Anyone else disappointed with the changes in Hesperia CA and all of the Victor Valley? (Los Angeles: section 8, rental)

[colt22]

I have been in Hesperia, CA. for around 24 years. The population has nearly doubled, causing congestion on surface streets and freeways. This used to be a quiet city with half of the population that it has today. Crime has also risen. A commute to the Inland Empire used to be worth it. The commute has become a nightmare and developers are about the break ground on a housing development that will at its completion, add another 50,000 people to the city, many of the breadwinners in those households will also be commuting to the Inland Empire, the roads and freeways were not designed for more traffic, let alone the current traffic.Word is that the development will take around 10 years to complete. Driving through Hesperia today was like the movie "Fridays" mixed with "American Me". I don't have a problem with any particular ethnicity, but I do have a problem with hood rats all over Hesperia. Went to a local dog park the other day, gangster/drug user leaving as I arrived, inside of the park were two old OG gangsters hanging out and of course a trip to a dog park would not be complete without a pit bull being there. I feel like I need to move just for peace of mind, it's time to bite the bullet and spend more money on housing or move out of this state to be in a better area.

[Ulysses61]

I lived in Victorville from 1991-2004 and got out of there when my neighbor was shot dead on his driveway. Hesperia is really no better than Victorville and has been in decline for decades. I agree with everything you've said about it. Overpopulation has destroyed California, so Hesperia is no different. Move to Lake Arrowhead if you're still working, or go to Nevada for MUCH lower taxes and less crime if you're retired. The commute down the Cajon Pass used to be a breeze, but it's hell now.

Don't expect Hesperia to get any better with crime, demographics or population, it's a never-ending downwards spiral, sad to say.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by Ulysses61

Don't expect Hesperia to get any better with crime, demographics or population, it's a never-ending downwards spiral, sad to say.

The new homes proposed and built at south Hesperia (called Tapestry) near highway 138 will increase gentrification, increase median income, attract more wealthy residents, and decrease crime rate. Hesperia (when city gets bigger) will get better beyond year 2020, so try not to worry much about it now. South Hesperia new homes will start at over $400,000, and will cost about $100,000 more than Adelanto and Victorville with similar sq. ft. . Just stay away from old homes downtown area, that's all.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by Ulysses61

...or go to Nevada for MUCH lower taxes and less crime if you're retired.

"Lower taxes" -- maybe?
"Less crime" -- doubtful. Half of California's criminal population relocated to Las Vegas over the past 10 years. Just read the Las Vegas news pages.

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by waltchan

The new homes proposed and built at south Hesperia (called Tapestry) near highway 138 will increase gentrification, increase median income, attract more wealthy residents, and decrease crime rate. Hesperia (when city gets bigger) will get better beyond year 2020, so try not to worry much about it now. South Hesperia new homes will start at over $400,000, and will cost about $100,000 more than Adelanto and Victorville with similar sq. ft. . Just stay away from old homes downtown area, that's all.

No it won't. It's a commuter city and most of the people who live there do so because the housing is cheaper. The better jobs are down the hill in Riverside and SB County. Who would be willing to drive a minimum of one hour each way to live in Victor Valley? Only the people who can't afford to live in the more urban areas. All you have to do is look at Palmdale/Lancaster as a similar example.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by Vic Romano

No it won't. It's a commuter city and most of the people who live there do so because the housing is cheaper. The better jobs are down the hill in Riverside and SB County. Who would be willing to drive a minimum of one hour each way to live in Victor Valley? Only the people who can't afford to live in the more urban areas. All you have to do is look at Palmdale/Lancaster as a similar example.

There will be some new business industrial park planned at south Hesperia. More info can be found here:

https://tapestryliving.com/

And, no, crime rate will not be increasing. Poor people cannot afford $400,000 plus new homes.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by waltchan

There will be some new business industrial park planned at south Hesperia. More info can be found here:

https://tapestryliving.com/

And, no, crime rate will not be increasing. Poor people cannot afford $400,000 plus new homes.

True, the wealth disparity is hurting poor and middle class residents and is driving them into smaller Apts, rental bedrooms, home with family or out of State. This is happening in every popular area in the Country, not just CA, it is just that CA is doing so faster. It is impacting the last 2 generations the most.

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by waltchan

There will be some new business industrial park planned at south Hesperia. More info can be found here:

https://tapestryliving.com/

And, no, crime rate will not be increasing. Poor people cannot afford $400,000 plus new homes.

Right next to Oak Hills? A better part of town, but I still wouldn't want to live there. I've looked at houses out there over a decade ago and you can't tell me things have improved.

A business industrial park is not anything like high tech jobs. Nice that new jobs will be there, but not the kind of businesses that will substantially raise middle class wages. Still an hour+ away to the best jobs in the city. Again, look at the history of the Palmdale/Lancaster area.

Until some major businesses locate their corporate offices there, change will be difficult.

And your comment regarding crime is rather condescending to poor people...

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by Vic Romano

Right next to Oak Hills? A better part of town, but I still wouldn't want to live there. I've looked at houses out there over a decade ago and you can't tell me things have improved.

A business industrial park is not anything like high tech jobs. Nice that new jobs will be there, but not the kind of businesses that will substantially raise middle class wages. Still an hour+ away to the best jobs in the city. Again, look at the history of the Palmdale/Lancaster area.

Until some major businesses locate their corporate offices there, change will be difficult.

And your comment regarding crime is rather condescending to poor people...

Palmdale/Lancaster has access to good jobs. There's the Mojave Space Port (SpaceX, Virgin, Scaled), Edwards AFB, Plant 42, Lockheed, Boeing, Morton, there's the medical jobs, the county jobs, the state jobs, the L.A. Air Route Traffic Control Center is located in Palmdale, as is an adjacent NASA research lab, etc.

What killed Victorville/Hesperia was the closure of George AFB in the 1990s. It was devastating to that area. A lot of people from the Victorville Area actually commute over to Palmdale/Lancaster for work.

[Tool Shed]

Back in the 80s, the victor valley was a sparsely populated area, a place to gas up along the way to Las Vegas, a quiet place for recluses to retire away from the insanity of Los Angeles. A place for an old Jeep enthusiast to enjoy the beautiful desert. It really should never have gotten as big as it is. But, as housing bubbles were built, and gentrification occurred near LA, the socal poor needed a place to live affordably. I’m not sure who/how it started, but the high desert was chosen as that place. The endless desert in virtually all direction means land will never be rare, so it’s cheap to develop. Nowadays, there is plenty of section 8 housing, crime, and welfare occurring in the area. And with the economy literally in its best possible position, and California moving further to the left, there is little way to reverse coarse. If thinking about leaving, I would sell ASAP, before RE prices implode as the bubble deflates. Good luck all.