No Words To Describe This Place - 9/6/2021

Worse than even Compton in some ways... worse than hell overall. This place is so bad you will want to off yourself every day just by being here, but probably not too shabby if you just moved here from the 3rd-world yesterday. Talk to anyone who's lived here all of their life and they will tell you that this place has changed tremendously over the decades and that the crime has gotten far worse than anyone would have previously fathomed due to a very particular elephant in the room. Overpriced for what you get. Nothing decent about this place at all. At the end of the day, this is simply a 3rd-world town/region. California will be the next to go, then much of the United States itself. Enjoy the show!

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Hell on earth. - 9/26/2020

I was born here, then grew up here for 17 years and joined the Army as a teen, but constantly went back to visit my parents and friends. I lived there again for 4 years as an adult. I still go back now to visit friends on a regular basis. Oh Lancaster... what do I say? The schools I went to are now rated like a 1-2 which is indicative of my exact experience. There were riots and fights every. single. day. There were drugs and gangs and everything for as long as I remember, even in elementary school. The weather - well I love heat and I love warm nights but Lancaster gets WINDY! Their Tumbleweeds have souls and they chase you in the wind. It is typical desert weather, super high temps in the summer, cold in the winter. Oh the roaches.... both of my parents houses had those dark black big roaches that would roam the streets every night. We kept clean houses and fought them but we would find them upside down and dead everywhere. I still have nightmares about roaches because of Lancaster. In Lancaster, you don't look anyone in the eye. You learn to just not look at them because someone might cuss you out, or pull out a gun. Lancaster lacks class. It is like a giant Walmart. Some say, "well there are bad and good people everywhere", yes, indeed there is, but in Lancaster the bad overwhelmingly overtakes the good, and your chances of getting robbed or shot are much higher. Lancaster is CRAPPY to say the least. I learned that most people that live there don't think so because they're used to it and don't know any better, but if they move away (further than Valencia) for a few years and then come back they're like "I had no idea!!!" Since I moved away I have lived in Denver, Minneapolis, Orange County and San Diego and when I go back to Lancaster to visit I cringe for so many reasons. It's like a mixture of nostalgia and vomit. (Speaking of vomit, I went back a couple of months ago for one day and on our way to get boba there was a girl vomiting in the street at 10 am.). That type of stuff happens every day there.

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Growing very fast - 7/7/2018

Moved to the Eastside of Lancaster. I have target, lowes, the whole wheatery, homedepot, bank of America, wells Fargo, Walmart, traders Joe's, Carl's jr, burger king, big lots and so much more within a 10 minute or less drive. I moved from LA to escape the overcrowding and traffic. Its peaceful in my area. Its growing and I'm very happy with my real estate investment here. It ain't perfect, theres bad people and good people everywhere you go in the world. Overall lifestyle been good.

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LOVELY LANCASTER-GREAT PLACE TO BUY A HOME! - 6/18/2017

Over the past 10 years Lancaster (Antelope Valley) has a lot more to offer! We have Trader Joe's, Whole Wheatery, Costco, and Sam's Club. Great Family owned restaurants Downtown Lancaster and Quartz Hill. Palmdale and Lancaster offer great events through park and rec depts. You can commute to Downtown LA, etc on the buses or metro link. Houses are very affordable! We live in a beautiful 2,500 sq ft home on a large lot, that we could not had if we lived closer to LA or the beach. You can find good people anywhere!!! Join a local church to make new friends.

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By FAR the Worst Place I Have Lived - 11/17/2016

Not only is Lancaster the worst place I have ever lived, it is the worst place I have ever been to. I moved there from Seattle, WA in 2013 and lived there for a year and a half and was continually mind boggled that people thought life there was "normal." There is nothing normal about this place. It is run down and ghetto. Even their "nice" area, Quartz Hill was indistinguishable to me from the rest of it. I had a lot of first there in Lancaster. Shortly after moving into my rental, two young men tried to break into my home at about 10:00 pm after ringing the doorbell numerous time and thinking nobody was home. They tried to get in through my kitchen window. Two women tried to jump me at the gas station next to Walmart on J Avenue because I got to the gas pump before they did. My kids got desensitized very quickly to bad language, the smell of weed smoke, and belligerent behaviors. Everywhere you go, you hear "mother f-er" this and that. Every other word is a cuss word. They cuss at their own kids so they don't care that other people's kids are around. Going to any government office there is a nightmare. Lines down the sidewalks outside and customer service everywhere is TERRIBLE. People would get fired in Washington for giving that type of customer service. How many places do you go to that have fully uniformed security officers outside and/or inside of most businesses? Walmart parking lot is patrolled 24 hours a day. Grocery carts are scattered around the entire parking lot no matter what time of day you do, you have to drive around them. It became normal for us to see out-of-control drunk or high people being escorted out of places. The schools are absolutely TERRIBLE. I had kids in every level of school (elementary to high school) and they all came home with horror stories almost daily about the behaviors of other students, the disrespect toward teachers and lack of control teachers had in their classrooms. Fighting is a spectator event and kids go around randomly asking other kids if they want to fight—kids they don't even know. People seem to think all of this is normal and I can assure you, it is nothing close to normal. I literally felt as if I was living amongst a bunch of wild animals who have never taught to be civilized. For the record, I am Native American and Hispanic and my kids are mixed with black. We fit in physically but this place is nothing short of oppressive and depressing. I scrounged up the money to move back to the Seattle area and thank God every day that we are back here and away from Lancaster. The entire SoCal area is a very ugly landscape, as well. If you cherish trees, grass, flowers, shrubs, bushes; an abundance of bodies of water, this place is not for you. It is desolate, dry, and brown.

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need information about Lancaster, Ca - 11/3/2015

I would like to find out more about Lancaster, Ca I am planning to buy a house, I would like to get some recommendations about the safest areas to live or buy a house in the city, I have been in Lancaster and I fall in love, first I visit Palmdale but did not like it at all. is it safe at night time if you want to go anywhere, walk around the main city, etc.. is people friendly in Lancaster, Ca compared down here in Metropolitan area in Los Angeles that sometimes they are not in the mood to say Hi to you, Not to mention Good Morning? Oh Gosh, the attitude in Los Angeles is something else, to me I see Lancaster as a Country Side small city that may be people knows most of the other citizen living there. I don't know? you tell me Thank You this message has been posted on 11-3-15

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Excellent Place Work-Wise for Aviation Enthusiasts - 10/18/2015

Lived here for the past 13 years working for the government. Excellent area job-wise for Engineers and Aviation enthusiasts since this is an area rich in Flight test development and history. 30 miles from the Air Force Base, close to local amenities with downtown activities. Lots of things to do on what is known as The Blvd. I've seen the area grow over the years and it has greatly improved with plenty of places to shop and dine and do things with the kids. Downside is that the weather here is extreme. It can be hot one day, cold the next. It can rain one day and be sunny the next. The Summers are extremely hot and harsh. The sun is very unforgiving. When it rains here the streets are easily flooded because the type of dirt here doesn't handle water well. We've had our share of cold winters; snow and rain (albeit it's rare). Not the best place to live if you're looking to stay cool or love the city life since places close early here. Good news is that your 2 hours from major cities like Los Angeles and 3 hours away from Las Vegas and San Diego so plenty of places to go if you like traveling. I'm sick of the heat here and ready to move elsewhere. Need a change.

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Great Life; Great Community! - 7/20/2015

My husband and l raised all four of our children in Lancaster, California after moving from the Silicon Valley. It has been wonderful to see the opportunities my kids not only had in school but in sports, music, city involvement, and church involvement. My husband and I decided to retire here because we wanted a community that was safe as well as a community where we can contribute to it. My children each had wonderful strong loving teachers in each school they attended. If there was ever a problem it was always resolved due to the commitment of the teachers and parents to a great educational experience. My kids have all graduated from HS, college, and now graduate school, and have all stayed in the area to raise their kids as well. Ultimately the contentment that my family and I have is based on the knowledge that we are the community, and the community is only as great as what we bring to it. Knowing that no place is perfect has instilled in each one of my adult children a strong conviction of choosing to be content wherever you are. Having the military background has given us a far greater appreciation for this great community that we live in.

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Pollution - 6/8/2014

After moving here 5 yrs. ago, and my health getting worse, I started doing some research. Also, I have always done alot of gardening and the ground seems to be getting moldy. I have found there is 29% arsenic in our ground water, and although there is a drought, the sprinklers still work, and instead of our city officials doing anything, and believe me they know, they build solar plants that will sandblast the back of your house when they start one up? What is going on? Does anyone remember asbestos? I am all for alternative energy when they know what they are doing, and the effects it will have on us down the line. They say there is an unusually high rate of cancer out here, and they attribute it to smoking? What? They would have to lock everyone up in some hall, and there are high winds not to mention, hardly anyone smokes anymore. They need to fix all this pollution in the ground, in our water, before they start anything else. Everyone out here has alergies. Wake up my neighbors, and I say this kindly, but we are running out of time. There are numerous articles from studies on this area if you check them out on the computer. There has been so many studies over the last ten years. Even if you do not drink the water, you have to shower, brush your teeth, etc. The people here seem to be nice and I hope they are not all going to come down with auto immune diseases.

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Best to live somewhere else - 4/3/2014

All these people saying that our city was nice in the 80's, well it was because in the 80's most of the people living here were employed by Lockheed, Bowing, The military, or the Prison. The local government decided that they were not making enough money so they advertised to the rest of LA county our cheap property and low cost of living. Now this place has gone to the DOGS! The decay caused by advertising cheap living, and indirectly inviting the undesirables form downtown LA started in Lake LA.Then moved into the East side of the Valley, and now the last few of us left are fighting to keep it out of the West side. Poverty runs rampant, everywhere you go people are begging for money. either for this shelter, or that halfway house, or the homeless man, or that guy who says he needs gas but it looks like he needs another fix. Just about everyone here is on some kind of government assistance and majority of those get the triple care package; HUD housing, cash aid, food stamps. Crime has skyrocketed, We had someone shot and killed in broad daylight outside of Starbucks. Never found his killer. Someone shot and killed one of our men in uniform inside the Antelope Valley College parking lot, They never found his killer, but they think it was a case of mistaken identity. We had a Little girl sexually assaulted inside a Denny's Bathroom by a homeless retarded man, guess what? I don't think they ever found him either! On the bright side we did find the man that raped that high school girl who was walking to school. So the got 1 of 4. All this happened within the last year, along with liquor store and bar shootings. Just to add to the aggravation we have for profit companies setting up halfway homes for Adults with mental disabilities, like sever Bi-Polar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Autism. These establishments have no one looking after these people, no nurses, or mental health professionals. They are not near any shopping center or hospitals for that matter, instead, They set up these homes in our own neighborhoods, Within walking distance of elementary schools! They say that their is an AV curse. The curse says if you grow up here you will never leave. Well is is partially right. This place ruins your children's opportunity for a better life. They will never afford to get out. we have people pushing 30 and 40 that still act like they are in High School, either still living with their parents or they are homeless begging for your change. Our community college has a 4 year wait list for their nursing program, and 80% drop out rate, our high schools drop out rate average 40%. If your kids are lucky they will find a job, working for minimum wadge and get stuck there. So no, they will never be able to afford to leave. Do your family and yourself a favor and live somewhere else, You will be happier, healthier, and will overall live a better life.

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Best to live somewhere else - 4/3/2014

All these people saying that our city was nice in the 80's, well it was because in the 80's most of the people living here were employed by Lockheed, Bowing, The military, or the Prison. The local government decided that they were not making enough money so they advertised to the rest of LA county our cheap property and low cost of living. Now this place has gone to the DOGS! The decay caused by advertising cheap living, and indirectly inviting the undesirables form downtown LA started in Lake LA.Then moved into the East side of the Valley, and now the last few of us left are fighting to keep it out of the West side. Poverty runs rampant, everywhere you go people are begging for money. either for this shelter, or that halfway house, or the homeless man, or that guy who says he needs gas but it looks like he needs another fix. Just about everyone here is on some kind of government assistance and majority of those get the triple care package; HUD housing, cash aid, food stamps. Crime has skyrocketed, We had someone shot and killed in broad daylight outside of Starbucks. Never found his killer. Someone shot and killed one of our men in uniform inside the Antelope Valley College parking lot, They never found his killer, but they think it was a case of mistaken identity. We had a Little girl sexually assaulted inside a Denny's Bathroom by a homeless retarded man, guess what? I don't think they ever found him either! On the bright side we did find the man that raped that high school girl who was walking to school. So the got 1 of 4. All this happened within the last year, along with liquor store and bar shootings. Just to add to the aggravation we have for profit companies setting up halfway homes for Adults with mental disabilities, like sever Bi-Polar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Autism. These establishments have no one looking after these people, no nurses, or mental health professionals. They are not near any shopping center or hospitals for that matter, instead, They set up these homes in our own neighborhoods, Within walking distance of elementary schools! They say that their is an AV curse. The curse says if you grow up here you will never leave. Well is is partially right. This place ruins your children's opportunity for a better life. They will never afford to get out. we have people pushing 30 and 40 that still act like they are in High School, either still living with their parents or they are homeless begging for your change. Our community college has a 4 year wait list for their nursing program, and 80% drop out rate, our high schools drop out rate average 40%. Really intelligent people work for minimum wadge and get stuck there. So no, they will never be able to afford to leave. Do your family and yourself a favor and live somewhere else, You will be happier, healthier, and will overall live a better life.

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rat trap - 8/7/2013

I moved from Ny to lancaster California, thinkn its a better productive move, wow! I was so wrong. First off the economy is so bad out here their dealing with a broke budget, as to why I feel like am paying for evrything and evryone else, now whatever ttheir reasons are for this state to be In a hole, they should not place the burden on ppl that are trying citizens making a decent living. I cannot see myself living out here for another year, their crime rates are high, homelesness is rampant out here no wonder its sucks out here, I cannot go anywhere to place gas in my car without being harrased by ppl beggin for money or to help put gas in their car! I never in my life see such devastation!! And they think ny is hard? Oh my God well California u gyys gotta get your act in tact!! Cause this is jus dusgusting!! I'll be leaving soon headn bk the Apple!! I can deal with that, but definitely not this crap!

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Not so nice - 7/23/2013

Once upon a time Lancaster was a place that you didn't lock your doors. Now, it's scary just looking out your front door. We're coming up on Fair Time in the Antelope Valley. The Fair used to be a great place to go to see your neighbors, catch up with people, and have fun. Now its too crowded, too many scary people, and it doesn't feel like a safe place to take your family. The City of Lancaster just updated it's Blvd. with some nice shops and restaurants. Too bad it doesn't feel safe enough for me to stroll down the blvd. by myself. I'd like to do some shopping there but I'd need a body guard and a can of pepper spray before I'd feel comfortable. We've lost so much here. Sad really.

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Wow, some of these reviews are hilarious! - 6/13/2013

I am humored by the way that some people describe Lancaster. They make it sound like some post-apocalyptic warzone. Lancaster is actually a very decent family-oriented community in which to live. Yes there is crime like any other city in the country, but yet the crime-rate is below the national average. I have never felt unsafe here, and am fine when my family is out and about. There are lots of nice parks and other amenities to enjoy. Yes, we do have cultural diversity, but welcome to the new look of CA. You better get used to it, or move to an area that is still majority white. I am white, but am comfortable with people of all ethnicities as long as they are contributing members of society. I have zero tolerance for criminals, and they absolutely need to be expunged from our community. That being said, there still is too many shady characters in certain parts of town, but their population is decreasing. Overall I would recommend Lancaster to anyone to live. It is still a drive to LA, but is close to the mountains. There are lots of churches, thus it is a very conservative place to live. The only people that might be uncomfortable are extreme liberals.

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Nice place to live but jobs are hard to come by. - 2/25/2013

Lancaster, CA is nice, however we have found it is extremely difficult to get a job in this city in this economy. I find myself having to work 65 miles away to make enough money. Plus with the cost of gas rising once again, the cost of a 130 mile round-trip commute every day is getting too costly.

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A Great Place to Grow Up - 2/13/2012

I have lived here almost 25 years. I grew up here, and decided to stay because I know I want to raise my kids here as well. It is in LA county, but very different. Life is slower, people are more polite. Yes as we have grown, crime has some to, but that comes with growth, and the city is really fighting it as well as citizens and the sheriffs department. Some people try to tear it apart, but myself and most people I know really like it here. It takes about a year to adjust to the climate. The saying goes that if you bring a wife here, she will hate it the first year, and after that first year you will never get her to move away. There is something really neat about the four seasons of the desert.

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YOU'LL REGRET MOVING TO THIS FORSAKEN DESERT - 12/12/2011

He writes the absoulte truth about this town. I, too, am a 45 year native of Lancaster. For the last eight years, this town is the dumping ground for former immates of L.A. County Jail. The jail actually gives the released a one-way ticket to Lancaster/Antelope Valley. Three years ago they would load 5 buses weekly and drop off former immates to Lancaster. The Sheriff's have indicated that is now down to 2 bus weekly. Proverty is rampant. No jobs. Aerospace was the major contributor of jobs, but that has disappeared. Homeless, Pedifiles and criminal run the streets. The mayor, an ambulance chaser attorney, has bought up most of the town and runs the town like a corrupt sheriff of the 1800's. He shuts down council meetings when they are not favorable to him. He has phycially assaulted a citizen in a local gym. He owns the majority of building the the "revitalized" Lancaster Blvd. He and his croonies (city staff members)are nothing but self-serving. No jobs have been created in this town since he took office. The majority of residents who live in this god-forsaken place work down in the Los Angeles area and are only living here because of cheap housing but are now finding out that with the cheap housing and foreclosure issue comes Section 8 housing through no fault of the home owners because of the mortgage crisis. Boarded up business, homes, Medical clinics, shopping malls surround the area. Graffati is everywhere. When shopping, no matter how big or small, you are sure to find many homeless people begging for spare change in the parking lots. On any given street you see drug deals going down in parks, parking lots, shopping centers, schools, etc. This has become a big drug town as well as a home to sex offenders, criminals and gang members. I wish more of the caring residents, who want to see a change to our town and get back the down home atmosphere that use to be Lancaster, would get off their asses and vote this jerk out of office. I miss the town that I grew up in. More jobs and less criminals and sex offenders should be his agenda. Take a look at a sex offender map in Lancaster and Palmdale, CA. It is astonishing what has happened to this place I use to call home. People may say all towns have this type of criminal activity, I say come here and experience for yourself then and don't say that you weren't forewarned! Welcome to an area that is filled with sex offenders, parolees, and other criminals that live and roam the streets everywhere. They use to just occupy the east side of Lancaster and Palmdale, however, with so many criminals being brought in from the LA area, they are wide spread throughout the Antelope Valley. Stay away from Lake Los Angeles area as well, known as the home for making meth. No one in this town walks the streets at night, nor do we shop alone.

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My Opinion on Lancaster, CA. - 12/12/2010

I have lived in the Lancaster area from 1998 - the present (2010). PROS: -decent year-round temps Since we are not in the close L.A. area we don't get their great temps but our 2500' elevation and southerly latitude gives us pretty good numbers. (Why do you think Mexico City is close to 70 degrees, year-round? It's at 7500' and has a real southerly latitude.) We may get hot on summer days but, most all of the summer nights are cool. And we only get "Texas-sized heat" (Dallas,Houston,San Antonio,Austin,etc.) about 2 -3 weeks of the summer (not the whole summer as there). I.E. Our 110 degree days equals Dallas' 100 degree days (with some humidity). Most of our summer days are 90 - 100 degrees. We may get cold in the winter (down to low thirties at night) but we have many sunny winter days, with temps in the 60's. -smog isn't as bad as most of California is -lots of old and new common retail outlets and a nice mall (over 400,000 people in the area) -2 hours away from one of the most visited places in the world (Los Angeles) and all that it has to offer in shopping, recreation, dining, entertainment, culture, sight-seeing, etc. -we're in a big valley and have a nice view of the mountains surrounding us - some with snow on them -can actually get green out here (beautiful on the hills) in wet weather (lots of desert flowers!- we're home of the State Flower/California Poppy Preserve) -don't see a lot of spray paint graffiti here - gas pumps and restroom mirrors are etched up but not a lot of paintwork (or it gets removed quickly) -I like how we have a rainy season and dry season. And, in general, I like our abundance of sunshine/lack of rain. Do miss the clouds at times, though. Particulary with our elevation, that California sun can be brutal and relentless (months on end) at times. I.E. If you are fair skinned you will probably be indoors a lot. -no traffic!! It is getting heavier, but since I have been here I have not been in bad traffic jam once! The area is pretty spread out. (Although, maybe I am just lucky. I don't get in a traffic jam when I go in to L.A., much either. But, I don't go into L.A. a lot.) -housing: affordable (especially by California standards) (now, 2010, it wasn't affordable 4 or 5 years ago - I thought it was overpriced, it looks like I was right) CONS: -The frequent high winds!! There is a reason they put multi-million dollar wind turbines in this area. The spring is the worst, in frequency and in severity. But, most of the year is pretty windy in general. Although, it is hard to gripe about the wind in summer (it can be very cooling at times, particularly at night). -not much in the way of blue or white collar jobs -no large entertainment venues (to be expected since Lancaster and Palmdale are more large "suburbs/ bedroom communities" than a real metropolis - you won't find any skyscrapers in this {large valley) -not much culture,real defining heritage that I know of, although, we do have Edwards Air Force base and the aerospace industry, and our region is rich in minerals and alternative energy (solar and wind), and lots of Indian artifacts. -lots of brown desert in the dry season - which reminds me, fire season can be bad (awful air quality) I have been pretty lucky in that, too. Lots of fires around me my 12 years here, but it has only gotten real bad for me once (winds helping me out). I would leave the area and go to a hotel if it got real bad - is how much I hate it. On crime, I would give it a little better than average rating - especially for a large population area. That is all I kind think of at this time.

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Lancaster, CA weather - 12/5/2010

I've lived in Lancaster, CA for 7 years. We usually have 1 week of spring weather and 1 week of fall weather. The rest of the year is either 118 degrees during the summer, or 14 degrees during the winter. I like to garden, so I can start planting in early March. This is a desert climate, so I've had to adjust my idea of beautiful scenery from "lush and green" to "quiet, spacious and dry. Really, really, dry.

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Horrible place to live - 11/24/2010

This is one of the worst places to live EVER. I lived here for 20 years of my life (grew up there for the first 17, then unfortunately went back when I got out of the military). It has just become a big dump. Gang bangers (wanna be or not, my mom has gotten robbed multiple times), drugs, low class, low morals.... Stay away. Pay the extra money to live somewhere else if you can or get out of California where it's even cheaper to live. Lancaster and Palmdale are a Sh!t holes.

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