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Overview
Ridgecrest revolves around China Lake. Everybody works there, or works in support of it. It is simply known as "The Base". Coming from a large city, the people of Ridgecrest will surprise you. Many residents of the area have lived there their entire lives, many of whom dropped out of high school, had 3 kids before age 21, can't keep steady work etc, and have not experienced much outside of Ridgecrest. There are many deeply entrenched families in town, and after living there a few months you will know who they are. The other half of the population are transplants, either folks who moved there to work on base, got stationed at China Lake while in the Navy, retirees, people who moved up there for cost of living, a few LA transplants etc. It seems big at 25,000, but when you realize that there is no other large population center for 90 miles in any direction, the isolation becomes apparent. Valley fever can set in, and sometimes you'll wonder if there's anything beyond those mountains. Ridgecrest can seem like its own little world in that way.
Nightlife
I moved there when I was 20, it takes a long time to break into the social circles, seeing as how everybody grew up there, and they all have their groups of friends. Once you get used to the flow of the town (6-18 months) you'll feel more comfortable and it'll be easier to make friends. You will get to know many people, and it’s nice to run into them around town and stop for a chat. You’ll get invited to lots of parties chock full of beer and illegal drugs (mostly pot and meth). The goal of many people on weekends is to get drunk and stumble over to Denny’s. Tommy T’s is probably the most well-rounded and most popular bar in town. Mickey’s is a country style bar, Partners (my personal favorite) is too, but it’s a lot more laid back and less crowded.
Culture
You’ll probably find the people a bit more reserved. The entire West is like that. It's an extremely (I can't emphasize that word enough) conservative town. People are very racist/ethnic prejudiced. It’s the first place I’ve heard the N word used in everyday conversation, as well as words directed at Hispanics, with much of it directed towards me. Coming from LA metro, this was a major shock and it takes a lot of getting used to. The town is 70-80% White, and it seems like the people there want to keep it that way, you’ll here a lot of complaining about the “People from LA” “illegals” etc. Every car you see will have either: 1) a BUSH/CHENEY 2004 sticker on it, or 2) a "Support The Troops" magnet or 3) both. Kinda makes sense because the military has such a strong presence in town, and the town seems to dry up a bit when a Democrat is in office. Younger girls act like they know everything, but in reality they have no clue about style or dress. I left Ridgecrest in 5/07, but I can say I have met many life long friends there, as well as my probably future wife. Riding dirt-bikes and quads is a popular pastime. Many automobile commercials are filmed at Inyokern Airport, bringing the area some unrecognized national exposure.
Housing
You can find a 1 bedroom apartment there for as low as $400/mo. There aren't many actual apartment complexes to speak of (most of the better ones you'll find will be duplex/multiplex types). If you really know what a ghetto is, there aren't any to speak of in RC. The locals will say certain areas are, but they really aren't, you can leave your car running in all parts of town and not have to worry. I had a couple of incidents at home, but they happened when I lived in one of the better parts of town (E Upjohn/Green Acres). La Mirage/The Ridge is a giant complex that locals will call ghetto, with The Ridge being more of a Sec 8 project type, with many abandoned apartments ripe for squatting if you so please. Briarwood Apartments are also Sec 8 style, they look nice on the outside but they are probably the most dangerous apartments in town. Rick Court, Norma/Bowman and College Heights Apts are nice but you’ll probably be better off looking at the Daily Independent, or local real estate offices to find a good apartment if you prefer non-complex living. My personal favorite parts of town are the Deeter Tract, and the SE part of town E of Sunland, S of Ridgecrest Blvd, and N of Church. Much of town can appear run down, and there are plenty of tract houses to be found. Buttermilk Acres/Inyokern has some of the most beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada, those areas really turned me on to rural living in the future.
Weather/Climate
In Ridgecrest you won’t want to be outside May-October, it’s just too hot with temps over 100 every day. The highest it’ll ever get is 116, (120-140 not true) and it’s about that hot Jun-Aug. After a while you don’t notice it as much and it’s not as bad as it sounds but when you realize summer is coming you’ll be looking for a way to escape. The Sierra Nevada, the Kern River Valley and Owens Valley are not far if you’re looking for refreshment. Fall, winter, and spring are nice, winters may bring some gutter ice and it snows every 4 or so years. If you like constant sunshine, a beautiful view of the stars and virtually no precipitation, it’ll be great for you.
Lifestyle
There are two kinds of jobs in Ridgecrest, base jobs and service jobs. If you can find and keep a good job you’ll be quite well off financially if you live frugally. I had my most financial security while living there, but it comes at a price. You have no pro sports, no concerts, no entertainment other than the Movie Theater, or Wal-Mart. There is a thing in Ridgecrest called “Going out of town” and when saying that you usually mean Lancaster/Palmdale or Bakersfield. It’s a periodic day trip you will take to go “real” shopping or maybe just to get a breath of some different air. Most don’t go to the Victor Valley because there isn’t much there anyway, but the behemoth known as LA is 2.5/3 hours away, and LA to Ridgecresters, is LA, Orange County and the Inland Empire. As an aside Ridgecresters think San Diego is heaven and that’s where all the young kids want to move after high school. Trona (a town 25mi NE) is the local whipping boy, the stereotype is that everyone there is cross-eyed, related, on meth, poor, and likes to start fires. Trona is very run down, cheap and home to multiple plants (borax) and smells like sulfur.
Pros
Cost of Living (compared to the rest of CA), Sunshine, Conservative, Small Town (if you are into those things)
Cons
The same as the pros (except cost of living)
Too many stop signs
The only place I’ve known people that have committed incest
Drug/Alcohol Problems
Conclusion
Ridgecrest would be a great place after you consider all that I’ve mentioned. I’m not trying to be biased in any way; I’m just trying to be honest and informative. I left there because I couldn’t handle the narrow minds, the isolation, the lack of sports teams/entertainment, how small it is, the heat, and the lack of snow/rain, so I moved to Denver.
Sounds like an interesting place that I would much like to visit, -but not my cup of tea to live there based on your description.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar
Overview
Ridgecrest revolves around China Lake. Everybody works there, or works in support of it. It is simply known as "The Base". Coming from a large city, the people of Ridgecrest will surprise you. Many residents of the area have lived there their entire lives, many of whom dropped out of high school, had 3 kids before age 21, can't keep steady work etc, and have not experienced much outside of Ridgecrest. There are many deeply entrenched families in town, and after living there a few months you will know who they are. The other half of the population are transplants, either folks who moved there to work on base, got stationed at China Lake while in the Navy, retirees, people who moved up there for cost of living, a few LA transplants etc. It seems big at 25,000, but when you realize that there is no other large population center for 90 miles in any direction, the isolation becomes apparent. Valley fever can set in, and sometimes you'll wonder if there's anything beyond those mountains. Ridgecrest can seem like its own little world in that way.
Nightlife
I moved there when I was 20, it takes a long time to break into the social circles, seeing as how everybody grew up there, and they all have their groups of friends. Once you get used to the flow of the town (6-18 months) you'll feel more comfortable and it'll be easier to make friends. You will get to know many people, and it’s nice to run into them around town and stop for a chat. You’ll get invited to lots of parties chock full of beer and illegal drugs (mostly pot and meth). The goal of many people on weekends is to get drunk and stumble over to Denny’s. Tommy T’s is probably the most well-rounded and most popular bar in town. Mickey’s is a country style bar, Partners (my personal favorite) is too, but it’s a lot more laid back and less crowded.
Culture
You’ll probably find the people a bit more reserved. The entire West is like that. It's an extremely (I can't emphasize that word enough) conservative town. People are very racist/ethnic prejudiced. It’s the first place I’ve heard the N word used in everyday conversation, as well as words directed at Hispanics, with much of it directed towards me. Coming from LA metro, this was a major shock and it takes a lot of getting used to. The town is 70-80% White, and it seems like the people there want to keep it that way, you’ll here a lot of complaining about the “People from LA” “illegals” etc. Every car you see will have either: 1) a BUSH/CHENEY 2004 sticker on it, or 2) a "Support The Troops" magnet or 3) both. Kinda makes sense because the military has such a strong presence in town, and the town seems to dry up a bit when a Democrat is in office. Younger girls act like they know everything, but in reality they have no clue about style or dress. I left Ridgecrest in 5/07, but I can say I have met many life long friends there, as well as my probably future wife. Riding dirt-bikes and quads is a popular pastime. Many automobile commercials are filmed at Inyokern Airport, bringing the area some unrecognized national exposure.
Housing
You can find a 1 bedroom apartment there for as low as $400/mo. There aren't many actual apartment complexes to speak of (most of the better ones you'll find will be duplex/multiplex types). If you really know what a ghetto is, there aren't any to speak of in RC. The locals will say certain areas are, but they really aren't, you can leave your car running in all parts of town and not have to worry. I had a couple of incidents at home, but they happened when I lived in one of the better parts of town (E Upjohn/Green Acres). La Mirage/The Ridge is a giant complex that locals will call ghetto, with The Ridge being more of a Sec 8 project type, with many abandoned apartments ripe for squatting if you so please. Briarwood Apartments are also Sec 8 style, they look nice on the outside but they are probably the most dangerous apartments in town. Rick Court, Norma/Bowman and College Heights Apts are nice but you’ll probably be better off looking at the Daily Independent, or local real estate offices to find a good apartment if you prefer non-complex living. My personal favorite parts of town are the Deeter Tract, and the SE part of town E of Sunland, S of Ridgecrest Blvd, and N of Church. Much of town can appear run down, and there are plenty of tract houses to be found. Buttermilk Acres/Inyokern has some of the most beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada, those areas really turned me on to rural living in the future.
Weather/Climate
In Ridgecrest you won’t want to be outside May-October, it’s just too hot with temps over 100 every day. The highest it’ll ever get is 116, (120-140 not true) and it’s about that hot Jun-Aug. After a while you don’t notice it as much and it’s not as bad as it sounds but when you realize summer is coming you’ll be looking for a way to escape. The Sierra Nevada, the Kern River Valley and Owens Valley are not far if you’re looking for refreshment. Fall, winter, and spring are nice, winters may bring some gutter ice and it snows every 4 or so years. If you like constant sunshine, a beautiful view of the stars and virtually no precipitation, it’ll be great for you.
Lifestyle
There are two kinds of jobs in Ridgecrest, base jobs and service jobs. If you can find and keep a good job you’ll be quite well off financially if you live frugally. I had my most financial security while living there, but it comes at a price. You have no pro sports, no concerts, no entertainment other than the Movie Theater, or Wal-Mart. There is a thing in Ridgecrest called “Going out of town” and when saying that you usually mean Lancaster/Palmdale or Bakersfield. It’s a periodic day trip you will take to go “real” shopping or maybe just to get a breath of some different air. Most don’t go to the Victor Valley because there isn’t much there anyway, but the behemoth known as LA is 2.5/3 hours away, and LA to Ridgecresters, is LA, Orange County and the Inland Empire. As an aside Ridgecresters think San Diego is heaven and that’s where all the young kids want to move after high school. Trona (a town 25mi NE) is the local whipping boy, the stereotype is that everyone there is cross-eyed, related, on meth, poor, and likes to start fires. Trona is very run down, cheap and home to multiple plants (borax) and smells like sulfur.
Pros
Cost of Living (compared to the rest of CA), Sunshine, Conservative, Small Town (if you are into those things)
Cons
The same as the pros (except cost of living)
Too many stop signs
The only place I’ve known people that have committed incest
Drug/Alcohol Problems
Conclusion
Ridgecrest would be a great place after you consider all that I’ve mentioned. I’m not trying to be biased in any way; I’m just trying to be honest and informative. I left there because I couldn’t handle the narrow minds, the isolation, the lack of sports teams/entertainment, how small it is, the heat, and the lack of snow/rain, so I moved to Denver.
You can't really expect much from Ridgecrest.
After all, the place came into existence because the government needed a desolate wasteland to test bombs.
That was a great post, organized and well crafted.
I've worked and trained at the "Center" (As I recall; They called it the "Center", not the "Base", because it is the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake.) If you are in (and I mean "in") to dirt bikes, skiing, camping, hiking, general outdoors it can be OK for some folks. When I was at Point Mugu in the 1990s there was always this threat looming over Mugu that Mugu would close and all our jobs would go to China Lake.
[Hi David, it was quite an interesting read about Ridgecrest. My daughter and son-inlaw moved there in December 2007 all the way from Sydney Australia and I was quite concerned has to how they would settle in over there. They are having a ball ! Have been sightseeing to San Francisco, checking out the night life in Las Vegas, doing what you do in Los Angeles (the tourist bit) skiing at Mammoth Mountain, walked along Venice Beach and have just spent the weekend in San Diego 26th & 27th January celebrating Australia Day on the Naval Base. My son-inlaw is stationed at the China Lake Naval Weapons Base and both he and my daughter have found Ridgecrest to be quite a pleasant place, not to cold and the people very obliging and friendly. They are fortunate enough to be renting a free standing residence with a pool for the coming summer. Their two dogs have settled in nicely too, having been flown in from Australia just before christmas. My husband and I plan to visit them at Christmas this year (2008) so we will get to experience Ridgecrest for ourselves. Being 27 & 26 the both of them are very active and adventurous, so no doubt they still have a lot to experience and discover. I personally can't wait till I see all those millions of stars people talk about all the time. Anyway I'll say G'Day and thanks for the great read.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar
Overview
Ridgecrest revolves around China Lake. Everybody works there, or works in support of it. It is simply known as "The Base". Coming from a large city, the people of Ridgecrest will surprise you. Many residents of the area have lived there their entire lives, many of whom dropped out of high school, had 3 kids before age 21, can't keep steady work etc, and have not experienced much outside of Ridgecrest. There are many deeply entrenched families in town, and after living there a few months you will know who they are. The other half of the population are transplants, either folks who moved there to work on base, got stationed at China Lake while in the Navy, retirees, people who moved up there for cost of living, a few LA transplants etc. It seems big at 25,000, but when you realize that there is no other large population center for 90 miles in any direction, the isolation becomes apparent. Valley fever can set in, and sometimes you'll wonder if there's anything beyond those mountains. Ridgecrest can seem like its own little world in that way.
Nightlife
I moved there when I was 20, it takes a long time to break into the social circles, seeing as how everybody grew up there, and they all have their groups of friends. Once you get used to the flow of the town (6-18 months) you'll feel more comfortable and it'll be easier to make friends. You will get to know many people, and it’s nice to run into them around town and stop for a chat. You’ll get invited to lots of parties chock full of beer and illegal drugs (mostly pot and meth). The goal of many people on weekends is to get drunk and stumble over to Denny’s. Tommy T’s is probably the most well-rounded and most popular bar in town. Mickey’s is a country style bar, Partners (my personal favorite) is too, but it’s a lot more laid back and less crowded.
Culture
You’ll probably find the people a bit more reserved. The entire West is like that. It's an extremely (I can't emphasize that word enough) conservative town. People are very racist/ethnic prejudiced. It’s the first place I’ve heard the N word used in everyday conversation, as well as words directed at Hispanics, with much of it directed towards me. Coming from LA metro, this was a major shock and it takes a lot of getting used to. The town is 70-80% White, and it seems like the people there want to keep it that way, you’ll here a lot of complaining about the “People from LA” “illegals” etc. Every car you see will have either: 1) a BUSH/CHENEY 2004 sticker on it, or 2) a "Support The Troops" magnet or 3) both. Kinda makes sense because the military has such a strong presence in town, and the town seems to dry up a bit when a Democrat is in office. Younger girls act like they know everything, but in reality they have no clue about style or dress. I left Ridgecrest in 5/07, but I can say I have met many life long friends there, as well as my probably future wife. Riding dirt-bikes and quads is a popular pastime. Many automobile commercials are filmed at Inyokern Airport, bringing the area some unrecognized national exposure.
Housing
You can find a 1 bedroom apartment there for as low as $400/mo. There aren't many actual apartment complexes to speak of (most of the better ones you'll find will be duplex/multiplex types). If you really know what a ghetto is, there aren't any to speak of in RC. The locals will say certain areas are, but they really aren't, you can leave your car running in all parts of town and not have to worry. I had a couple of incidents at home, but they happened when I lived in one of the better parts of town (E Upjohn/Green Acres). La Mirage/The Ridge is a giant complex that locals will call ghetto, with The Ridge being more of a Sec 8 project type, with many abandoned apartments ripe for squatting if you so please. Briarwood Apartments are also Sec 8 style, they look nice on the outside but they are probably the most dangerous apartments in town. Rick Court, Norma/Bowman and College Heights Apts are nice but you’ll probably be better off looking at the Daily Independent, or local real estate offices to find a good apartment if you prefer non-complex living. My personal favorite parts of town are the Deeter Tract, and the SE part of town E of Sunland, S of Ridgecrest Blvd, and N of Church. Much of town can appear run down, and there are plenty of tract houses to be found. Buttermilk Acres/Inyokern has some of the most beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada, those areas really turned me on to rural living in the future.
Weather/Climate
In Ridgecrest you won’t want to be outside May-October, it’s just too hot with temps over 100 every day. The highest it’ll ever get is 116, (120-140 not true) and it’s about that hot Jun-Aug. After a while you don’t notice it as much and it’s not as bad as it sounds but when you realize summer is coming you’ll be looking for a way to escape. The Sierra Nevada, the Kern River Valley and Owens Valley are not far if you’re looking for refreshment. Fall, winter, and spring are nice, winters may bring some gutter ice and it snows every 4 or so years. If you like constant sunshine, a beautiful view of the stars and virtually no precipitation, it’ll be great for you.
Lifestyle
There are two kinds of jobs in Ridgecrest, base jobs and service jobs. If you can find and keep a good job you’ll be quite well off financially if you live frugally. I had my most financial security while living there, but it comes at a price. You have no pro sports, no concerts, no entertainment other than the Movie Theater, or Wal-Mart. There is a thing in Ridgecrest called “Going out of town” and when saying that you usually mean Lancaster/Palmdale or Bakersfield. It’s a periodic day trip you will take to go “real” shopping or maybe just to get a breath of some different air. Most don’t go to the Victor Valley because there isn’t much there anyway, but the behemoth known as LA is 2.5/3 hours away, and LA to Ridgecresters, is LA, Orange County and the Inland Empire. As an aside Ridgecresters think San Diego is heaven and that’s where all the young kids want to move after high school. Trona (a town 25mi NE) is the local whipping boy, the stereotype is that everyone there is cross-eyed, related, on meth, poor, and likes to start fires. Trona is very run down, cheap and home to multiple plants (borax) and smells like sulfur.
Pros
Cost of Living (compared to the rest of CA), Sunshine, Conservative, Small Town (if you are into those things)
Cons
The same as the pros (except cost of living)
Too many stop signs
The only place I’ve known people that have committed incest
Drug/Alcohol Problems
Conclusion
Ridgecrest would be a great place after you consider all that I’ve mentioned. I’m not trying to be biased in any way; I’m just trying to be honest and informative. I left there because I couldn’t handle the narrow minds, the isolation, the lack of sports teams/entertainment, how small it is, the heat, and the lack of snow/rain, so I moved to Denver.
Last edited by Count David; 02-16-2015 at 02:04 PM..
Reason: fixed quoting
Hi, I'm glad your daughter and son-in-law have adjusted well to their new California home. There is so much to see and do in CA/NV you'll never run out of things to do. I'm glad they've gotten out and seen what the area has to offer, many natives haven't even done those things. The wintertime weather in Ridgecrest is great, not too cold at all, nice and mild. I just hope they're prepared for summer, before they know it they'll have high temperatures in the 110s! The pool will definitely help though, they'll be wanting to spend a lot of time in it. The night sky in the Mojave is something all should see at least once, it truly is mesmerizing, especially if you head a few miles out of Ridgecrest; I personally haven't seen anything like it anywhere else. I hope they continue to enjoy their stay there, and hope you have a pleasant trip to California during the upcoming (yet far-off) holidays!
David, I appreciate the excellent post. I chuckled the whole way through it. I grew up in Ridgecrest from 1985 through high school, and I still have family there. You hit just about every nail on the head.
In fact, I had gone to the Phoenix area after college and was laid off 6 days before 9/11. Out of desperation, I looked for work at China Lake. Roughly half of my qualifications for the job were, "you're from here? And you know what it's like to live here? And you're willing to move back here? You're hired!" You may think I'm exaggerating. I'm not really, all that much.
To make a long story shorter, I worked at China Lake for 3+ years, then transferred to Edwards AFB at the first possible opportunity and live in Palmdale (I actually moved to Palmdale when I got engaged to my wife, and commuted 2x/week to China Lake for 2+ years, until I could get into Edwards). I've posted a couple messages on a thread here comparing the Antelope Valley to the Santa Clarita Valley and discussing how much better SCV is. After life in Ridgecrest, I realize that everything is comparitive. The cities of Lancaster and Palmdale at least keep the streets paved and public areas landscaped. They at least have city codes requiring trash bins in shopping centers to be enclosed and out of sight/smell. Those are the sorts of things suburbanites take for granted, until we went back to Ridgecrest to visit family last Christmas and ate at John's Pizza. That parking lot is a mess.
I'd like to add a couple more thoughts of my own about Ridgecrest:
1. You must enjoy driving, because any time you want to shop for just about anything, you will be driving. The nearest towns with any amount of services and population are Lancaster (90 miles), Palmdale (95 miles), and in a different direction, Bakersfield (110 miles).
2. You must enjoy cooking and eating at home, rarely going out to eat. There are zero corporate (chain) sit-down restaurants in the town. There really aren't any independent restaurants comparable either, although locals will tell you there are. I tried a few "excellent" hole-in-the-wall places "that make the very best breakfasts" according to my coworkers when I worked at China Lake. They were all greasy, deteriorating little dives. There are a representative handful of fast-food restaurants, and then there's Denny's. For a time over the years, they were the only Denny's in the country I'm aware of that couldn't manage to stay open 24x7x365. They actually closed for 4 or 6 hours each night.
3. Your shopping will be limited to: K-mart, Walmart, Mervyn's, Staples, Home Depot (the world's smallest, and again, I'm not kidding -- it was a prototype in smallness for the company), 2 Albertsons grocery stores and a Stater Bros grocery store. Yes, if you must acquire a clothing item in a hurry, you can find something wearable at Mervyn's, but everyone in town wears the same thing. Growing up there, I had no "brand" awareness in clothing since those stores all sell cheap "brands" or generic, store "brands."
4. Your entertainment will be limited to an 8-screen movie theater. 8 screens sounds like a lot, right? They expanded from 5 to 8 around 2002 because the studios refused to continue shipping first-run movies to multiplexes with fewer than 8 screens. I'm told the 3 new theaters are nice, even stadium seating, but tiny -- around 2 dozen seats each. The 5 original theaters have not been renovated. Last I knew, the screens in the 2 oldest theaters were torn and taped, and the speakers crackled with distortion.
In summary, Ridgecrest is a great place to live if you are an engineer/geek who enjoys having basically zero commute to work, buying basic, generic clothes from K-mart, Walmart and/or Mervyn's, eating the exact same fast food every night or having your wife cook your dinner every night, and playing X-Box / Playstation / Wii all night long for entertainment (or watching TV -- they do have cable of course).
If this is the life for you, by all means, move there -- the Navy would probably love to hire you. But please, I beg you -- please, sterilize yourself to ensure that you'll never have kids. On behalf of all kids who had to grow up in Ridgecrest and knew enough to leave, I beseech you of this.
I just moved to Ridgecrest from Boston, MA. Yes. Boston. What was I thinking? Well I was thinking that I'd rather be living near my best friend and her daughters (my twin and her daughters) instead of alone in MA. My biggest challenge is going to be finding a job. I have a degree but the jobs arent too plentiful. But I dont regret it, yet, lol. I knew what I was getting myself into but sometimes in life it doesnt matter where you live, how much money you make or what kind of car you drive, family is important. My priorities have changed since Ive become older. Besides, Ridgecrest isnt forever. But its not bad.
Hey console! You're totally right about getting a job on base, it also really surprised me how many jobs went to completely unqualified locals, and this is the US Military we are talking about, you'd think they'd be a little more choosy. I think they are just happy to get people that already live there or are willing to move there.
After living in Ridgecrest, I came to the conclusion that the closer you are to a major city, the more civilized things tend to be (your SCV/AV comparison). It really all depends on what two places you are comparing. Yes, the SCV is more desirable and livable than the AV. Yet, the AV is more desirable than the IWV. And the IWV is probably more desirable than say Olancha. I couldn't really tell where the tax dollars went in Ridgecrest, (Bakersfield?) the roads are terrible and most probably haven't been repaved since the Reagan administration.
Quick note: Thanks for bringing up John's Pizza, one of the few things I miss about Ridgecrest, by far the best pizza in town and awesome breadsticks with nacho cheese. Mmmmm.
Yes, you must enjoy driving, especially long distances, or if you ever plan on leaving your home. There are no restaurants in the class of TGI Friday's, Chili's etc. All sit-down places with the exception of Denny's are non-franchise family-owned businesses. People should expect below-average service in restaurants, i.e. expect to be ignored more by your server. Denny's now does stay open through the night, they get quite a bar crowd from Tommy's daily, and that is your only choice to have a public sit down meal in the middle of the night, that is unless you want to all sit in the same car parked outside of Jack In The Box.
Unfortunately for me, I'm of the Big and Tall variety, thus any clothes I purchased in Ridgecrest didn't reach my belt line or barely fit me. So I'd go back home to Riverside to purchase wearable clothing. The shopping choices in Ridgecrest sound like a small variety, pretty much suburbia transplanted to a small town, but still no mall
I thought the movie theater (Ridgecrest Cinema) was a bright spot, it kinda is 80's retro in decor, but I thought it suited Ridgecrest quite well. It is better than you think a small town movie theater would be. But, the powers that be in town wouldn't let certain movies be shown at the theater, such as Fahrenheit 9/11, or pretty much anything anti-conservative, or movies that weren't expected to make a box-office bang such as Napoleon Dynamite (had to go to Landscatter to see that one when it came out), though I believe once it did well they brought it in.
Ridgecrest definitely is for those that are simple-minded or that want a simple life. The short commute (if you can find a job) is a definite plus, and if you could care less about style you will fit in, and if you don't mind being home most of the time you'll be fine.
At a roundtable interview session after getting my first job in Ridgecrest at (new) Albertson's, when the people were asked to list their hobbies (aloud) I was shocked to hear all of them say video games. It usually isn't something most non-nerds would admit aloud in public, but I guess there isn't all that much you could do with your time there.
To all single women, there are a plethora of single engineers there.
Ridgecrest is not a place to raise kids, I got my girlfriend and hers outta there so they could have a more cultured upbringing. Nothing worse than raising your kids to be narrow-minded lowlifes with no desire of improvement.
Console, It's nice to hear from someone else who has gone through living in Ridgecrest. And to Jangel, post back after 9 months to a year to let us know you still like it, it took me about 2 months to decide I didn't like it, I wish you the best.
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Moving to Ridgecrest
