Lancaster, California
SperlingViews

Living in Lancaster - 8/6/2006

My husband and I moved here 15 years ago to get out of the smog and city congestion and have been please with out decision. The Antelope Valley has beautifully clean air, and you can see the stars at night FOREVER! In the summer, it's hotter than the San Fernando Valley, but much less humid. Most of LA suffers in the spring ("May gray" and "June gloom") and in the fall (same thing) with a marine layer which makes the air very thick with smog, making the weather gloomy. But in the AV, the Spring and Fall are the most wonderful times of the year, with clear air and views for miles. The sky is "bluer" than in the San Fernando Valley. The wind blows frequently, which keeps the air clear. In the winter, snow caps the surrounding peaks, and the views are gorgeous. Occasionally it snows in town, but the snow never lasts more than 24 hours. We have four "real" seasons. Sunsets are exceptional! The lower-cost housing attracts a younger crowd, primarily first-time homebuyers. Because of the youth of the residents, there is a higher divorce rate, higher child abuse rate, higher juvenile delinquency rate, higher young adult crime rate, etc., typical for a younger crowd. Real estate is dramatically less expensive here than in San Fernando Valley, with larger and more modern homes and larger lots. It is not uncommon to have a quarter-acre lot. Lots of room for kids to play! The Antelope Valley is a melting pot of ethnicity, like L.A. If you're looking for a single-race neighborhood, this is not it. However, if you're looking for diversity, this is the place. This is a great place to raise kids without going bankrupt, while earning the higher incomes the "city" creates. And, because it's a hour away from the San Fernando Valley, when you go out of town for the weekend (Las Vegas, Eastern Sierra, etc.), you have a jump on the outbound traffic. There are plenty of good paying local jobs, particularly in aerospace and L.A. County, so commuting is not a necessity. This is a great place to get your work years in, then get your pension, sell your house high, and move to the boondocks, buy a replacement house and have money left over in the bank. Lancaster is a college town with Antelope Valley College (2-year) and a branch of Cal State Bakersfield located intown. The Antelope Valley is tops for athletics, particularly soccer.[more...]

Beautiful sunsets - 7/17/2006

Lancaster has beautiful sunsets. The weather is beautiful most of the time, especially in the mornings and evenings.[more...]

WINDY ALL THE TIME !!! - 7/16/2006

I've lived in Lancaster for almost 40 years, and anyone that is thinking about moving here needs to know that it is windy here almst every day of the year. I'm not talking gentle breezes, I'm talking 30-40 mph winds that come up every day around noon, and sometimes it can blow for days without stopping. Also, housing prices are going steadily upwards, as is crime!! The quality of schools unfortunately is among the worst in the state (check the stats), and in the 60's and early 70's they were among the best. This valley was a great place to live up until the late 80's,and since then it has gone steadily downhill. That's why my wife & I are moving out of Lancaster and probably out of California in the very near future. Just being honest!!![more...]

The Antelope Valley - 6/22/2006

Its nice , quiet , see the stars at night, no sirens or emergency vehicals and unnecessary noise. Brazy in the late afternoon and no smog.[more...]

sick of this place - 6/18/2006

living in the antelope valley is really not cheap when you stop to think about it with the weather being so bipolar.Either intolerably too hot or way too cold my utility bills come very ridicolously high each month if you commute the money you put in your gas tank adds to that so you might as well live somewhere else where the utilites and gas use wont be soo extreme which really adds up and at the end you end up paying the same as if you were living somewhere else that has nicer weather patterns. I am soo tired of people being under the illlusion that is soo cheap to live here and I cant wait to get out not only that but also look at the bigh lack of good paying jobs. Wakeup people and realize that this is not a cheap not nice place to call home however if you like to drive to work like 4 hours each day living in a community where its getting so gettho even in the so called nice neighborhoods and deal with the extreme intolerable weather go ahead and move here that gives me more room to move somewhere else besides this hellhole.[more...]

I did 18 years time in the Antelope Valley... - 6/10/2006

...and yes, it was like a prison sentence. Moved there in 1985, left 2003,now live in Granada Hills CA with 3 of my kids, nobody is 'homesick'. Health: there is more asthma and respiratory distress in the Antelope Valley (henceforth referred to as 'AV') than in any locations to the south and west. On my allergist's 'respiratory distress' map, on a rating of 1 to 10 (10 being worst), the AV pulls a solid 10. Some people moving there will soon find themselves in an emergency room with their child gasping for air due to the blowing dust, and especially due to the winter blooming of the pigweed. Been to ER more than once for this with one of my kids, but no more in our new location. Afternoon Backyard Barbecues:best from mid-October to mid-december, since these are the months when you can NOT set your clock by the roaring afternoon winds that start at 2PM. I have seen in summer 110 degrees and 35MPH winds from the west. $500 summertime electric bills (if you use air conditioning) are not uncommon. House values: When the housing bubble bursts (and it will), the AV will be the first to feel it in the Southern California housing market. Write this down...when the market slows, and all the ARM loans make their presence felt, you will see a lot of people upside-down in their houses up there. I witnessed this in 1989-1991...sharp spike upward in 'value', then it plummets. Boom-bust up there, and the real estate professionals know how to exploit this cycle. Sell when the market is hot, and buy the forclosures when it's not. Family life: Higher than average divorce rate up there because it is INDEED a bedroom community, a human storage facility for the worker bees who slog themselves to the San Fernando Valley and beyond. 2 hours commute each way is not uncommon...do the math. 4 hours on the road, 9 hours at work,7 hours sleep, leaves you 4 conscious hours to recover from your 13 hour day and do WHAT exactly?? It wears people out, frays nerves and fractures families. This is even WORSE when Mom works too...unsupervised kids is a problem WAITING to happen. Housing affordability and Crime: Crime is ever on the rise, pay no mind to politically-motivated statistical presentations made by local officials and paid for by the real estate interests... the AV is still one of the few places left in Southern California where you can afford both your apartment/HUD home payments and STILL have enough money left over to buy drugs. Years ago the local newspaper[more...]

Yes, very sad...... - 5/21/2006

Lancaster is in the Antelope Valley. I grew up in nearby Palmdale. I left some time ago because of the crime, gangs, and fools of various sorts. For years the city fathers would have one think it was nirvana there (I suppose it was for them and their developer cronies raking in the dough from endless housing developments on postage stamp sized lots). They have been in denial for far too long and now that they are waking up, it is too late. Done. Toast. Don't even consider it if you have a family with kids who are not already ruined by drugs and gangs or if you simply like to feel safe walking the streets. The crime rate is worse than much of L.A., N.Y. and other big cities.[more...]

So Sad - But So True!! - 5/18/2006

This area has become the dumping ground for sex offenders, welfare/section 8, and criminal elements and no one feels safe anymore. If you have kids, there is not that much for them to do out here, however there are plenty of drugs and sex offenders!![more...]

So Sad - But So True!! - 5/17/2006

We have lived here 10 years and can't wait to leave! There is such a low class caliber of people, that it is just ridiculous! This area has become the dumping ground for sex offenders, welfare/section 8, and criminal elements and no one feels safe anymore. Even in the so called better areas, they have made numerous section 8 housing available for those that just bring down an area. There are constant sweeps section 8 housing and so on. This would be a great area if the town leaders actually did something to remove the criminal element! If you have kids - think really hard. There is not that much for them to do out here, however there are plenty of drugs and sex offenders!![more...]

So Sad - But So True! - 5/17/2006

We have lived here 10 years and can't wait to leave! There is such a low class caliber of people, that it is just ridiculous! This area has become the dumping ground for sex offenders, welfare/section 8, and criminal elements and no one feels safe anymore. Even in the so called better areas, they have made numerous section 8 housing available for those that just bring down an area. There are constant sweeps section 8 housing and so on. This would be a great area if the town leaders actually did something to remove the criminal element! If you have kids - think really hard. There is not that much for them to do out here, however there are plenty of drugs and sex offenders!![more...]

It is getting worse I agree - 3/30/2006

I agree with the previous comment the Lancaster and whole antelope valley area is a heaven to crime and getting worse by the minute because of its so called low housing cost, this place attracts the worse of the worse like welfare recipients gang members and excons plus there is a high amount of sex offenders living in the area my husband my preteen daughter and I have decided that enough is enough and so we are gladly leaving the area its like a kitty litter for the worst type of people. I agree with the previous comment 100% I have also notice the rudeness in people at public places like for example people that work at restaurants, stores ect the way people drive is also not just rude and hostile but also dangerous. For whoever is thinking about moving to this gettho better think about it before they move the so called low housing is not worth it when you are giving up a good safer quality of life for your family over cheap housing not to mention the scarcity of good paying jobs in the area.[more...]

Katrina - 3/30/2006

I agree with the previous comment the Lancaster and whole antelope valley area is a heaven to crime and getting worse by the minute because of its so called low housing cost, this place attracts the worse of the worse like welfare recipients gang members and excons plus there is a high amount of sex offenders living in the area my husband my preteen daughter and I have decided that enough is enough and so we are gladly leaving the area its like a kitty litter for the worst type of people. I agree with the previous comment 100% I have also notice the rudeness in people at public places like for example people that work at restaurants, stores ect the way people drive is also not just rude and hostile but also dangerous. For whoever is thinking about moving to this gettho better think about it before they move the so called low housing is not worth it when you are giving up a good safer quality of life for your family over cheap housing not to mention the scarcity of good paying jobs in the area.[more...]

Lancaster is a youth sports town - 3/16/2006

The city of Lancaster is the second largest city in the Antelope Valley; with Palmdale being number one. The city is windy mostly all year round, with less being in the spring. In the spring, the city is known for it's poppies and has a poppy reserve as well as a poppy festival. In the winter it gets cold and it may snow one time a year. In the sunner, it is very hot. The population has soared in the last ten years due to the cheap housing market. It is a commute town with most people driving at least 60 miles away to get a well paying occupation. Most people who have lived in Lancaster for a few years are angry with the Mayor and local government. They feel unsafe and crime has risen. It does not help that Lancaster has a State Prison in the middle of town and the government has allowed section 8 housing to come unchecked. The prison has brought in low income residence and with that has brought on more crime. The city contracts with the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department and in this writers opinion, this department does an okay job but would a lot better if the city brought on their own department. A new Mayor race is currently starting and if the people select the right person, change for crime can improve. But, with all that said... Lancaster is a good place to live. The best part of the city and the entire Antelope Valley area is that you still can fill like you live in a small town. The city has great youth programs. Soccer is the biggest sport in the area. There are three major AYSO regions in the area, with Quartz Hill AYSO as the biggest region in the area with over 2,000 kids. Lancaster has the biggest soccer complex west of the mississippi river! And we also have a huge city park with many baseball fields. The minor league baseball stadium is housed in Lancaster and they are the Jethawks. We also have football leagues and many other types of rec sport leagues. I have lived in the Antelope Valley for the last 17 years now. And I am raising four boys here. Even though we like it here, we are planning on leaving the area in the next six years.[more...]

getting worse - 1/23/2006

the area know as the antelope valley is becoming little los angeles... In the last two years, there has been an increase of graffiti, reverse discrimination and sense of unrest. Friends have been verbally taunted while tending to daily activies in their own neighborhood. There is a very noticable rudeness as well. I have spoken with people who have had enough and are planning on moving. The worst part is that it all comes at a time when major development has set in. Hopefully there will be people who want to stay and support them.[more...]