you are lucky since you love doing all those things. I wish i lived it Texas. I hate california

I hate Texas.  If I were you  I would ask for a transfer to El Paso,  As I said, Love it or leave it. 

awww! I love that feeling of gratefulness. Bliss. I feel the same way and always point out the same exact things you just did!

 Twinkie, at one time I seriously thought, when I retired, I would like a home in Porterville.  Delightful town.  But, I found our Kernville, RiverKern, and so here we are.  Be happy.  And if you aren't and you are young, hang it up and go.  Life is really too short.  By the way, I grew up in a town called Stevensville, liked Porterville, and ended up in Kernville.  Just a village idiot, I guess.  Love you all.

nope, i dont have to leave it. i tolerate it.

Bakersfield is ok enough. It certainly does have all the positive attributes that have already been outlined above. But in equal number are the drawbacks: An almost palpable sense of anger and entitlement; the rudest drivers I have ever (and I do mean EVER)  had the unfortunately pleasure of sharing a road with; a useless and apathetic downtown business association... I could go on and on...

But to say "love it or leave it" borders on the sophmoric. The choices in life are not always (or perhaps ever) so cut and dry. My partner was born and raised here going on 56 years ago and has arguably seen Bakersfield for everything it was and is. I have lived here going on 5 years and only share a small history with this city. We choose to stay because of our respective employment and the relative affordability. Would we prefer to live somewhere else? Of course! It's not as though this is the most gay friendly city in the state. But it's not so simple to pick up and move, find new jobs and hope to be able to make ends meet.

We do not "love" Bakersfield- merely tolerate (thank you, Annie) it for what it is. I think it's far more adult to accept things for what they are and make changes when you can then to be forced into such  black and white, dichotomous thinking.

Wow.  I am impressed.  But Seattle, Minneapolis and Frisco, have many attributes you apparently desire.  But until then just suck it up and let the rest of us be happy.  Don't blame others for your bad choices.  And I don't remember bringing up the subject of homosexuality.  I have that in my family, and prefer to deal with other factors in life.

I think the reason you hate it here gayinoh8 is because you personally didn't grow up here.

   Don I do feel blessed blissfully blessed. I'd like to some day move up closer to your area or Tehachapi. I recently spent a hot summer night in Porterville, Froze my ass off! It was near the Hot Springs. Going to Porterville was a fun but sickening experience for me as a child. I used to get car sick and you know the  dips on the road there. But I went back a while back and I  shot pictures of the Calif Hot Springs Pool. They didn't do anything with that place for a long time. I'm so glad to see it built back up. My mom had Rheumatoid Arthritis and my Dad would take her to be in that pool. Me and my sister had a great time doing the same!

I've said many times I want to leave, but I've always stayed. I'm glad I have. I guess with age sometimes good sense. And a good sense of when you are blessed with so much. You count those blessing.

On a side note:

I might be getting a house soon. It wasn't the exact area I wanted. I wanted a house in the north east. It didn't happen although I found a couple of  decent homes.  It's amazing  to see a house on the outside like up on Panorama. Then look inside. People really don't take good care of where they live sometimes. All the houses up there were awful inside. They weren't worth the amount of money to fix them up. I'm not just talking foreclosures either. Awww seems I might be moving closer to Annie! Off of West Day!  Right in the way of the flood plain ! Seems everything is a go on the house on Sunny Meadows. I think I want a built in pontoon system under my house!

 grampsdon- I appreciate your candor, but don't quite understand your point. I guess I'm just dumb like that. "Suck it up" indeed. I do a helluva lot more than simple deal with living here. I participate in the growth and developement of my community- and YES, it is MY community too. For as long as Stephen and I live here we plan on treating Bakersfield and the Central Valley as home:

• We are forming a neighborhood coalition to combat rising concerns in our housing development of South San Lauren.
• We both volunteer regularly to the American Heart Association & the Go Red for Women Campaign.
• I write a column for Bakersfield Magazine about the food culture and entertaining in Bakersfield. I also cover many of the fine benefits, fundraisers and social events, ALWAYS in positive and glowing terms.
• We own a home which, in my mind, suggests more than a passing interest.

"Suck it up"?  "Bad choices"? Are you serious? Can you actually make that kind of judgment based on one post? Perhaps you don't intend to be quite so mean-spirited as your words come across. I'm not being critical of Bakersfield out of a desire to argue or piss people off. I believe there is a great deal of potential simply wasted in this city. I think because I'm not from Bakersfield, my perspective is perhaps clearer (at least different)- and definately as valid as anyone elses'.

And no, you didn't bring up homosexuality, grampsdon. I did. Until you have "FAGS" spraypainted on your front door, you cannot understand the depth of hatred a community can harbor. A community is not only the very best it has to offer, but also the very worst of it's offenders. Leaving Bakersfield because of those kind of events only means "they" win.

Point of fact- I do not "hate" living here 'joe. I didn't think anything I posted indicated that. But if, as the title of this thread seems to indicate, there are only the two choices "love" or "leave", then I guess Imma haveta leave. Now which one of y'all is gonna give me the cash to do that? (That's just a joke).

Look, I'm happy for anyone who has found their niche in the world. I'm not looking to diminish that at all. But it's simply not fair to expect anyone else to share your sentiments or leave. Sorry for ranting.

WHAT BAD CHOICES! WTF! are you kidding me, who is blaming it on that? oh dear, you just opened a whole nother subject. OK i grew up here, its OK, i have had a lot of Fun here i loved it as a kid, but so much as an adult, there are many other places id much rather live. (aka the beach) but unfortunately i don't make that kind of money YET to be able to afford to live there at 25 years old. Maybe when i reach YOUR age i will have saved enough money and had goals to move and improve my scenery, I'M SORRY about your bad choices that didn't allow you a better place to live and a better attitude.

HOLY F*CK. you are ridiculous. and being a bit judgmental, and not about anything worthwhile.

GayinOh8, I think that was all very eloquently put. And as someone who's spent nearly half her life living outside of Bakersfield, I can certainly appreciate your perspective.

Thank you, SamG. Most don't know this but before I moved out on my own my family had moved 23 (yes, twenty-three) times. My parents were heavy into restoring old houses and landmarks then moving on to the next "big project". I have lived in Wisconsin, Arizona, New Mexico, Indiana, Florida and California with multiple moves within states. Since striking out on my own I have moved at least a dozen more times before finally settling down here in Bakersfield.

Over the course of several years of moving I have learned how to find redeeming qualities no matter where I live- Bakersfield included. But Bakersfield also has nuances that I haven't experienced any other place that I've lived. All in all, The Central Valley is an OK place to live. And OK is good enough for me.

Buck Owens once lived on Panorama.  We took our kids up there on Haloween to trick or treat!

Stephen told me that he, too was taken up to Panorama to trick-or-treat. Quite possibly for the same reason. I will say, that for anyone who says there's nothing to do in Bakersfield, they need to open their eyes. In the space of just a week I went to the Elton John concert (which was excellent), met Carol Channing (just before they had to put her back in the embalming fluid) and went to Beer Fest (which wasn't all that, but it was ok). It seems to me that Buck Owens was rather casual about his celebrity status while living in Bakersfield.

Buck was very open to people while living in Bakersfield city.  Later he moved somewhere (on a ranch?) and was more secluvise, but was older, less healthy, and more involved in his Night Club.  Did Carol Channing croak (her voice) I mean before submersion?