It’s very cheap and can be a base of operations where you can establish some home equity. It’s the affordable California. Would you believe that 80,000 people commute to Los Angeles?

Here's a happy transplanter on the pluses of Bakersfield: *I am from the mid west Michigan and Ohio and I have lived in California since 1978. I lived in the Orange County area until 17 years ago when I moved to Bakersfield. Personally I love it. No traffic and things are much less expensive especially the rent and home prices. It is a pleasure to know when someone says something is 10 miles away it is only going to take 10 minutes. In LA and any city south of the Grapevine and it could take you 30 minutes not to mention how much longer a 30 mile drive with take.The east side of Bakersfield is full of friendly people and all of your outdoor recreation. rivers, lakes, parks etc. Much less stressful life here in Bakersfield.*

Cali on a Budget

The Best Thing About Bakersfield?

The air quality. It’s off the charts horrible and it is known to smell bad. It’s been called The Worst Place to Breathe in the US. Asthmatics, don’t even think about it. And the air is not only horrible to breathe but the smog is a big grey cloud that hangs in the valley that is Kern County.

Here are a few cons from a local about Bakersfield:
*- Limited nightlife/entertainment*
*- Air Quality*
*- Crime/Homeless increasing but that’s everywhere in Cali*

The Air

The Worst Thing About Bakersfield?

Bakersfield is central AG community so, the produce is certainly fresh! Even though it is a city, it feels smaller than it is because the rural quality is pervasive. The biggest employers are oil companies, agriculture and prisons. People tend to be religious and conservative, they like guns, all cannabis is banned and it’s very hot with poor air quality/smog. Lots of dollar stores and thrift stores.

There are nice residential neighborhoods (West Bakersfield) and a downtown revitalization effort but this is strip mall, housing development, Walmart and Target country. It’s the kind of town where the nightlife consists predominantly of bars and you’re likely to run into the same characters with the same habits. It’s very homogeneous. Even between socioeconomic classes -- there are some very wealthy people and some very poor people, yet somehow, the mentality is pretty consistent. Entertainment is largely centered around drinking.

It is road trip distance to big cities and beaches but short of a couple hours drive, it’s pretty stranded.

Check out the annual calendar of events to see what's happening in Bakersfield: https://www.visitbakersfield.com/events/

Lifestyle of Bakersfield

You want to save up some money while being geographically located inside the state of California. 

In olden times the University of California and Calstate college systems were so good and so inexpensive families would move to the state just to get their kids into that system as residents. The costs have moved up but the UC's in particular are still excellent for low costs so we imagine families still want to be in California to put their kids through Cal, UCLA, Davis, Santa Barbara etc. If so then perhaps a WFH play in Bakersfield on that educational path still makes sense. 

The Almighty Dollar

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**The Good, the Bad and the Ugly**

Bakersfield is central AG community so, the produce is certainly fresh! Even though it is a city, it feels smaller than it is because the rural quality is pervasive. The biggest employers are oil companies, agriculture and prisons. People tend to be religious and conservative, they like guns, all cannabis is banned and it’s very hot with poor air quality/smog. Lots of dollar stores and thrift stores.

There are nice residential neighborhoods (West Bakersfield) and a downtown revitalization effort but this is strip mall, housing development, Walmart and Target country. It’s the kind of town where the nightlife consists predominantly of bars and you’re likely to run into the same characters with the same habits. It’s very homogeneous. Even between socioeconomic classes -- there are some very wealthy people and some very poor people, yet somehow, the mentality is pretty consistent. Entertainment is largely centered around drinking. 

It is road trip distance to big cities and beaches but short of a couple hours drive, it’s pretty stranded. 

**The Best Thing About Bakersfield?** 

It’s very cheap and can be a base of operations where you can establish some home equity. It’s the affordable California. Would you believe that 80,000 people commute to Los Angeles? 

**The Worst Thing About Bakersfield?** 

The air quality. It’s off the charts horrible and it is known to smell bad. It’s been called The Worst Place to Breathe in the US. Asthmatics, don’t even think about it. And the air is not only horrible to breathe but the smog is a big grey cloud that hangs in the valley that is Kern County. 

**How You Living?**

Gated or restricted access housing development or apartment. Safe neighborhoods include Rosedale Estate, Stockdale Estate and ritzy places like Seven Oaks, Belsare and rural neighborhoods like Rio Bravo Tuscany and Telvis Ranch

Oildale and parts of East Bakersfield are troubled. There’s a meth problem.

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

You want to save up some money while being geographically located inside the state of California. 


Bakersfield, like much of the central valley, struggles to keep young workers in the city. Growing housing options downtown are helping but more will be needed to pull people away from the coast or the sunbelt cities that have exploding Gen Z and Millennial populations who appreciate the lower costs. Downtown is pretty much the only game in town for the traditional target characteristics of apartments and condos within a walk of a bar and restaurant scene and so if you’re looking at Bakersfield then start here. 



Young Professionals

Downtown

Bakersfield has no LGBTQ+ center, where the community is concentrated. Relatively low housing costs have spread people throughout the city . While there is a growing population and much local civic support you won’t find it in a specific neighborhood. 


LGBTQ+

Olde Stockdale is perhaps the most affluent neighborhood in Bakersfield. Large homes with huge lawns, parks and a beautiful Country Club with all the golf, tennis, fitness and social activities this is where a lot of families with means start their search. 

Laurelglen is a great neighborhood to start your search if you’ve got younger children and are looking for a more affordable option than Old Stockdale. It has great smaller homes and apartment complexes, plenty of shopping and restaurants, parks and some great elementary schools for the kiddos. 
- Olde Stockdale
- Laurelglen
- Seven Oaks at Grand Island
- Tevis Ranch


Families

Old Stockdale

Bakersfield

**What is it like to live in Bakersfield, California?**

I am from the mid west Michigan and Ohio and I have lived in California since 1978. I lived in the Orange County area until 17 years ago when I moved to Bakersfield. Personally I love it. No traffic and things are much less expensive especially the rent and home prices. It is a pleasure to know when someone says something is 10 miles away it is only going to take 10 minutes. In LA and any city south of the Grapevine and it could take you 30 minutes not to mention how much longer a 30 mile drive with take.The east side of Bakersfield is full of friendly people and all of your outdoor recreation. rivers, lakes, parks etc. Much less stressful life here in Bakersfield.

**What is it like to live in Bakersfield, California?**

I’ve lived in Bakersfield my entire life—mainly people’s opinions are based on a few criteria like your political views, age, family, where you live, etc.

Bakersfield is the biggest town in Kern Country and, as with all the other towns in the county, has a lot of Texan influences. Country music is everywhere—although I’ve yet to personally meet anyone under the age of 60 that likes it—and we are the hometown of Merle Haggard. Kern County is also flaming Republican, unlike the rest of California.

Another influence of Bakersfield is the gang activity very inherent here. It is not very safe to live here in my opinion. There are a lot of homeless downtown and on the east side, a lot of drug addiction, and shootings are often heard about in local news. Not that you can’t walk down the street without dying—it’s not near that bad—but enough that walking downtown alone, especially at night, could be very dangerous. A fun thing to consider knowing there is a K-8 school and a high school in the center of downtown. I went to both and knew what a drug deal looked like by the age of 8, and a kid I knew got beat unconscious my freshman year as a part of another student’s gang initiation, and another kid I knew of got stabbed—both on campus.

There’s not a lot to do in Bakersfield, although there are some local favorites: the Fox Theater, CALM, the Buena Vista Museum, the Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace, the Kern County Museum, the thrift/antique store area of downtown, the Bluffs walking trail where you can look out at all the hundred of oil rigs, and Dewar’s Ice Cream (that last one is genuinely great, everyone passing through Bakersfield should stop there). After you’ve been to all those places it gets old fast.



**(ADVICE) Pros and cons before moving to Bakersfield**



- Mid-size city with little to no traffic

- Low COL comparatively

- Easy to settle down and raise a family

- Good variety of American, Indian, Asian, Mexican food spots

- Growing city, new developments

- 2 hours away from mountains, coast or LA

- 4 hours away from SD, SF, Las Vegas

Cons:

- Limited nightlife/entertainment

- Air Quality

- Red County, Racism, Meth

- Crime/Homeless increasing but that’s everywhere

Best areas to live:

- Southwest

- Northwest

- Parts of Northeast

**(ADVICE) Pros and cons before moving to Bakersfield**


30 year old married male. We bought our house 2 years ago. Attracted to the area due to cost of living, beer scene, indian food, and vicinity to Sequoia National Forest/Park. We came from San Diego, but originally the Seattle area. If you are looking to double income no kids, your salaries will go far in this town, and will have disposable income to have fun. Mammoth is 4 hrs away (we have season passes), Paso Robles wine country is 1.5 hrs (become a member some where you love), and if you miss city life cruise to LA for a weekend. If you like to browse vinyl, Going Underground is the spot. Amazing music history with The Bakersfield Sound even if you don't like country.

**The pros and cons of living in Bakersfield California (where “The Purge” happens every day)**

Bakersfield, California

Oil, Farming & Drinking

Looklyloo Score: 71

We're on it!