Quiet areas
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2/19/2016
Living in Cal City 5+ years I can say this:
There are nicer areas than others and I lucked out. My street is quiet, have had no problems and neighbors are nice. There is crime and drugs in the town just like any other so look closely at the area before you move. I stopped at the Rite Aid the day I was here looking and showed the guy at the counter a map of the city, he pointed out the areas to avoid and I'm happy I had the foresight to do that.
I cant attest to elementary and middle schools as my kids were in HS when we moved here. I had problems with the school due to my sons surgery but others love the HS. I ended up transferring both to East Kern independent to ensure they received a HS diploma as opposed to the HS saying they would not graduate and the only option was a GED due to time lost for medical care. LOVE East Kern!
There isnt much for the kids here so I take advantage of the ROP (job training classes in Mojave) and sign them up for anything they're interested in. Unemployment is high so when there is an opening locally its snatched up quick, mot people commute to Lancaster, Palmdale or the surrounding areas so figure in gas/drive time.
Utilities are fairly high but we're in the desert (high summers and low winters) so its expected. Water is outrageous and the water department continually makes mistakes processing payments only to say it must be your fault then charge fees for turning you off for their own mistake. If you pay your own bill I advise paying it online and taking a print screen of the confirmation showing your account number as your record. Three times in a year I took that and my bank statement in to prove their mistake only to be met with attitude and told I was forging the documents so watch the bills closely.
I believe most of the city uses septic tanks instead of city sewage. There are two companies locally who pump and charge $350-$500 or so. Learn about septic systems if you've never used one and make sure you put the caustic acid in it yourself or watch the person doing it for you. The guy who pumped mine the first two times didnt add the acid I gave him and it cost me a lot of time, money and stress to re-treat the system multiple times to save it.
The closest "shopping" (Walmart, clothing, mall etc) is 30-50 miles depending on the direction but we do have a few fast food placed, pharmacy, small grocery store and restaurants. All in all I like the town. Its a slower pace, not a lot of traffic and housing prices are very low.
d | California City, CA