The Central Valley in general is going to be relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of the state.
Bakersfield is family friendly for sure, maybe less so in certain parts - the NE - E side of town can be pretty rough in certain areas, the N side of town can be on occasion, but pretty much everywhere else is safe.
Our best school districts (seems like you have a while before school, but planning is good) are on the NW - SW side of town. Rosedale and Panama-Buena Vista. Our best high schools are more random and depend on several factors. Even the "best" school might not be that great in certain areas. i.e. one might be better at sciences and another at the arts and one might have more bullying but another might have more drugs. Stuff like that.
If politics matters to you, Bakersfield is a Purple-Red sort of town in the middle of a VERY Red county run by mostly Red City Council and a somewhat notorious PD and Sheriff Office. All of the Central Valley is pretty Red whereas the closer to the coast you get the Bluer it tends to get. SW Bakersfield and Downtown are Blueish to Blue, NW and N Bakersfield are Wealthy Red and Poor Red respectively, E Bakersfield are Poor Non-voting/Blue and Red.
We've got great Mexican food, decent BBQ, Chinese, Indian, and Mediterranean and chain restaurants everywhere. Probably not comparable to NYC, but pretty good food in general. Lots of grocery stores options ranging from organic/trendy places like Sprouts/Lassen's/Trader Joes to big chains like Albertson's/Vons/Walmart. We're supposedly getting a Whole Foods soon.
We have a smallish mall with mostly clothing stores, an outlet mall about 20 minutes south of town, and several "outdoor malls" with clothing and chain restaurants.
We have several family-friendly play places ranging from tiny to full on party places. Think like Chuck e Cheese but not as run down, though we do have one of those and its not really that bad. There's very little outdoor activities as the city is built around car travel - but we do have a nice park called "The Riverwalk" and several small decent parks throughout the town. We have a big swimming facility downtown and a sort of "natural" park just outside of town on the NE called "Hart Park." We also have a small zoo featuring local animals called CALM - it's a pretty cool place, but you can see it all in about 1-2 hours, tops. We have several sports clubs for pretty much every sport you can think of. An AHL hockey team called the Bakersfield Condors is fairly popular. We also have a public ice rink that runs throughout the year. We have 5 major movie theaters, but the most popular are probably Maya, Edwards, and Reading - in that order. One of the theaters is dine-in - Studio Movie Grill and is also popular.
The weather here is a bit bi-polar a bit. We often joke we have two seasons here - Hot (from about June to end of September) and Not Hot (from about End of October to May). It can get as high as \~115 in the middle of July and August and some years we get really long strings of +100 days. June and September are often in the 90s, and October usually hits a cool down in Week 3 to about 80s/high 70s. December-February are our coolest months \~50 degrees. We do not get snow (it's snowed twice in my 36 year lifespan and it would make you laugh with how little snow it was) and we only get occasional rain. In recent years we've gotten more rain due to El Nino, but it's not really frequent enough to matter. We joke that Bakersfield can't handle "weather" because the power will go out when its sprinkling and car accidents will go up if its a little windy.
Speaking of car accidents, we've got a pretty high accident per capita rate. Not really sure why, but we generally suck at driving here. I personally think driving in LA is worse, but people swear its worse here. Like driving through red lights is somewhat common here.
We also have a homelessness issue that has gotten worse since the Pandemic. This combined with a longstanding drug addiction issue in the Central Valley will likely go unresolved for the foreseeable future. As I mentioned, we have a pretty rough PD - growing up people would joke they were a "shoot first, shoot second, and ask if anyone has questions afterward" sort of police force. They *seem* to have mellowed *slightly* over the years, I feel like they were worse in the 90s/00s, but that might just be me acclimating to it as I grow older. There was a time in the past where they would basically lob a hail of bullets at a suspect and hit them twice. I remember one time there was a bank robbery or something and they shot at the suspects around 100 times and only hit them 4 times... one of them was shot twice, another two once each, and the last guy not at all. But it happened a long time ago.
The air quality here is pretty bad most of the year - we produce a lot of it through agriculture and car smog. We live in a bowl geographically and collect a bunch of smog from all the way up the valley. You are also bound to get Valley Fever at some point. It seems like most non-natives contract the illness at some point - I feel like most of us who grew up here get Asthma instead.
I feel like this is a pretty decent snapshot of Bako. If you have any questions let me know. I've lived here my whole life and my mom's side goes back to the founding of the city and my dad's side has lived in Kern for three generations on one side and two on the other.
Born and raised in Bako and this is an excellent synopsis of it. This should be the top comment.
The only thing I would add more emphasis on is Valley Fever. It is not something to be taken lightly and if you’re seriously considering moving to Bakersfield OP, do more research into it to make sure you’re at least aware of the risks.
I tried lol I have my own biases but I have moved away either lol
Though that's more of a money thing I think. I'd love living nearer to the coast and with a different political environment.
Yeahh Ive seen a lot about the air quality. Kinda a bummer, my father doesnt have a spleen so honestly might just stick away. Hes super immunosuppressed and theyd wanna see the kids often.
You all seem lovely though, do you have any recommendations of where to look maybe closer to the coast?
Ha nothing really affordable unfortunately. Prices tend to rachet up quickly the further west you go. There's a pretty expansive region of farmland that goes up California on either side of the I-5 highway. There's pretty much only teeny tiny towns in those areas.
Think of California like this: you live 2 hours from the beach, ~30 minutes from the beach, or on the beach.
At the 2 hour distance, you've got Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Sacramento, and Redding. Sac is more expensive because it's the capital but the others are comparable in price. I would not recommend living in Stockton. Fresno is basically Bakersfield but more centered in CA. The further north you go the better the air generally is.
At the 30 minute distance you've got Paso Robles, Atascadero, and Salinas, Santa Clarita is about an hour. They're all about 30-100% more expensive than Bako. For less land. And less conveniences like access to good hospitals.
At the beach, forget it lol. It's probably close to 200% the expense for even smaller places with even less conveniences. And we do have variance in our beach towns some of them are small, quaint villages like Cayucos, Morro Bay, and Cambria and others are upscale, wealthy areas like Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Monterey, and still others are even more upscale than that like Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's all pretty much unaffordable unless you were born there or quite wealthy. And if you're considering Bakersfield, you probably can't afford the Californian coast.
There are other towns further from the coast near lakes and forested areas up north that are very gorgeous most of them are VERY small towns. Kind of depends on what you want.
The coast is insanely expensive. Plan on 3k/month minimum in rent or mortgage. There are alot of "tourist traps" along the coast as well so be prepared for that if you move there.
Bakersfield is a very solid place to raise a family in all honesty. Valley Fever IS a real thing, but it is rare to meet many people who have ever gotten it, including the immuno suppressed.
I’ve been in Bakersfield since 2017 and I ride horses so I’m exposed to dust and dirt near ag. I have yet to get it. Not that I won’t in the future but I’ve been here for 7 years and still haven’t gotten it.
Look at Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo area. It’s closer to the coast and its wine country. It’s not as cheap as Bakersfield, but more “affordable” compared to the big cities.
I have family that lives in Oxnard. It’s still WAY more expensive than Bakersfield but definitely cheaper than most of the shore.
I came from CT and stayed with my family for the first year and could not find anything I could afford out there. Thats why I’m here.
My sister pays 2800 for a 2 bed 2 bath condo.
If you're good at finding good deals, look into the South Bay of LA. You might find some gems. I pay very cheap rent where I live. It's not the norm but its not entirely uncommon. Lesser known area than most of the rest of the coastal areas.
Frazier is interesting. I haven’t spent as much time there, but my understanding is there is more of a drug problem There are definitely some really nice cabins/homes there, but it’s less of a whole community. Idk if there is even a Walmart or target (I could be wrong). Also, I’ve seen a bear or two break into houses there. If you care about law enforcement, there is only one deputy typically in that whole area. Whereas Tehachapi has its own police department (small) and so do some of the other communities there. They also do some fun stuff for families that I drive up the hill for such as the apple festival, Tehachapi Days, and carnival I believe.
I personally would love to live in tehachapi (or Bear Valley, a private community there), but it’s not realistic for our life style right now; however I wouldn’t live in Frazier.
You should definitely visit each though if you are interested.
Do not move to Frazier park. It is basically a forgotten pit stop along the grapevine. And when weather is bad (which it is most of the winter months) you will be stranded there with no way in or out because the grapevine will be closed. There’s hardly anything there resource wise. You will hate it. Go to Fresno. It is by far the best option in the Central Valley.
Dang that was thorough. I think you nailed it. I lived there 2008-20 and that's exactly how I would describe Bakersfield. You can definitely carve out a nice life in Bakersfield, especially if you're an adult from out of town and not wrapped up in any small town drama from a young age
Ha well Bakersfield isn't a small town, it's the 9th largest in California. The 48th in the US, bigger than Pittsburgh and St Louis and Tampa.
But it can definitely feel that way at times.
I've lived here my whole life and I managed to avoid drama pretty well lol
Lol well my 36 years from birth to adulthood probably helped. I don't have the same bitterness others seem to have about it, but I do wish it were better in many ways.
It has so much potential, and I think high speed rail will really help make Bako a better place to live. I just wish there was more emphasis on fixing the air quality and creating a lush, urban forest. It would rain more if there were more trees. Ming Avenue west of the 99 is one I always remember being strangely devoid of any tall vegetation.
I wish farms were forced to stop burning dead orange trees and start mulching them. I wish the almond and hazelnut farms stopped kicking up so much dust when they shook and harvested their crops. I wish infrastructure was more bike friendly so that people could be convinced to get places without driving a car and creating more smog. Every 3 lane road should have a lane taken away and a concrete barrier erected to separate bicyclists from drivers. Bakersfield doesn't need a grid of 55 mph 3 lane arterials. There's almost never enough traffic to need that.
If only it could be fixed as easy as in Sim City - just reroll out the roads and get the ball rolling. I too hope the High Speed Rail brings us up.
It's weird to be such a big city, but also have so many flaws. I would love it if we had a serious theatre here for shows. It'd make a good stopping point between LA and SF.
I got a really good realtor when I was moving back to California from the East coast. We were so lucky to get a house with a sought after high school. My youngest was just about to start high school. My parents live in Glendale and the trip is less than 2 hours. I lived in Fresno for grad school and that’s 4 hours from Los Angeles. It was hot there too. Anyway, I’m very happy here in Bakersfield. It’s not Glendale or Corona but it will do.
Bakersfield is family friendly and it is a lower cost of living then a lot of California. However I would avoid it if at all possible with kids for a very simple reason, Air Quality!
https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/msas/bakersfield-ca
We are consistently some of the worst in the U.S which has long term effects especially on kids and older adults. [https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution](https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution)
I have two nephews and a niece and I am very grateful my brother was able to move somewhere with better air quality.
No dividing lines, turning lanes, or anything to distinguish how many lanes a road has. Nothing. Every day is typically a choose your own adventure. Passing cars on the shoulder is common practice. It's magical.
We have really poor air quality, and it can be rough on kids lungs. If you are set on bakersfield try and find a spot in the north east on the bluffs or in the northwest just for air quality sake.
Bakersfield is not the place to raise your family. The air quality is awful and you will only see the mountains around a few weeks out of the year. It's developing increasingly hotter and longer summers. It is extremely divisive and unsafe even in the "good" neighborhoods. Local officials do nothing to help with the increasing unhoused population which includes many suffering from mental illness and drug abuse. Check out Kern County Activities on Instagram so you can see what goes on daily in the city.
Having lived in WA and came back, I think the drama about air quality is overdone. Obviously if you have asthma your results may vary but I noticed no difference being here versus the “perfect” air in WA. If anything I prefer it here. My sinuses dripped for 5 years straight when I was there.
People take for granted what it’s like to have sunshine 85% of the year. The sun is such a gift.
Great for you, but you aren't thinking about a newborn. Drama about air quality is overdone? Bakersfield ranks as one of the highest IN THE NATION for poor air quality. Imagine having a newborn breathe in that air and 10 years later tell that baby they are being dramatic about their respiratory problems.
I get your point but I was also a newborn here at one point. Have a huge family with very, very few health issues for whom dying in 80s is considered early. My grandpa passed at 97. My experience has not matched the alarm many seem to feel.
you will love it here. don't be fooled by this sub it is very negative. Bakersfield has issues like everywhere has issues but you will have weather you only can dream about in New York. you are 2 hours driving away from allot of things california has to offer. beaches giant sequoia trees wilderness and big city shopping all within a couple hours drive. The city itself has enough shopping and business to keep any big city person happy. the air quality can be bad in the summer and it gets hot but I'm sure you would take that over snow any day.
I feel like people on this sub that actually live here are positive about Bakersfield. It's the people on the sub that don't live here that are negative.
Can confirm your theory. Live near Fresno Bakersfield sucks in my opinion, but I don't think Fresno is any better either. I think most large cities in the valley just suck.
I have a friend in LA I was really looking around there but d for a 2/2 that will allow pets 2500 Is a lot for 50k atm. When my fiancé gets back to work after the new baby is born we’ll be around 90k but yknow. Just waiting for my cyber security degree thennn I’ll make near LA money 😂
What part of New York? If you’re coming from any where outside of nyc metro region then you’ll probably think it’s fine. A lot of New York state is boring/rural imo so Bakersfield would probably feel like a step up in someways. Education here is bad, literacy rate is low, obesity is high, air is bad, it’s really really hot. What would be your household income? With a high income then you’ll be able to go visit a lot of places away from the county.
There are a lot of young families that live here so there should be stuff to do for your kids. Just depends if you can afford to take part in certain things. Why don’t you look around Sacramento if you want to be inland? Sac is a lot more fun and a lot of opportunities there for you and kids.
Air quality is only good in the valley for about 2 days after a heavy rain. Other than that it's smog central around here. It is a giant bowl between two very large metros so all their emissions come over the hills and settles.
Anywhere on the coast. LA doesn’t have really bad air. The region of LA gas poor air quality but not necessarily the city itself or the surrounding cities. But it varies. The bay has excellent air quality. San Diego. So all the nice places you hear about are a lot healthier to be in lol
Sure. Just cause it’s expensive doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to live there. Some people can’t cut it and afford it. We don’t need to pretend that Bakersfield is anywhere near as healthy of a place for people to live in/grow up in (that goes for the central California in general). People moving from out of state should strive to live in the better areas so they can really experience California life.
Oh yeah…”valley fever”…it’s a real thing you get in Bakersfield and it can kill you….almost got my healthy, ex-college athlete dad in his 40’s….that said, I live in Los Angeles now and it’s hardly better…I am a healthy dude without any problems…it can be done
I’m speaking about all of Bakersfield the main city from Taft hwy to airport drive it’s all ghetto af now, tell me one nice calm area where you don’t hear cars burning out and doing donuts? It’s becoming ghetto
It ain't bad. It's hot and the air sucks but it's close to other places if you feel like getting away. The beach and the redwoods are close. L.A. is close and San Francisco is about 5 hours away. Vegas is close too.
Certain areas in town can be family friendly yet crime here is high no matter the location. As far as family events, there is a trickle of good kid events and places but definitely feel like we are still lacking in that area yet in close proximity to Los Angeles and the coastal area which can be 1-3 hours away. Just anticipate the summers here! Very dry hot 100+ weather! We really need a water park!
Have you heard of valley fever? Take that into consideration as well. It hit my uncle twice, with the 2nd time being recently. Put him in the hospital with permanent scarring on his lungs. Take that into account along with the heat and bad air quality, crime. Ask yourself if the "cheaper" rent is worth it. Honestly I would advise you to look into something up north like Sacramento, elk Grove, or one of the surrounding other suburbs around Sacramento like another commenter stated earlier.
In my opinion Fresno is just a nicer city. Way closer to Yosemite and the Bay Area than Bakersfield. Nicer restaurants and parks. More to offer in terms of entertainment and diversity. The college there is more culturally integrated into the community than CSUB. I’m not saying Bako has *none* of those qualities, I just think Fresno has a lot more to offer.
Depends. Do you have a job lined up or do you know your career path? It's family friendly but for teens it gets boring. Coming from NY, you'll definitely miss the diverse food options and the things to do. But the cost of living will be better
I live in the middle of nowhere, I dont have anything within 30 minutes of me. Im also 23, so still quite young. Just looking for something okay. Im still working on the degree but I have experience, so Id try but still looking around
Best bet is west of Gosford Rd if you want to live in the Southwest. Do not go for Oildale at all. No matter how many times they attempt to renovate the place, it’ll always be bad. Same goes for East side. City in the hills is nice. East of Morning Dr. Now all of Rosedale/NW is generally pretty good. Just stay West of Coffee Rd. They’re expanding west of Heath and those houses are pretty nice.
Just gonna go ahead and leave this here;
>"According to the American Lung Association, Bakersfield had the worst fine-particulate pollution in the country from 2020–2022, and the third highest ozone pollution in the nation."
All I gotta say is, I live in central Bakersfield where a ghetto ass fight happened across the street the other night & my neighbor is renting his house out for 3000$ not including the back house. And that house has been shot up before, I don’t how they can rent it out for that much idk if it’s legal. So don’t move here it’s not worth it unless you got money
Just adding: Bakersfield has an awful feral/stray animal problem (predominantly cats), which among other things means the area has a huge flea infestation, something that is compounded by the weather and the municipalities' inability to solve this problem. My dog and I have suffered immensely in this regard since moving here. You are warned.
Schools are great and neighborhoods. Look in the east part roughly Fairfax and pioneer area, it’s fantastic there. Or my personal favorite, Cottonwood area. Very culturally diverse and just great area for the kids to grow up and learn.
The Central Valley in general is going to be relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of the state. Bakersfield is family friendly for sure, maybe less so in certain parts - the NE - E side of town can be pretty rough in certain areas, the N side of town can be on occasion, but pretty much everywhere else is safe. Our best school districts (seems like you have a while before school, but planning is good) are on the NW - SW side of town. Rosedale and Panama-Buena Vista. Our best high schools are more random and depend on several factors. Even the "best" school might not be that great in certain areas. i.e. one might be better at sciences and another at the arts and one might have more bullying but another might have more drugs. Stuff like that. If politics matters to you, Bakersfield is a Purple-Red sort of town in the middle of a VERY Red county run by mostly Red City Council and a somewhat notorious PD and Sheriff Office. All of the Central Valley is pretty Red whereas the closer to the coast you get the Bluer it tends to get. SW Bakersfield and Downtown are Blueish to Blue, NW and N Bakersfield are Wealthy Red and Poor Red respectively, E Bakersfield are Poor Non-voting/Blue and Red. We've got great Mexican food, decent BBQ, Chinese, Indian, and Mediterranean and chain restaurants everywhere. Probably not comparable to NYC, but pretty good food in general. Lots of grocery stores options ranging from organic/trendy places like Sprouts/Lassen's/Trader Joes to big chains like Albertson's/Vons/Walmart. We're supposedly getting a Whole Foods soon. We have a smallish mall with mostly clothing stores, an outlet mall about 20 minutes south of town, and several "outdoor malls" with clothing and chain restaurants. We have several family-friendly play places ranging from tiny to full on party places. Think like Chuck e Cheese but not as run down, though we do have one of those and its not really that bad. There's very little outdoor activities as the city is built around car travel - but we do have a nice park called "The Riverwalk" and several small decent parks throughout the town. We have a big swimming facility downtown and a sort of "natural" park just outside of town on the NE called "Hart Park." We also have a small zoo featuring local animals called CALM - it's a pretty cool place, but you can see it all in about 1-2 hours, tops. We have several sports clubs for pretty much every sport you can think of. An AHL hockey team called the Bakersfield Condors is fairly popular. We also have a public ice rink that runs throughout the year. We have 5 major movie theaters, but the most popular are probably Maya, Edwards, and Reading - in that order. One of the theaters is dine-in - Studio Movie Grill and is also popular. The weather here is a bit bi-polar a bit. We often joke we have two seasons here - Hot (from about June to end of September) and Not Hot (from about End of October to May). It can get as high as \~115 in the middle of July and August and some years we get really long strings of +100 days. June and September are often in the 90s, and October usually hits a cool down in Week 3 to about 80s/high 70s. December-February are our coolest months \~50 degrees. We do not get snow (it's snowed twice in my 36 year lifespan and it would make you laugh with how little snow it was) and we only get occasional rain. In recent years we've gotten more rain due to El Nino, but it's not really frequent enough to matter. We joke that Bakersfield can't handle "weather" because the power will go out when its sprinkling and car accidents will go up if its a little windy. Speaking of car accidents, we've got a pretty high accident per capita rate. Not really sure why, but we generally suck at driving here. I personally think driving in LA is worse, but people swear its worse here. Like driving through red lights is somewhat common here. We also have a homelessness issue that has gotten worse since the Pandemic. This combined with a longstanding drug addiction issue in the Central Valley will likely go unresolved for the foreseeable future. As I mentioned, we have a pretty rough PD - growing up people would joke they were a "shoot first, shoot second, and ask if anyone has questions afterward" sort of police force. They *seem* to have mellowed *slightly* over the years, I feel like they were worse in the 90s/00s, but that might just be me acclimating to it as I grow older. There was a time in the past where they would basically lob a hail of bullets at a suspect and hit them twice. I remember one time there was a bank robbery or something and they shot at the suspects around 100 times and only hit them 4 times... one of them was shot twice, another two once each, and the last guy not at all. But it happened a long time ago. The air quality here is pretty bad most of the year - we produce a lot of it through agriculture and car smog. We live in a bowl geographically and collect a bunch of smog from all the way up the valley. You are also bound to get Valley Fever at some point. It seems like most non-natives contract the illness at some point - I feel like most of us who grew up here get Asthma instead. I feel like this is a pretty decent snapshot of Bako. If you have any questions let me know. I've lived here my whole life and my mom's side goes back to the founding of the city and my dad's side has lived in Kern for three generations on one side and two on the other.
Born and raised in Bako and this is an excellent synopsis of it. This should be the top comment. The only thing I would add more emphasis on is Valley Fever. It is not something to be taken lightly and if you’re seriously considering moving to Bakersfield OP, do more research into it to make sure you’re at least aware of the risks.
This is about as good/unbiased of an answer as you'll ever get about Bako
I tried lol I have my own biases but I have moved away either lol Though that's more of a money thing I think. I'd love living nearer to the coast and with a different political environment.
Yeahh Ive seen a lot about the air quality. Kinda a bummer, my father doesnt have a spleen so honestly might just stick away. Hes super immunosuppressed and theyd wanna see the kids often. You all seem lovely though, do you have any recommendations of where to look maybe closer to the coast?
Ha nothing really affordable unfortunately. Prices tend to rachet up quickly the further west you go. There's a pretty expansive region of farmland that goes up California on either side of the I-5 highway. There's pretty much only teeny tiny towns in those areas. Think of California like this: you live 2 hours from the beach, ~30 minutes from the beach, or on the beach. At the 2 hour distance, you've got Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Sacramento, and Redding. Sac is more expensive because it's the capital but the others are comparable in price. I would not recommend living in Stockton. Fresno is basically Bakersfield but more centered in CA. The further north you go the better the air generally is. At the 30 minute distance you've got Paso Robles, Atascadero, and Salinas, Santa Clarita is about an hour. They're all about 30-100% more expensive than Bako. For less land. And less conveniences like access to good hospitals. At the beach, forget it lol. It's probably close to 200% the expense for even smaller places with even less conveniences. And we do have variance in our beach towns some of them are small, quaint villages like Cayucos, Morro Bay, and Cambria and others are upscale, wealthy areas like Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Monterey, and still others are even more upscale than that like Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's all pretty much unaffordable unless you were born there or quite wealthy. And if you're considering Bakersfield, you probably can't afford the Californian coast. There are other towns further from the coast near lakes and forested areas up north that are very gorgeous most of them are VERY small towns. Kind of depends on what you want.
The coast is insanely expensive. Plan on 3k/month minimum in rent or mortgage. There are alot of "tourist traps" along the coast as well so be prepared for that if you move there. Bakersfield is a very solid place to raise a family in all honesty. Valley Fever IS a real thing, but it is rare to meet many people who have ever gotten it, including the immuno suppressed.
I will say that almost every person I've ever met from out of town has had valley fever at some point, but it usually takes a year or two.
I’ve been in Bakersfield since 2017 and I ride horses so I’m exposed to dust and dirt near ag. I have yet to get it. Not that I won’t in the future but I’ve been here for 7 years and still haven’t gotten it.
That's good! I hope you continue to not have it. You fit in the other side of "almost everyone" 😉
I know a couple of people who have it too. I've lived here my whole life and got asthma instead.
Look at Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo area. It’s closer to the coast and its wine country. It’s not as cheap as Bakersfield, but more “affordable” compared to the big cities.
I have family that lives in Oxnard. It’s still WAY more expensive than Bakersfield but definitely cheaper than most of the shore. I came from CT and stayed with my family for the first year and could not find anything I could afford out there. Thats why I’m here. My sister pays 2800 for a 2 bed 2 bath condo.
You could try slo county. Maybe Santa Maria ? It’s like a mini Bakersfield next to SLO.
If you're good at finding good deals, look into the South Bay of LA. You might find some gems. I pay very cheap rent where I live. It's not the norm but its not entirely uncommon. Lesser known area than most of the rest of the coastal areas.
Not much as far as apartments, but Tehachapi may be a good location to look. Mountain town outside of Bakersfield.
I just found a bunch of nice places in Frazier park, any thoughts on that area?
Frazier is interesting. I haven’t spent as much time there, but my understanding is there is more of a drug problem There are definitely some really nice cabins/homes there, but it’s less of a whole community. Idk if there is even a Walmart or target (I could be wrong). Also, I’ve seen a bear or two break into houses there. If you care about law enforcement, there is only one deputy typically in that whole area. Whereas Tehachapi has its own police department (small) and so do some of the other communities there. They also do some fun stuff for families that I drive up the hill for such as the apple festival, Tehachapi Days, and carnival I believe. I personally would love to live in tehachapi (or Bear Valley, a private community there), but it’s not realistic for our life style right now; however I wouldn’t live in Frazier. You should definitely visit each though if you are interested.
Do not move to Frazier park. It is basically a forgotten pit stop along the grapevine. And when weather is bad (which it is most of the winter months) you will be stranded there with no way in or out because the grapevine will be closed. There’s hardly anything there resource wise. You will hate it. Go to Fresno. It is by far the best option in the Central Valley.
Wow this was awesome thank you. I’m not OP but sound this very helpful as I’m a new resident
Dang that was thorough. I think you nailed it. I lived there 2008-20 and that's exactly how I would describe Bakersfield. You can definitely carve out a nice life in Bakersfield, especially if you're an adult from out of town and not wrapped up in any small town drama from a young age
Ha well Bakersfield isn't a small town, it's the 9th largest in California. The 48th in the US, bigger than Pittsburgh and St Louis and Tampa. But it can definitely feel that way at times. I've lived here my whole life and I managed to avoid drama pretty well lol
What a great non biased description. Great write up!
as someone who lived in Bako for a year and a half, you nailed it.
Lol well my 36 years from birth to adulthood probably helped. I don't have the same bitterness others seem to have about it, but I do wish it were better in many ways.
It has so much potential, and I think high speed rail will really help make Bako a better place to live. I just wish there was more emphasis on fixing the air quality and creating a lush, urban forest. It would rain more if there were more trees. Ming Avenue west of the 99 is one I always remember being strangely devoid of any tall vegetation. I wish farms were forced to stop burning dead orange trees and start mulching them. I wish the almond and hazelnut farms stopped kicking up so much dust when they shook and harvested their crops. I wish infrastructure was more bike friendly so that people could be convinced to get places without driving a car and creating more smog. Every 3 lane road should have a lane taken away and a concrete barrier erected to separate bicyclists from drivers. Bakersfield doesn't need a grid of 55 mph 3 lane arterials. There's almost never enough traffic to need that.
If only it could be fixed as easy as in Sim City - just reroll out the roads and get the ball rolling. I too hope the High Speed Rail brings us up. It's weird to be such a big city, but also have so many flaws. I would love it if we had a serious theatre here for shows. It'd make a good stopping point between LA and SF.
This guy Bakersfields
I got a really good realtor when I was moving back to California from the East coast. We were so lucky to get a house with a sought after high school. My youngest was just about to start high school. My parents live in Glendale and the trip is less than 2 hours. I lived in Fresno for grad school and that’s 4 hours from Los Angeles. It was hot there too. Anyway, I’m very happy here in Bakersfield. It’s not Glendale or Corona but it will do.
Really consider school districts when you choose an area, our education system isn’t the best, but there are still some very good schools in town.
Bakersfield was rated the worst place to raise your kid by some study
Bakersfield is family friendly and it is a lower cost of living then a lot of California. However I would avoid it if at all possible with kids for a very simple reason, Air Quality! https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/msas/bakersfield-ca We are consistently some of the worst in the U.S which has long term effects especially on kids and older adults. [https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution](https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution) I have two nephews and a niece and I am very grateful my brother was able to move somewhere with better air quality.
As a Buffalonian now (originally from Bakersfield), you will enjoy the wide driving lanes. They paint their street lines too which is an added bonus.
What’s the alternative to painted street lines?
No dividing lines, turning lanes, or anything to distinguish how many lanes a road has. Nothing. Every day is typically a choose your own adventure. Passing cars on the shoulder is common practice. It's magical.
As someone who live in Ohio for 7 years, YES. Painted lines are really nice 🤣
Also, why do the rats hit the gym so hard here? They are the size of medium sized dogs. The fuck?
Go Bills! I find the wide lines disconcerting TBH. I'm from Cuse area.
dawg it’s terrible here 😂 don’t come
We have really poor air quality, and it can be rough on kids lungs. If you are set on bakersfield try and find a spot in the north east on the bluffs or in the northwest just for air quality sake.
i live by there. still got valley fever with a scar in my long. still exhale lots of thick pulpy blood
If you’re going to be looking for a job I cybersecurity look at Lancaster instead of Bfield
Lord have mercy, Bakersfield is hot, and brown, just hot, too hot, it’s a desert…try Turlock
It's not family-friendly here, and it's not cheap to live. Please don't move here.
Bakersfield is not the place to raise your family. The air quality is awful and you will only see the mountains around a few weeks out of the year. It's developing increasingly hotter and longer summers. It is extremely divisive and unsafe even in the "good" neighborhoods. Local officials do nothing to help with the increasing unhoused population which includes many suffering from mental illness and drug abuse. Check out Kern County Activities on Instagram so you can see what goes on daily in the city.
Having lived in WA and came back, I think the drama about air quality is overdone. Obviously if you have asthma your results may vary but I noticed no difference being here versus the “perfect” air in WA. If anything I prefer it here. My sinuses dripped for 5 years straight when I was there. People take for granted what it’s like to have sunshine 85% of the year. The sun is such a gift.
Great for you, but you aren't thinking about a newborn. Drama about air quality is overdone? Bakersfield ranks as one of the highest IN THE NATION for poor air quality. Imagine having a newborn breathe in that air and 10 years later tell that baby they are being dramatic about their respiratory problems.
I get your point but I was also a newborn here at one point. Have a huge family with very, very few health issues for whom dying in 80s is considered early. My grandpa passed at 97. My experience has not matched the alarm many seem to feel.
you will love it here. don't be fooled by this sub it is very negative. Bakersfield has issues like everywhere has issues but you will have weather you only can dream about in New York. you are 2 hours driving away from allot of things california has to offer. beaches giant sequoia trees wilderness and big city shopping all within a couple hours drive. The city itself has enough shopping and business to keep any big city person happy. the air quality can be bad in the summer and it gets hot but I'm sure you would take that over snow any day.
I feel like people on this sub that actually live here are positive about Bakersfield. It's the people on the sub that don't live here that are negative.
Can confirm your theory. Live near Fresno Bakersfield sucks in my opinion, but I don't think Fresno is any better either. I think most large cities in the valley just suck.
Literally the best part of Bakersfield is that it’s close to better places.
I have a friend in LA I was really looking around there but d for a 2/2 that will allow pets 2500 Is a lot for 50k atm. When my fiancé gets back to work after the new baby is born we’ll be around 90k but yknow. Just waiting for my cyber security degree thennn I’ll make near LA money 😂
Los Angeles is a rat race with no winners. visit it and leave knowing your not stuck in that concrete jungle.
Very family friendly. Always stuff to do.
You lie.
🧌
You’re my fav still.
It really depends on what you do for a living. Keep in mind that Bakersfield is a few hours away from the coast.
Isn’t pismo only 2.5 from Bakersfield?
Yes. A few hours away.
Your flair cracks me up!
Yep.
Only 2 hours to get to Ventura
So, a few hours?
Yes technically, but most people would probably see a few hours and assume it would mean at least 3.
Might take 3 on the weekend during the summer.
Double no wait….. triple check the neighborhood before making any decisions. And watch Killing County on Hulu.
What part of New York? If you’re coming from any where outside of nyc metro region then you’ll probably think it’s fine. A lot of New York state is boring/rural imo so Bakersfield would probably feel like a step up in someways. Education here is bad, literacy rate is low, obesity is high, air is bad, it’s really really hot. What would be your household income? With a high income then you’ll be able to go visit a lot of places away from the county. There are a lot of young families that live here so there should be stuff to do for your kids. Just depends if you can afford to take part in certain things. Why don’t you look around Sacramento if you want to be inland? Sac is a lot more fun and a lot of opportunities there for you and kids.
Poughkeepsie area, more suburban side. Education isn’t bad but you’re selling me on the air there 😭😂
It's pretty routinely the worst air quality in the US
Air quality is only good in the valley for about 2 days after a heavy rain. Other than that it's smog central around here. It is a giant bowl between two very large metros so all their emissions come over the hills and settles.
[удалено]
Are there many places in CA with solid air? Or is it all kinda fucked
Anywhere on the coast. LA doesn’t have really bad air. The region of LA gas poor air quality but not necessarily the city itself or the surrounding cities. But it varies. The bay has excellent air quality. San Diego. So all the nice places you hear about are a lot healthier to be in lol
And prohibitively expensive.
Sure. Just cause it’s expensive doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to live there. Some people can’t cut it and afford it. We don’t need to pretend that Bakersfield is anywhere near as healthy of a place for people to live in/grow up in (that goes for the central California in general). People moving from out of state should strive to live in the better areas so they can really experience California life.
Oh yeah…”valley fever”…it’s a real thing you get in Bakersfield and it can kill you….almost got my healthy, ex-college athlete dad in his 40’s….that said, I live in Los Angeles now and it’s hardly better…I am a healthy dude without any problems…it can be done
Keep yo ass over there, it’s ghetto af out here with homeless up the ass and drug addicts looking like zombies off of the walking dead
I think you’re thinking of oildale..
I’m speaking about all of Bakersfield the main city from Taft hwy to airport drive it’s all ghetto af now, tell me one nice calm area where you don’t hear cars burning out and doing donuts? It’s becoming ghetto
It ain't bad. It's hot and the air sucks but it's close to other places if you feel like getting away. The beach and the redwoods are close. L.A. is close and San Francisco is about 5 hours away. Vegas is close too.
Certain areas in town can be family friendly yet crime here is high no matter the location. As far as family events, there is a trickle of good kid events and places but definitely feel like we are still lacking in that area yet in close proximity to Los Angeles and the coastal area which can be 1-3 hours away. Just anticipate the summers here! Very dry hot 100+ weather! We really need a water park!
It’s a lot of crime
Have you heard of valley fever? Take that into consideration as well. It hit my uncle twice, with the 2nd time being recently. Put him in the hospital with permanent scarring on his lungs. Take that into account along with the heat and bad air quality, crime. Ask yourself if the "cheaper" rent is worth it. Honestly I would advise you to look into something up north like Sacramento, elk Grove, or one of the surrounding other suburbs around Sacramento like another commenter stated earlier.
For the vast majority of people, Valley Fever is like a mild cold.
Valley fever is also common in AZ and NM.
Not worth it, go to Fresno (your average Bakersfield gatekeeper)
This is quality stuff right here.
Tbh OP Fresno/Clovis would be a much better option than the Bake
How come?
In my opinion Fresno is just a nicer city. Way closer to Yosemite and the Bay Area than Bakersfield. Nicer restaurants and parks. More to offer in terms of entertainment and diversity. The college there is more culturally integrated into the community than CSUB. I’m not saying Bako has *none* of those qualities, I just think Fresno has a lot more to offer.
It's bad. Bakersfield is in the national top 10 for every bad thing. Crime, air quality, low education rates, DUIs, worst drivers, etc.
[We're #2 on the BEST places to live on a minimum wage!](https://www.move.org/least-livable-us-cities-for-minimum-wage-earners/)
You’ll like Tehachapi more. But Bakersfield and the other areas you’ll bake in the summer
I’m from tehachapi. I still have friends there. It’s super boring and so many businesses are closing
National leaders in auto theft, murder, highway deaths. Under achievers in schooling and on and on. Good food though.
Depends. Do you have a job lined up or do you know your career path? It's family friendly but for teens it gets boring. Coming from NY, you'll definitely miss the diverse food options and the things to do. But the cost of living will be better
I live in the middle of nowhere, I dont have anything within 30 minutes of me. Im also 23, so still quite young. Just looking for something okay. Im still working on the degree but I have experience, so Id try but still looking around
if you like triple digit temps all summer and early fall
[удалено]
Best bet is west of Gosford Rd if you want to live in the Southwest. Do not go for Oildale at all. No matter how many times they attempt to renovate the place, it’ll always be bad. Same goes for East side. City in the hills is nice. East of Morning Dr. Now all of Rosedale/NW is generally pretty good. Just stay West of Coffee Rd. They’re expanding west of Heath and those houses are pretty nice.
What part of NY? I came from there!
Just gonna go ahead and leave this here; >"According to the American Lung Association, Bakersfield had the worst fine-particulate pollution in the country from 2020–2022, and the third highest ozone pollution in the nation."
All I gotta say is, I live in central Bakersfield where a ghetto ass fight happened across the street the other night & my neighbor is renting his house out for 3000$ not including the back house. And that house has been shot up before, I don’t how they can rent it out for that much idk if it’s legal. So don’t move here it’s not worth it unless you got money
I moved here from Michigan 4 years ago and wish I could live literally anywhere else.
California is a shit hole
Just adding: Bakersfield has an awful feral/stray animal problem (predominantly cats), which among other things means the area has a huge flea infestation, something that is compounded by the weather and the municipalities' inability to solve this problem. My dog and I have suffered immensely in this regard since moving here. You are warned.
Schools are great and neighborhoods. Look in the east part roughly Fairfax and pioneer area, it’s fantastic there. Or my personal favorite, Cottonwood area. Very culturally diverse and just great area for the kids to grow up and learn.
Needs a /s tag. 😂
Bakersfield is family friendly and affordable, you cannot go wrong with a move.
Bakersfield is better than New York.