Hey there, and welcome. I’m Angel, your local Bakersfield Realtor.
If you’ve been following along for more than a minute, you know things went a little quiet here for a while. So let me catch you up, and then let me give you the honest, no-hype picture of what it’s actually like to live in Bakersfield.
Here’s the short version of my story: my family and I left Southern California in 2001 and moved to the Central Valley. I became the Bakersfield Realtor in 2017, and we lived in Bakersfield from 2007 right up until we left California in 2024, after 53 years in the state. I have two and three generations of family who have lived in and around Bakersfield and still do. So I’ll tell you right now: I will never bash this community, I will never tell you it’s a bad place to live, and I will always want to help you become part of it. Bakersfield is near and dear to my heart.
And here’s the part that matters if you’re serious about a move: I’m still a fully licensed California Realtor — dual licensed in California and South Carolina — and I have a team on the ground in Bakersfield. This isn’t me reminiscing about a town I used to live in. I’m actively helping people buy and sell here. Even after we moved, folks kept finding me on this channel, reaching out, and becoming Bakersfield homeowners with my team and me coordinating every step. So when I say I can help you make this move, I mean it literally.
That’s also why I can be straight with you about the parts that take some getting used to. This is not a “roses and rainbows” sales pitch. It’s the God’s honest truth, top to bottom and everything in the middle, so you can decide if Bakersfield is right for you and your family.
Where is Bakersfield, exactly?
Let’s clear up the single most common mix-up first. When people in Southern California hear “Bakersfield,” a lot of them say, “Oh yeah, I pass it on my way to Vegas.” No, you don’t. That’s Barstow. Bakersfield is on your way north.
Here’s the easy landmark: head up from LA, go past Magic Mountain, keep going, and when you come down out of the mountains into the valley, you’ve landed in Bakersfield. It’s genuinely that simple to get to.
And that central location is one of the most underrated things about living here. From Bakersfield, you’re roughly:
- Two hours to the coast (Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, San Simeon, and more)
- Two hours to the mountains
- Two hours to Southern California — a Dodger game, a concert, whatever you’re after, straight over the Grapevine and you’re there
Want to head north instead? Sequoia, Yosemite, a Giants game, or points further up in Northern California are all very doable. Being in the middle of the state turns out to be a serious quality-of-life perk.
How big is Bakersfield, really?
You’ll see stats online claiming only a couple hundred thousand people live here. I think that’s hilarious, because it badly undersells the place.
The Bakersfield metro area is much larger than that older city-limits number suggests — think closer to half a million people in and around the city, and well over a million across Kern County as a whole once you fold in the surrounding towns like Taft, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella, and Ridgecrest.
The point is this: Bakersfield is not small-town, podunk America. It’s a significant, established community with real amenities. That surprises a lot of newcomers, in a good way.
Is Bakersfield hot? (Yes. Let’s be honest about it.)
I’ll never lie to you, so here it is: Bakersfield is hot.
I’m not talking “hot in July and August, and then it cools right off.” I’m talking triple digits that settle in and stay. It’s not 107 one day and 95 the next — it’s 104, 105, 106, 107, day after day, and it holds deep into September before it finally breaks. It absolutely does cool down eventually, I promise, but not for a while.
So what do locals actually do about it? You adapt, and honestly it becomes routine. You’re in your backyard pool, you’re at the community pool, you find a friend with a pool, or you load up and head to the coast for the day. Half the Central Valley does exactly that on the hottest weekends, because two hours away it’s a completely different climate. Plan for the summers, and you’ll be just fine.
What about the air quality in Bakersfield?
This is the one I want you to take seriously, because I’d rather tell you the truth up front than have you find out the hard way.
Bakersfield sits in the San Joaquin Valley, and the valley’s geography means the air can get thick with pollutants. It’s not that you’re walking into a dust storm every day. It’s that several things happening in the area combine, and because it’s not a coastal city with an ocean breeze, it all tends to just sit.
A few of the contributors:
- Agriculture. This valley grows an enormous amount of the food on America’s tables. When they shake the almond, walnut, and fruit trees at harvest, that dust lifts into the air. Growers work under heavy regulations, but some of it simply comes with producing the food.
- Traffic. Bakersfield is a major thoroughfare between Northern and Southern California, and Interstate 5 and Highway 99 run right through the region. If you’ve ever lived near a freeway, you know what that adds to the air.
- Oil and gas. A real part of the local economy, though its contribution is comparatively modest next to the others.
Here’s my honest advice: if you or your kids are sensitive to air quality — and truthfully, we’re all a little sensitive to it — do not move here assuming it’s a non-issue. Have a real conversation with your doctor or a pulmonologist about how it could affect your family, especially if you have little ones, who are more often affected. My husband and I raised two kids who were born and raised in the valley with no breathing issues, so this is not me scaring you off. It’s me telling you to weigh it honestly, because you know your own body and your own family. If you’re going to raise your kids here for a couple of decades, it’s worth thinking through.
We’ll talk about air quality a lot on the channel, because it’s one of the real trade-offs of valley living, and you deserve to go in with your eyes open.
Want all of this in one place? Grab the Bakersfield Insider Guide
I actually put together something that pulls everything I’ve ever covered on the channel into one clean resource: the Bakersfield Insider Guide. ZIP codes, neighborhoods, school districts, restaurants, what to expect from the weather — you name it, it’s in there.
It’s a free downloadable PDF. Nothing fancy, nothing to buy. All I ask in return is your email, so we can stay in touch as you move through the process. That way, when you’re ready to say “Okay, Angel, I’m ready to go,” you’ve already got a direct line to me. And if you have more questions after reading it, just reply to the email, and I’ll answer.
Download the free Bakersfield Insider Guide here.
Is Bakersfield affordable?
Let me tie a bow on the biggest reason people look here in the first place. If you’re thinking about buying a home in California, Kern County — which is where Bakersfield sits — is one of the least expensive counties in the entire state to buy in.
Pair that with everything we just covered — the central location, two hours from the water, the mountains, and Southern California — and you start to see why so many people relocating within California land here. Your dollar goes further, and you’re not giving up access to the rest of the state to get that value.
Why this channel exists (and how I can help)
This channel exists to give you the real answers, whether you want to understand how the ZIP codes work, the east side versus the west side, or you’re tired of all the noise online about crime. No spin, no clickbait, just what it’s actually like to live here from someone who did it for two decades and still sells here today.
So here’s what’s coming: videos on gun ownership in Kern County, what it’s actually like to buy a home here, interviews with local business owners and restaurants that make this town what it is, and a whole lot more. I’ve got big plans, and I’m genuinely grateful you keep showing up.
One quick note for the trolls: if you’re here to leave something nasty about Bakersfield, save your keyboard energy. The people on this channel are seriously considering making this place home, and neither they nor I are interested in the hate. Everybody else — welcome, I’m so glad you’re here.
Ready to explore your move to Bakersfield?
If you and your family are considering moving to Bakersfield — as you should be — I would love to help. A call, a text, or an email is all it takes to get started, and my team and I will help you figure out what you need, your price point, your qualifications- all of it.
📞 661-428-4004 ✉️ info@mybakersfieldrealtor.com
I want to call you my friend after we’ve closed on your home. Thank you so much for being here. I’ll see you on the next one.
Angel Przybylski · Your Bakersfield Realtor · Living In Bakersfield · CA DRE #02036715
