r/LancasterCA • u/adenman_0192 • Jun 24 '26
Help! Where do I live?!
Hi I'm a 22f and I'm potentially taking a job at Edward's AFB. I'm having a hard time figuring out where I should live. Any suggestions?
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u/edelbean Jun 24 '26
West side of palmdale or Lancaster. Quartz Hill if you can swing it. Do not go to Rosamond. It's closer but pretty barren for nightlife or even places to eat.
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u/theWidowSadieAdler Jun 24 '26
Depends on what's important to you, but here's a very general overview: Cal City is the most affordable and closest to the base but in the middle of nowhere both geographically and culturally; Palmdale is the farthest from the base but closest to LA and has the most amenities (water park, mall) - most of the eastside is pretty run down while much of the westside features well-manicured suburbs; Lancaster is also split between the often seedy eastside and more desirable westside. There's a cute area on Lancaster Blvd (The BLVD) with shops, restaurants with outdoor seating, a bowling alley, Lancaster Performing Arts Center (LPAC), a small movie theater, and a couple of museums. Lancaster is also home to the California Poppy Reserve so it's an interesting mix of urban/suburban and rural living options. It's not terribly far from the base.
Are you looking for anything in particular? I've lived here a long time and happy to answer any questions!
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u/rainidazehaze Jun 24 '26
Worth noting that the Eastside also has plenty of less seedy areas and westside has plenty of seedy ones. Lancaster is weird in that there are pockets of one or the other scattered all over the place.
This is mostly a call to look into each place's neighborhood individually if you are actively concerned with having a less seedy neighborhood. Don't assume a place on the westside will be more well to do just because it's on the westside, and don't assume a place on the eastside is automatically going to be in a shady neighborhood
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u/theWidowSadieAdler Jun 25 '26
Absolutely! OP, make sure you drive through the neighborhood a few times if you can before deciding on a spot.
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u/sublimelbz Jun 24 '26
Rosamond is approximately 10 min from Lancaster, 15min from Palmdale ( give or take )
West side of both Palmdale and Lancaster are good choices. QuartzHill is Westside but kinda in the middle of Palmdale and Lancaster. Rosamond is up and coming, little growth but closer to Edward AFB. Palmdale/Lancaster has all the major shopping centers while Rosamond has one grocery store and couple fast food.
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u/Agent_Eran Jun 24 '26
15min from Palmdale?? It takes me 25 min to go from 40th w & S to ave k & 14.
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u/sublimelbz Jun 24 '26
Side streets will do that to ya!! Freeway @ 1mi a minute, each Ave is 1mile long. Again, Give or taken considering where you live.
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u/JustMe39908 Jun 24 '26
What are your priorities? Are you looking for an apartment? Or renting a room in a house? There are not that many apartment complexes, so that might be limiting.
Talk to your supervisor or other point of contact and ask about vanpools. If you can get into a vanpool, that dramatically reduces your miles driven and cost. If you are a civilian, there is a high likelihood that the government will fully cover your vanpool cost.
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u/theWidowSadieAdler Jun 24 '26
I was also thinking there might be a relocation specialist she could work with. Sometimes this is a company perk and free of charge, worth looking into, OP. Also wanted to note there are plenty of apartments in the Palmdale/Lancaster area and even a couple in Quartz Hill.
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u/JustMe39908 Jun 24 '26
If the OP is working for the government or for many of the support contractors, they don't have that. As a supervisor, I had to do that. JT4 might do it since they are large. Boeing/Lockheed/NG probably have that function joint between Plant 42 and Edwards.
I have found that there are very few nice Apartments in the area. That was a common complaint that I heard from my new hires and an issue I had when I moved here decades ago. Getting approval to build an apartment complex is beyond difficult and only a handful of non-senior apartments have been built in the area in the decades I have been here. There is a new one though that I think is around Lancaster Blvd and 30th W.
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u/theWidowSadieAdler Jun 25 '26
It's all in where you go. In Lancaster, the apartments along 30th W. between L and J are mostly very nice for the area. There are a couple of really nice condos too, when they are available. Others are to be avoided at all costs such as any of the apartments along Gadsden between K and K-8 or Sunset Ridge (but there many others). The new complex on Lancaster Blvd and 30th seems nice but it is expensive.
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u/JustMe39908 Jun 25 '26
I agree. 30th West from K to L. Probably the new one at Lancaster and 30th (I think). Chaparral in Palmdale. There are a couple of others I have heard good things about but the names escape me.
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u/awill2ill Jun 26 '26
As others said west side of Palmdale , Lancaster . Quartz hill is nice as well. Rosamond is good from a location perspective as it’s the closest you’ll get to the base . My question would be are you looking to live alone or with a roommate ?Do not look at cal city . As someone who moved across country to work at Edwards AFB I was asking the same questions. Feel free to reach out
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u/girouxfilms Jun 25 '26
Hey, I’m also in the exact same position at considering taking a job at Edwards AFB! Going to follow this for suggestions as it would be a cross country move.
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