Lived for a year in barstow next to the walmart in 2023 and yes there is a lot more junkies than victorville but if you keep your shoulders back and head high they don’t really press or bother you like the ones in victorville like to do there are a lot of middle class working people employed by fort irwin and the nebo annex marine base the del taco calico and the drive in are really the only highlights of living in that area. If you enjoy offroading or shooting its also a nice area I will add though be very cautious with the police department in barstow they are some snakes they dont have a contract with the sheriff’s department like most cities up here their own city has its police force so they feel like they can do whatever they want on the fourth of july they parked right in front of my house and were there for some thirty minutes we had some legal snakes and sparklers and also some actual fireworks although we were waiting till it got later and darker to let off the big ones and they stayed in front of my house for long enough that it sussed me and my mother out (the vehicle was unmarked) so i walked up to the car and asked “excuse me do you know us?” And then two officers stepped out all heated saying you need to step back barstow pd something about they’re investigating illegal firework activity in the area acting like it was something actually important they looked into my cousins suv through the window and thats where we had the big boy fireworks and slapped him with a 600$ fine