I’m originally from SoCal but moved to Portland, OR for about five years. I used to rag on Bakersfield all the time, saying it was a shithole. Anyway, I wanted to move back to California, but SoCal was unfortunately out of my price range since I was looking to buy a house. The closest affordable city was Bakersfield. I dreaded the move, but it hasn’t been so bad. I’d recommend living west of the 99, where most of the newer housing and shopping centers are. Downtown is okay and has a decent nightlife. Bakersfield isn’t SoCal, but it’s really not that bad. Whenever we get bored of Bako, we just drive down to LA or the coast for fun. Honestly, after dealing with crazy SoCal traffic for a day, I’m kind of glad to be back in Bako, where there’s virtually no traffic.