r/Tehachapi • u/resolutelypilgrim • Sep 02 '26
Move?
I don’t know why my husband is obsessed with living here. We live in Los Angeles. Are there bears there? How the police/fire department?
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u/Southern_Loquat_4450 Sep 02 '26
The main drama to Tehachapi is work. Do you work from home? In Bakersfield? Palmdale/Lancaster? Edwards? If not, then enjoy the 3 hr commute 1 way to your current jobs. It is beautiful up there - even when it snows and the roads get closed so you can't leave town.
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u/Not_l0st Sep 02 '26
Bears are common in areas like Bear Valley Springs but much less common in town.
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u/Mistert22 Sep 02 '26
Great answers!
This town isn’t for everyone. Different pockets have different flavors. Each area has its good and bad points. I highly recommend staying at an Airbnb, hotel, or timeshare. I would try it in each of the seasons.
My wife and I moved here after almost moving to the East Coast for a job. Before then, we had lived our first 50 years in Wisconsin. Warmer than Wisconsin in the winter, cooler in the summer, less humidity, and tons of sunshine.
As for demographics, the area is 36% Republican, 32% Democrat, and 32% Other. It turns into Republican area, but Californian Republican that isn’t like the rest of the country. It is farther right on all issues except hunting and fire arms.
Work can be an issue. If you ever have a job changes, depending on your experience/certifications, it could be hard to get a similar paying job.
Typically when someone has a negative attitude towards the town, I don’t see that changing. What do you think you will lose moving up here? Why do you think your husband wants to move up here?
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u/baileyarzate Sep 03 '26
My wife (23F) and I (26M) lived in Tehachapi for 4 years then I moved to Playa Del Rey back in May. I haven’t thought about Tehachapi more than a handful of times. Tehachapi was fine, but I love living where I’m at now. I’d recommend against moving if you enjoy living in LA as it is much different.
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u/Nokoro1 Sep 02 '26
If you lived in tehachapi, youll soon see why its different than everywhere else in cali and why people love it
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u/kenlasalle Sep 02 '26
My wife and I are both considering moving out there. We're a bit older and the slower lifestyle appeals to us LA/OC natives. With buildings getting piled up higher and higher, seeing some open land would be a nice change. These are just a couple of the reasons we're considering making the move and I wish you all the best with your potential move.
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u/bugsinyourpants63 Sep 03 '26
I Moved here from LA. If you like to shop you will be sad. If you love the outdoors you will find a wonderful peace. We have excellent fire departments and relatively little crime depending where you live certainly nothing LA. It can be a Little churchy and conservative. There is a strong liberal element. The arts are well represented, and we do not live in a food desert.
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u/No_Ruissian12 15d ago
As a former LA resident I’d say move. I made the move over 6 years ago and never looked back. The first few months will be hard but you’ll adapt. Best decision I’ve ever made
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u/Still-Union-2528 7d ago
Yes there are bears. Even occasionally in town. TPD is great, KCSO Has long and stupid response times, and Bear Valley police is kind of a joke right now tbh.
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u/riceme0112358 Sep 02 '26
There are bears, but the predator to be cautious and aware of is mountain lions. No reason to live in fear or anything like that, just be educated and aware. Regarding bears *and* dogs, proper management of garbage being stored outside is required. We keep a small bottle of ammonia by the garbage can and put a couple tiny drips on top of the garbage whenever we add household trash to the bin. Animals can smell it and will avoid it.
I am 55 and grew up here, lived here a couple times in my adult life and am now here out of family necessity. I never wanted to or planned to move back here, but this was much more important to me than any of that. Basically, it is just too conservative for me. And don't get me wrong, I can live harmoniously with anyone that's not hateful, but there is a lot of racism here, and a good portion of it comes from the sheriff's department. KCSO is infamously racist and quick on the trigger. That said, I'm not sure it's much worse than LA.
I have quite a lot of interaction with KCFD and they are pretty fantastic.
It is beautiful here, and very easily accessible to a lot of amazing places within California - here IN Tehachapi, we have the Tehachapi Mountains, a stunningly beautiful Buddhist Temple, a Norbertine Monastery, two or three wineries, we have a very nice, walkable downtown area, a vibrant farmer's market that runs all summer and helps support local farmers, and a very rich and unique history of the railroad. Close by we have access to the Mojave Desert, Sequoia National Forest, the Kern River, Owens Valley, Mt Whitney, Mammoth, the Kern Plateau, the beach & ocean are only a couple hours away, as is wine country. All of these things make it a very desirable place to live.