Can anyone tell me about Palmdale and lancaster? (Los Angeles, Santa Clarita: best city, crime rates)

[santaclarita]

I would recommend moving to Lancaster and Palmdale, especially if you are from the Midwest. The weather is pretty similar, in terms of heat and cold, and the occasional windy spells. I love living in the AV. Most say stick to the westside, and that is pretty true, although there are some great communities on the eastside as well. If you move here I would recommend renting at first to get a feel of the community. There are many great people. If you are a churchgoer, we also have some great churches. The nicer areas generally tend to be around the college in Lancaster and Quartz Hill. I love it here!

[meowkellycat]

I live in Acton and do a lot of shopping in Palmdale. It really doesn't feel like Los Angeles, and I don't find it attractive--it's in the middle of the desert with not enough trees. But I don't feel unsafe when I'm there! I think the crime of Palmdale has been exaggerated on this site. I know plenty of people who live in Palmdale and like it. You can get a lot of house for your money. But you may need to use the money you save on housing for private school tuition.

[Charles]

After a long fall, Antelope Valley is back on upswing - latimes.com

[lindalue]

theres a lot of new homes in lancaster area, are these homes new homes i see,near good neighborhoods, or what they call the westside, for both lancaster palmdale...looking for quiet, nice neighborhood....new home, or at least kind of new, like few years old, kids are grown, not concerned with schools, I am concerned with enviornment, being safe, churches, good health care, good environment.......

[volosong]

lindalue, I moved to Palmdale from Simi. Even though I enjoyed my time living in Palmdale, I rue the day I left Ventura County. No comparison! Stay if you have a choice.

"Westside" generally is interpreted to be anywhere west of the 14 freeway. As mentioned, there are a few decent neighborhoods east of the freeway and at the same time, a few sketchy neighborhoods west of it. In general, "west of the freeway" is a good starting point.

For healthcare, I had Kaiser. Pretty happy with them. There is also a non-Kaiser hospital in Lancaster and a newish one in Palmdale. I worshiped at the Palmdale Church of Christ, (multi-ethnic), the Lancaster Church of Christ, (great singing), the Quartz Hill Church of Christ, (very balanced and family oriented), and Desert Vineyard, (one of the mega-churches - David Parker is one of the best preachers I've ever heard, but he is semi-retired and now rarely preaches).

The environment? It's high desert. What's to say? You'll see some trash near town, and very little away. Close to Devil's Punchbowl, (great hiking), and the north flank of the San Gabriels, (more good hiking). Pretty good for cycling. Head out west when you start out and have the wind assist on the way home. There are enough riders and people have encountered them enough that cars are pretty respectful for the safety of bikes. Plenty of hills nearby if you want to get some climbing in, (bicycle climbing, that is). Lots of geocaching in the desert. It will keep you busy for years.

Personal safety is not a concern if you exercise a bit of common sense. Just stay away from certain neighborhoods after dark and you'll be fine. You'll know intuitively where you can go and where you should avoid. It's not difficult to figure out.

[NW4me]

Staying west of the 14 is more significant than choosing between Palmdale and Lancaster?

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by NW4me

Staying west of the 14 is more significant than choosing between Palmdale and Lancaster?

Yes. You can tell the difference just by driving around. There is a nice neighborhood by Palmdale blvd and 47 street east with many nearby shopping. I only drove by them but they appeared very well kept. The trouble is they are almost 5 miles away from town and the 14 fwy, but you have to go through the "rough neighborhood" section of town to get to it.

Over 15 years ago, I "heard" Lancaster was a better neighborhood than Palmdale but that has changed. Lancaster is largely a bedroom community. What changed is the Palmdale Mall by Rancho Vista and 14 fwy. People are attracted to the area because of convenience of shopping. We have just about every major stores and supported by lots of good restaurants.

Both volosong (used to) and I live in an area of Palmdale called "Rancho Vista", a neighborhood enveloped roughly by 30 street W to the east, Ave N to the north, and 50th street to the west. It's approx. 3 miles to the Mall and just south of the Golf Course. The reason I bought in this neighborhood is it is surrounded by mature trees, well manicured yards, and look the least like a desert. The realtor told me this neighborhood is the best in Palmdale/ Lancaster area and is supported by the best schools in the area.

For those who prefer further out, there are good neighborhood further out west by 70th street, and northwest a neighborhood called Quartz Hills that is also very good. This area is supported by high tech jobs in aerospace with solid middle class income. What I like about this area is eventhough it is a part of LA but when you walk into a store/ doctor's office, you can hear the friendly greeting as if you were in a small town in Midwest.

[NW4me]

Thanks, HB2HSV! Very useful info there.

[kttam186290]

A lot has changed even since Volosong lived in Palmdale four years ago. The crime rate has dropped quite a bit and the demographics are changing for the better. The same is happening in Lancaster as well, but to a lesser extent. A lot of the people that were causing problems seemed to have moved on. There has been an uptick in the number of working professionals in the area and I don't see Covid-19 as impacting this negatively in any way.

As to whether or not you should stay west of the 14, that's not a bad idea, but that rule seems to apply more to Palmdale than Lancaster. There are decent neighborhoods in Lancaster east of the 14 up to about 10th Street West, north of Avenue J, but south of Avenue I. There was a strip north of Avenue I along 20th Street West that seemed very desirable.

Half of my family lives in the Antelope Valley now (Palmdale, Lancaster, Tehachapi) as they have been migrating out there from the LA Basin over the past 20 years. I was just out there this past weekend visiting and looking at potential real estate for when I decide to retire and move out of the SFV. I'm fine now, but I really don't want to age in a big city. I'd prefer to be closer to more of my family, have more open space and still have a lot of the conveniences of a "bigger" town.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by volosong

Personal safety is not a concern if you exercise a bit of common sense. Just stay away from certain neighborhoods after dark and you'll be fine. You'll know intuitively where you can go and where you should avoid. It's not difficult to figure out.

Right! ...For example, like, don't hang out on 5th Street East (in either city) if you have no real business there. And especially don't do so after dark!

This is pretty much the norm in most older cities that have been established since before the 1970s, which Palmdale and Lancaster both are. It's the same thing here in the SFV! I'm not going to purposely drive to the worst parts of Van Nuys, Arleta, Sylmar or Panorama City and hang out there because I have no business there to begin with, let alone after dark. It's just common sense.

People who attend USC know it's not particularly safe to wander into South LA after dark. People in Anaheim Hills generally don't venture anywhere east of Disneyland unless they have to. People in Tustin and Irvine generally don't go into the worst parts of Santa Ana. Pasadena residents, at one time, avoided venturing into Altadena after dark, due to worries about crime.

Residents in Ventura and Oxnard know which neighborhoods that they should avoid at certain times of day too. Same with Long Beach!

I've never understood why Lancaster and Palmdale are so stigmatized for the things that are pretty normal in most older California cities?