Lakewood ranked least exciting place in California (San Diego, Long Beach: middle-class, houses)

[Bunjee]

Well, check what they ranked.

Ratio of fast food to independent restaurants: That could certainly be improved.
Nightlife: That doesn't need to be improved. It's not what Lakewood wants really.
Number of young people 24-35: Eh.

So yeah, on these measures Lakewood is boring. I really don't think the residents mind much though.

[hipcat]

I'd say Torrance is more boring. But at least Torrance has proximity to the South Bay beach cities.

[Chowhound]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Barstow is far more interesting than Lakewood. Even more than the one in CO.

LOL, what in the world are you talkin about?? Barstow is an armpit... and that's being generous... Barstow is great for stopping and getting gas on the way to Lost Wages... LOL......

I gotta tell some guys at work about this opinion...... gonna get a huge laugh out of this one....

If tweakers and meth labs and run down neighborhoods with lots of section8 housing is your bag.. than I guess it's more "interesting" than Lakewood.

[Marv101]

Current residents of Lakeowod could care less about worthless surveys such as that one; as others have stated, it's clean, quiet, very safe, and they contract most of their services which certainly explains why their streets are very well maintained, and Lakewood Center Mall (or whatever it's called these days), used to be the largest outdoor shopping mall in existence until they enclosed it in the early 1980s, if memory serves.

The nightlife in Lakewood the late 1970s & early 1980s was fine thanks to The Hop, The Red Onion, Marie Callendars, and other chain restaurants, not to mention a very good coffee shop whose name escapes me which used to be on the northeast corner of Lakewood & South Street; another location eventually opened at Palo Verde & South St. in Cerritos, also on the northeast corner.

Some folks like safe and boring communities in the eyes of some, so what the heck was the point of that moronic survey in the first place?

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

LOL, what in the world are you talkin about?? Barstow is an armpit... and that's being generous... Barstow is great for stopping and getting gas on the way to Lost Wages... LOL......

I gotta tell some guys at work about this opinion...... gonna get a huge laugh out of this one....

If tweakers and meth labs and run down neighborhoods with lots of section8 housing is your bag.. than I guess it's more "interesting" than Lakewood.

Not my bag, just said it was more "interesting"....

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by Marv101

Current residents of Lakeowod could care less about worthless surveys such as that one; as others have stated, it's clean, quiet, very safe, and they contract most of their services which certainly explains why their streets are very well maintained, and Lakewood Center Mall (or whatever it's called these days), used to be the largest outdoor shopping mall in existence until they enclosed it in the early 1980s, if memory serves.

The nightlife in Lakewood the late 1970s & early 1980s was fine thanks to The Hop, The Red Onion, Marie Callendars, and other chain restaurants, not to mention a very good coffee shop whose name escapes me which used to be on the northeast corner of Lakewood & South Street; another location eventually opened at Palo Verde & South St. in Cerritos, also on the northeast corner.

Some folks like safe and boring communities in the eyes of some, so what the heck was the point of that moronic survey in the first place?

Marie Callendars would not be regarded as nightlife by many people, but maybe around 1980 it was thought of that way(?). Anyways, I am sure there are some towns more boring than Lakewood. There are some towns in southern Monterey County along the 101 freeway that are probably more boring than Lakewood not too far from where I live...seems like a different world than the Monterey Peninsula on the coast (they are Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad and King City namely...one saving grace is that there are some nearby wineries).

[hjt123]

Lakewood is one of the less boring suburbs imo. A decent mall, proximity to LB and Knotts...

The west SFV is way more boring

[Mr_Geek]

I think Bakersfield should win this award.

[Dennis P]

I've lived in Lakewood since 1981 and I think it's far from boring. We have lots of parks, a great selection of restaurants (both chain and mom-and-pop), a major shopping mall and lots of activities for people of all ages. For an older city, it's also very well kept and most people living here have pride of ownership in their homes, and it shows, especially the ones that have beautiful landscaping and other improvements.

Whoever gave Lakewood the "most boring city" designation must not have a lot to do.

[nslander]

The last word on this subject:

Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir: D. J. Waldie: 9780393327281: Amazon.com: Books