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It all depends if you like the suburbs or more rural area. The Antelope Valley ranks by desirability as 1). West Side of Palmdale (west of 14 FWY). 2). West Side of Lancaster, 3). East Side of both Lancaster & Palmdale.
The West Side Palmdale by the golf course (Rancho Vista area) is highly desirable & safe with good elementary & middle schools for your children. It looks the least like living in the desert with tree-lined streets & well-maintained lawns. It's close to the Mall and 10th st where all the shops & restaurants are located. The disadvantage is you'll probably need to up your rent budget to $2,500 - $2,800.
I live in this area and the drive to EAFB is 40 miles/ 45minutes each way. There's no traffic to speak of on 14 and it's a speed-limit drive. Once you get on the Rosamond Blvd there's a 20 minute drive but it's base property and the MP will be using radar to check speed limit. The good news is if you do get a speeding ticket it will not be reported to California DMV so your insurance will not be notified. The bad news is if you get caught driving over 80 mph, there's a suspension on your base access but they don't really enforce it at the gate. Ask me how I know
The West Side Lancaster is a solidly middle class neighborhood. 15-20 years ago the consensus was W. Lancaster was better than Palmdale, but with the Mall selection the desirability has flipped. But it is still a very nice & safe area dotted with neighborhood supermarkets & stores. Costco is located on Ave L by 14 fwy. You'll find the rent is slightly less than Palmdale. But you'll probably save 15 minutes driving to the Base from Lancaster.
That was a pretty good descriptor of the Antelope Valley!
Quote:
Originally Posted by HB2HSV
Another out-of-box location for you to consider is on the other side of Base. It's a small community called Helendale off the 395. I found out about it because an ex-coworker lived there with his young family. It's a very nice residential community and it even has 2 lakes to take your kids fishing. I looked it up on Zillow and it has a house with 2,000 sq ft for rent asking only $2,000/mo. The disadvantage is its roughly an hour commute to the Base each way and you'll need to drive to Victorville to do any kinds of grocery shopping. It's only a 20 minute drive. But if you're OK with living in remote places this maybe ideal for you.
Helendale itself is pretty cool. I love the Silver Lakes neighborhood. It's what California City would have looked like had it been more successful. The only negative about Helendale is that it's situated right smack between Barstow and Victorville. I wish they had developed Silver Lakes somewhere in the Antelope Valley. It would be much, much more desirable.
What about Bakersfield or Barstow and just commuting? Advantage to Barstow is not having to cross Tehachapi Pass
Bakersfield is way, way too far and that drive up the 58 through the Tehachapi Pass would tear up an automobile in no time!
The problem with Barstow is that it has a really high crime rate, which is common in major "junction towns" where two or more interstates cross paths. It's kind of a pattern I've noticed. That being said, I wouldn't recommend it for a military family. I don't know a lot about Victorville/Adelanto area, but I haven't heard many great things about it. Some people say Apple Valley, Hesperia and Phelan are the better towns out that way, but I digress?
Overall, I think OP and his family would best be served in the following communities of the Antelope Valley:
1. West Lancaster / West Palmdale (this includes the communities of Quartz Hill and Rancho Vista)
2. West Rosamond (west of the freeway)
3. Tehachapi
NO to the following:
-- East Rosamond (east of the freeway is a bit sketchy)
-- Mojave (all of it)
-- California City (all of it)
Parts of East Lancaster can be alright, but you have to be extremely selective about the specific neighborhood. Personally, I wouldn't touch anything between 20th Street East to 10th Street West, between Avenue H and Avenue K. Anything outside of that will be okay.
There's a little town called Lake Los Angeles to the east of Palmdale, not far from the base, but I haven't bene there in years and I can't say one way or another if it would even be worth looking at?
Bakersfield is way, way too far and that drive up the 58 through the Tehachapi Pass would tear up an automobile in no time!
The problem with Barstow is that it has a really high crime rate, which is common in major "junction towns" where two or more interstates cross paths. It's kind of a pattern I've noticed. That being said, I wouldn't recommend it for a military family. I don't know a lot about Victorville/Adelanto area, but I haven't heard many great things about it. Some people say Apple Valley, Hesperia and Phelan are the better towns out that way, but I digress?
Overall, I think OP and his family would best be served in the following communities of the Antelope Valley:
1. West Lancaster / West Palmdale (this includes the communities of Quartz Hill and Rancho Vista)
2. West Rosamond (west of the freeway)
3. Tehachapi
NO to the following:
-- East Rosamond (east of the freeway is a bit sketchy)
-- Mojave (all of it)
-- California City (all of it)
Parts of East Lancaster can be alright, but you have to be extremely selective about the specific neighborhood. Personally, I wouldn't touch anything between 20th Street East to 10th Street West, between Avenue H and Avenue K. Anything outside of that will be okay.
There's a little town called Lake Los Angeles to the east of Palmdale, not far from the base, but I haven't bene there in years and I can't say one way or another if it would even be worth looking at?
I wish your budget were higher.
Agreed on NO on Bakersfield & Barstow for the reasons stated.
Also NO on Victorville/ Adelanto/ Apple Valley/ Hesperia/ Phelan for the long commute. The 395 is a 2 lane road and full of big trucks traffic that will only slow you down further. I worked (note the past tense) in Victorville and was tired of commuting from Palmdale and started to look for a place to buy. But what I've learned was none of these places were better than Palmdale. In that area, most coworkers did not recommend Adelanto and Victorville for safety/ school quality. Practically everyone I spoke to live in Hesperia and Apple Valley.
I drove through Lake Los Angeles every day. Not much going there except a Dollar General store and gas station. Unless you like rural living otherwise I would not recommend it.
How long is your PCS? If you plan to stay at EAFB for more than a few years perhaps you can consider to buy vs rent? At today's mortgage rate, I believe you will find the monthly mortgage payment is significantly less than rent.
Agreed on NO on Bakersfield & Barstow for the reasons stated.
Also NO on Victorville/ Adelanto/ Apple Valley/ Hesperia/ Phelan for the long commute. The 395 is a 2 lane road and full of big trucks traffic that will only slow you down further. I worked (note the past tense) in Victorville and was tired of commuting from Palmdale and started to look for a place to buy. But what I've learned was none of these places were better than Palmdale. In that area, most coworkers did not recommend Adelanto and Victorville for safety/ school quality. Practically everyone I spoke to live in Hesperia and Apple Valley.
I drove through Lake Los Angeles every day. Not much going there except a Dollar General store and gas station. Unless you like rural living otherwise I would not recommend it.
How long is your PCS? If you plan to stay at EAFB for more than a few years perhaps you can consider to buy vs rent? At today's mortgage rate, I believe you will find the monthly mortgage payment is significantly less than rent.
So....I drove out to Lake Los Angeles today, just for kicks! I had the day off due to a doctor's appointment and I thought "...eh, what the heck? Let's go have a look!"
I have to say that it reminded me of a little town in Arizona or Nevada somewhere. The rocky outcrops of the buttes combined with the San Gabriel Mountain Range as a backdrop made me feel like I was in Pahrump, NV; Dayton, NV (up by Carson City) or Wickenburg, AZ. Strangely, the town has a late 1980s/early 1990s aura about it. Dare I say "charm" ? It's definitely rural and you would have to accept that if you lived there, to be sure!
The population looks to be a combination of mostly Latino and Anglo people. It looked and felt like the kind of place where people were "close knit" and when I went into the Ace Hardware store there, that was the feeling I got listening to the customers talking amongst each other. Mostly longtime families connected to each other.
Driving back across the buttes into Palmdale felt like a time warp. Very strange, but kind of neat.
So....I drove out to Lake Los Angeles today, just for kicks! I had the day off due to a doctor's appointment and I thought "...eh, what the heck? Let's go have a look!"
I have to say that it reminded me of a little town in Arizona or Nevada somewhere. The rocky outcrops of the buttes combined with the San Gabriel Mountain Range as a backdrop made me feel like I was in Pahrump, NV; Dayton, NV (up by Carson City) or Wickenburg, AZ. Strangely, the town has a late 1980s/early 1990s aura about it. Dare I say "charm" ? It's definitely rural and you would have to accept that if you lived there, to be sure!
The population looks to be a combination of mostly Latino and Anglo people. It looked and felt like the kind of place where people were "close knit" and when I went into the Ace Hardware store there, that was the feeling I got listening to the customers talking amongst each other. Mostly longtime families connected to each other.
Driving back across the buttes into Palmdale felt like a time warp. Very strange, but kind of neat.
I recognize the Ace Hardware Store you talked about, it's diagonally across the street from the Dollar General store.
I've been to Pahrump, NV and I think you're a little generous in the comparison Pahrump is much bigger and has a lot more stores, hotels & restaurants.
But if the OP doesn't mind rural living, Lake Los Angeles can be a very viable location. It's only 30~40 minutes drive to EAFB.
This is also a good example when I talked about when buying is cheaper than renting.
Take for example this property, a 3 bd, 2 ba, 1,119 sqft well maintained SFR only asking for $265K https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...20274785_zpid/
For a 20% down payment, assuming a 3%, 30 yr fixed, the monthly payment including property tax is less than $1,300/mo.
Another example, a 4 bd, 2 ba, 1,595 sqft very nice SFR is only asking for $389.5K https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...68978113_zpid/
For a 20% down payment, assuming a 3%, 30 yr fixed, the monthly payment including property tax is around $1,900/mo
Since OP is with military, VA loan provides a 0% down payment.
I recognize the Ace Hardware Store you talked about, it's diagonally across the street from the Dollar General store.
I've been to Pahrump, NV and I think you're a little generous in the comparison Pahrump is much bigger and has a lot more stores, hotels & restaurants.
But if the OP doesn't mind rural living, Lake Los Angeles can be a very viable location. It's only 30~40 minutes drive to EAFB.
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True re: Pahrump! It has many more amenities and newer housing in parts. The comparison I had in mind was more along the lines of same demographics...
I do not see where you say you have children. Is it just you and your wife or do you need more than one bedroom?
I purchased a home using a VA loan last November. There sure is much less available than when I was looking.
If you can live with just one bedroom then 21305 Lake Shore Drive #10, California City looks interesting. The main reason I did not go for it is my cat(s) would have to stay indoors. It might not qualify for a VA loan so if not then that makes it no good for you.
That is for truckstang94 to decide. An HOA always includes utilities that must be paid one way or another. For this specific complex, the HOA includes all the gardening; I know because I spoke personally with the gardener (she can be difficult to communicate with). I do not know what other utilities are included but it is often things like water, trash and cable TV. A HOA is not like a typical mobile home rental fee that is mostly as much of a waste as an apartment rental is.
A 15 year mortgage, including property tax and homeowners insurance, plus the HOA would be half the stated budget. A VA loan however is always 30-year and if this condo does not qualify for a VA loan then it might require a down payment of about $14K.
Last edited by Sam Hobbs; 05-30-2021 at 07:06 PM..
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Pahrump is much bigger and has a lot more stores, hotels & restaurants. 
