Bakersfield or? (taxes, move to, land)

[tangodoodles]

I agree with what everyone else said, pretty much. You have to go to Tehachapi for snow. The last time it snowed in the city of Bakersfield was when I was in the third grade, so that was about 9-10 years ago. It only snowed for one day and I don't think it was more than six inches but all the schools got closed down because it NEVER snows in the city. It was pretty awesome. The summers are hot but all houses and cars have A/C so a heat wave here is at least bearable whereas people in San Diego and Santa Barbara would suffer because lots of people don't have A/C. Tons of people in this city ride ATVs. I've never gotten into that but I'm sure you'll meet people here who can tell you the best places to go. Another thing, Bakersfield is growing rapidly, the metro area has well over 700,000 people (including Shafter, Wasco, Delano, etc.). They are working hard to come up with solutions with some traffic problems that are appearing because we only have so many main roads in and out of downtown and the city is very sprawled out. Bakersfield is number 1 in terms of growth for cities over 250,000 people so keep that in mind. The Bakersfield that a lot of people are nostalgic about isn't really noticable anymore and some of the things that remind people of the old days in Bakersfield will probably be gone soon, I hope not but it's hard to have a small town feel when the population reaches over 1,000,000 counting outlying areas and illegal immigrants.

[tangodoodles]

My last post was just a tad bit negative but I think that Bakersfield sounds like the type of place you're looking for. Just try to get out here sometime and see for yourself though.

[Roaddog]

Originally Posted by sehnsucht5150

Yeah thanks for the replies! Im trying to do as much research as possible before i make the visit out there next month. Its kind of like a circle, you find a place to consider , sounds good, then find out its not exactly what ya want. So a little frustrating but i certainly wont give up. Like I was telling someone else here on the forum, if i could find a place that was similar to PA without the weather, i think it'd be pretty nice. I live about a half hour away from the mountains, its busy enough, but definitely not overcrowded, enough space to breath and not have your neighbor right beside ya. Something like that would be ideal, maybe next to a decent city to drop right in and etc. Thanks again for replying!

Don't let any post discouage you, probably the biggest thing will be the heat, I've lived here a long time and I enjoy it, we are close to the mountians and a few hour drive to the beach.

[tangodoodles]

Originally Posted by Roaddog

Don't let any post discouage you, probably the biggest thing will be the heat, I've lived here a long time and I enjoy it, we are close to the mountians and a few hour drive to the beach.

Exactly, it's very easy to escape the heat in this city. Swim, go to the mall, stay in your house or workplace. The heat is not that bad, the only part that sucks is if you park your car outside in the sun and have leather seats, that's a bit painful, lol.

[mmouwse]

Have you checked out the Sacramento area???
Sacramento is really quite a hip town with great restaurants, lots of night life, progressive, lots to do. Warm weather but you get the delta breezes cooling things off at night. Large population with a small town feel. Lots of river and lake recreation.
If you want to live outside SAC, but close by to take advantage of the city attributes, you will find lots of smaller towns still nearby. You can choose the valley or the foothills/mountains, but be carefull if you want to stay away from the snow as Tahoe is only 2 hours away, in the snowline. Even so, our winters are not brutal like yours. Our temps do not go subzero like yours and the windchill and lake effect are not here.
check it out! Don't forget to use the City-Data site for research, a great place to start.

Santa Maria might also be a great place for you to check out. It is in Northern Santa Barbara County, just over the line from southern san Luis Obispo County cities of Nipomo and Arroyo Grande. Housing costs have really dropped here, and tremendously so in Santa Maria. You can get a nice home in the 200's now in Santa Maria. This brings you to the central coast of California into the temperate region. Temp. Range would be in the 55-85 range.
I hope this post has been helpful to you....? Research is definitely the key before you move to this state as we are huge and very diverse and you will find what you are looking for but will need to do a great deal of researech first.

[Existtoexit]

Originally Posted by mmouwse

Have you checked out the Sacramento area???
Sacramento is really quite a hip town with great restaurants, lots of night life, progressive, lots to do. Warm weather but you get the delta breezes cooling things off at night. Large population with a small town feel. Lots of river and lake recreation.
If you want to live outside SAC, but close by to take advantage of the city attributes, you will find lots of smaller towns still nearby. You can choose the valley or the foothills/mountains, but be carefull if you want to stay away from the snow as Tahoe is only 2 hours away, in the snowline. Even so, our winters are not brutal like yours. Our temps do not go subzero like yours and the windchill and lake effect are not here.
check it out! Don't forget to use the City-Data site for research, a great place to start.

Santa Maria might also be a great place for you to check out. It is in Northern Santa Barbara County, just over the line from southern san Luis Obispo County cities of Nipomo and Arroyo Grande. Housing costs have really dropped here, and tremendously so in Santa Maria. You can get a nice home in the 200's now in Santa Maria. This brings you to the central coast of California into the temperate region. Temp. Range would be in the 55-85 range.
I hope this post has been helpful to you....? Research is definitely the key before you move to this state as we are huge and very diverse and you will find what you are looking for but will need to do a great deal of researech first.

But isn't the housing prices about double in sacramento , The crime rate is more than double? I want too live some where cheap . Very few places seem too be as cheap as bakers field or fresno .
What are the cheapest but still pretiest areas in cali?

I could be wrong but doesn't sacramento have a much higher rep for gang violence than fresno or bakersfield?

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by Existtoexit

But isn't the housing prices about double in sacramento , The crime rate is more than double? I want too live some where cheap . Very few places seem too be as cheap as bakers field or fresno .
What are the cheapest but still pretiest areas in cali?

I could be wrong but doesn't sacramento have a much higher rep for gang violence than fresno or bakersfield?

I'm not sure there is such a place. If you want pretty in CA, you pay for it.

[Existtoexit]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

I'm not sure there is such a place. If you want pretty in CA, you pay for it.

Well not exactly living on a lake or ocean with a mountain top view .


But i mean maybe some where " Rural " with crappy small houses or trailors And with lots of land and room to roam and nice rural outside landscapes and land too explore with in 20 miles ??? IT can be 100 miles from any big city for all i care lol


With what i am saying i am probably better off in montana or idaho than california lol

[Californiaguy2007]

Hi,I wanted to reply to your other post,but that thread was closed...I noticed that your interested in Nature,Wildlife and Outdoor Activities,so I just wanted to post this link for you.

Discover Kern County: Nature (http://www.visitkern.com/nature.asp - broken link)

You can still find many rural areas here in Kern County whether it's in the Valley,Mountains or Deserts...It's a beautiful place and is considered more affordable than most parts of the state.

Originally Posted by Existtoexit

Well not exactly living on a lake or ocean with a mountain top view .


But i mean maybe some where " Rural " with crappy small houses or trailors And with lots of land and room to roam and nice rural outside landscapes and land too explore with in 20 miles ??? IT can be 100 miles from any big city for all i care lol


With what i am saying i am probably better off in montana or idaho than california lol

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by Existtoexit

Well not exactly living on a lake or ocean with a mountain top view .


But i mean maybe some where " Rural " with crappy small houses or trailors And with lots of land and room to roam and nice rural outside landscapes and land too explore with in 20 miles ??? IT can be 100 miles from any big city for all i care lol


With what i am saying i am probably better off in montana or idaho than california lol

You might want to check out Modoc County. There are some places there that are pretty and inexpensive, but also isolated and remote, hence the lower prices. Look around online at Susanville, Alturas, or Cedarville for some ideas.