Young couple in their 30s leaving Illinois and looking for mountains

[LightF00t]

Originally Posted by Sunseeker111

Thank you thank you for the replies! I will look into all your suggestions. To answer a few questions-

-our budget for raw land (no house on it) would be 100,000 max
-the lake would be a lower priority than hiking and tennis nearby
-I've been to LA and San Diego but haven't explored outer suburbs but we are visiting again in April to scope out some areas

I'm curious for those of you giving opinions of Joshua tree - is it super remote or does it still feel like there's a community there? Also Lake Isabella has some parcels of land I really like. What's the community like there and does it still feel accessible to civilization? We are coming from Chicago so we aren't used to being "out there" away from gas stations and grocery stores you all are awesome!!

I have lived in Lake Isabella for 7 years. Lake Isabella does have high poverty rates and there is some noticeable opioid /meth use. Von's parking lot can be interesting after 9 pm. However, this community is amazing. I love the small town atmosphere and most everyone is very friendly, polite, and community oriented. There are a lot of down to earth, great people who live here and want to make our community better.

The school scores aren't stellar (https://www.greatschools.org/califor...bella/schools/), but the teachers are wonderful.

Bakersfield is the closest large city and you would need to go there to access larger box stores (read Walmart, bed bath and beyond, target, etc.), but you can get all of your basics in Lake Isabella (gas, groceries, hardware stores, pharmacy, etc). The Lake Isabella area is absolutely gorgeous with the surrounding mountains, river access, and the lake.

Lake Isabella is a rather conservative minded community so you may want to look into Kernville (just north of Lake Isabella) it is a touch more liberal minded, but only a touch.

I don't know of any place to play tennis. Maybe that's a deal breaker.

[Unsworth]

If you can make a trip to California to look around first. Having said that southern California is the last place I would move to. If you like mountains and hiking have you considered Mariposa? Yosemite National Park is nearby. Also, the Ansel Adams Wilderness area which is great for hiking and back packing. I have back packed there. Beautiful. Catch your supper from the lakes. Peaceful. Serene. The scenery in this area (Yosemite and Ansel) is vastly superior to southern California. There are tennis courts at the park in town but I am not sure how popular the "tennis scene" is. Plenty of sunshine and snow occasionally. Snow amounts depend on the elevation you live at in California, unlike Chicago. This area is definitely away from the hustle and bustle.

[meekawal]

You might want to be very careful before relocating to CA from Chicago. I relocated to CA from the East Coast a few years ago. Times have changed and it's extremely expensive to live here and, from what I'm hearing lately, prices are only going to go higher. Houses can run you well over $100,000 even in the rural areas. The home prices and land prices have risen in the last 6 months in the desert. Taxes keep rising higher and higher. I'm not trying to discourage you but, like a lot of people on this forum are saying, you might want to take an extended vacation in the desert to make sure you can live here. I've lived in Ventura & LA counties in CA but can no longer afford the expensive rents, so I moved to the desert. I have met some very nice people but, living in the desert is harsh. High winds, blowing sand, dry & unhealthy air, bad water, no green anywhere, etc. It can eventually get to you if you aren't used to this type of living and weren't born & raised here. It's very different than living in an area like Chicago. Just make sure you thoroughly check everything out before making your move because once you get here and spend most of your savings, it will be very difficult to leave unless you are very rich. Also, do you have a job because that is another issue in remote areas.

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Another thought occurs to me: there are plenty of great "mountain towns" in the West that are not in California, yet have gorgeous scenery and which might have more of the sense of community and the amenities you're looking for.

So, you may want to expand your horizons just a bit to include places like these (among many others in the west):

Prescott Arizona
Payson Arizona
Flagstaff Arizona
St. George Utah
Taos New Mexico
Santa Fe New Mexico
Walla Walla Washington
Bend Oregon
Hood River, Oregon
Redmond Oregon
Springdale, Utah
Park City Utah

But these are just a few ideas. The West is literally chock-filled with beautiful places. Don't limit yourself just to California.

Ruidoso, New Mexico looks promising as well. I've never been there, but the pictures of the town and the surrounding countryside look nice. The famous Ruidoso Downs horse track is there as well. I do know the city is a popular vacation getaway for many Texans.

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by MarciaMarshaMarcia

High crime, very little industry, not the most attractive of the desert areas (in other words, ugly), drugs, gangs, blazing hot in summer, cold/windy in winter, unreasonable utility prices (cannot live w/o a/c), located in an impoverished county...just no.

Agreed. I'd pick Wrightwood over anywhere in the Victor Valley. Or perhaps Lucerne Valley or Apple Valley -- but definitely not Victorville or Hesperia. Those two cities are basically just Perris and Moreno Valley at a bit more altitude. A few nice pockets here and there (and likely a good amount of decent people), but the riff-raff element is pervasive, and many areas look rather unkept and dirty. And like you said, the scenery is bland. The views of the mountains are nice, but not much beyond that. The high winds in the area also blow trash and other debris all over the place; it's not uncommon to see cacti and other trees decorated with hanging trash. Even the tumble weeds often look like rolling trash balls! LOL