I viewed the TV report, but I haven't seen the magazine. The city was evidently graded mainly on things that are perceived to be important to young, single men. Bakersfield would not be on my list of retirement choices, but this particular report can be taken with a grain of salt.

bearcat,where are you moving to?? I ask because someone on one of these GW boards told me awhile ago they were moving near me,Encinitas,i think,only i can't remember who it was.Ya know CRS,senior moments and all that.LOL
Kathi

Kathi,

It wasn't me who's going to Encinitas.

Now that you've got us all wound up about this, aren't you going to tell us what's wrong with Bakersfield? And what is WU? I don't know much about the town, but the Kern River Canyon is beautiful.

A WU is a Wake-Up. 42 and a WU.

Bakersfield, California is your basic central California Agricultural city with some notable exceptions.

1) Oil was discovered here and the Oil Industry is a major employer and shaper of the area.

2) The railways run their connection to Los Angeles and the east through Tehachapi from here. There is also talk about running a bullet train line up from LA that would have Bakersfield as its first major stop. That combined with the unlimited space available, means the housing market in BKF has therefore boomed, but the bullet train has yet to become substance.

3) Bakersfield is surrounded by state prisons.

4) The medical industry seems to have a presence here, but perhaps that's because Valley Fever, a spore born respiratory desease has a presence here too. Despite this, people I've talked to rate Bakersfield Hospitals poorly and have a mistrust for them.

5) Bakersfield is close enough to LA that it is a place subject to influx of people from the LA area.

Bakersfield is located near several scenic gateways to the Sierra Mountains. Its weather can go from extremes. The valley is a natural sink for thermal inversions and air pollution. And yes, there might not be much for entertainment and a high ratio of male to female.

It can be an ok place to live for some folks. Let there be no doubt of that.

It seems however, that the best spectator sport in town is watching the news to see who got shot by who, usually teenagers, whose lives get snuffed out before they have a chance to know life. But adults as well. If Men's Health is correct and there is little to occupy the imagination and energy of Bakersfield's youth, combined with the fact that families of incarcerated prisoners naturally migrate here, then the explanation for the citys high crime rate, gang activity and the proclivity for people to recreate themselves on drugs is re-inforced beyond what you might see elsewhere. From what I have seen, the city's got a problem here that by itself reduces the quality of life immeasurably and in an insidious way that folks can be reluctant to admit to or do anything about. The diversity of the people and a degree of transience due to growth, makes people mind their own business and remain fragmented on the issue. They live with it. Certainly, there are other cities with similar problems, but ... Bakersfield is definitely such a place. It's no secret either, that several of California's central valley cities, Bakersfield among them, have the highest poverty rate in the state, despite the growth and jobs generated by that growth. I have lived in better places and have known people who sent their kids to private schools because they have no faith in the California public school system. Here in Bakersfield, I would say that the chances of your kid learning criminal behavior both from peers and insidiously from their teachers ... is high. I am aware personally of something with respect to this and it isn't a pretty realization.

I'm trying to think of something good about BKF.

Food is always a good measure of a City's quality of living, I think. But Bakersfield, despite having good cultural diversity seems to lack the variety and quality of culinary fare. Sure, it has some good restaurants and all the chain types, but something is definitely lacking. And let's face it folks, when it comes to food and the endorphins that good food causes to make people happy, there's just one more thing lacking that promotes a worse alternative.

Good things about BKF:

1) Proximity to scenic areas and outdoor recreation.

2) Plenty of open land to build on ... but to what end?

3) It does have a California State University and other institutions of higher learning.

4) Rabobank Arena to host some degree of entertainment and sports.

5) Because Bakersfield is still a smaller city and has plenty of land to expand upon, traffic flow is generally good in most places, except for Friday Nights in the Summer when far too many drivers go psychotic. But that's everywhere in California.

Let's see ...

No Museums, except one that regards the fossil riches of Shark Tooth Hill, a site which is now off limits due to development. The Buena Vista Museum is perpetually underfunded and in danger of closing.

No Zoos except for a small one that features local fauna that must be in danger of going extinct.

OH MY GOD! No Conservatories or Arboretums!!!!

The city has implemented some parkland and bike trails along the Kern River which is nice.

Hmmm ...

There's always a road out of Bakersfield.

If I were moving to Kern Co., somewhere around Weldon would be the place. Great scenery, great for birds (Kern River Preserve). For me Bakersfield's hot summers wouldn't be a problem, but the winter fogs would be depressing.

How about going up the road to California's best-kept secret -- Fresno/Clovis.
Like everywhere there is crime, but at least the govt is trying to do something about it.
We also get the bad air from SF and the upper valley.
And the extremes of temperatures that is normal for this valley.

BUT.....

1. We have great restaurants.
2. Reasonably good shopping -- unless you prefer Nordy's or Saks.
3. Gateway to 3 major National Parks.
4. Clovis Unified is one of the best school systems in the state.
5. Housing is still reasonable.
6. And jobs in many sectors are available..... especially if you're wait-staff because there isn't enough to go around.
7. Fresno has 3 major hospitals and Clovis one.... all known for their excellance... oops forgot Kaiser... make that 4 plus satillites.
8. No prisons.
9. We hope to someday be on that high-speed train route.
10. There is a walking/bicycle trail running the whole length of an old RR bed that runs from SE Clovis up north to Fresno and then down again to somewhere in SW Fresno. There are lots of bicycle lanes on city streets.
11. There are museums, and a zoo, and The GARDEN OF THE SUN ... just in case you want to learn to garden in this climate.
12. How about not one, but two water-play parks for those unbearable summer days? Yup... 2.
13. Several Universities and a City College.
14. Did I mention Parks .... everywhere.

I could go on, but this is getting boring... but one more:

15. There are many roads coming into the Clovis/Fresno area.

I'm reading the writing on the wall and it's nothing more than grafitti, written by some tag king outfit paid off with dope to intentionally make a mess.

No prophetic words, just some reptilian mind display garbage that higher intellects would find to be a waste of time and energy when they can write a book or a white paper instead.

But I suppose I can hint at my alternative to this place.

Pacific Ocean vistas are just 'over the hill'. There's a theme park central to the whole area and yep, they have some another spot with some of those water slides. Excellent restaurants everywhere. Good diverse culture with some of the nations finest educational institutions within 50 to 60 miles radius. Traffic, which I've always hated is heavy, but I'll make that one sacrifice for something better. Great sports teams. A Hockey Team! Great entertainment centers. And stores that are rarely found in many US cities and have startup history in the area. One of most enormous shopping malls in California is a nearby landmark. Great public transportation and a general populace that is headed up by creative and innovative entrepaneurial minds and backed by professionals and a 'do it' work force. The place has always thrived on success and is vibrant and upbeat. Cost of living is higher, but crime is less and people, though from everywhere imaginable are more interactive. Lots of sights and sounds and tourists are common. Weather is moderate with a coastal influence.

Good hiking areas are common and there's always something to do or see within a short distance from home.

This place I'm going to is in the top 10 for Quality of Life.

Yeah!

Well where are you going to?? Curious minds want to know.LOL,LOL
Kathi

Way too many people down there for me!

One of the BIGGEST PROBLEMS of cities located in the southern San Joaquin Valley is like having massive walls on all three sides, trapping all the pollutants that are all coming from one open side. thus all the bad stuff produced by the Bay Area and Central Valley Cities gets collected over there with nowhere to go but inside your lungs.

On the plus side, there is always that fantastic inversion layer resulting from such entrapment and can protect the subtropicals like citruses and avocadoes. That's why the citrus belt of California is located there. Even with all the scientific data that such pollutants comes from elsewhere, nothing in the Bay Area has been implemented to stem the tide of these notorious pollutants coming from the fumes of their vehicles and their fireplaces, not to mention some of the power plants, oil refineries as well. So they recklessly continue their merry ways, the pollutants gets carried away by the Delta Breezes anyway, so it is not their problem. Even the gum and Eucalyptus trees in the Bay Area contribute to the massive smog in the Valley, and it is not a problem of the Bay Area, so the Bay Area politicians will contend.

Kathi,

Let me give you a clue ...

Which two California Cities have Hockey Teams?

Guess it isn't Anaheim.

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Actually there is 3 cities that have hockey teams.
Jannorcal--Where do you think the Ducks are? They haven't moved that I am aware of.

We may not have the coast you seem to already have chosen, but we also have a pro-hockey team called the Falcons; and pro-baseball is represented by The Grizzlies. This is in addition to numerous college sporting events. We even get some good gossip from Fresno State as well as good team sports. AND, we have the Savemart Center for indoor sporting events as well as top performers in the arts. HAH!

I have never found the grass any greener anywhere else for any length of time. After a year or two reality intrudes and you find the flaws in your 'paradise':) We gave up on paradise, too many valley folks moved in from Bakersfield and LA, so we moved back to the valley, LOL*

I only spent one month in Bakersfield years ago, but it remains a vivid memory. At the time I managed a chain of fast food restaurants in L.A. and I was sent to Bakersfield on a temporary basis to straighten out some local stores.

Let's see--there were plenty of bars with both kinds of music--country AND western. Food was so-so but I remember some good Basque restaurants. Weather was ridiculously hot in the summer but then so is all of inland California.

One experience in particular stands out for me. I was staying at an old hotel on a formerly bustling main street downtown (California Ave?). This section of town had seen better days. One night there was a big commotion across the street with many police cars. It seems someone had robbed the liquor store. Having nothing better to do, I and several other hotel guests stood on the curb to watch the activity. I didn't notice that the other people had left and it was just me at the curb until a car driving slowly pulled over, rolled down the window, and the driver asked me 'How much?" I realized he thought I was a prostitute hanging around waiting for a customer. I decided that was a sign to get out of Bakersfield right then.