Hello Tehachapi. I’ve been all over California over the decades. From the top to the bottom and side to side, looking to see if a good community exists. I’ve seen terrible cities, like Bakersfield and plenty, plenty of others. Places of little to no planning. Not a thought or care seemingly. Makes you want to hurl, actually. Crowds everywhere. Billboards advertising “SUE!” everywhere. Trash. Misery. Depression.
I think Tehachapi is about as good as it gets. If I were starting over, I might choose you (population maintained at a steady rate by attrition — people who move out or pass on). Wide, open streets. Clean and uncluttered. Big fields for kids to explore in. Lots of sidewalks for walking. Tall trees (when it seems the public works departments of most cities dictate smallness because it’s convenient for them). A lot of green. The temp mild at higher elevations than the Central Valley. The streets seemed empty of the usual swarms of cars. Well thought out.
Unfortunately, I also saw lots of real estate signs around. Lot’s of advertisements for more land to be developed. It seems the city has caught the disease, the cancer of continual growth. Very sad about that. Eventually, unless thoughtful, caring people are elected, the sickness will strike. Believe me, writing from a community where people have battled real estate developers, they never quit. They might seem nice, but it’s all about the bucks for most. And one city after another falls. Care.
— R. Ron, Pismo Beach
