught by their parents. So MY conclusion is that in the area of A.V. I am in seems to be a pretty nice place with good people. It has the same issues any other town/city has of course, as far as crime and such (i have yet to find ANY town like Mayberry). There is not much to do up here, but i have 3 kids under 10 years old, so i am plenty busy with them! You have to drive at least 45 minutes or longer from Apple Valley to anything "cultural", such as visit museums, etc. so that is something to consider. Also, the weather is dry with very little rain (which i like) and windy (don't like), but sunny blue skies just about everyday. It gets EXTREMELY hot in the summer and very cold in the winter, with 1 or 2 "snow days" a year. The smog is moderate during the summer, but otherwise clear all other times. The water, gas and electric up here costs an arm and a leg though- HATE THAT!! The thing that i love is that you can see a million stars in the sky at night! My relatives that visit us from Los Angeles are always amazed by that!
I have been a resident of Apple Valley for 12 years now. We took a gamble when we moved here, because we knew nothing about it, except that we could afford to buy our first home up here. We love it so far, but I have to say if we do ever move from here, we will definitely leave California altogether!
I hope this helps. GOOD LUCK!

[Just Lookin]

I live in Apple Valley now and I am really upset about the drugs and the cops who don't come when your neighbor shoots off his gun at you and is a felon.

They seem to get away with what ever they want. I am out of here. How will I sell my home like this.

I miss my old town Apple Valley. It was once wonderful.

[Jude777]

...........is extraordinary and was indeed a place in the sun to "get away from it all ", from the dude ranches and western rodeos to the country club set. The Apple Valley Inn was a genuine retreat for Hollywood stars in its heyday and originally was to be the Palm Springs of California. I have lived here on and off for 31 years , permenantly for the last 23. I truthfully can say I enjoyed living here in the 70's thru the early 90's........today is another matter. This really was a rather "clean" little western town and sadly our roads and many of our residential areas have become trashy and unkept. There is an element of laziness that prevents many people from caring about their personal environment and the bottles and bags , tires , etc. pile up. The other day I picked up a full size recliner that someone dumped near my house and dragged it to my dumpster!! I pick up a full size hefty bag of my neighbors trash every week (mostly beer bottles , unwanted flyers , pizza boxes) I grew up in a much larger town in Long Beach and never remember trash strewn about the streets. It was a different time and peoples values were different I suppose. I would love to move and I am optimistic that Apple Valley will hopefully become a "better way of life" once again for generations to come. I have wonderful memories living here and I no regrets for choosing to live here. The stars at night and the sunsets are incredible..........

[Ulysses61]

I would never live in Apple Valley. My mom lives there and I want her to get out. Aside from the crime that others have mentioned, if you work down the hill, your commute just to get to the 15 freeway will be LONG. Most people take either Bear Valley Rd. or Apple Valley Road to get to the freeway and that will take you 25 minutes right there. The climate is extremely hot in the summer and extremely dry. Last year they got about 1.5 inches of rain, if that.

[Donn2390]

I have lived in Apple Valley for three years, and love it. it's a great place to live. I suppose there are some bad areas, but I don't search out crime and I don't find any. I live in a beautiful area off of yucca Loma and Apple Valley Road.
As for Target area not being safe, what a buch of bunk that is. I read about problems in the paper. Problems exist everywhere, in every community. The Apple Valley area is growing and getting better every day. Don't base your decision on the views of the negative people in here.

[Jude777]

I have to say that the intersection on Apple Valley Rd. and Bear Valley Rd. is genius to say the least. The people behind the design of the Starbucks complex deserve awards....right out of the Jetsons!! So retro and cool looking. The new Target shops are fantastic and my wife loves having the new Mervyns close by. I was at the new Super Target today and its so nice to shop in such a clean new store and plenty of room to park. Apple Valley really is a nice place to live.......it would be even better as I've mentioned , if some people would spend a few short minutes a week and "clean up" around their own personal homes. The trash along Navajo and Central is disgusting. The new Granite Hills High is surrounded with mounds of garbage through the entire ,once beautiful ,desert landscape. I also believe Apple Valley would have been so distinguished as a community if many of the homes would have been built similar to Santa Fe, N.M.......more of a pueblo looking atmosphere instead of the traditional O.C. look......just a thought.