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I grew up in Bakersfield haven't lived there in about 15 years but visit often since I still have family there and they all live on the west side of town or the Olive Drive area which are probally two of the best areas of town. I live in Austin now and I don't know if this will help you but the Texas city which most reminds me of Bako (Locals term) would be Waco in size and attitude of the city. Good Luck....
So I see it’s been 10 years since this thread was posted and I would like to give a 2019 update for anyone interested in relocating to Bakersfield. I posted this review on another thread from 2013 as well.
I’ve lived in Bakersfield for only 17 months. I’m actually in the process of moving several hours back up the valley closer to family. My move to Bakersfield was just meant to be temporary 1-2 years.
What you get from moving to Bakersfield largely depends on where you’re moving from. Bakersfield has the nickname of West Nashville because it truly feels like you’re living in the south rather than California. The city is majority conservative church going folks with the younger generation being more liberal.
For me, growing up in he Bay Area and moving to the Lodi - Stockton area during high school was a major culture shock. I honestly hated it. The Central Valley is not what out of state people picture when they hear the word California.
If moving to Bakersfield, I recommend people only doing so if they have a good job lined up or if it’s just temporary while attending the local university. Housing is the cheapest for a city it’s size in California. The South West part of town along with the North West “Rosedale” are the only good areas to live in. Everything else is really ghetto and run down. I don’t say that lightly. It’s scary to walk around Bakersfield due to all the violent crime, drive by shootings, and homicides. It’s far worse than Stockton! Many neighborhoods are riddled with old abandoned boarded up small shack homes built in the late 1930’s and 1940’s. There are countless empty lots where there was once a home but no one decided to rebuild. Street lights are almost non existent as are trees.
Be prepared for extreme heat half the year, valley fever, horrible allergies, and the worst air quality of the nation. Bakersfield is geographically surrounded on three sides by mountains which means all the farming crop dust, oil drilling dust, and smog get trapped. There isn’t much to do in Bakersfield for children and young adults. There are plenty of bars and growing development of similar dining and drinking establishments. There are lots of mom and pop restaurants with great prices. Downtown lacks a skyline for a city it’s size. We just have an older 10 story Bank of America building and a similar height Marriott hotel as our tallest buildings. There are several small museums and farms to visit along with Hart Park at the Kern River. The famous haunted Padre Hotel and bar are also downtown.
Bakersfield can be very lonely when you don’t have friends or family in the area because it’s a very isolated city two hours north of downtown Los Angeles. People often move to Bakersfield simply because it’s close to LA but mind you that the huge mountain will take a toll on your car if you’re not careful. It’s not something you can daily commute over and it often closes in the winter time when it snows due to the elevation. The closures are usually temporary but it’s a main artery for people and goods to travel from NorCal to SoCal. A major issue with Bakersfield is that it lacks an affordable airport. Flights are very limited and highly expensive. Most everyone travels down to LA to fly. What makes Bakersfield also feel so isolated is that the local news channels only cover Kern County! Most local news regions cover several counties however anything north of Kern County is Fresno’s news jurisdiction while anything south belongs to LA news. This means that the news will be focusing on local events, scandals, and crime. Don’t expect to see LA’s weather during the broadcast.
Again, politics in Kern county are highly conservative including the sheriff. The county areas and city voted to ban all medical and recreation marijuana dispensaries and are fighting the state to make marijuana illegal all over again! It sure feels like you’ve stepped back into the 1970’s. Corruption in the local Bakersfield police and county sheriff department are common news. Sadly, they are underpaid so they resort to stealing drugs from the evidence locker to resale, pimp prostitutes, and extort people. Many officers look like they’re fresh out of high school just as the news anchors and reporters look young, fresh out of college.
Major employers are still the oil fields, agriculture, hospitals, and schools. High unemployment and poverty plague the area. There are a few city bus lines along with an Amtrak station and greyhound. Driving is a must in Bakersfield, otherwise you will spend a lot using Lyft and Uber.
One point I want to make about violent crime and homicides is that many former LA gang members have moved to Bakersfield due to its cheap housing. They simply transplanted and continued their crimes. Be cautious using dating apps as they are sometimes a setup to be robbed. Homelessness is also a growing problem with many mentally ill transients walking the sidewalks. This is happening to all areas of the state right now.
Lastly, most of my friends and family were shocked when I said I wanted to move to Bakersfield. Everyone asked why would I want to move here. They seemed to already know about the hot climate. Even people I spoke to here in Bakersfield, from my Lyft drivers to the people delivering my couch from Wayfair asked me why I would want to move to Bakersfield. They often said they would rather live up in San Joaquin County where I was living before than live in Kern county. Many of my Lyft drivers admitted they only moved to Bakersfield because their spouse had family here and they were living down in LA or Orange county prior. They all desperately wanted to get out of Bakersfield and asked me when I planned on leaving lol. Well, my reason for moving to Bakersfield was to buy time while I was on affordable housing apartment waitlists back north and in LA. One up north recently called me for an opening and I accepted it. I’ll most likely never move back to Bakersfield but I’ll always pass thru on Amtrak going to LA. I wish I would have been able to visit the annual county fair for all the great food.
Last edited by CoCoCounty; 06-12-2019 at 11:03 PM..
Reason: Spelling
It's not bad. But at the same time, it is getting a little expensive so the idea of getting five acres plus a nice house for under $400,000, those days may be behind us.
Pick any town/city in the country and you'll have those that love it or hate it....Bakersfield is no exception.
When people complain about Bakersfield I shake my head,because their are much worst parts of the country and much worst parts of the world,but everyone has their preferences
Bakersfield is similar to many mid-sized cities around the country,and even though it is hot during the summer,it is not as extreme as either Las Vegas or Phoenix.
Yup Bakersfield prices are not as cheap as it was during the late 1990's,but still considered affordable by California Standards.
Bakersfield really does have a lot of potential
Quote:
Originally Posted by Csonka
Bakersfield is "on the up" as they say
It's not bad. But at the same time, it is getting a little expensive so the idea of getting five acres plus a nice house for under $400,000, those days may be behind us.
Bakersfield is a terrible place to live. I've lived here all my life but have traveled extensively. DH and I own property in both Bakersfield and San Diego, and the property taxes are actually higher here. Gasoline is also very high here (I know, you'd never think that - but it's true.) On a recent trip I found it was cheaper in Orange County. This place is plagued with homelessness, poverty, crime, gangs, and intense heat for usually about 5 months a year and some of the nation's worst air quality (in the top two or three). They can't pay the law enforcement enough so they lose sheriff and police to other areas, and I can't imagine anyplace that needs law enforcement more. They have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates, highest number of STDs, and the lowest literacy in the U.S. As previous posters have indicated - it is a primarily conservative demographic (think Trump supporters). Of course not everyone, but a big percentage. If there is any good to the area, it has to do with the people you know and the friendships you make. If you have options, do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. Next year I'm outta here.
Last edited by mathina; 06-19-2019 at 08:19 PM..
Reason: grammar errors
I am currently in Bakersfield Ca. I am trying to go back to the east coast. The heat is hot.. this year , not as bad as prior years ( Months long triple degree weather) I agree with the poster who mentioned Oaks. Seven Oaks is very nice. There are some beautiful gated communities in the Northwest as well. Stay away from the South, Southeast and Northeast. At least this is what they told me when I first moved here ( Work). Fog season will take alot to get used to. Many restaurants. Its about 2 hours away from Los Angeles. And if you want to travel to nice beaches, then Pismo Beach and Monterrey beach is nice as well. For mountains, then Tehachapi may be it.
I've been in Bakersfield for work for the last 2 days. Admittedly, that is not much time, but I do have to say I agree with mathina. I was at a Rite Aid earlier tonight and there were three apparently transient people loitering by the front door. While I was inside shopping one of them barged into the store and ran back to the pharmacy. Two store clerks yelled at her to leave, and she called one a wet back before running out. It was bizarre. The air also had a weird smell to it this morning.
I came back to my hotel to read more about Bakersfield
and ended up here. According to the sources I found from Wikipedia, including this link, the worst is probably true. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...olice-killings
Bakersfield is a terrible place to live. I've lived here all my life but have traveled extensively. DH and I own property in both Bakersfield and San Diego, and the property taxes are actually higher here. Gasoline is also very high here (I know, you'd never think that - but it's true.) On a recent trip I found it was cheaper in Orange County. This place is plagued with homelessness, poverty, crime, gangs, and intense heat for usually about 5 months a year and some of the nation's worst air quality (in the top two or three). They can't pay the law enforcement enough so they lose sheriff and police to other areas, and I can't imagine anyplace that needs law enforcement more. They have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates, highest number of STDs, and the lowest literacy in the U.S. As previous posters have indicated - it is a primarily conservative demographic (think Trump supporters). Of course not everyone, but a big percentage. If there is any good to the area, it has to do with the people you know and the friendships you make. If you have options, do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. Next year I'm outta here.
Thanks for the info. I'm moving to California to work as a screenwriter - among other things - and the last place I want to end up is surrounded by Trump nuts. I get enough of those in North Carolina.
It is no WAY like the south as far as conservatives . I am from the south and this is nothing , I am actually very happy here . I just came back this am from west Hollywood where my youngest daughter works and goes to school . I have always loved that area and it only took about 1hr 20 minutes to get home.
I am very liberal and lived in LA for 10 years in th early 80's to 90's and this is economical and these people are really light weights as far as conservatives are concerned . Nobody bothers me here . It was far far worse in Oregon .
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Update on moving to Bakersfield
