Reviews & Comments
Bakersfield, CA
It’s better than you may think! -
7/5/2020I moved here from Seattle 25 years ago, when it had a population of 200,000, and practically the only place to get coffee was a place called “Duke’s Ranch”. Why did I do that? It was a hard choice, as I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and have deep roots there. However, (surprise) I got a much better job here, and when I arrived, found I could buy a beautiful home on that salary. I told myself I’d return to the northwest as soon as my son graduated from high school, but fell in love with the man who built my house, and here I am...still! I am going to
give some objective pros and cons that some of the previous knee-jerk-reaction reviews did not consider.
FACTS:
1. It’s a desert.
2. Economy is primarily agriculture / oil industry
3. There is a literacy/ dumping problem.
4. Sometimes (not always) the air quality is bad. (I don’t suffer from it where we now live, just outside town in the foothills, away from cotton / almond crops.)
JUST A FEW of the many PROS:
1. OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: The mighty Kern River (Olympic trials are held there) is literally a few minutes from our doorstep (to fish, whitewater raft, kayak, camp)
2. BOATING: Also minutes away for power-boating & sailing: Lake Ming, Buena Vista Lake, (and Lake Isabella up the Kern River Canyon).
3. THE ARTS: An arts / civic Community that promote the arts downtown through First Friday events.
4. WEATHER: Really pleasant 9 / 12 months.
5. TEAM SPORTS: A thriving youth sports community.
6. EDUCATION: Some great public schools (pick your neighborhood by schools and your children will get a good education) and some phenomenal private schools (high rates of graduation and high rates of later graduation from college).
7. HIGHER EDUCATION: CSUB (no, It’s not Harvard, but give me a break, here!) BAKERSFIELD COMMUNITY COLLEGE has some
great programs, including a phenomenal graphic arts program; students have gone straight into jobs for companies like PIXAR from there.
8. COMMUNITY: Most people are very friendly... strangers still talk to one another here. There are wonderful people here to have fun with and work with to address community issues.
8. BIG CITY ENTERTAINMENT: It’s a very short drive (<2hours) to LA for ocean beaches, concerts, plays, shopping, arts.
9. PARKS/ OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: It’s less than 4 hours to Yosemite Valley, a wonder of the world, less than 2 hours to The central coast for GREAT wine tasting, and just a little over 2 hours to Santa Barbara... and more.
10. COMMUNITY ISSUES: The local animal shelter is making HUGE strides toward becoming a service-oriented, no-kill shelter and toward rehoming greater numbers of pets.
11. AFFORDABILITY: Depending on where in town you settle, you can live your dream, whether it’s a gated community with clubhouse, pool and golf course, a modern “urban” condo, a small ranch with farm animals and views of sunsets, sunrises, and city lights, a home on the river or a private lake, or just a really clean, well Kept suburban neighborhood.
12. LOCAL HISTORY: There are half a dozen landmark restaurants and watering holes that locals have frequented for over a century. One of them, Luigi’s, Is a Saturday morning hotspot that attracts people from every walk of life. It’s a place where you can shop in their quaint deli, have a cocktail with your friends, and make new friends while waiting for your table!
CONS:
1. HEAT AND AIR QUALITY
2. ILLITERACY (but It’s not the entire population!)
3. JOB MARKET can be limited, depending on your niche of expertise.
4. ONLY A RIVERBED RUNS THROUGH IT. My pet peeve! The mighty Kern RiverBED runs through town. Only sporadically do they allow the diverted water to run through town and populate the lovely waterfront parks. (Something I hope to
see change someday.)
Bakersfield, CA
re: Can't wait to leave..
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7/5/2020The economy is primarily based on ag and oil industry. There is an illiteracy problem (partly due to the enormous influx of English language learners). However, you pick your own friends and social circles. Our friends are business people, farmers, ranchers, engineers and educators. After living in Seattle (I moved here for a BETTER PAYING JOB), I had a bit of culture shock— trucks and country music everywhere. But I got over it quickly and found the gems in this town (one of them is the love of my life, who was born and raised here, but has traveled the whole world) — there are many. Bakersfield is now over 400,000 people, but still has the friendliness of a small town. This applies ESPECIALLY those who are FROM here (as opposed to moving here from LA). They are salt-of-the-earth, got-your-back neighbors! Once you settle in here, you find the hidden gems of Bakersfield like the historic restaurants where locals have been congregating for over a century. Go to Luigi’s late on a Saturday morning for lunch (have a cocktail while you wait for a table... because it’ll take some time!) you will find an amazing cross-section of Bakersfield people — all ages. You may find yourself sitting next to the police chief or a millionaire. But you won’t know it, because they’re not pretentious — just friendly and relaxed. Air quality isn’t good in the summer, nor is the weather, unless you love heat. The rest of the year is fantastic, though, as far as I am concerned. I just don’t want to be here in July or August. Which is why we now have a boat we keep at Marina Del Rey...And that’s another great thing about Bako, the most kicked-around town I have ever seen??! Cooler, “more hip” places are all within a short drive. We can have lunch in Beverly Hills, go shopping, and be home to watch the sunset on our ranch. So don’t believe the horrible reviews. They are written by people who haven’t found the heart of Bakersfield.