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I haven't lived in Bakersfield but I drove through it enough growing up in California to understand why someone would want to leave. We used to stop there for breakfast on our way to Sacramento to visit relatives.
Knoxville is very different in atmosphere and attitude. It takes time to adjust to it if you're used to being on edge and wary of something bad happening.
You'll find a lot of places to ride the ATV (Quad). They are very common around here. There's a local club. Windrock ATV Club Home
There's also camping and trail rides nearby: ATV Trails and Camping in Tennessee
Big South Fork has ATV trails
And there's an ATV resort off I-75 at the Kentucky border. RideRoyalBlue.com ATV Guest Resort and Campground - Home
Just do a search on Tennessee or Knoxville ATV and you'll find tons of resources.
knoxgarden thanks for that response. It is true that unless you have lived in California and have seen its decline, the scene is very hard to imagine or put into words. yes that is so true, just driving around town, I am scared that anything will happen at any time to me. I am not afraid for me, just my kids are all. People are very different in Bakersfield than other places in California. Thanks for the other info I will save it for later use. Just waiting on hour house to sell to leave the "Golden State" yeah right.
Hey there I just wanted to share two cents, I donno much about Bakers, got a speeding ticket somewhere around there for going 105 that was about it. But I lived in the most gorgeous place in California for many years, Santa Barbara, CA and the best decision I felt I made was get outta Dodge, California grows about 500,000 people a year, I think that's what a lot of people don't understand, it's the future potential and CA no matter where you live will get more expensive and laws stricter, more traffic and more congestion, I moved to Colorado though and it was a great decision, I am however looking at Knoxville to get a home after I finish my Masters next year. There's only two places I'd live in the U.S. for the next 20 years and see my kids grow up, down SOUTH near the bible belt where people still care about culture and morals, though it is changing much with the northern influx mainly near the beach towns though, and the country Rocky mountain West, Fort Collins, CO, Laramie, WY, Helena, MT and a couple other towns, the only thing about the mountain west is there's a long winter and down South there's a long summer, it's a humid summer though not like the 120 degree dry summers in Bakers, Riverside and Vegas, takes time getting used to if your from out West. And regarding illegals, that's a national phenonenmon, we have a big problem with illegals in Denver and Greeley area in Colorado as well and down South it's getting a big problem in many major cities as well. Also when I was working and going to School in Cali., I was making about $50,000 as a college kid when I moved out to Colorado that dropped to $40,000 even though I'm a Masters student now and I'm assuming that wage is going to drop down to $30,000 out in Knoxville. Certainly housing drops but other items such as food, gas, utilities, loans, bills still stay the same. There's ups and downs everywhere, I suggest you go for a vacation in Tennessee and look around that's the best way to decide.
I am from California! that is how I know it sucks! Los Angeles, more specifically, Long Beach.
I have wanted to leave for a very long time, but kids, then my parents health prevented me from going anywhere. Well, the youngins are all officially grown up and the parents passed, and I am ready to bolt. I inherited a house from mom and dad (bless them!) and have the opportunity to go where I want now, provided the husband is agreeable.
I went to Tennessee in September and in February to check out the weather extremes and did not find it bad at all. Didn’t even get to use that big old jacket I bought for the trip!
I want away from the big city... as do most of the folks leaving greater LA and FLA, going to the country. I think Memphis and Nashville are just a wee bit too big and like Los Angeles, in that it’s a huge city. So east Tennessee makes sense to me. I like that its less a hot spot for tornados, but has good old Knoxville there as your "major city" and there seems to be plenty of law offices there ( I am a 10+year legal secretary/paralegal) and am not too worried about getting a job there. I can be patient.
I just freeking love it out there.
I am going on a trip to CDA (Coeur D’alene) for a vacation... and to check it out, but yes, it does look cold out there! I get winter depression (SAD- Seasonal Affliction Disorder) so I am pretty sure that would not be good for me ay? Plus its pretty pricy.
So look out Tennessee, here I come in the summer of 09!!!!!!!!!
Laura,
I moved to Knoxville from Long Beach in 94. I lived on Conant near Los Coyotes Diagonal. It was the best move I could have ever made. BY the way, I think I used July as the worst month to see if I could take the heat and humidity. Obviously I could.
Laura,
I moved to Knoxville from Long Beach in 94. I lived on Conant near Los Coyotes Diagonal. It was the best move I could have ever made. BY the way, I think I used July as the worst month to see if I could take the heat and humidity. Obviously I could.
Good luck with your move.
Barking! Small world! I live off of woodruff & carson!!!!! wow! you were less than a mile from me. i lived at parents, on albury on harco and woodruff.. by heartwell park my young life. i am 43... i went to macarthur jr high and lakewood. maybe you were a schoolmate??
anyway, its good to hear that you like it there. im not saying it wasnt hot, but it was not humid to me at all. i think its pretty humid in cali and gets darn hot so im used to it.
i am looking forward to four seasons and a slower paced life. im not into the nightlife, im not a shopaholic, and i can shop online if i want... i just love the outdoors and nature, so i think ill be quite ok out there!
thanks for the reply, nice to see a long beachian gone knoxvillian!
wow guys i am not the only one who thinks california SUCKS...by the way my husband grew up in Long Beach also, he was born there. His dad used to be a mecahnic for the Queen Mary and those big ships.
lauragizzi, barkingspider thanks for the great input. Hey you met and old neghbor, smalll world after all, you have a friend when you decide to move!
RangerDuke08 yes I agree that the payscale will be lower and to get prepared for that. But living in California has a lot more costs than just financial. I found out yesterday i have Asthma! can't even beleive it. Bakersfield has some of the worst air but I never thought it would affect me at all. So i guess after this house gets sold, who knows when especially since the area is not the best we are gone and no looking back. I told my husband that anywhere we move has to be better but the Knoxville area has all the stuff we want. Yes illegals are how shall i put it...Illegally here and that takes the law to inforce that problem and policies and all that goes along with that. i am also a student a lower ranking one and foresee NO future in California's educational system at all, if you follow the news we had a 10% cut passed for our schools. So we have: smog, gangs, illegals (with free food, insurance, no car insurance), 20,000 inmates getting out early thanks to our Governor, 10% cut on school funding. I really have zero optimism for the state. Unless you have a business interest or make enough money to make it pretty enough for someone to stay...yeah the beaches are great, the mountains are too and there are still great places to visit but overall quality of life has gone down so much that it is a very bleak future for the Golden State.
That being said, I have to go pick up my 8 year old son. There was a double homocide at the gas station across the street from there last week. Any indication of how bad the area is, a cemetary is directly across the school in both directions you look!! They are also adding 2000 beds to the Delano prison and 2000 to the Tehachapi prison. Well along with the prisoners in come the families clogging up our schools and housing and all the good stuff they get for free. As you may know we spend about 4 times on an inmate a year than we do educating our young ones....just a thought
and you have to be careful when emparting your wisdom about the illegal situation as you will be deemed a racist! im so sick of not being able to comment about it for fear of being strung up from a tree for being "insenstive" and racist!
there used to be emergency rooms all around... now they have all shut down because the illegals use them for doctor visists. i sat in the emergency room for 10, count them, TEN hours with my ailing father who could not breath, while i looked around and saw nothing but illegals with runny noses in there and it infuriated me! (how do i know they were illegals? no insurance, no english)
and the whole english vs spanish situation is ridiculous. i used to be able to get a job no problem, now i am being beat out by those who speak spanish, because so many attorneys are now catering to the hispanic population as it is so large.. so a good percentage of the jobs say "spanish required or a plus" why in heck are we required to change our language based on the ILLEGAL population???
and of course, i am a racist for saying these things, even though they could be from holland and i would feel the same way.
i work with tons of hispanics who feel exactly how i do. its not hispanic people its the illegals. they are coming over in DRONES, (15,000 illegal aliens cross the border into California each day, so figure 450,000 A MONTH) this is an astronomical amount, and is just too much of a strain on the economy, schools, (dont get me started on the fact that the school system is being critisized for not being able to teach the kids of the illegals because they cant speak spanish) etc.
people say its a problem everywhere, but its waaaaay worse in california.
and the politicians are such chicken babies .. afraid of stepping on toes but dont have a problem letting the whole state go to hell in a handbag as long as they remain politically correct.
and who here would have the AUDACITY to go to another country and not follow thier laws and migrate legally, and then PROTEST in the streets DEMANDING certain rights about amnesty while waving the Mexican flag all around??? NOWHERE BUT IN CALIFORNIA. nowhere.
wow guys i am not the only one who thinks california SUCKS...by the way my husband grew up in Long Beach also, he was born there. His dad used to be a mecahnic for the Queen Mary and those big ships.
lauragizzi, barkingspider thanks for the great input. Hey you met and old neghbor, smalll world after all, you have a friend when you decide to move!
RangerDuke08 yes I agree that the payscale will be lower and to get prepared for that. But living in California has a lot more costs than just financial. I found out yesterday i have Asthma! can't even beleive it. Bakersfield has some of the worst air but I never thought it would affect me at all. So i guess after this house gets sold, who knows when especially since the area is not the best we are gone and no looking back. I told my husband that anywhere we move has to be better but the Knoxville area has all the stuff we want. Yes illegals are how shall i put it...Illegally here and that takes the law to inforce that problem and policies and all that goes along with that. i am also a student a lower ranking one and foresee NO future in California's educational system at all, if you follow the news we had a 10% cut passed for our schools. So we have: smog, gangs, illegals (with free food, insurance, no car insurance), 20,000 inmates getting out early thanks to our Governor, 10% cut on school funding. I really have zero optimism for the state. Unless you have a business interest or make enough money to make it pretty enough for someone to stay...yeah the beaches are great, the mountains are too and there are still great places to visit but overall quality of life has gone down so much that it is a very bleak future for the Golden State.
That being said, I have to go pick up my 8 year old son. There was a double homocide at the gas station across the street from there last week. Any indication of how bad the area is, a cemetary is directly across the school in both directions you look!! They are also adding 2000 beds to the Delano prison and 2000 to the Tehachapi prison. Well along with the prisoners in come the families clogging up our schools and housing and all the good stuff they get for free. As you may know we spend about 4 times on an inmate a year than we do educating our young ones....just a thought
Well the South is a great place to go then and has always been, some where people still stand up for America. I had a lot of fun in California and I would definetly live there if you gave me 5 million dollars but it's definetly not a place where the middle-class who cares about morals and want to see their kids grow up right can survive. Good luck with the move, I hope you get out soon.
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From Cali
