Can anyone tell me about Palmdale and lancaster?

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

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.

Come on over! We'd welcome you!

If you may recall on another thread, I was thinking about relocating to Victorville because of the 1+ hour commute each way. But after awhile I got used to the drive, I realized that we like the area very much and there is no reason to move! Our location is perfect, far enough to be quiet yet close enough to the Mall area for shopping and restaurants. A perfect suburbia!

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Come on over! We'd welcome you!

If you may recall on another thread, I was thinking about relocating to Victorville because of the 1+ hour commute each way. But after awhile I got used to the drive, I realized that we like the area very much and there is no reason to move! Our location is perfect, far enough to be quiet yet close enough to the Mall area for shopping and restaurants. A perfect suburbia!

I know some would vehemently disagree, but the Antelope Valley has a different feel than the Victorville area. The further east you go in Palmdale it starts feeling and looking like Victorville. The further west you go, it starts feeling more like parts of Santa Clarita.

It may be the topography? Victorville is much more of a true desert environment with taller mountain peaks, whereas, the Antelope Valley tends to be scrubbier and has hills that roll more. I love driving those back roads around Quartz Hill, Leona Valley, Elizabeth Lake and the Poppy Reserve.

Palmdale has a Trader Joe's and they're getting a Sprouts soon, which is good enough for me!

[NW4me]

How does Victorville compare to Palmdale/Lancaster (weather-wise, sociologically, etc.)?

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by NW4me

How does Victorville compare to Palmdale/Lancaster (weather-wise, sociologically, etc.)?

I'd say it definitely gets hotter in the summer in Victorville/Adelanto. It's more of a pure Mojave Desert climate.

Palmdale tends to stay relatively cooler in the summer because you have the moderating effect of the coastal breezes blowing over the Sierra Pelona range from Central Coast. They usually weaken by the time they get over to Victorville. If you look on a map of California, the Antelope Valley is 60 miles closer to the coast than Victorville, and that makes a difference. That's why you get the vegetation and poppy blooms in the Antelope Valley and not in Victorville.

Winters are about the same, I'd say. Both areas can be windy.

Sociologically, I'd say the Antelope Valley is better off. There is a more robust employment sector with all of the aerospace and manufacturing (Boeing, Northrup, Lockheed, etc) at Plant 42, the FAA--Los Angeles office is located in Palmdale, as is NASA's SOFIA project, then you've got Edwards AFB and NASA-Dryden out there, plus the Mojave Space Port. There are also a lot of people employed in health care, education, government and private sector contract work.

My brother lives in the Rancho Vista neighborhood in Palmdale and his block is mostly families. On his street, he's got law enforcement (LAPD, LASD), firemen, nurses, school administrators, teachers, retirees, etc. He has two prison guards that live on his street and both work at the federal prisons in Victorville and Adelanto.

When it comes to Victorville/Adelanto/Hesperia, that area has struggled ever since George AFB was closed in the 1990s. It left a huge hole in those cities that has been hard to fill. Adelanto tried to turn the tide by offering to host five prisons, because it thought that by doing so, the economy would improve. So, there are two federal prisons, a county prison and a state corrections facility within Adelanto.

Lancaster and Palmdale tend to be more careful about city planning and development since the last recession. Whereas, when I've driven through Victorville, they seem to keep building more and more tract housing.

Crime rates can be considered "subjective", but here they are:

Per 1,000 people:

---- ANTELOPE VALLEY (2019) -----
Palmdale........................................19 .5
Lancaster.......................................31 .5
Quartz Hill.....................................18.3
Antelope Acres/Neenach/Fairmont......6.0
Leona Valley.......................................0
Elizabeth Lake....................................0
Lake Hughes......................................0
Acton............................................. ...0
Antelope Valley total.....................9.41


---- VICTOR VALLEY (2019) -----
Victorville....................................... 28.9
Hesperia.........................................2 5.7
Apple Valley....................................23.07
Adelanto.........................................2 5.0
Phelan............................................ 14.7
Silver Lakes/Helendale......................14
Lucerne Valley..................................24.8
Oak Hills..........................................21. 7
Victor Valley total.........................22.23

[NW4me]

Very informative, thanks!!

[HB2HSV]

Yup, Kttam is right about Victorville vs Palmdale. On employment, when I drive to Victorville in the morning there's a lot more cars driving toward Palmdale than to Victorville, and in the evening the opposite traffic pattern holds true. On 50th street East, traffic backed up from people getting off work from Northrop Grumman.

Adelanto is just an armpit of a city. The streets are full of potholes, trash, and houses and buildings are looking like, well, ghetto. My office manager used to be the Mayor of Adelanto and she has pretty much confirmed my observation. City planning is poor. On a city street, you could be driving on a paved road and the next thing you know, the paved road ended and you're on a dirt road. On Google map you can't tell if the streets are paved so you can't rely it to drive around.

Victorville is a bigger city and has nicer and not so nice neighborhoods. It's nice areas are toward south and a major mall for the entire valley is called the Bear Valley Mall by the I-15 and Bear Valley Blvd. There's a big homeless population in Victorville. On the north end of city where I work, you see them pushing shopping carts around on the street.

There are 2 other cities in that valley. The best city is called Apple Valley as it has the best "social economic status" among the 4 cities. One disadvantage is it sits furthest east so access to I-15 is a 15 minutes local drive on Bear Valley Blvd and the traffic can be slow during commuting hours. The 15 minutes can stretch to 30 minutes or longer real quick.

One nice neighborhood is called the "Spring Valley Lake" sitting between Victorville and Apple Valley. You can see it on Google map. The problem is access to the freeway, you have to go on the Bear Valley Blvd with traffic congestion.

Many of my coworkers live in the 4th city called Hesperia. It located on the south end but there are several access points to the 15 fwy. It's probably the best choice if I was looking to move to that part of Valley, safe and quiet bedroom community.

[Mike Town]

Originally Posted by jc76

Searching around and found that some homes in these areas are actually as cheap as the midwest, but I am weary. Can anyone tell me what areas of these towns to avoid? Also if the economies in these towns are decent? Here's a link to a home I was looking at, seemed waaaay to good to be true. Thanks. 3 Bedrooms RV Access Covered Patio (http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant...053611673.html - broken link)

Homes are cheap because the place is a ghetto. There is a reason for cheap, Check it out real good before you buy.