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Lancaster ranked ‘most stressful’ city in California

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Lancaster city hall

Lancaster ranked number one as the most stressful city to live in all of California. This according to data compiled by CreditDonkey, a credit card comparison and financial education website that publishes data-driven analyses sourced by media outlets across the country.

Using crime statistics from the FBI and U.S. Census data, the company recently compiled a list of the top 10 most stressful cities in California.

Rankings were based on several factors, including the odds of being a victim of a violent crime, average time commuting to work and the percentage of divorcees.

According to the July 14 article, the most stressful cities in California are as follows:

10. Los Angeles

9. Carlsbad

8. Vallejo

7. Richmond

6. Antioch

5. Palmdale

4. Victorville

3. Inglewood

2. Oceanside

1. Lancaster

The article states: “Of all the cities in California, Lancaster earned the top spot as the most stressful because of its combination of long work hours, high divorce rates, and long average commute time… Life in this city can be stressful, and would-be residents looking for a relaxed lifestyle should look elsewhere.”

Palmdale ranked number five on the list due to long daily commutes and the percentage of income residents spend on housing, the article states.

View the entire article here.

Filed Under: Lancaster

140 comments for "Lancaster ranked ‘most stressful’ city in California"

  1. i bought new phone at Target store (avenue K Lancaster CA ) with my debit card and that evening all my money in my Debit CARD ALL GONE (SOMEONE USE IN LOS ANGELES )i called the Bank (Direcexpress ) they can not do anything they said wait for 45 day …..what a night mare!!!!!
    i would like to tell everybody BECARFUL with your ATM card with TARGET STORE

      • Corrupt? Why, lots of cities run on nepotism, land deals for their friends, allowing elected officials to buy property in restricted areas, pay millions of dollars for needless crap like LEAPS so their pals can make some dough, pay millions for improvements to land owned by former city managers and political supporters, pay millions for infrastructure for church facilities located way out of town in exchange for votes, hold elections during April and count their own votes, use local churches and pastors to conduct political surveys, use housing money to build overpasses, and the like.

        • Wow! IRay You nailed it.

          I am aware of most of that but you made a comprehensive list and it looks bad.

          I picked up on ‘somthing’s wrong with Lancaster’ when I moved here 25 years ago. Everything was scattered around and before I ever heard the words ‘good ol’ boys’ I had sense that everything was being done to benefit certain people and not the city and its residents.

          Sure enough. I was on to something.

          And, they keep on doing it, even after one failure after another. The Old Factory outlet, then the blvd, then the transit village, …..

          What a record? While Rex worships the ‘Sun God’ and builds solar panels to capture its power and magic.

  3. Every business and business owner in town has to be stressed out. They don’t know if they’re next on the list to be sued by the mayor. It is funny to watch him try to bring businesses here and then Bang! Lawsuit. Like that movie Time Machine where those mole people feed the humans and then eat them. If Lancaster isn’t the most boring and stressful city it sure is the strangest.

  4. Lancaster ain’t that bad…bunch of tweakers,flockers,and future one time porn stars though.Somethin’ about being up the hill make them girls ovaries jerk or nah?Molly,meth and dirt weed seems to be king…all I hear is “turn up” lol.stealing,domestic violence,and possession…top 3 crimes in the town,any town usa…

  5. These “rankings” are far from an actual quantitative/qualitative analysis of the stress experienced by the members of the community.

    While it is an entertaining way to compile certain statistics, what is missing is a survey of the people and how they feel. Stress is a subjective experience. I get that it is for entertainment purposes and not a valid ranking, but I have seen this “story” (along with the ‘most boring’) passed around like wildfire, and it does little but provide people who piss and moan unproductively about this city vindication in their own minds.

  6. If I lived in Lancaster, I’d be stressed by having Rex Parris as my mayor. Forget everything else.

    As it is, it’s somewhaat stressful having him as mayor next door.

    • William—You might find things less stressful in your life if you stopped obsessing over Rex Parris! Most are going about the business of daily lives without wondering what Mr. Parris is doing at any given moment.

      • William does a great service in exposing the shenanigans of Lancaster’s mayor. More people need to know what is going on, keep going William.

          • Apparently people here and everywhere don’t really know all about him. How could anyone in their right mind or a shred of moral clarity support and vote for him?

          • AV Truth—Not one word was said about supporting Mr. Parris, or voting for him. We know what’s going on with him. William has no idea what he is talking about. If William has information about Rex Parris and feels a need to expose him, that is stuff we don’t already know than bring it on!

        • @AV Truth

          I must be hitting some nerve in bird. There is a lot of criticism here re: Rex, but she zeroes in on my comments.

          Are my comments untrue?

          Or, is bird just full of herself.

          If she doesn’t like Rex being criticized, she needs to tell Rex, himself, to knock it off. But, she’s bassackwards. She wants the critics to shut up. Too darn funny, she is.

          Then, she’s over on an article here proclaiming her gun rights under the 2nd Amendment while wanting to suppress people’s 1st Amendment ‘freedom of expression’ rights.

          That’s why I call her a phony hypocrite but she just won’t learn.

          • Unfortunately Bird’s livelihood may be on the line in he/she crosses the Lancaster mayor. He does track and follow people and if he catches you look out. Fear is one of his tools and he uses it to keep people quiet.

          • It’s funny how some people here will pretend they don’t like Rex or that he’s a jerk but then defend him with all they’ve got against any and all criticism.

            Hmmm.

      • @bird

        Stuff it. Rex is suing my city for his own benefit. I won’t stop speaking out about his bad behavior. I’m very fortunate to have Mayor Ledford leading our city and it gets better all the time while Lancaster is being left in the dust because of Rex.

        He lied about Palmdale’s power plant before and during the hearing last December.

        He wanted a Walmart across from Quartz Hill High School. Lancaster gets the sales tax dollars and Quartz Hill gets the problems.

        Some Christian he is and the same with the church that supports him.

        He is a bad neighbor and if you support or voted for him, then you are a bad neighbor to Palmdale and Quartz Hill too.

        And, that’s just the short list. If you live in Lancaster, bird, I don’t blame you for being resentful of the criticism but take to Rex and not me.

        You are a hypocritical phony, bird, always here patting yourself on the back and pretending to be miss nice. Hardly. You are as phony a ‘bird’ as the ones chirping on the BLVD.

        • I look forward to more posts by William. You know the Lancaster Mayor would like nothing more than to shut William up and prevent hi from posting about the lackluster BLVD, crime, eye in the sky, lawsuits and all that is part and parcel. Keep it up William!

          • Thanks, AV Truth. I’m not the only one but I do my best. And, Rex makes it so easy by providing the ammunition with which to pelt him. He just won’t shut up.

            It’s funny that of all the trash talking that occurs on this site over crime and traffic accidents, ol’ ‘bird’ sees fit to object to my remarks. Kinda fishy.

            She must be one of Rex’s minions here. She won’t say whether or not she voted for Rex. I don’t know how he gets elected because ‘nobody’ admits to voting for him.
            Isn’t that weird?

          • William—No, I did not vote for Rex Parris. Yes I know just as much about Rex Parris as you do William. You seem to have appointed yourself the all knowing, all seeing truth teller in the Antelope Valley. You are double-minded, and all you enjoy doing is being negative and keeping things that way. I choose not to be negative, and help this community in a positive way. I refuse to engage in a quarrel with you William about Lancaster or Palmdale because it’s childish and futile.

          • ‘bird’ says she refuses to engage in a quarrel with me over Lancaster and Palmdale because it’s childish and futile which is EXACTLY WHAT SHE HAS ALREADY DONE SO FAR.

            Like I said, she’s a phony hypocrite or is it a hypocritical phony. Either way, she’s it.

            She shouldn’t reply to my comments then but she does.

            I guess I’ve heard the last of her then. Good!

          • There is probably an open slot for Bird on the Lancaster Tapestry Commission since they got rid of Stan Muhammad for hishomiphobic and anti semetic remarks? Huh? What’s that you say? Lancaster’s Mayor has not removed Stan for his bigoted remarks. Hmmm. What dirt does Stan have on the Mayor? What deal was cut? Looks like you will have to wait your turn Bird.

        • Rex Parris is Mayor of Lancaster. I’m not happy about that, but that’s just the way it is. I can’t do anything about ‘the eye in the sky’, or stop him from filing law suits. I won’t sit and whine and complain about this situation as you do. therefore I choose to keep company with beautiful, positive people and make a positive difference. Try it, it really works and gathers positive momentum.

          • This is exactly how Lancaster’s mayor would like us to be—–do nothings that remain silent to his pile of nonsense and corruption that mire us in fiscal absurdity. Keep moving along people and stay silent while he puts people in jail for speaking out against him. Keep smiling and thinking happy thoughts while he lines the pockets of his friends and contributors with our money. Don’t worry about back room deals that will bring people here from other countries for cheap citizenship. Never mind the lawsuits against our very own American Legion posts—-posts full of people who l
            Put their lives on the line so people could live their lives freely and pursue the American dream and own houses in Santa Barbara and Laguna Niguel. Trust us when we tell you a Walmart next to a high school is the right thing even though the community overwhelmingly opposes it. Yup. This is exactly what the Lancaster Mayor wants, Bird. Well done soldier. There is a Lancaster Commission position in your future.

  7. Sounds about right! Been living in Lancaster most of my life and I have to say it’s a dump. The town is infested with garbage, the law enforcement are extremists, no entertainment whatsoever unless you want to pay a pretty penny, the school systems has many teachers that don’t want to teach and interact with their students, and there are much homeless. Luckily I’m in New York at the moment away from that mad house.

  8. Hello,

    Read the article. The main reason for the “stress” is the commute time to and from Lancaster to (SF Valley, LA, etc.). Quality of life is important and a long commute time detracts from this.

    THIS is what the article mainly states…then considers crime rate per capita. Stats are stats folks…you can’t argue with them.

    • Lol why do you think people are stressed about wanting to leave Lancaster? And it only takes about an hour or so to drive to LA, or you could take the train from the station to union station.

    • Carol, I would argue stats any time of the day. You can make the stats show anything you want them to show. Example.. 4 of 5 people like red jello more than green. How do I get this statistic? Easy I ask 20 people which jello they like best. I then choose any 4 people who said red and 1 person who said green. And now I can show 4 of 5 people prefer red jello over green. I can make that statistic any thing I want by how I “stack the deck”

  9. Let’s not forget to include the 1 in 185 chance of being a victim of a violent crime.

  10. All you people that live somewhere else and want to believe that living in the AV is a pain, then go on believing it. That is one more person that won’t move her and clog up my town.

      • @Ex-resident

        Then why do you and other former residents or ones threatening to leave bother to come to the ANTELOPE VALLEY Times website?

        Do you also drunk-dial your ex-spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend or whomever?

        It’s always weird when your type comments here because, y’know, wherever you moved to is so great and your life is now so wonderful that you have to come to a site dedicated to your former location to complain some more.

        Move on, why dontcha? Or, can’t you? I’ll bet you’ll be complaining about your new place eventually because, y’know, YOU are there.

        Of course, when you do start complaining, you definitely won’t be doing it here on this site. “Oh, I was so wrong. I moved to get away from the Antelope Valley and now my new location is even worse”. Yeah, we’ll never see that comment here no matter how true it is.

        • I got the U-Haul in the driveway right now so I can make my escape. I need to have my head examined for ever coming to AV again and think it was a good idea. I come to AVTimes and leave comments because AV left such a bad taste in my mouth that bashing AV is a cathartic process-I may never be able to stop.

  11. Stupid!! There are lots of nice areas on the east side and some ghetto areas on the west….If you actually observe..it’s the old rundown neighborhood s that are the worst..The only nice areas areas newer homes…With people that actually care to take care of there houses..The trashy ghetto areas are the people that don’t give a crap or don’t have money or time to invest…so it really depends on the people living in certain areas…we just have really unrealistic, uneducated people who don’t care about anything else except for their monthly government benefits..not all but most people!!

    • The absurd thing is that the people who’ve lived in the Antelope Valley for a long time probably live in the old neighborhoods before the building boom in the late 80s.

      But, it’s also mostly in those ‘old’ neighborhoods where the crime stats are clustered.

      So, what’s up with that contradiction? One reason could be that the old timers sold their old houses built in the 50s to low income newcomers in order to buy newer homes built from the 80s to the present. But, how can they complain about all the new home building if they took advantage of it themselves? And, complain if they’ve sold their old homes to low income newcomers who might be on assistance or are renting to Section 8 voucher holders.

      Do the old timers shop at Walmarts or the newer stores that came along with the development of the last couple of decades.

      Something tells me that the old timers want it both ways- the goodies that come with new development and businesses but not the baddies that come with any large city.

      Have the old timers voted and participated in council meetings or do they just sit in front of their monitors and complain? The voter turnout at the elections is very low but if the old timers are doing all the voting, how come the city is the way it is if they’ve put in their candidates?

      Somebody please explain all those contradictions.

  12. I grew up in Santa Cruz in the 50s and 60s and I hate to go back there to visit my family.
    The streets are all reconfigured to make left turn lanes, so the streets zig zag side to side. There are bicycle lanes and idiot bike riders from the university who think they own the road. There are lots of young homeless downtown and heavy drug use but Santa Cruz isn’t in the top 10. Really?

    For a seaside resort town, it’s a royal pain to be there unless you’re lying on the beach. It is so much nicer to drive, park and do things in the Antelope Valley.

    The distance from Palmdale to Lancaster is less than the distance from Santa Cruz where my Dad lives to Aptos where my sister lives but the rush hour traffic on Highway 1 is worse than the 14. You have to plan your day around rush hour to avoid crossing town in the traffic.

    Talk about stressful. My sisters and their families are now like New Yorkers from adapting to those kinds of hassles. They’ve toughened up. So, these surveys are nonsense.

    You actually have to live somewhere to know what it’s like not just look at data.

    But, we are up to our ears in polls and surveys because it’s a BUSINESS and they gotta make news. If there were no stressful cities, no news. Loss of income. Too bad.

    I don’t know what’s worse today-polls or internet pop-ups or telemarketer calls or trying to open those sealed hard clear molded plastic packages of things without cutting yourself. Take yer pick.

  13. This article is really stupid. There is crime where ever you are no matter how prominent a neighborhood or city is. I lived out here and other places in California and I’ve been the less stressed here than any where elsewhere. Ive met alot of people from all over California that like staying in the antelope valley because its more laid back, cleaner and affordable than the big cities. People shouldn’t believe every thing they read because ignorance is easily spead and accepted over reality

  14. Very Interesting! I’ve lived in Palmdale for 10 years and no complaints thus far. Dont get it how a city with approx. 155 thousand residents, a lot less traffic, lower housing rates, and cleaner air could be ranked as #5 when compared to L.A. who has over 13 million residents, lots of pollution, high rent rates, and it takes over an hour to travel a good 15 miles. Statistics are biased! Just remember, our commute to work may be the average of an hour one way but we would have traveled approximately 45-50 miles as opposed to 15-20 as is the case in cities like Los Angeles!

    • It takes you 30 minutes minimum just to get to LA… The you are at the whim of LA traffic. Atleast if you live in Los Angeles you don’t have to add 30 minutes to your commute no matter what! If it takes an hour to travel 15 miles Los Angeles… Then it still takes you and hour and 30 minutes minimum.

  15. I grew up in Santa Cruz in the 50s and 60s and I hate to go back there to visit my family.
    The streets are all reconfigured to make left turn lanes, so the streets zig zag side to side. There are bicycle lanes and idiot bike riders from the university who think they own the road. There are lots of young homeless downtown and heavy drug use but Santa Cruz isn’t in the top 10. Really?

    For a seaside resort town, it’s a royal pain to be there unless you’re lying on the beach. It is so much nicer to drive, park and do things in the Antelope Valley.

    The distance from Palmdale to Lancaster is less than the distance from Santa Cruz where my Dad lives to Aptos where my sister lives but the rush hour traffic on Highway 1 is worse than the 14. You have to plan your day around rush hour to avoid crossing town in the traffic.

    Talk about stressful. My sisters and their families are now like New Yorkers from adapting to those kinds of hassles. They’ve toughened up. So, these surveys are nonsense.

    You actually have to live somewhere to know what it’s like not just look at data.

    But, we are up to our ears in polls and surveys because it’s a BUSINESS and they gotta make news. If there were no stressful cities, no news. Loss of income. Too bad.

    I don’t know what’s worse today-polls or internet pop-ups or telemarketer calls or trying to open those sealed hard clear molded plastic packages of things without cutting yourself. Take yer pick.

  16. Why is Richmond not #1 on this list?

    Odds of being a victim of violent crime: 1 in 92 inhabitants
    Commute time: 31.4 minutes
    Average hours worked per week: 36.9
    Percentage of divorcees: 8.9% of males, 12.5% of females
    Percentage of income spent on housing: 29.2%

  17. I am surprised that Palmdale did not make #1 on the list.

    1. Odds of being a victim of violent crime.
    1a. Palmdale: 1 in 191
    1b. Lancaster: 1 in 185
    Not much difference.

    2. Commute time.
    2a. Palmdale: 40.4 minutes
    2b. Lancaster: 30.4 minutes
    Longer commuted time for Palmdale.

    3. Average hours worked per week.
    3a. Palmdale: 37.7
    4b. Lancaster: 38.4
    40 Hours a week is full time work.

    4. Percentage of divorcees.
    4a. Palmdale: 6.9% males, 10% females
    4b. Lancaster: 8.4% males, 11.4% females
    Mayors have no power over divorce rates.

    5. Percentage of income spent on housing.
    5a. Palmdale: 33.5%
    5b. Lancaster: 29.9%
    Not much difference.

    • Perhaps they spent a couple hours in Lancaster and that’s how it got the #1 spot.

      Aside from the survey, consider the difference in the amount of complaining Lancaster residents do here and elsewhere compared to Palmdale residents.

      A casual observer would conclude from the gripping that Lancaster residents are more dissatisfied and that is consistent with being stressed.

    • Yes this another in our long of firsts which also include us being mentioned in News of The Weird for thinking bird sounds on the BLVD would lower seine, being on the Tonight Show for making headlines for telling the homeless to “go home”, fighting a resident in a local gym, paying on residents with an overpriced and failed sentinel in the sky, sending out mailers and calling a black candidate the “gang candidate” and so much more. Yep he’s made a lot of firsts for us.

  19. Didn’t some other random source deem Lancaster one of the most boring places to live a few weeks ago?! Most boring & most stressful?!?!?…. All these claims are dumb and supported by manipulated statistics that essentially prove nothing besides an opinion. If you’re happy living there good for you, if not, move!

    • Obviously you’ve never spent any time in Lancaster. I lived there for several years and they hit it correctly.

  20. Long work hours??? If you read the full article, all of the “long work hours” of these are under 40 hours per week! Oceanside and Carlsbad are by the beach and relaxing, not stressful. The worst part are the tourists, although they are needed.

  21. Recorded ‘bird songs’ relieve strss on The BLVD…and, then, there are the bars.

    But, when you’re in the bars, you can’t hear the birds.

    But, then, there’s the booze in the bars.

    Birds. Bars. Booze. That’s it. The TRIFECTA.

    Only a dry drunk coulda come up with that solution, right Rex?

    There’s a lot of alliteration goin’ on here.

    • Read the comments below.

      Half complain about the gangs.

      The other half complain about being arrested for something. .

      Do you see the absurdity in that?

  22. How can we be stressed in Lancaster?How can we be stressed in Lancaster?We have LEAPS the greatest crime fighter known to man.We have LEAPS the greatest crime fighter known to man.For $90,000.00 a month it flies in the sky.For $90,000.00 a month it flies in the sky.And does nothing.And does nothing.What a worthless piece of crap.What a worthless piece of crap.Yet we pay $90,000.00 a month for it.Yet we pay $90,000.00 a month for it.That is $1,080,000.00 a year.That is $1,080,000.00 a year.For 10 years.For 10 years.That is $10,800,000.00.That is $10,800,000.00.That goes to Mayor Paris political contributor.That goes to Mayor Paris political contributor.While the city asks for volunteers to do professional office work.While the city asks for volunteers to do professional office work.While crime continues. While crime continues.This is why we are stressed.This is why we are stressed.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.Yes to Sherriffs.Yes to Sherriffs.More boots on the ground.More boots on the ground.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.

  23. Three of the five factors used to rate lancaster have to do with hard work and home ownership.That only shows good resilient all american people.Yes many of us commute and work more hours to stay afloat , to pay our mortgages but is because of hope. Hope of a better future and hope that once this crisis is over self sufficiency will create a pattern of success for our future generations. It is a pride to be employed .What is the other choice ? give up, get on social aid and launch our kids on a low self esteem ride.Diligent people will always rule over the less diligent. Good work ethics are a generational trait. we will succeed.

  24. AV is a place where being a bicyclist is probable cause to have cops roll up on you and stick their guns in your face. In the middle of the day, while riding to the gym, & more than one time. Things that wouldn’t even bring a passing glance from police in a larger, more progressive, less simple-minded city, will get you the criminal treatment in AV. Never had a court case? Just live in AV long enough.

    • Are you serious?! I have lived in the AV my whole life and have never seen anything like that happen. If you look suspicious then of course police are going to do something. And, if you have a court date, there is a reason why. Stop complaining and blaming your problems and action on other people.

      • Just because you haven’t experienced it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. My husband is a government employee and gets harassed by the police often. And he is no criminal by any means, he’s a family man. Suspicious to the police equates to every black man living here.

      • I don’t look suspicious. I had one cop pull me over and ask me why I was riding a beach cruiser because that’s what tweakers ride. Face it, it’s the Antelope Valley-a place that has the reputation it does for a reason.

          • Unfortunately, that’s the way things work.

            A lawyer like Rex Parris gives all attorneys a bad name.

            A dumb blonde like Elizabeth Hasselback gives smart blondes a bad name.

            A bunch of black gang bangers gives all young black men a bad name.

            Rush Limbaugh and Chris Christie give all overweight people a bad name even if they are ‘jolly’.

            Problem is that humans don’t see strangers as individuals but as representatives of a group that looks or talks in a certain way and especially if that group has a negative reputation. Muslims get extra scrutiny at the airports now.

            I remember back in the 60s that white guys with long hair, hippies, got harassed by police and rednecks as well.

            BTW Your husband is not alone. I am a 6′ tall white guy and I recall crossing the street in front of an SUV driven by a woman and as I veered to the right as I approached the sidewalk, I could hear her power door locks click. So, although it happens more to black men, it does happen to men in general too.

            It bothered me at the time but then I realized that it is important for women nowadays to be extra vigilant in their surroundings, walk in pairs at night in the Mall parking lots, and generally being on the lookout. It’s not unreasonable given the incidents of assaults on women so common nowadays. My mother didn’t worry about that stuff back in the 1940s and 1950s because it was so rare.

  25. 8. Vallejo

    7. Richmond

    6. Antioch

    5. Palmdale

    4. Victorville

    3. Inglewood

    2. Oceanside

    1. Lancaster

    I noticed that Richmond, Vallejo, Victorville and Antioch are all listed here, as is Palmdale. Does anyone see the commonalities here?

    All of the cities became an urban dumping ground for scum bags from bigger cities nearby. Antioch, Vallejo and Richmond became the dumping grounds for Oakland and San Francisco trash. Palmdale, Lancaster and Victorville became dumping grounds for South L.A. trash.

    That being said, I really believe that the west sides of both Lancaster and Palmdale are significantly better than the east sides! The housing stock is better, the people are better, there are a lot more educated and middle class people around, more people with jobs, etc.

    Someone should draw a line down the middle of the valley at Sierra Highway and declare the west side it’s own city!

    • You refer to fellow human beings as “scumbags” and “trash” and you talk about westside being “better” than eastside. This false sense of superiority is seen in many Lancaster residents, making it very stressful for the good people who are just trying to get by but earn significantly less and work damn hard. We are judged unfairly by people like you for the actions of others who share no relation except pigmentation. You sir and others like you have made Lancaster the most stressful city I have ever lived in all my 48 years!

    • I live on the East side of Palmdale. My father is a college professor, my older sister has her Masters and is a successful journalist, and I have my Bachelor’s in Biology. “The people are better.” Do you have any idea of what a pretentious prick you sound like? Maybe fate will serve you right and one of these ‘lesser’ people from the east side will rob you, or beat you. Then you’ll at least have reason to sound like such a segregational prick.

      • I don’t make the rules, kid!

        Take a look at the crime stats. They don’t lie. The Antelope Valley Press publishes crime stats and locations in every single edition.

        95% of crime in the Antelope Valley occurs on the east side of the 14 freeway.

        Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, go out and put your biology degree to use and get a better job so that you can get out of the east side.

        I have family in East Palmdale too and I am doing everything I can to help them get over to the west side.

        Statistics don’t lie. You can deny them all you want, but they don’t lie.

        • You’re right. Statistics don’t lie. Why don’t reveal your source for the following comment: “95% of crime in the Antelope Valley occurs on the east side of the 14 freeway.”

          I would like to take a look at that source, or did you just pull that statistic out your rear to prove a faulty conclusion. I’ll wait for the link to your source…

          Oh, and if the “people are better” on the west side, you must not live there.

          • I GAVE YOU my source!

            I said it was from the crime reports published in the Antelope Valley Press that comes out with a new edition out every day!

            The Antelope Valley Press is subscription only.

            They publish their crime stats based on reports from the Palmdale and Lancaster Sheriffs stations, so if you want a report, go to each station and get one or …how about this? ….get off your rear end and go buy a newspaper!

            I’m sorry it’s hard for you to accept the truth and to demand that I produce items for you.

            The burden is on you, not me!

          • Mr. (or Ms?) Meesh, If you want an accurate representation of crimes reported in Lancaster or Palmdale visit http://www.crimemapping.com/ and choose Lancaster or Palmdale from the drop down menu. It gives you a somewhat up to date map of all the different crimes reported in those areas. The information comes directly from the Sheriff’s Dept. Asking you to randomly purchase a newspaper to find an inaccurate statistic he a trying to pass off as fact should give you a sense of Tim W. He seems to be someone hell bent on putting others down. From my experience, I find it usually stems from larger insecurities and challenges facing the one doing the putting down. No matter the area of residence, no sets of people are better than anyone else. That’s a really dangerous mindset for anyone to have. Lancaster will continue to be stressful if its residents continue with a divisive mindset. To come together we must understand that we are all created equal.

        • Most of those stats are east of the 14 but actually in central Palmdale which is the older part of town.

          Come to think of it. Most of the crime seems to be in the older, more central parts of Lancaster and Palmdale but to hear people comment, the Antelope Valley used to be fine in the olden times.

          Well, isn’t that where the older parts of both cities are?

          It seems contradictory.

    • Yeah it pretty cool when the majority of the council members come from the same side of town. Thus, get all the jobs and shopping. That will change with districts

      • Not sure which city you are referring to. In Lancaster all the council and mayor live on the west side and all the attention is given to the BLVD. East Lancaster is a mess. In Palmdale two council live in West Palmdale, one in central Palmdale and the mayor lives in East Palmdale. East Palmdale has a lot of stores from the Super Target center to Lowes. Restaurants are there too. Of course new businesses will look to the area by the Mall because THATS WHERE THE SHOPPERS ARE! It doesn’t take a business degree to figure out that one. Why don’t any of these new stores go to the BLVD or East Lancaster? Because there are not enough shoppers. Pretty simple. Districts in Lancaster will not help Lancaster’s plight either. All it would do is remove the current hand picked council and replace it with a different hand picked council. No matter who is on Lancaster’s council they will not be able to bring all the new stores to the BLVD or East Lancaster. But it would make for better governing, that’s for sure.

  26. I’ve lived here for 20 years and I’ve seen this area deteriorate with the influx of a few undesirables. The truth of the matter is that there is no perfect place to live. If there is, it immediately became imperfect the moment you or I moved in. I’ve learned to live my best life wherever I am.

  27. Of Course Lancaster Is The Most Stressful City in The Golden State. We Have A Mayor Who Sues Our Businesses, American Legion Posts, And School Boards. We Have A Mayor Who Spends Our Money On a Worthless Eye In The Sky Spy Plane That Produces Nothing. We Have A Mayor Who Has Led Us Into Great Debt. We Have A Mayor Who Has Brought Us International Ridicule And Shame Through His Idiotic Bird Sounds On The BLVD And Chinese Birth Tourism Scam. We are A Joke And Our Residents Live In Fear Of Retribution At His Grimy Hands. Our Unemployment Rate Is High And The Only New Jobs We Get Are Stolen From Palmdale Or Santa Clarita Or $1.50 An Hour Jobs At A Company From A Nation Who Continually Is Caught In Espionage. Lancaster Should Be The Most Stressful
    City In The World.

    • Agreed lived here since 67 know alot of stories about our so called mayor he needs to get out now

  28. …and Bank of America won’t help with mortgages that are upside down…they are the worst mortgage lender ever! That alone is very stressful!

    • This sounds completely irrelevant altogether (because BOA don’t run our fair city) to the subject at hand, but…
      I got approved by BOA in a “down economy” with a “minimum wage” job and a decent credit score.
      It sounds like your problems are more your fault than BOA.

  29. Y’all obviously spend too much time at Target, Wal*Mart, Winco and Food4Less.
    This valley isn’t bad at all. I go visit so many people in these local businesses on a daily basis and I have got to say that it is THRIVING.
    Just because you decide to keep being a robot at a “terrible” job that you claim to despise, yet have worked at for nearly a decade, doesn’t mean that everyone else feels the same way.
    Get out of these poor corporate retail locations and visit some of the folks at your local businesses and see how much good theses hard working individuals do.
    I used to kind of feel the same way, but then I stopped going to these corporate downgraded luxury establishments and I have got to say, that despite the low income folks, a lot of which really do need assistance, and I have got to say things are a lot better than they seem to you all with your blinders on.
    Don’t let Mtv and E! make you feel like you live in a wasteland just because you have dust on your car and don’t have a irresponsible teenage daughter.

  30. It is nothing compared to Bakersfield, where smog and crime ever rule the streets. We moved from Lancaster because of crime that was moving up from Los Angeles. Everyone there trying to get away from crime, but sadly bringing their own little criminals along for the ride. We bought a new house in a good neighborhood and watched helplessly as the gangbangers came into view. Anything in your yard not nailed down would be quickly gone. Two bangers tried to come in thru our doggie door, but it was too small, so I chased them away in broad daylight. They had kicked in a door of a vacant house next door and climbed over our fence. If I wasn’t there, they would have kicked in our back door for sure. A banger leader used to sit all day in his open garage and watch the neighborhood. The bangers used to hang out with him, and we knew he was telling them who wasn’t home.

  31. I’ve seen the Palmdale/Lancaster area grow from a small, relatively unknown area..into the overpopulated cities they’ve become. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, these cities could support their current population. Then the aerospace industry moved in…and the downward spiral began. Cheap housing and new jobs attracted folks from ‘down below’. The crime rate went up, graffiti was everywhere and suddenly schools were flooded with gang bangers. Nice neighborhoods were suddenly looking like ghettos. I’m not a ‘hater’..I’m just relating what I saw with my own eyes. Antelope Valley was once a safe place to raise your kids…lots of freedom to let kids be kids. But I guess with a society that has become as vicious and hateful as it has, the age of innocence is now a thing of the past….how sad

  32. Just more the reason to be used by God to help us invest in changing the lives of thoes in our community. Stop whining and share His Love and compassion to make a difference. Be bold in doing it so you don’t get taken advantage of and sensitive to those who seek changes. All city’s have a good and bad side. It’s the few who are willing to step outside of their comfortable homes and do something about it that make a difference.

    • @Alex
      Give it up with God. Lancaster is a ‘Christian community’. Rex said so.

      It says “in God We Trust’ on the wall in the council chambers.

      A local church practically runs the city.

      Problem is, the leadership doesn’t act like Christians and the city reflects their hypocrisy. That’s why it’s #1 on the list.

      • Who cares about Rex and what the walls say or about a local church running the city. I’m talking about individuals who are complaining. What have they done to try to make their neighborhood or block any better? I bet 90% of people here grumbling have tried anything but that. Some things we can’t control and the things we can make a bit of difference in people are too busy crying and complaining or just too lazy to do anything about it.

        • @Alex
          Just pointing out that all that ‘Christian community’ stuff hasn’t made any difference and you are here telling us we need more of it, as in ‘being used by God’.

          Why not try something that works for a change?

          Telling people that they should believe as you do hasn’t worked, has it? Telling people to ‘share His love and compassion’ sounds good, doesn’t it but it isn’t making any difference in Lancaster, as it is a very divided city mainly due to the words and actions of its so-called ‘Christian’ leaders and church influence.

          Might as well believe in Thor and Zeus.

          I am not religious but I make a difference in my city, Palmdale, in the ways that I can. As a result, I live in a very nice neighborhood with neighbors that look after each other and assist each other. And, we don’t talk about God while we are doing it even though some are very religious. They act it and don’t just talk it. THAT is what makes the difference.

          I have never heard Mayor Jim Ledford talk ‘religion’ although I think he is a man of faith. It shows in his words and actions compared to Rex Parris, who is arrogant and divisive while yapping about his ‘Christian community’.

          Hypocrisy is a huge pitfall for many religious people and Rex exemplifies it for all to see. And, his city reflects that.

          I don’t think President Obama is a strongly religious person but he acts consistent with Christian ideals in his responses to the most vicious attacks by so-called Christians who oppose him politically. His opponents are hypocrites just like Rex and his cohorts and even if young people can’t put their finger on it, the hypocrisy affects them indirectly in how they relate to the community. They see their so-called Christian leaders flout the rules and, as young people do, they mimic that behavior.

          So, Alex, if you live in Lancaster, you might want to talk to Rex about ‘being’ more Christian because what he’s doing isn’t that.

    • I could’nt agree with you more. People trap themselves in their own little bubbles. Oblivious to those around them. People need to get up off their behinds and make this a better place. Share the love of Christ and touch people’s lives give people hope and a desire to do better, to be better instead of complaining of how bad things are and stereotyping the homeless and those less fortuante than ourselves.

      • Tell that to the GOP which uses religion to divide and do those things you condemn.

        I’ll bet those folks in Murrieta who were hollering at the busloads of young refugees were Christians AND pro-lifers to boot.

    • Alex— Beautiful words! There are many of us stepping outside our comfortable homes, working to make a positive difference in our community.

  33. I left simply because of the fact that just about everyone there is on drugs. Drugs have ruined my families lives and I couldn’t stay there any longer. Living in Lancaster was the most stressful part of my life and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Thank god I was smart enough to leave.

    • It sounds more like your choice of friends were the problem, not the AV!

      There are lots of good, honest, non-drug using people in the AV, you just have to want to be around them.

      For whatever reason, it sounds like you were attracted to scummy people.

  34. AV is trashy, gang bang laden, welfare recipient ridden, section 8, awful place to live and raise a family. We have the highest child abuse in California. A dumping ground for sexual predators! I’ve heard that in welfare office’s in the Valley reads, “for your money to go further move to the Antelope Valley”
    And we wonder how we received the “most stressful place to live”….well duh!

  35. I lived in the Antelope Valley from May 1979 until March 2010 almost 31 years but Moved to Idaho to get away from all the gangs,drugs and drive by shootings. The AV at one time was a really nice place to live and raise a family but it turned into gang bang central with tagging and drugs and now it’s as bad as LA and sadly it just keeps getting worse and now it’s just another LA county ghetto city and probably the section 8 capital of California hence all the crime!!

  36. The sad part is the true reason it is so stressful is because of all the scumbags that moved here from LA. It had nothing to do with long commutes and housing costs. There’s been a HUGE influx of gangs, “families” of prison inmates and government leeches in the last 20 years.

    • Hey SaV,
      Who are the scumbags from L.A. What are the names of the gangs? Who are the prison inmates and government leeches?

      • Come on Ken. Do you really expect SaV to name all of the transplanted creeps and criminals? If everyone who knew someone scamming the system turned them in, it would take forever to investigate and prosecute them. Meanwhile, the younger family members would take over the business (s). It’s a never ending cycle.
        From health care workers ( I use that term loosely), in home care businesses, daycare providers, fake tax service providers and filings to include using other peoples kids as dependents and filing tax returns using prisoner info, fake student loan recipients, getting car loans and making the cars disappear to be reported stolen, placing FB ads asking for EBT cards in exchange for money or goods or selling EBT cards on FB pages only open to members. The list goes on and on.
        There are lots of gangs in the AV. If you live here, then you know that. All colors together. Few are claiming territory, so often, there are different gangs living in the same house or next door to each other. Example: Dads a Crip and sons pledged Red Team (Bloods) while they were in prison.
        Many people are 2nd or 3rd generation from LA families, who came looking for a better life for their kids. Didn’t the Mayor before Parris, Bishop Blah-Blah, go to LA and invite bus loads of project people to come to the AV? Promising them nice homes and lost of social services?

  37. Moved here for spouses job. Had numerous counts of sheriff contact here for nothing. Never been harassed by sherriffs or cops anywhere but here. Asked for money at every gas station or grocery stire. All the ghetto from L.A. is here collecting welfare, section 8, food stamps you name it, they getting it. Been applying for work in the whole L.A. county for 2 years and nothing. Weather is extreme and the people are very rude, uneducated or prejudice. My mom asked a fellow senior citizen why they closed a bingo hall and she sarcastically remarked, GO ASK THEM YOURSELF. The nicest people ive met are transplants from other cities. Hate this place…will go back home soon.

    • I have hear that same exact thing from so many people! They never had any trouble with the law till they moved to AV. I moved here and ended up on probation for some BS that wouldn’t even have rated a mention in the (much) larger city I moved from. Now I am just counting the minutes to move away from here. Biggest mistake I ever made was giving AV a chance. Antelope Valley-come for vocation, leave on probation.

  38. Lmao! Well we can thank the politicians in LA! Keep sending us the BS! I see you guys are #10 on the list! I WONDER WHY?

  39. Oh grow up people things could always be worse this is a load of bull if you let anything hold you down that’s your own fault don’t blame where you live because if other people can get out there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to either and for those who wish to stay there make the best of it and it will be better

  40. If you think the city of Lancaster is bad and that their Sheriffs Suck, Well you have no idea what bad is. Let me introduce you to Lancasters redheaded stepchild ” Rosamond.” Mix economic depression along with Gestapo tactic neo Nazi storm troopers who hide under the title of deputy’s. Who violate the rights of the residents of Rosamond on a regular basis. Add a court system that has only $$ signs for justice. I’d take Lancaster any day

  42. Some of the responses defending this city are laughable and sound like simple, small-town mind sets. I grew up in this God forsaken Valley and was able to get out, but moved back because I felt I was missing my younger siblings grow up. Sure, I was able to see them graduate and watch their budding music careers blossom, but other than that, the past year and a half has been the most stressful and emotionally draining year and a half I have ever experienced. I went from making almost $30,000 a year, with my own apartment to being unemployed and sleeping on a bed in a living room. Come August 1st, I won’t even have that and I can already here the Republicant’s and Tea Partiers that infest this city say how I should just go get a job, but let me tell you about that situation. Upon moving here, it took me four months to find one only to get laid off less than a year later. Then it took me three months to find another job at the Mall getting paid a little over minimum wage, working no more than six hours a week. But you know what? At least we have an IMAX theatre….

    • You sound like a really miserable person to begin with. . .

      Maybe the problem isn’t the AV, but you?

      “Wherever you go, there you are”

  43. The A.V. is like a black hole if one does not leave while they can they will be stuck here forever.

  44. Maybe it’s the chemtrails and the heat that has everybody stressed out. Wasn’t Lancaster or Palmdale ranked #1 for Most Cigarette Smokers in California a while back?

  45. There are many other issues why I would put Lancaster as #1..My daughter was pushing herson my grandson in a stroller and people in cars had the nerve to ask her if she was working. ( Prostitution ! ) …I myself has lived in both Lancaster and Palmdale and both places have there issues but agree the commute is horrible..

  46. Nepotism is at its peak in both Lancaster and Palmdale. It is worse at the school districts especially AVUHSD. Anywhere nepotism is high breeds backwardness and stress for the hard worker who knows no one that knows someone.

  47. No wonder, with R. Rex Perris and his spy plane watching our every move, plus all the stupid law suits he gets us in. Always battling it out with the city next door does not help any.

  48. I’ve lived in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and truly loved many things about each. All of California offers beauty and nature in beach, desert, mountain and sylvan settings. The most stress I personally feel is when driving crowded freeways, maneuvering in congested neighborhoods or being among the throngs of people in cars, on the boardwalks or in fancy thoroughfares between Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica. So, the Antelope valley feels peaceful in comparison. Our roads are comparatively clear and open, our parks uncontested and our streets straight for driving or riding along bike paths. The open spaces continue to amaze me as I look north and west and east to the distant mountains that surround this high desert. Sure, we need better paying jobs and respect for our community so that an over abundance of habitual law breakers aren’t settled here. It remains my favorite place to live since movimg from the Midwest in 1995. I’m stress free and loving my home in Palmdale…and the city of Lancaster too.

  49. First stated as the most boring city in California, now the most stressful ! Boring and stressful ! Wherever you are during the day leave the places you go to better than they were when you arrived. Start simple put your trash in the trash and maybe wear day attire to do your shopping and appointments. NOT PAJAMAS!!! Then maybe things will appear brighter not only to those in your path each day, but to you for feeling more pulled together. Believe it or not it can give you the energy to be more productive. Perhaps people will think so clearly, they will come up with a way to make Lancaster not so boring and stressful !!!!!

  50. I dont understand how Palmdale is #5 and lancaster is #1. I lived in both places and I think Palmdale is worse. I worked at Round Table Pizza in Lancaster when I was 16 I loved it.

  52. That’s sad, was raised out here but lived in Hollywood/Glendale until about high school. What I’ve come to love about the high desert is the wide open space, the ability to get away from civilization, and into te mountains. I’ve had my fare share of bad stuff happen, but that could happen in Anyhwhere, USA. For now I’ll enjoy the desert, because there is nothing in the desert, and no man needs nothing

  53. If only the AV could transform into Santa Clarita. Where I wouldn’t have to be solicited for money at every place I go and people weren’t so ghetto and trashy I would mind staying. But I understand with low prices comes low quality of life

  54. At least the antelope valley came in first for something Lmao! So glad I’m out of there!

    • That was an incredibly atheist sounding remark. Lancaster is actually quite nice. IMAX movie theater. An actual performing arts theater. An upscale art museum. California’s number ranked minor league baseball team. Rents for descent apartments at 600-700 a month.

      • all the ghetto familys know rent is cheap so they move here with there gang banger kids.

      • Upscale art museum? You need to get out and see some real museums. The building is nice as is LPAC but the rest of the area is seedy at best.

        • The museum always looks empty or closed. Has anyone been there?

          It’s like Rex wanted a ‘museum’ even if there was nothing much to see there. He can say “We have a museum”. Or have council meetings at 5PM so commuters can’t show up.

          Are there really any ‘artists’ in the loft?

          The BLVD is like a street set on a Universal backlot, just facades.

    • Very nice. It’s good to see you have nothing else to do but to disrespect and shun others. Get a life.

    • God only did it to give you something to be pissy about, He knew you wouldn’t be happy otherwise.

  56. I’m sorry, but this ranking, like most rankings of cities, is meaningless. These rankings are produced using a set of arbitrary assumptions and factors. There is no quantitative way to measure “stressful,” or “most livable.” Websites publish rankings for cities mostly as click-bait to drive traffic to their sites.

    • Agreed! Lots of great people and community in Lancaster. Of course they leave out all the great things of a good city.

  57. Oh, I believe it. For some strange reason I moved here from a beach city down south. I ask God each day what compelled me to decide THAT was a good idea. The move to AV was calculated & to be short-term. Come to AV you’ll end up in jail, or on welfare, stuck in one way or another. I have never seem anything quite like it-possibly the single most depressing place I have ever experienced. Come on vocation-leave on probation.

    • OMG YES!!!!! I was Stuck in Lancaster for way too Long! I tried to move away 3 different times to live at the Beach & this is the 3rd time which I Claim is the Charm! Now I live at the Beach where its taken a couple of years to Recover from being ill! Still on the mend but I’m Really Happy Now! The Vibe there is Harsh & Depressing & Peace seemed to be out of Reach…I have Family there & I wish all the time they were out of there. Now I do have some Really Amazing Friends there so in that Department I was Blessed! God Knew I’d Need them!

    • You are so right. I have never seen so many people become felons over dumb stuff that would not even be charged as a crime elsewhere. I rarely meet a family that has not been harmed in some way by the sheriffs of Lancaster

      • Really? If you commit a felony you deserve to get caught. BTW could you give us an example of what was charged as a felony here that isn’t a crime elsewhere.

          • Wow! Watching that video made me sick…that is absolutely infuriating and a big reason I moved out of California. Money hungry crooks!

        • Possession of a Bersa Thunder 40. Or a Bushmaster XM-15. Or a bazillion other firearms that millions of people own legally nationwide, and do no harm to anyone with them.

          Or… possession of a vehicle modified to perform better.

          • Those are California gun laws not LA county or Lancaster specific. Please try to stay on topic. What kind of vehicle modification is a felony in Lancaster? I believe the state DMV makes vehicle laws as well.

      • Truth lived there and was miserable had my first run in with the law there very sad and depressing place to live

  58. long work hours??! I sure would like some of THAT “stress” – from what I understand everyone’s getting hours cut around here … now THAT’s stressful!!