This City In California Is Almost Completely Empty. What Happened??
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- Believe it or don’t, I’m in the biggest city in California. It’s also the 11th biggest city in the country. But nobody’s here. It doesn't look like a city. Where are the houses? It’s just roads that lead nowhere, and tumbleweeds.
There’s a place way out in the middle of the California desert that was supposed to one day be as big as Los Angeles.
It’s called California City, and it’s one of the most ambitious real estate schemes in US History.
Today, it’s the biggest city never built.
#california #moving
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The best video on this topic!
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Search Carrizo Plain The City Of California Valley to find a secret city in California
Horrifying lol I love freedom, is Florida the only place on this planet left to live for that?
yk how you went to steen minnessota well i lived there for 12 years. it was nice tbh yeah. precieate it
Got that covered in this program. All of it. It would be Down to the last detail.
The lawyers took all the money out of California city.
My dad bought property in California City back in the 1950s or 60s. He passed away at 91 years of age and he still owned the property, faithfully paying the taxes on it every year. The really funny thing about him buying the property, was that he and my mom were torn between buying property in California City and Laguna Niguel.🤦🏻♀️ My brothers and I still joke about that to this day. "Let’s see…Laguna Niguel or California City? California City!"😂Thanks so much for the video! It brought back good memories of my dear dad, who I miss every day. And perhaps you drove right by the lots my dad owned.
Aww ❤️❤️❤️❤️
P poo
What happened to the property now?
My grandmother bought 3 parcels for her & her 2 sons back then too. My dad finally sold his about 10 years ago. So glad the city was never built! I hate the desert.
make sure you are current on the association fees, or you don't even own the property any longer....
California City is slowly being built up as the Antelope Valley fills up and housing is becoming too expensive there also. I considered living there for a minute but decided to leave California altogether. I'm now happy and thriving in Florida!
Im jealous. Cannot wait to get out of southern Ca.
What about alligators or crocodiles..???
I lived in orange county for 44 years and moved to Tampa a year ago. I used to live in a garage and now I own a nice house
Good for you! I love hearing this from people. I lived in Orlando for 8 years, but am in O.C for work. My job is in L.A, but I refuse to live there. This is the best of a bad situation - but I will be moving to FL again as soon as I'm able to. Congrats!
Alligators are golf course decorations. Crocodiles just hang out.
My husband and I moved here over six years ago. We love our kind neighbors, the peace and quiet, the clean air, and the beautiful starry sky at night. Like many other desert communities, there are positive and negatives. We focus on the positive. The politician you interviewed did not demonstrate any passion for his own community. If one wants lush green grass, and crystal clear water remember this is the desert in the middle of a historic drought. For those who want those things, search for a community that has them and move there. California City is in the Mojave Desert, and is not for everybody.
My parents looked out here almost 14 years ago i feel it would have been a great home
Hi Barbara, I'm glad California City is getting some love. I'm not a desert person and find that 60° is about as hot as I can tolerate...so please don't take my response to Nick personally. I'm more of a Vancouver (Washington) type of gal...and a skier. And I agree with you about the commissioner...I think he needs to relocate.
I like Cal City. I have a house there.
i like that view. we should accept our environment natural landscape
I just moved there 2 weeks ago. I like the peace and quiet it's also a city I can afford to live in! I'm very grateful!!
Do you rent or own?
@@jw_nomad rent.
Is there sewerage?
why, why not AWAY from california?
Yuck 🤢
Ian glad I stumbled on your video about California City. I currently own over an acre of land there. I’ve received three offer letters from investors wanting to purchase my land within the past six months. I refuse to sell it. I’m thinking investors know about the possibility of the city growing soon. I refuse to sell it. Maybe I’ll use it for retirement and put a house on it or use it for camping.
Maybe!!
We bought an acre in 1995 and own it till this day and always receive offers to buy it from us . Someone knows something and isn’t telling land owners, but if you own property in California City do not sell it, they want all of us to sell cheap and when they start building they’ll make millions
@@Pengo64436 May I ask for how long you've been receiving offers? Thanks
Was passing through the area several years ago and had heard about the place, so I decided to take a look. It was a lot more populated than I thought it would be. And with the way California real estate prices are, it will probably look a lot more city-like in the near future.
I had heard how desolate it was. I visited and it wasn’t what I expected. The area that is populated looks like any other rural/suburban town. I didn’t go into the deserted parts.
HSR goat LucidStew under this video lets goo next HSR city pair: LA to California City
@@toniderdon Its not THAT far off the intended CAHSR route. There's still time...😂
@@LucidStew I guess those vacant properties would skyrocket in value if they would actually get any rail connection at all lol
My father was a firefighter in Superior, Wisconsin when I was a boy in the 1960s. When they upgraded the alarm system they built a wall in front of the map for the old fire alarm system. The map that was accessible behind the new wall showed that Superior had been planned in the 1890s to be bigger than Chicago. Streets were drawn and named for 25 miles from the current city center. None of it ever happened. The city population peaked at 60,000 during the WWII manufacturing boom and collapsed to only 20,000 today.
I'm in San Jose, California. If you take the #68 bus down to Morgan Hill, you'll go by a development that's many square miles in size, streets and sidewalks and fire hydrants and those low walls that are higher at corners, the whole schmeer. And it just never got finished. It's eerie, really. I mean, this is "Silicon Valley" here, a really go-go place, at least by reputation. But we've got tons of abandoned shit here and an unbelievable number of empty buildings and houses.
That's wild.
Not related... but small world. Greetings from across the bay in Duluth, MN. My cousin was a firefighter in California City.
This is EXACTLY like near the Salton Sea on the west side (Thermal, CA), they built out the roads and infrastructure and only a few houses. Nick you should do that one next...
Good idea! 👍🏻
Oh I get to the Salton sea soon!
@@NickJohnson please explore all of California! These vlogs are great!
@@NickJohnson please do one on Antelope Valley (Palmdale and Lancaster) it’s a rather large city that’s on the most outer edges of LA county and adjacent to this place! A lot homeless camps hidden in the deserts and meth use too
@@certifiedfinest5065 interesting! thanks for sharing info 💓
Love to go hiking in the Mojave in the springtime. Very beautiful and quiet. Just know that it gets freezing out there after sundown and if you are hiking around the foothills, watch out for flash floods. Oh, and watch out for the rattle snakes...can ruin your day.
And the wind blows every day.
Imagine, if Los Angeles took that billion dollars that they allocate for the homeless and moved them all out here.
If that happened they would die from winter cold or
summer heat.
If they solve problem, they will lose their funding
@@user70331 Correct. Homeless Industrial Complex.
And then what?
@@nelsonluke6007 a billion dollars goes along way, and that's just for 2023.
I've heard the rumour that droughts are causing a Colorado River shrink rapidly during the last decade. This might be a considering point whether people want to invest here or not. No city can function properly without running water.
Check out vids here on YT about all water sources for Cali and most are having drought issues.
Was it Lake Los Angeles?
Don't worry, when the polar ice caps will melt and sea levels will rise, then California City will be ocean front property.
plenty of water in the aquafier
I own a duplex and a couple of lots there! Plus my parents did buy a lot during that rush period in the late 60’s.
I believe the city will grow again. I was told the folks on the city council won’t let a super Walmart or target come to the city cause they own businesses up there. But they won’t be able to hold out to long! They just allowed Starbucks to come in last year. As soon as they allow large stores in and create jobs it will grow again.
Is there any talk about how they're going to handle the prison closing?
Really..,..Good Luck with that 😂😂😂😂😂....
@@juniorjr.8313 I’m actually doing good in the real estate area! Rents have gone up! So making a good buck!! And like I said can’t stop progress! It’s a great buy and hold option! Look what happened to Lancaster Palmdale! Oh and the houses in Rosamond near by are over priced in my opinion.
Palmdale .... Lancaster......it's like HELL but 🔥🔥🔥 hotter.... 🤣 🤣 But all jokes aside I'm glad to hear that business is looking good for you..
@xtrmst_01 I so agree! Even Ridgecrest which is more north has 2 Albertsons, Walmart, Home Depot and even a wing stop! Plus a few other retail/ fast food places. Well hopefully the council learns fast cause as stated before the prison industry is closing soon.
I travel from Orange County to Lancaster pretty regularly. Looking at Southbound 14 traffic in the mornings it looks like the Antelope valley is growing pretty fast, maybe California City will become a thing.
I agree growth is good but I hope not to
Much
I do a long commute from Palmdale
To Chino ( Inland Empire) a few days a week
I don't think so 😕
Daytime dreamer !!!!!
There were a couple kids missing out of California City a couple years ago. I don’t think they were ever found…
When I lived there (2001) a young girl was found dead wrapped up in a old carpet just 1 block from my house.
No they haven't but the foster parents have been arrested happened around this time Xmas time :(
Thanks again for one more tour throughout the desert 🏝️ and let us see what you're seeing buddy.
I still don't understand why it rarely ever rains in some places. But why would anyone want to live in a desert like that, where nothing much grows, and it rarely rains? At least it's quiet and peaceful out there. But, would police, ambulance, or garbage trucks ever show up out there? And the people who invested in the land, did they just get ripped off? Did the guy just take the $100,000,000 bucks and pocket it and screw over the investors?
@xtrmst_01 Whoa! 😮
Just checked realtor listings. 2.48 acres for $7,995 or a beautifully built home on a lot for $280,000. Kinda like west Texas...
Or East Texas if you don't like the desert west. Way more trees and less border jumpers.
I remember back in the 70's there were always ads on TV to buy land out there.
Ah Kern County! I once live in Bakersfield and would go desert ratting for fun - cruised the streets of California City. Some of those homes have been built recently!
They're up to around 15k now on population. Although who knows if that will hold given the prison closing.
@@jeremyud is that one closing? Also the big air force base is not too far away. A friend of mine worked there but he lived in the silver lake area of Helendale on a golf course
My mom and my aunt bought land like this in Williams, Arizona. They have both passed away - they paid taxes for 50 years! Since there never was water... we never could fgure out what to do with the property.
I lived in Tucson for a couple of years and decided that the desert climate isn't for me. But if I had to live in such a hot, arid place, I would choose Arizona over such places in California in a heartbeat! Living in the California desert, you have the worst of both worlds - high taxes and lots of regulations along with oppressive heat. In Arizona you have the oppressive heat, but much less government interference in your life, and much lower taxes.
Hobbs...
Yes I agree with you!
Tell me that again in a few years.
The property taxes on my acre of land in California City is less than 160 a year. I think that’s pretty cheap if you ask me. I live in Tucson and I love it here for the most part. It’s getting kind of expensive to live here, but nothing you can do about that. Yes. I voted for Hobbs for governor.
Arizona desert is prettier than the California City area by far. The only risk is running out of water.
The city of Maricopa Arizona was similar to this back around 2000, now there are more that 50K people living there! A good deal of them moving to Arizona and other states from Kalifornia and slowly turning Arizona into another sh*thole similar to where they came from. Case in point, voting for Slobbs in the recent midterm elections...
We all know slobbs was Selected not “elected”
Because lots of liberal hippie homeless folks are looking for a free lunch.
I helped build Maricopa. A Majority of People in the first two years came from Gilbert and Chandler and worked at Intel and associated support businesses. They bought from same builder and model for 20%-25% less and had the same or shorter drive time. Actually thought they were being smart with their money and overhead.
@Orange Killa yummy maga tears cry more please
lol well california we have the best weather the coolest cities are the world wants to come here we have the beaches and the funnest city unlike arizona lol boring hot no beaches and really it sucks balls.eastcoast and westcoast is whats up not arizona lol the only people leaving are the broke ones moving to the shithole arizona because its cheap and its cheap because it sucks
This so called “city” reminds me of Barstow, which is more built up but slowly on the decline.
Barstow, home of the original Del Taco
I remember Growing up in Sough Gate and then Fullerton and hearing "California City" was going to be the happening place to move to!! My parents probably had friends that bought property there and maybe moved there eventually. I remember another place that people were buying and "going to" move there but don't remember the name right now. The desert made a lot of dreams and broke a lot of dreams! Thanks for the video, I'd forgotten all about California City. I think Hemet was another one of those places. We actually did the snow bird thing with friends that had lived in Hemet.
Hemet was supposed to be a rich retirement place but that went wrong
Was it Victorville?
My parents bought some lots in California City back in the 1960s. They also considered lots in Laguna Niguel, which was nothing back then. Unfortunately, they opted for California City.😅 Maybe because we already lived in a coastal community in SoCal.🤷🏻♀️ Funny you mentioned Hemet. When my dad was in his 70s he bought a condo in Hemet. Up until the early 2000s it was a really nice place to live for older ones. Also funny you mentioned South Gate. For about a year in the mid 1970s I worked at Anthony Pools that was headquartered there in South Gate. I lived in Redondo Beach at the time, not far from the ocean. So I had quite the daily commute! Is the other place you were trying to think of perhaps Pine Mountain?
@@NickJohnson My dad moved to Hemet when he was in his 70s in the 1990s. I moved in with him there as his caregiver in 2004. Hemet really started to change shortly after that. But as dad used to say, Hemet has better weather than Palm Springs-it was always 10 degress cooler in Hemet and we didn’t get nearly as much wind there as they get in Palm Springs. Just have to watch out for the gang bangers and the homeless on the streets there now.😕 It is a shame as the valley itself is gorgeous and has the most incredible sunsets.🌄
Hemet has this cute little dead Mall.
Back around 2001 or so, one of my former workplace colleagues also inherited a parcel of California City land. I believe he inherited it from a relative. Prior to that he had known nothing of California City. He kept telling everyone that one day he was going to drive out there and check it out. Eventually he did just that one weekend. He returned on Monday to tell us that the property looked just like what you and I are seeing in Nick Johnson's video, desert land and scrub brush. The property parcel he inherited was marked out by colored wood stakes. That was it.
He added that he didn't know what to do with the land parcel. It was not sellable in the sense there was no market and no discernable demand for it.
You see the reason why anyone who owns land in California City is not going to realize the California Dream, if that land was located in Malibu, Baldwin Park, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, or in places like Santa Barbara or Monterey. It's all undesirable land in an undesirable location. Remember the real estate axiom: location, location, location!
In the sixty three years since the land tycoon's fruitless dream, no other land tycoon has tried to buy up the property and try to flip it for a profit. Everyone is wise to what California City really is and is not.
I could never live in that type of environment full time! but, there is something about visiting in early spring….the sunsets & starry nights-the stars go on forever in the desert
Think of this video without any narration (very boring),...now listen to it with Nick's outstanding wit and observation (interesting and funny).
I remember going there as a kid they had a big production, they had their model homes which actually did look nice. My dad wanted to buy a plot of land there my mom was dead set against and said it was too much dirt and extremely hot. Luckily they did not do it. I was just wondering whatever happened to this place because I never heard anymore about it.
Lmao I went to that same shell gas station driving back from lake isabella before. I was seriously starting to freak out that we were gonna end up stranded out there until we saw the shell gas station lit up like an over priced beacon of light in the distance lol.
😥
@@NickJohnson
No Dollar General ?
The shame of it all.
@@bak-mariterry5180 there’s a little main drag that I didn’t see in this video. Near the area where the police station is located there is a McDonald’s, a Starbucks, a Dollar General market, a Rite Aid, a bank, at least one other gas station, and another little spot of independent restaurants coming into town.
California City is a sad place. Orson and Orrin West went missing from Cal City and their bodies have not yet been found. ☹️
Love driving through,and not stopping.On my way home to lake Tahoe whenever i,m returning from L.A.
Nick, last time I mentioned many are homeless because of The California wildfires. Example: 20,000 lost homes in The Paradise Fire. I forgot to add, over 70,000 prisoners & hardened criminals were released from prison because of COVID Virus. Many had no where to go, no home to return to, having spent years, if not decades in Prison. They are nearly completely disconnected. Many return to crime & drugs having no real skills, support or friends. This episode just shows the continuation of the corruption of this once great (Sanctuary) State. Also the impact of illegal immigration has had devastating effects.
You nailed it!
@@texasginayes! they just take all the people and empty them into another town, put ankle bracelets on them and one town after another they just keep getting defiled by people that are never going to get a job. And we know what that means. There are places like Fresno that used to just be farm towns, now you pull into a gas station-- two cars will follow you up the road when you leave and you'll never be seen again!
I figure if I ever become homeless, I'd head straight to Hawaii. Perfect weather.
@@brendamartin7280 Yes Brenda, even so, I still forgot the millions upon millions of illegal immigrants, flooding to our "Sanctuary State".
I had a legal case at Silver Saddle Ranch which is east of California City back in the 1980’s. The whole thing was a land scam. They said the City of Lancaster would be out there in twenty years. Still waiting.
Whew! I dodged a bullet there. I went on one of the previews. My wife and I almost bought in.
@@paulleckner8235 This is from a news report on a 2020 sale of the property in receivership: "Silver Saddle was placed into receivership in September 2019 following lawsuit filed by the Department of Business Oversight alleging that the defendant, Silver Saddle Commercial Development, used the ranch as a front for about $30 million in fraudulent land sale activities. . . .According to [California Department of Business Oversight]'s lawsuit, Silver Saddle committed securities fraud in connection for the sale of 1,020 acres of vacant desert property, called the "Galileo Project" near California City.
An Oct. 1, 2019, DBO press release noted stated that [Principal, Thomas] Maney was the central figure behind "a scheme that violated state securities laws and targeted Filipino, Chinese and Spanish-speaking communities with high-pressure sales tactics and false promises" that stretched back as 2011. More than 2,000 investors paid as much as $30,000 for part of the undeveloped desert land."
My case did not directly involve the land but the plaintiff was a Spanish-speaking woman who was solicited to buy property.
@@GarthGoldberg The lady I spoke with spoke Tagalog, which is the official language of the Philippines.
@@paulleckner8235 They targeted non-English speakers, immigrants who would be eager to buy into the California dream of land ownership. It was only like $200/month if I recall correctly. Forever.
Have you noticed that when animals are removed from the land. It dies. When a goat or cow or sheep poops. The grass grows from being fertilized. How far is the water table under the land.
My in-laws lived here. Its gone to hell! Ppl started stealing christmas decorations from their yard. We live in Ridgecrest. 40 min north of CalCity. It used to be nice. When the “w” picks up, its really bad. Up to 70 mph. 9508 Rea was their address. They both passed away and we were going to stay at the house they had, but town went to hell. And the summers? Oh God!! 120!!!😮😮😮
Hell,that's not bad if all they are stealing is Christmas decorations,way worse other places.
I lived in the crest like in 2010-2012 what a weird place especially trona
@@carlinshowalter1806 its the principal. Small town should not have that much theft. Out in tje middle of nowhere. We were going to keep the house and remodel it, but too much theft and criminals that moved there so we decided to sell the house and stay in RC where we live. We didn’t know anyone there and our boys wanted to stay here too. Not really a good school system there.
@@garycushing8994 yep, Trona is creepy.
@xtrmst_012 Damn what?
I lived in Mojave, CA for 13 years. It was a great small town back in the 80s and 90s but like many of these small towns has fallen by the wayside. That bypass pretty much killed the town. The only thing keeping it going are the jobs at the Mojave Air and Spaceport.
Yes, Mojave looks very dead.
I go to the cement company on oak creek. I think the locale bank finally shut its doors
I used to love that weird but good little steakhouse with deer heads and jackalope on the wall and white tablecloths and lobster tails. So strange.
California City, I'm sold. To me it's almost paradise as long as I have a pool . They have an airport, police department, family health center, many businesses, places of worship and a beautiful large park. A lot of opportunity there.
Do it!
@@NickJohnson I made plans for Slab City after the holidays to possibly live but I'll also include a visit to California City. Thanks for your videos Nick. Your travel documentaries have inspired me.
@@NickJohnson I have a request to make. Would you video document a road trip through the U.S.- Mexico border cities? This would be very interesting at this time or very near future.
They don’t have many businesses. There’s not even a grocery store …. People that live there have to drive 30 minutes to buy necessities and more
@@vliciouss Not true. There are a couple of grocery stores, drug stores, dollar stores, and convenience stores. Police and fire station also. It's a growing metropolis.
Wow. Lots of unused land. Just like what they did in places in Florida, reminds me specifically of places like Leigh Acres.
Opps. Insert in the comments that it's "LEHIGH Acres" lol.
Leigh High Acres. Swindlers Paradise. Money sink for many.
Salton City,right next to the Salton Sea. Same deal,developer sold the American dream but it didn't fly. Check it out here on YT.
As a California Native(family’s been here 100 years)…i want to Thank You for these videos…🌬💐
You are a great contributor for TH-cam, this is my real feeling after I watch your channel for a number of years.
Belen NM had this happen in the 80’s and land is for sale all over the place with 1 acre lots for $600 it’s crazy.
I drove through Belen years ago. My grandparents used to live in Pie Town NM.
@@dennishough3709 I’ve driven through Pie Town a few times. It’s really peaceful and the stars out there are beautiful at night.
@@danieldaniels7571 Love Pie Town!!
Spent many summers there as a kid!! Yes the stars at night are truly spectacular!!
I heard about Cal City couple of years ago. When the 2 cali boys (classic & Cincere) went missing/killed by their parents. A few people showed us around & talked about life. Love your channel
20 years ago, a friend told me about the joke that is California City. He worked in construction and had a job working on a few houses for a drywall company. He was right then and it's still true today. RIP Calvin. Oh and If you ever find yourself driving through California City's main drag. Don't speed. They need the money...
Imagine paying $6 to 7k in property tax in a place like that.
Texas and Florida have higher property taxes....
@@davidvanbrunt4233 Get in the wrong area in Texas and the property tax will be a five-figure amount
@@Rhaspun 😳😳😳👎👎👎👎
@@davidvanbrunt4233 I think Connecticut and New Jersey are the highest. Florida doesn't make the top 10 list.
@@Toekneepowers neither does California , surprisingly...
My dad bought property there and it is still in my family. It’s strange that what nice houses there are, are very close together. With all that land and space out there, why didn’t the lots get a little bigger so you aren’t looking into your neighbors’ windows from your own, I wonder.
Maybe you can buy multiple lots of they're so cheap
To get sewer and electricity. If you build way out by yourself you have to cover the costs of building the infratstructure to get utilities to your house. Without those you won't get permitted to build. If you build near an already built house you save tens of thousands because infrastructure is already there to connect
Check out Eagle Mountain subdivision near Desert Center. An entire community abandoned in the eighties. I was out there last weekend. It’s like being in a post apocalyptic site. Very surreal..
No way Jose! Used to live in Santa Clarita about 4 years ago, and moved to NM. Won't say where since 'we' don't want Ca contamination here...😄
My friend back in the 70’s bought a 2 acre property in the middle of the desert for a few thousand dollars then sat on it for 30 years waiting for the major city to the south to explode and then sold it for $1.2 million dollars in 2004 as they were building $5+ million dollar homes around the area.
Hard to populate areas when people are fleeing the state
Their total population is still nearing 40 million. The population loss from moving out of state doesn't matter. Illegals pour over their border like ants.
Fleeing is an overstatement. Even if half the people left CA would still be amongst the top 3 most populated states, and so far only a few hundred thousand have left. Peanuts when all things are considered.
@@YumboYack2521 That's a few 100 thousand smart people
@@apollorobb why?
I'm seriously thinking of selling my current home and buying some of that land. I'll just put an rv on my plot
Not allowed!!!
Yup! I'm thinking buy a huge lot and first build a good security wall wrought iron all around with lights and security and pavement to park nice rv then build a huge 3 story home with underground parking basement
@@lindalewis8503 yes it is. As long as the property is under construction and has continual work done to further the progress. They don't want homeless they want people with a plan. Especially a bank.
Sounds easy but you can't just have an RV on land without a home. There are strict ordinances.
People move for jobs. What was the Developer's employment plan for the city?
Really good question. Maybe they thought it would be a retirement zone, like a drier Palm Springs...
They were promoting a big airport to offset LAX traffic.
The idea died.
This reminds me so much of Salton City, CA. Same thing - developers named the streets, put in the water lines, sewer, and power poles, but that is where the development ended. A city without homes. Just many, many vacant lots for sale.
Salton Sea is the largest lake in California however it would be in bad taste literally if I told you what I would call it.
I heard Newscum is restricting the use of water in those areas too much you can't grow plants, like Victorville, Apple Valley so it's dry.
This reminds me of the Salton Sea area except people actually lived there but then everybody moved away and now it's empty.
Hi Nick, great content as always! Have you been thinkingof a Calico and Newberry Springs Ca tour? Somuch history, great food and dirt roads!
The next vast development in a very remote part of CA is upon us - TEJON RANCH. 19,300 homes just approved and this is a very isolated area
At least Tejon Ranch is beautiful.
@@meedwards5 it’s stunning, especially in the spring during rainy season 😍
This reminds me of nicer places in Pahrump, Nevada, about 30 years ago. Who knows, maybe it'll eventually grow! 🤷
What a place.frans chicken ranch
Sounds like it would make a good spot for a 2nd slab city. 😂
@@texasgina So does Slab City! And it gets stinky and humid because of the Salton Sea.
Greater Slabs city.
@@RONDAWILLIAMSON Part of the stink is the tweekers
Alot of people decided to live in Lancaster and Palmdale because it's 40 miles closer to L.A
First house 1983. 49.000 2 bed one bath 3.4 ac
If you build a house way out there in the uninhabited areas, I'd be concerned about leaving it unattended for any amount of time. A lot of the homeless dig burrows into the earth and live under ground to escape heat. It's an interesting place, I've been there and it's much better than many other remote towns. Its just you can go broke real fast there unless you have a sure fire way of generating income. That said, it has a much better vibe than many other places. Even though it's cheap, there are utility infrastructure voids there like water, power, septic. That stuff is enormously expensive
they dig tunnels???
Ha ha, zombies digging under your house. What a pleasant thought. How would they even get there? Seems like the remote-working craze would have built the place up by now. You could get a high end sports car delivered by Carvana, and use the Honda and Hyundai proving tracks to work it out safely after a long day of surfing the internet. You could probably throw back a few drinks and nobody would even notice you swerving a bit. Ride a motorcycle around without worrying about getting hit by a car. Lots of stuff to do if you have money.
@@NickJohnson If you want to stay cool and you have no shade in the desert you have to go underground or the sun will chew you up and spit you out. I've met people in Vegas that live in the tunnels under the city. No trees,no shade.
It’s a lot of work to dig tunnels, you sure the homeless are up for that?
@@cassiusdio6048
Couple of hits of meth and they are good to go.🎉
10 yrs ago I had a classmate live and drove from CA city to the Ontario campus. Our machinist program only had 2 locations. So what's out there? It's such a mystery when you hear that name the 1st time. He was an Army veteran with a family and a home. He looked like he took well care of himself so I can imagine the home was really nice as he described it. Hope he's doing well. Real smart, polite guy.
What's nearby is red rock canyon and it's beautiful. But the passing highways takes to thru Tehachapi with is a large city so close by if ur heading to Bakersfield. It's pretty easy to miss. Just a bunch of foundry/ cement plants.
Lots of high paying aerospace jobs in nearby Ridgecrest and by trona
Hello I’ve lived out here in California city since 2016 I purchased one lot out here it was 10 1/2 acres for $4500 and then a year after that in 2017 I purchased another lot that was a mile away from that lot 3.5 acres for $4000 so basically I have 13 1/2 acres for around $8500. I love it out here because I am an off grid by choice, I do have access to power but I don’t wanna pay to have polls put all the way up to my house which is probably about 5 miles away. So I choose to be off the grid, which works great for me. The guy is somewhat right in the interview it depends on the person, and their wants and needs. Living out here in the middle of nowhere in the desert is not for everyone. If you like solitude, dirt, and a lifestyle like camping you would probably fit in well out here. One thing that I’ve found during your interview the guy said that wasn’t really correct in my opinion is there’s a lot to do out here and places to go you just have to drive a bit. For instance to drive to LA it’s about two hours to drive to LA. So there are surrounding cities that take less time to get to that have a lot of other shops to California city doesn’t have. I can drive to Bakersfield California in about an hour and 10 minutes and they have just about everything there. I can also drive to Ridgecrest California in about an hour and 45 minutes. Or even Tehachapi California about 45 minutes. Occasionally on special occasions my wife and I drive to Knott berry farm down in orange county and the only reason why we go there is to eat at the restaurant we don’t ride the rides but we go to eat the fried chicken biscuits and they’re awesome boysenberry jam. Like I said I’ve been out here since 2016 I am 60 years old I like the peace quiet the tranquility the fresh air and clear skies from the smog. They’re also is some pretty crazy wind storms that we have out here often, but you just have to get used to that. I do have power on my property somewhat I have some solar and I’m working on building a wind turbine generator I also have a regular generator that runs on propane.
I do buy my drinking water put my water for my showers and dishes and other needs I tank that in my self. I am semi retired I do work a part-time job where I only work a couple days a week. Which is great for me because I don’t need a whole lot of money to make it out here in the desert on average all my expenses with groceries car insurance cell phone bill and anything I need to survive for the month runs me right around $800 a month. Anything else above that is fun money.
Anyway I love California city and what it has out here I do wish there was more businesses restaurants and shops out here. Maybe one day. Well that’s my story have a great day..peace.✌🏻 From the Red Rock Ranch.
I remember, as a little kid growing up in the 50s and 60s around Los Angeles, we used to watch Movie Matinee hosted by Ben Hunter. I think his biggest sponsor was California City. They we're constantly slinging ads to come to beautiful California City. I remember we went out there as little kids with our folks to see what all the hubbub was. It was pretty much like you see it right now. I think they had a main office and that was about it.
If I had a choice between:
1. Owning a lot in California City
2. Or announcing: "This has been a Cornerhouse Entertainment Production!"
I would choose option 2.
Every. Time.
Aww that's my managers job though!
@@NickJohnson The story of my life: "Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride!"
Thank you for the entertaining video♡ and don't forget it's probably 115° in the shade there for 100 days a year, at least.
That's why I no longer live in Fresno.
@@civilizedsavage4288 yes! there are a lot of places regular people can't live anymore.
@@civilizedsavage4288 are people leaving Fresno or moving to fresno? Doesn't seem very glitzy
@@highlymedicated2438 got friends/family in the Fresno/Clovis area and from they tell me is that long time natives that are tired with the politics are moving out while people that can't afford to buy in the Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles area relocation to Fresno and other San Joaquin Valley towns cause it's much cheaper.
I bet Nick has got to be just about one of the most coolest kind of Guys to hang out with and drink a few beers and tell the best funny stories on his travels .
Probably knows almost all the best vacation spots most people won't know.
@@SuperPRguru I thought the same about Nick. Hit me up Nick if your in Bakersfield right now. I need to pick your brain. Lived in OC for 25 years and been in Bako for 20 now. Just feels like California is evicting us with all the political power.
@@comeoncents3288 how’s OC versus Bakersfield?
I'd disagree. Not my cup of tea.
I think he acts like -ick head
Property taxes, water, sewer, electric, cost of building the home..all that adds up. The state is already an expensive place to live. There's other places in the country that property prices are the same or lower, without the high cost of everything that California has.
I bet You can get away without paying property tax there
@@orangekilla3374 not if you own a house. This is California. We just love to be taxed to death.
I was born in Los Angeles and have visited this lonely place named after our own State. Yes it's astounding what reality turns out. Unfortunately the statistics are correct.
It makes sense to move to the middle of nowhere if it's affordable, and you can still get to work. Anyway, people spend most of the time simply going to work and back home. Everything you need is at home.
That looks perfect! Never knew about California City. Thanks Nick!
I can't imagine what that place would look like at night
Dark.
Hahahaha. Scary of course.
Dark and the sounds of coyotes and all hunting for their prey.
My ex wife worked for California City in 1972. We lived in San Diego at the time, and they flew us up there only to run us through their sales pitch. I lived in central Oregon as a kid, and was aware of Christmas Valley so I didn't listen.
Christmas valley Oregon, Holy moly Andy, last place on earth you want a flat tire at.
Christmas valley I'll have to look it up
A cult based in the Philippines tried to develop the place, they're probably the ones that bought the rights to develop some areas in there (all I know is it's a chunk of California City) but as far as I know there wasn't much progress (even excluding pandemic lockdowns).
They managed to hide the fact that their cult was involved and did a raffle through a Philippine grocery store chain. I know people who won the raffle and ended up there only to realize it's not only that it's in the middle of the dessert (and not knowing there'd be dirt roads, they went in a freaking sedan), it's basically a recruitment front. Oh and apart from tithes they bloc vote. Just ask Duterte and Marcos Jr.
Really? Holy Crap! That'll sure energize the community. I was kidding. Yikes!
@xtrmst_01 California needs to severely curb then end the homeless crisis. America 1st.
@xtrmst_01 I might be white trash but look at a map Sherlock!
@xtrmst_01 Why so Hostile?
@xtrmst_01 I see..You're a high school Drop out and you're poor.
Watching now. At the time they conceived California City. Antelope Valley was trying to get an international airport to replace LAX . That would have changed everything. Even though that didn’t happen, the desert is filling up kinda fast.
"Filling up" I think you mean overfilling with littering degenerates.....
In this day and age, what's wrong with living there??? Thanks man! I might be buying a plot on the outskirts of town!
bring your own water
California City heard you and they are becoming a marijuana haven @xtrmst_012
This is comparable to Arizona City in Southern Arizona. It was being hocked by Eric Estrada when it was first being built. I like to living there except for the huge sandstorms. I paid $500 for a two bedroom one bath. I would love to see California City prosper. But we are in very hard times.
I believe something could be done for the homeless in California City. I haven't heard a better solution. Thank you for the video.
Take a drive through George AFB next time you’re out there and the neighboring cities if you want to see what a shuttered military base looks like and what it does to a community. Other than the airfield, the rest of the base has been left to rot and all of the facilities are going to waste. This base had a critical mission during the first Gulf War and was closed in 1992. As a sign of the current times, The Jet Room, which was a popular place for fighter pilots and other service members to drink and dance off-base, still stands but is now a cannabis dispensary in the middle of nowhere.
I lived on George AFB in 1957. I was 4.
It's the hood.adelanto. they put a lot of mfg jobs at the old base.that Rubbermaid bldg must have sat empty for 10 years.i didn't think anyone was going to move in. Now that big furniture company went belly up more empty warehouse.
Passing through the Mojave Desert during the summer months, .. IS NOT A JOKE, so, you had better be prepared! ✌️
Yes the heat can kill you , bring more water than you think you will need then bring more.
Nick, you NEED to also do a video on California Pines. I remember as a kid in the 70's it advertised on TV in SoCal and it sounded like a dream. Turns out it was way up in the far NE quadrant of the state. Very similar to this place, but I think it got a bit more developed. You can find some of the old TV commercials with Eric Estrada on YT.
Recently drove there from L.A. for a Baja Bug meet up and camping. Surreal, gridded out dirt roads. Occasional colony’s of RV.’s ( some new and high end ) in a circle like the old covered wagons would do. Also at night some rave was going on. Kids from L.A.
They wouldn't move all the homeless out there. The main reason the homeless live in the big cities is for accessibility to drugs and the transit lines to get around (buses and subways and trollies in California). Besides who would the homeless rob $950 from out there?
The reason the homeless people are in the big cities is because that's where the soup kitchens are! Out laying areas don't have soup kitchens! Most homeless people don't have any means of transportation,. It can be a fulltime job just to get a meal! Those that do have a car can't afford the high priced gas,!
I wonder if instead of spending 960k to build a home, you could put a manufactured home on one of those lots. Cos some of those are lovely looking 3bed 2bath for like 200k. I love the desert and desolation in general though. I wouldnt have work out there but it's a back of the mind thought for me. I love it all, Palm Springs to Trona.
You need to visit Oahu, Hawaii. The homeless problem is getting out of hand and the locals are saying they're being shipped from San Francisco! Please review if you have the chance!!!!!!!
I wish!! Hahaha one day!
I actually heard about this from a Tourist guide when I went to visit Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. He said that the corrupt politicians in California and Hawaii are working with travel agencies to board the homeless people in California on the plane for free to Hawaii with no return ticket. I don't want to be political, but California and Hawaii are both democrat hold states, and this is how they solve the problem. They mismanage and destroy their cities and try to patch the problem with a duct tape. And they do the same on the US borders. They invite illegals to cross the border, but just laughed at the bigger problems when it occurs.
I lived in Lancaster, Mojave and have driven through California city just to ride my dirt bike and the roads might just be better than the roads in Clearlake 😆 🤣 Mike Tyson was supposed to have a grow out there too. Great coverage as always Nick!
Miguel! Mike Tyson??
@@NickJohnson yep Nick, MIKE TYSON broke into the marijuana trade by opening his own cannabis ranch in California. The former heavyweight champion purchased 40 acres of land in California City, a town with a population of just 15,000 people southwest of Death Valley. Some crazy stuff goes on in the desert 😉
So really- this sounds like a peaceful community with no commercial BS no tons of traffic and no malls. Sounds like a nice little haven! Lol
Exactly
A mall would be kinda nice.
I like how people talk about CA property tax but yet CA has very low property taxes.
Was water a reason this "city" did not flourish? People love barren locations these days. And hey Nick, California is only #16 on the property tax list, most of the west coast is super cheap in comparison to the east.
My father had a interest in Buying some property in California City... But, in turn he Bought 200 acres out by Elko NV. and even had spent the money to have Blueprints for a House he wanted to Build and move our Family of 9 out to the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!🤯
Ugh all that sand snd dirt that would come into the house. Everything is so much more expensive in California.
GREAT VIDEO and Documentary!! Thanks so much!
It's access to water! California water restrictions including personal water well restrictions.
23:17 - Gawd. Look how close together those houses are. Who'd want their neighbor, perhaps someone you don't even like, being THAT CLOSE.
This is what the Villages in Florida started out like, but that place has 100,000 people now. This sort of thing was very common in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There is another area in Florida east of Lake Wales, FL, called Indian Lake Estates. Build in the very late 50s or early 1960s, it looked frozen in time when I was there in 2005. Like stepping back into the Kennedy era. All the architecture of the golf resort and old public buildings was from that era. It also has a huge network grid of roads bulldozed into the central Florida slash pine flatwoods on what was likely an old cattle ranch. Many of those roads were paved, too. Some have a few houses built, but others have nothing at all and are getting completely overgrown. I suspect, that with the way Florida is exploding, in 10 years Indian Lakes Estates will be building up, fast.
Those places actually have water
Yup, pop up ghost towns in the sun belt are very much a thing. Even ones that did relatively well like Hesperia, California are still only half filled in. And others like Salton City, CA almost not at all because of sea/lake issues.. Also much like many an early Florida boom town.
I grew up in rural Alberta and the same thing happened here. I lived next to a serviced but abandoned housing estate with sidewalks, fire hydrants amongst overgrown lots with no houses ever built on them until the last 5 years, 30+ years later...
I believe several 'The Rockford Files' episodes were set in California City, though the TV series didn't call it that. 'The Rockford Files,' starring James Garner, first aired 1974 to 1980 and has remained popular in syndication ever since. It was a combination of crime drama, whodunit, mystery and comedy. The relevant episodes included crooked land developers. I swear I remember some of the vistas in your video appearing on the show.🤣🤣 Nick, you outdid yourself with this one!
Thank you Nick , have never heard of this place .
I bet the view of the stars at night there is absolutely stellar.
The stars do look great at night. I have a huge telescope.
I found your channel yesterday and really enjoyed your work. I love the way you commentate. Keep up the great work and I look forward to all your videos!!
I just moved to California City, and it's beautiful.
Affordable housing in California is finally here!
Tesla building $15,000 houses 🏘