Here's the WORST Neighborhood in Bakersfield, California: Oildale

Is this the worst place in the California Central Valley?
A lot of people outside of California have never heard of Bakersfield. I mean there really isn’t a lot going on out here outside of a bunch of farming and oil drilling way up here in Kern County. There’s 400,000 people here, and it’s the 9th biggest city in the whole state. But still, this place remains off the radar for the most part.
Way out here in no man’s land between Los Angeles and Fresno along the 5, it’s really hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s sort of desert meets agriculture meets meth. The cost of living here is still super low - there aren’t too many places in California where you can get a home for $300,000. And close by are lots of rivers and hiking and hunting and stuff.
But we’re not here to sing the praises of Bakersfield. We’re here to check out an interesting place. Bakersfield has been called the worst city in the nation for kids and it has a terrible reputation among Californians. So why would a place that’s doing so badly be growing so fast? What does that say about California as a whole? What’s the deal with Bakersfield anyways?
Now a lot of times, when people talk about Bakersfield, they talk about a tiny little corner of this city - a place called Oildale. It has a really bad reputation for being dangerous and poor and filled with drugs. So of course I had to see it.
On A bright sunny day in late October, I took the drive up from Las Vegas and stopped in Bakersfield for a bit. The goal was to drive around this part of Bakersfield called Oildale to see what all the chatter was about, and to put into perspective how bad Bakersfield really is.
Oildale is a smallish community about three miles north of downtown Bakersfield. Technically, there’s 32,000 people here, which is close to 10% of Bakersfield’s total population. There’s really not a lot up here at this end of town except some beat up strip malls and rundown homes. But we’re going to drive around a bit and show people what it looks like, because even though Oildale is notorious in the central valley, a lot of people haven’t really ever driven up here to actually see it.
No wonder a study called Bakersfield the worst city in the nation for kids.
Now Bakersfield as a whole is a pretty dangerous place. One recent study called Bakersfield the 10th most dangerous city in the nation per capita, as drug abuse and shootings have increased A LOT. Gangs are also becoming a big problem here. Residents are frustrated because they’re emptying Bakersfield jails and releasing high risk offenders back out into the community, just as they are in lots of other parts of California.
And hard working police officers are leaving Bakersfield and the Kern County Sheriffs Department for higher pay and less stress.
Now why do they call this place oildale? Because there are oil fields all over the place on the north end of town. Two of the largest oilfields in the state are up here, and Kern County produces 10% of the oil for the whole country. There’s also agriculture all over the place. And all the emissions from the oil refineries and the tractors and trucks make Bakersfield the worst place in the nation for air quality.
So it’s dirty, dangerous and ugly. You can see why it has a terrible reputation. And there’s not a lot going on in the economy here, either. If the farms here continue to struggle like they are all over the central valley, and the oil economy falters, this place could be in major trouble.
But despite all of this, and even though it’s the butt of many jokes, people are flocking to Bakersfield. Most are drawn by the low cost of living. While the state as a whole has basically stopped growing, Bakersfield grew by more than 1% last year. The average home price for the places we’re driving past are around $170,000. But buyer beware. I don’t even think foregin Chinese investors would want a piece of Oildale.
Did you know Korn is from here?
Did you know Kevin McCarthy is from here? Kevin McCarthy - The republican congressional minority leader?
Bakersfield got its start during the California gold rush days, and has always attracted hard working rough and tumble down on their luck blue collar types. In many parts of this city, there are some great people. But sadly, like many other cities in this state, the a holes ruin it for the good folks.
#california #moving
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[@NickJohnson]

Here's my entire California playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLq-_cmf3H6yomU5rB6yOC5C9hr0Qnkf1l

[@MellissaBoomeroftheNight]

Please read my comment about why the facts are inaccurate, even when you uploaded this video. It has to do with the real estate interests in California.

[@Lisa-ob1ok]

Thank you i was born in bakersfield its been 30 since i been their ! thank you for sharing this

[@robertmoore2049]

Oildale, birthplace of Merle Haggard. Buck Owens lived in Bakersfield, two country music superstars…

[@jontyrhodes4155]

Then what ? What do you mean by that?

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

Bakersfield IS the home, well before Nashville, of Country Western Music.

[@lifeisgood5162]

And what have these two superstars done for Oildale being so wealthy.

[@janiscureton4076]

They’re rolling over in their graves 🥲 I enjoyed living in Bako

[@R3cuzican]

Indeed

[@jsl5570]

Have you been to East Bakersfield around Kentucky Ave or South Bako near the fairgrounds? How about south of Hwy 58 going east from Chester Ave? Oildale isn't any worse than those areas. BTW, most of the air pollution isn't local. It comes from SF, Sacto, and the entire Central Valley, and is stopped by the mountains at the south end. It is terrible air quality.

[@heysuzq]

Hi

[@MakotoKinoSailorJupiter2020]

Hell, I grew up on 33rd & Q and even that’s worse than Oildale

[@henryalfaro4156]

sorry but no, the pollution here is mostly due to gas and agriculture not the bay area and Sacramento... come on dude, stop drinking the oil companies kool aid.

[@michaelmorgan7893]

Agreed. I was born in Hanford California. If anyone wants to see a "backwater toilet" of a community, that is my first candidate. Lived there 30 years until it became unsafe. Couldn't call the police, because back then, they were in on it.

[@davidmurphy9049]

Totally agree with this. From Cottonwood, to East Bakersfield and the areas you mentioned. Some of Oildale is safer than these other parts are worse.. the area by the airport is still decent, but head south and it gets progressively worse till you hit Robert's Lane. I grew up by Memorial hospital and I saw the area decline. Moved out to ,8th n P streets where I saw gang shootouts. The police helicopter was above the area every few hours. The air quality is all from what you said. Add on the loss of farmland to build more houses and more and more. It's just sad. That being said, Bakersfield is a great foodie location. With such a rich history of Italian farmers, Mexican laborers and a large Chinese community I could easily list a lot of go to restaurants. Downtown Bakersfield has seen it's struggles for sure, but it's been turning around. However the homeless seem to be everywhere as are street corner vendors that are unlicensed. The felony politics are destroying neighborhood stores and every bid chain. I've seen people walk in and go straight back to the meat counter and empty it out. But hey.. we're force fed that they need it otherwise they wouldn't be stealing it. That and expensive flat screen TV's and so much more. As long as it's under a certain amount.. 900 buck I think.. you'll get nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Sure we have the oil fields, but hey, why does that mean our gas is more expensive? Doesn't it cost less to ship it there than a far? I never figured that one out..

[@daleian]

I was born and raised in Oildale. I will say there are some bad areas but there is also good areas too. A lot of hard work people here trying to raise their families.

[@Quityappin]

He exaggerates all his videos typical white KZbinr that goes around recording empty streets and calling them dangerous 😂

[@incog99skd11]

Isn't it kind of snobby to look down on poor people? Just because someone doesn't have a lot of money, they still need a place to live.

[@rooftopirishman4571]

Can I look down on poor people who litter and trash their own neighborhoods?

[@jackflackk3153]

No, unless your mr. perfect

[@westville1916]

@@rooftopirishman4571 I don't know about you but most of these neighborhoods looked fairly clean

[@nobody_special012]

@@westville1916 i live in Bakersfield, its gone so downhill the last 4 years. Its trashy now.

[@westville1916]

@@nobody_special012 this video is 11 days ago

[@mpearch8682]

I live in Taft like 35miles from Bakersfield. I feed the homeless people in Bakersfield. What's sad is there is so much oil here that we could make this state look like Dubai. We would have money for filtration systems to produce Clean energy. We also are close to the ocean to produce distilled Clean ocean water. After all the the world is 95% water. We can make oil pipelines but we can't make water pipelines. We can do so much, be so prosperous but at every board meeting to research Clean oil or agriculture, the board members, (that can barely speak English) along with McCarthy and China owned Feinstein, Pelosi, the governor. They all vote no. They hate us. They hate California. They hate America.

[@NickJohnson]

Well said.

[@petefarmer3514]

On point!!!

[@sprunkadct]

Facts

[@analise17]

Don't get me started on Owen's Valley and the aqueducts that take water from the highest producing area of the US for nuts, fruit and more.

[@lukeskywalker1840]

You feed the homeless? I hope you don't get stabbed death or anything else. That seems to be more and more common with bleeding heart liberals that try to help them. They are literally animals.

[@brotherc8993]

To everyone who is calling bs on this guy for being biased I can tell you that you are correct. He just listed off my hometown’s stereotypes and drove around a couple blocks. Love my home to my last breath. O-BLOCK

[@chanabanana8628]

This guy is really just driving around looking for meth.

[@westville1916]

😅

[@TRONABORON]

😂😂😂

[@shellyburns4675]

Oildale is not that bad. I can think of several neighborhoods in Bakersfield that are worse. There's a lot of good people in Oildale.

[@soysaucehairdye7869]

Yeah I lived in NW Bakersfield for many years and would eat at a lot of good Mexican restaurants in the heart of oildale and I never felt unsafe like I did in New Orleans a few years after Katrina. Cottonwood is a much scarier place in Bakersfield.

[@IsaacYtacc]

Yup

[@dalescadron1087]

This depiction of Bakersfield is incorrect. There are areas around Bakersfield such as Hagan Oaks seven Oaks the olive Drive community and areas around Panama Lane that are great neighborhoods and very clean. There are areas in East Bakersfield where they have a beautiful housing community. Every city has their bad neighborhoods so this is not a fair depiction.

[@theb3654]

​@John Jones Yeah it's a shithole idk what this guy is talking about having nice areas doesn't negate all the bad ones

[@Dosedos]

Thats not where most end up.

[@amberdyet8059]

Mappy is especially great at the 5 minutes mark & your response is even more funny Nick. I needed a break from today too. It gave me just what I needed.

[@richardeidemiller6739]

Didn't see massive piles of garbage and people hanging on every corner. Vicki

[@Johnny_Savage_]

You should’ve driven through Oildale at like 1:00AM. Roberts Lane and North Chester 7-11 is popping at that time. Zombies everywhere! Also, in my opinion East Bakersfield probably way worse then Oildale.

[@jerricakral3029]

This was the best comment everywhere. I live right by there and this comment had me rolling. On point 👉 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Lunatic4Bizcas]

As far as crime goes, I agree with you; however, I think what makes Oildale the worst part of Bakersfield is how drab and depressing it looks. At least East Bakersfield has a bit of a multi cultural flare and there's all these cool taco places to eat at; not to mention the best place to eat Pho in Bakersfield, which rivals even the best out in the LA area, which is the New Saigon on Union Ave. East Bakersfield also has the Tianguis 'Mercado Latino, ' which is actually a pretty cool place to shop and talk to local shop owners. Oildale does have a pretty bad crime rate even though it's edged out by East Bako, I just think that the 'depressive factor' of the place and seeming lack of infrastructure put it over the top as the worst.

[@EricHurwitz]

only reason alot of people outside of socal know about bakersfield and oildale is this small band called koRn.

[@californiamade5608]

🤦🏻‍♂️ Oildale is Bakersfield

[@Johnny_Savage_]

@@californiamade5608 No, Oildale is Oildale, Bakersfield is Bakersfield

[@danielwray1128]

You should take a drive around East Bakersfield. Especially Union Ave at night which is in Bakersfield(Oildale is not).

[@carrizma123]

Cottonwood always up to no good! Ya digg!

[@joeywitt7129]

@@carrizma123 changed name to MLK

[@aaronneff3928]

Absolutely correct, the east side is GNARLY

[@californiamade5608]

🤦🏻‍♂️ Oildale IS BAKERSFIELD. I have friends that live in Oildale. Their mail and address is Bakersfield, CA 93308. NOT Oildale.

[@mattbrown5921]

@@californiamade5608 actually is not Bakersfield. A simple google would tell you that.

[@mcrews77]

Bakersfield born and raised, and I feel oddly honored to be featured in one of your videos. The poor air quality here is seriously no joke, watching it affect my kids is the number one reason I'm ready to move, followed by the rising crime rates. The fact that our major industries are struggling is a really bad sign. Environmentalists hate our oil/natural gas and they've protested loudly at some of our Board of Supervisors meetings, which in turn has led to them becoming increasingly under fire from the state. Also, while Oildale is certainly not the nicest area, I would say the rate of violent crimes is much higher in the East and Southeast areas. Obligatory comment: as with anywhere there are great people mixed in with the bad. Our local food scene in particular is pretty awesome and I know some of our best restaurants have been family owned and operated for generations.

[@xxvvkx9312]

Like the Basque restaurants.. I loved going to The Sinaloa as a kid in the mid 1970s. I miss the all the H Street antique stores, the old original Woolworths downtown that was converted to an antique mall. Cant believe l never made it to Dewars lce Cream Parlor. Is the incredible original old (& giant) Fox Theatre still there l hope?.. The welcome sign as you drove in from the south off HWY 99 that said Welcome to BKFD & had Sun Fun Stay Play in separate individual circles at the bottom NEVER should've gotten removed!🤬 It was so 1950s looking, another piece of classic Americana gone💔

[@ghrasshopper]

The Central Valley as a whole has bad air quality.

[@kassie4426]

Yep. The worst area in Kern is the 93307 zip code area. I love that we are diverse when it comes to food. Basque, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, we have it all!

[@kassie4426]

@@xxvvkx9312 I like that Woolworths is both a diner and an antique shop. I have memories of going there with my Grandma for a hamburger and a cherry coke and then we would walk around and buy stuff. It was fun.

[@xxvvkx9312]

@@kassie4426: Yes! I Love the original Luncheonette they have inside also! And thats definitely a Beautiful memory, What a wonderful thing to do🙂

[@tomcruise8603]

You can find neighborhoods like this all over California and throughout the United States so it’s not just like only in Bakersfield there’s bad areas every city has it’s good and bad areas

[@youwishicared4751]

Bakersfield is a dump. As a whole.

[@californiamade5608]

@@youwishicared4751 no it’s not it has its perks

[@ramonw9430]

This guy makes his money by moving people out of California and other "blue" states so it is in his best interest to make cities in California look like they are the worst places on earth.

[@MLProductions.1]

As someone who grew up in the hood of LA. Oildale is a absolute shit hole. You can find teeth walking on the street.

[@aimeemorehead3160]

I noticed that you only drove around like you said " the worst part of Oildale " if you would have gone out of the circle you were driving around in and the only neighborhood you would have seen the new homes, Amazon and the Airport. We also have North High School which has one of the biggest gymnasiums I think in the country. But if you were trying to get the effect of the worst neighborhood you nailed it by just showing that small area in Oildale. I would have liked to see all of it on here not just the bad because there are good parts too but you weren't trying to show that. Also the percentages u named off are for ALL of Bakersfield not just Oildale.

[@_Shelley]

He didn’t even drive through the worst part. He just stayed in a very small circle. I would have showed the historic buildings, North high, star bucks, Amazon and our Airport! This video is a huge fail. Just another video of lies to get views!

[@michaelmorgan7893]

I lived there off of Airport Drive and Decatur Ave. It wasn't that bad, really. But then again it was 15 years ago.

[@mikaylatillett4427]

@@michaelmorgan7893 there’s a lot of improvement going on. they’ve remodeled the decatur hotel into low income apartments for senior citizens & theyre doing the same w another hotel. bakersfield is slowly but surely making changes & karen goh is doing way more than harvey did

[@michaelmorgan7893]

@@mikaylatillett4427 good to know. I've always liked Bakersfield and Oildale a lot more than my own home town of Hanford. In fact I felt more at home with people I could relate to down in Bakersfield, and to me that will always be "home" to me.

[@Lunatic4Bizcas]

@@mikaylatillett4427 : I agree. All of these changes are due to the initiatives enacted by Karen Goh, who actually has a vision for this city. Harvey was a multi term mayor who didn't care much and was only concerned with helping out the big agricultural and oil tycoons out here, his own ambulance monopoly (which charges exorbitantly high rates) and his business contacts in India, but nothing much else was done to improve the city or the plight of ordinary people here.

[@astrahcat1212]

Looks a heck of a lot better than Los Angeles or San Francisco 🤷‍♀️

[@lacedmichey6404]

It’s also very dangerous just like Los Angeles🤷🏽‍♂️

[@astrahcat1212]

@@lacedmichey6404 Hey everywhere bad but New England these days, but point is a 300k house there is probably the best existence you're gonna get for that money in California

[@toxic_smoke69]

@@astrahcat1212 tf u mean by tht

[@SP-xy7yh]

Am from Orange County. I’d live in LA any day of the week over Bakersfield. And I’m a Republican.

[@californiamade5608]

@@lacedmichey6404 lmfao. No it’s not. I walk there all the time.

[@marcbenjamin9436]

Oildale is not part of the City of Bakersfield. There’s a lot to unwrap In here that’s disingenuous. If you roll through the worst parts of a community, you’ll generally have the same impressions.

[@lucristianx]

The City government handles services…

[@marcbenjamin9436]

@@lucristianx pretty sure North of the River handles water and sewer. Sheriff handles law enforcement.

[@johnehret1134]

The City of Bakersfield has the 431k ish population. The Greater Bakersfield Area is closer to 800k +. There is a lot of unincorporated areas mixed in near the City Limits. Oildale is in one of the unincorporated areas and close to the 32k number you mentioned (36k). Oildale does not have a high Robbery rate. It does has a giant Burglary rate though. Tweaker and junkies are going to steal anything not bolted down and if they happen to be high enough, they might take the bolted down stuff too. Shootings, murders, etc are pretty rare in Oildale. It's more of an "assualt with a shoe or cellphone or bottle" type area. Oildale has great people, the dope made it not great.

[@mikaylatillett4427]

i feel like that makes no sense considering oildale is another area just like rosedale or southwest. so why wouldnt they include it ?

[@californiamade5608]

Oildale is Bakersfield. Addresses in Oildale are Bakersfield, along with the zip codes.

[@thatsuburbangroup8281]

I literally grew up there and in the beginning it said it’s the “worst city in the nation for kids” Then how come I was fine while growing up here? 😒

[@kellyrenee9679]

Because you are smart and not a product of the bad environment or avoided the peer pressure or trauma that caught many people bringing thru the depths of hell. I lived in that area back and forth between oakdale and tehachapi for work. You dont get caught up in the lifestyle of those inflicted and addicted.

[@classrockin]

It really is a mixed bag Nick, areas North of China Grade Loop are pretty decent. There's also a huge Amazon hub in the near vicinity

[@twinbubsmom07]

Funny how only bad areas were filmed🤣🤣🤣

[@classrockin]

@@twinbubsmom07 Yeah, there's some really seedy areas in the "Dale" to be sure, but it definitely is much better to the north and northwest. I lived there with a gf for a short time, and her place was definitely in the hood lol

[@twinbubsmom07]

@@classrockin I lived in the hood too haha 9th and p street now that was scary! I'm in royaldale now🤣🤣🤣oil family both working and have a nice house but from this everyone thinks we are poor trash!

[@classrockin]

@@twinbubsmom07 Oh yeah, 9th & P St definitely a rough area. " "RoyalDale" 😁 lmao

[@twinbubsmom07]

@@classrockin 🤣🤣🤣🤣ya the name was created awhile back cuz we aren't all like the people on Wilson or Washington St haha

[@charlenekim5533]

I couldn’t help noticing the tic-tac-toe sky AKA chemtrail spraying

[@travis3077]

He is acting like as soon as you walk out of your car, you are going to get shot. Bakersfield is not that dangerous . The exaggeration is unbelievable. This is from a Bakersfield native.There are other parts of California that are far more dangerous.

[@westville1916]

East Oakland

[@minty.5438]

but fearing your life going to the mc donald’s across the street as a 15 year old is pretty scary, a homeless man was super close to stabbing me and this is in the better part of town too

[@haggard1378]

@@westville1916 east oakland not bad if you keep your head down

[@willasage23240]

This is a great video. I can’t wait to watch the next one!

[@highergrillingbbq]

Show me the worst part of any city and I'll make you think it's the entire entity. This video is very jaded and only focused on the negative. Why not focus on the positive? Despite the negatives in our environment, is Oildaler's fight for the best education for our kids, are involved in our school boards and take care of our properties. Why not stop and interview residents? No city is perfect and we have our faults but we are not as bad as your jaded views make it man. Come back and I'll show you people who are proud to live here.

[@westville1916]

He does it for views that's why

[@CasperGirl2008]

Let's keep the cost of living down by continuing to say it's not the best...

[@highergrillingbbq]

@@CasperGirl2008 Lol! Also true....

[@johnmenanno2152]

It’s funny how America’s worst places are light years above other countries worst places

[@rtillerypowersports]

Perspective. Amen !

[@shellysloss1595]

I have lived in Oildale most of my life. I have also lived in East Bakersfield and Rosedale. I have to say I feel safer in Oildale by far. I have seen and been victim to more crime in those other areas than here. While the areas you drove by are not the best picture of Oildale there are really nice homes on the North side of Oildale and as a whole the people here are not bad. How can you come from another state and judge this are knowing nothing about it other than statistics. Maybe you should walk a mile in our shoes before you judge us.

[@tuggxs7637]

I’m from sw Bakersfield and the one time I went up to the dale I seen a bunch of crackheads

[@mayracalderon8203]

@@tuggxs7637 if you ever go to oildale the only thing you have to do is make sure you don't run over the crackheads. Its not dangerous. My goodness, people need to go to big cities like LA, Chicago etc and see what crime really is.

[@tuggxs7637]

@@mayracalderon8203 bro I live in Bakersfield 💀

[@mikaylatillett4427]

@@regular2124 ok but that’s not all of oildale. my friend lives about 5 mins from pioneer village & the low income apartment complex she’s in was very quiet & her neighbors are great people. & there’s some nice houses in oildale off of olive & in a few more spots.

[@envyvezzy21]

I was saying the same thing actually I feel like the video was constructive criticism

[@davidg5629]

No graffiti, no bars on the windows. How bad could it be?

[@garybettman7026]

Still looks like paradise though compared to Wilkes Barre PA !! Great video once again my friend! - Gary!

[@tugboat25]

California is a beautiful state. Run like garbage but very lovely in many areas but something I have noticed about California.....there's a hell of a lot of BORING towns around. Bland, empty, dull and boring nothing communities. Seems like more than any other place.

[@victorrene3852]

Depends how you look at it. I lived in busy L.A. all my life and I like the boring towns instead. I hate the city now. I live in the "boring towns" now and couldn't be happier. You also get more land for less.

[@californiamade5608]

Of course we have a lot of boring towns. California has 39 million people. They don’t all live in LA, San Diego, or the San Francisco Bay Area. Lol.

[@baconbap]

Please elaborate. Give examples and cite sources.

[@shellyburns4675]

You drove right past Korn's recording studio and didn't even know it.

[@wanggang3885]

Which was also Buck Owens original studio.

[@sketchartist1964]

😂🤣

[@michaelwhiting668]

Man I love how honest you are about your reporting. I do a lot of traveling by watching your channel. Keep up the great channel. Best channel on utube.

[@HIAHomelessInAmerica]

Thanks for sharing this

[@justinsalsbury9426]

I grew up in Oildale and it is bad. I'm reading these comments of people saying that it doesn't look bad but seriously, just go there and drive around especially at night and you'll see for yourself. I have lost many friends and acquaintances to drug use because of this place.

[@rossfenneken]

How can you not like Korn. Saw them live a few times. Awesome band.

[@willasage23240]

I love watching your videos, they are so entertaining!

[@marvincarter3476]

Oildale isn't THE worst neighborhood, just 1 of the worst. I grew up there 35 years ago and it was actually a great place to grow up, before all the meth.

[@__charles__]

This place looks like most small California central valley towns between Interstate 5 and Hwy 99 to me.

[@californiamade5608]

It’s not “a town” it’s Bakersfield. Oildale is Bakersfield. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@jameslyons1624]

Merle Haggard Buck Owens a lot of famous musicians from Bakersfield

[@lorirobertson643]

... on the streets of Bakersfield.... 🎵 🤠. Gotta love Buck & Merle. Hugs from Arkansas 💜

[@Sarah-yd8th]

Thank you for visiting Oildale! And thank you for mentioning the truth that many people know but avoid saying it.

[@Sarah-yd8th]

I live a life like what your video says. Greatly appreciate your video, it means a lot to me.

[@jeffsea6490]

Thanks for sharing your dashboard tour of the beautiful community of Oildale, Nick n Sage

[@tinamulligan1690]

You should go to Mt Vernon. I was born at Kern Medical, Right there on Mt Vernon. I’m even scared to go out past 4pm in that area.

[@lynnbailey9470]

Well Nick I was born in SF lived in Bay Area then in 7 other states then landed in Bakersfield and while there are issues here like any place in US there are great things about living here too. As to air quality you forgot to mention that it is a bowl here hemmed in by mountains during Covid our air quality was great (aside from forest fires to the north) and a lot of our issues are caused by the areas north of us drifting down and getting stuck in the bowl. As an Econ teacher that’s called a negative externality Nick something we have to live with and didn’t cause.

[@deweytrail9511]

Oildale where you can get your hand shook and wallet took at the same time

[@deweytrail9511]

It's oral Dale not oil Dale

[@michaelwhiting668]

Thank you for such great videos, I really enjoy them.

[@hunnybeargensheer4605]

Hey thanks for filming "The Shoe". We left Bako in 1994. I haven't been back since 2005.

[@my_screenname007]

You need to do one on Niagara Falls back in the 80s early 90s it was great affordable place to raise a family but now it's currently the worst city in nys highest crime low preforming schools teen pregnancy etc

[@NickJohnson]

I did

[@astrahcat1212]

It's one of the rustbelt cities. Nick, do one of Camden NJ, you won't come back alive possibly though even in broad daylight.....no don't do that, I wanna see more vids

[@manfredmann2766]

Gloversville used to be nice too in the late seventies.

[@butterfly4058]

It is not that bad. The houses look decent and the areas look pretty clean. I've seen way worse in other cities.

[@westville1916]

He does it for views

[@ivetteb8364]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@JuntosGBJYX]

I love Bakersfield! As a young bussiness owner and also owner of multiple properties paid off. Would not choose to live any where else. If you have a plan in starting any type of bussiness this is the city to move to. So many opportunities to grow your bussiness. Fun fact George Bush lived here😄 thanks for your video it was🤣🤣🤣

[@Calihustla]

That is awesome i always wanted to start a small business here in Bakersfield but just havent found the right opportunity or ideas yet.

[@baconbap]

He also lived in Compton.

[@philipabshier2060]

Hey, Nick! I've driven through worse in Las Vegas. Why don't you do THAT video?

[@brianmatthews4149]

Oh shit .I was up on lake mead Blvd. Wow that looks rough. I dont think I would walk around there at night.

[@michaelmorgan7893]

I lived in Bakersfield for almost 12 years. Oildale wasn't quite that bad when I was there, but unfortunately time changes everything - not always for the better. There's some other sketchy and janky areas out near Lakeview and Rexland Acres, too that are part of Bakersfield. (places I wouldn't want to be caught after dark) I'm in Fresno now. (Not much improvement)

[@naturalmax8474]

i frequented rexland back in the 80s....its terrible now

[@ItzRyan39]

Omg I was born and raised here and was so shocked to see you have made a video about my town I watch your videos all the time . I’m happy to see you’ve made it to Oildale … yes this community has lost its shine over the years but Oildale is a wonderful community filled with lots of great people, the history of Oildale is actually very interesting to me it was actually called waits or “the north side” in the early 1900s the name Oildale was established in 1909 and the first Oildale post office open in 1916 majority of the ppl came from oil city which is 7 miles northeast of oildale where majority or the oilfield workers lived with there family’s ( most coming from places like Oklahoma and Arkansas), but then they where going to be taxed extra or something like that for living on the oilfield lands so they moved to was then waits or “the north side” now Oildale.. it really breaks my heart at how this place has low key turned out over the years and just fell apart and became abandoned in certain areas and mainly bc it’s turning into another Skid Row low key , it’s made me wanna move so bad but I don’t know where I wanna go , somewhere, not too far, maybe similar to this kind of atmosphere, but not as run down… I’ll always love Oildale but it’s just not the same from 10-12 years ago I will definitely say it is safer than most parts of Bakersfield,los Angeles,and San Francisco tho…

[@phoolb7326]

At 1:17 into the video is the Old Fox theater which became the home of Buck Owens Radio stations KUZZ and KKXX. I grew up in what is now termed "Royaldale" or the North part of Oildale, and my main goal as a child was to "get out of town". I have only been back a handful of time since "escaping" when I was seventeen. I will say that the people are friendly despite the generally low education, high drug use, and high poverty. Buck once told me that "You know you can leave Bakersfield, but Bakersfield will never leave you"

[@TheBlackDog73]

I lived in Los Angeles for 25 years. Moved to Taft in 98'. I learned to live it here. I would never move back to LA. Bakersfield is a good place to live. Lots of history.

[@almabelhumeur6672]

I don't call this a bad neighborhood. The homes look decent and tAKEN Care of. I have seen worst, far worst.

[@jontyrhodes4155]

Me too Its amazingly beautiful Nick has very standards You need to be grounded Nicky

[@florida23]

What in car camera / setup does Nick use? Its fantastic...

[@robertzamora5201]

Grew up in Bakersfield (Bako) since I was 4yrs moved around a bit around town. The sirens are literally. Nonstop. The homeless is are here like every other big city, STD rates are disgusting for keen county. Gangs are growing and people can’t even function at a car meet without altercations sometimes fatal, I’d bet 1/3 Bako drivers don’t got auto insurance. While we at Bako driving they will literally speed up to cut you off no blinker and take the turn at a turtles pace…East 99 more taco stands/trucks. Honestly family is the only thing keeping me here but I hope to get out sooner than later. Love your videos Nick hope your having a good day. 💯

[@suzannehoney7160]

You missed the "best" parts of Oildale. Beardsley, Oildale drive, Mc Cord, Plymouth. You really made oildale look good. So many deaths in the Riverview park that noone even blinks, just turn the tv up 🤣

[@mattmaisonet8373]

Right ... I used to live on Beardsley.

[@jayfinn6698]

Your cute.

[@nightbot.3266]

He should have stopped to eat Bakersfield has some good food places

[@tammyscott420]

Thats right.

[@BigBadJon1123]

Wow that was a ridiculous depiction of Bakersfield. Extremely bias on what you've heard and been told. Let's go to your town and look at the worst neighborhood and talk about the entire town from that neighborhood. Next time try going to the other 350,000 plus populated areas in the same town and then write your report. Oh and you forgot to mention anything about Buck Owens Merle Haggard Dale Earnhardt many other positive influences that have came out of the city.

[@Faihle]

Two things: 1. The point of the video is to show the worst neighborhood in Bakersfield. I was Bakersfield born and raised and have lived on multiple streets he drove down. Oildale is arguably the worst neighborhood, though you could also make a case for the Eastside. 2. Dale Earnhardt is not from Bakersfield, he's from North Carolina. Kevin Harvick is from Bakersfield and he's a douchenozzel.

[@hunterfiles7987]

I work for Mentors moving and storage here in Bakersfield and i can confirm that 2021 was are most productive year on how many moves we did. But sadly most of those moves that i was apart of was in the nicer parts of town in the west.

[@mattbrown5921]

Who wants to live in the ghetto?

[@amberdyet8059]

Great job on the video Nick. Mappy is great too.

[@mason0006]

Honestly looks pretty nice compared 2 here in Illinois

[@JBlazeCalifornia]

Worst air in the country 😒

[@PorchiaP.]

Thank you for this!!! I have NOT heard good things about Oildale, don't write me Oildale ppl😂🤣

[@samanthamichelle2094]

Nice message at the end 👌

[@dropdead_red]

@nickjohnson thank you for this channel, turns out your sarcasm is exactly what I needed. I hardly want to kick random people/objects at all anymore. This is probably how normal people feel after yoga.

[@raydawg2132]

I lived in oildale for 6 months back in 2018 & I can tell you it was mostly bad at night. I use to be a uber driver & I use to see people walking around with flashlights looking for something on the ground & I once seen a guy mowing his lawn at 3am. During the day it was some what pretty decent. I use take my two year old & push him in his stroller & never had any problems in the area.

[@davidbringle379]

My largest issue is that there is almost zero research on the actual history of the people and the real circumstances that led to current situation. My father grew up here in the 40's and I in the 70's. I no longer live in California. I do have a journalism degree from CSUB. With that said; I would give this video D+ at best.

[@kimberlynnearazi9381]

💯

[@tomroddy5920]

While bagging on Daleians, narrator runs stop signs with abandon.

[@Heyymynameisjbells]

Lol yesterday you were in snow today is a desert! Hahah love it

[@samuelwilliams5283]

There’s a lot of neighborhoods worse than oildale, this video is very inhumane. There’s people that call this “dangerous” place home and love that little neighborhood. This is my home and heart, will always be the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived.

[@rickyrick8917]

Love you videos but I also love Korn so this video has me conflicted haha Keep the videos coming

[@cralaw597]

KORN ROCKS 🪨 🎸 😎

[@dannyg5446]

Wide open spaces, the west is big and it’s quite a lot for us living east of the Mississippi to take in.

[@Edward-zw9ld]

As a resident of Bako, it's good that the rest of the country doesn't know that this city exists. Maybe they will move to Fresno or Sacramento.

[@Carlos-ms1yx]

KoRn is from Bakersfield. That’s how I grew up knowing where it was. Being a korn fan I was excited driving through it when I moved to California. They have a great BBQ place in Bakersfield. Great video Nick.

[@NickJohnson]

Mappy said he knew that Carlos!!

[@Carlos-ms1yx]

@@harryo989 it was called Angry Barnyard BBQ

[@Carlos-ms1yx]

@@NickJohnson Mappy is the best 🧡

[@cralaw597]

KORN IS ONE OF THE BEST BANDS FROM CALIFORNIA EVER 🙌 ROCK ON BRO

[@Revbone450]

Desert meets agriculture meets...meth. LOL!!

[@Nightmare_2417]

15:34 I grew up on this street just before you hit the stop sign at 16:00. There were both good and bad times. I went to school at Standard Elementary aross the way. I still remember the tunnel walk that went underneath Chester AVE to get to school next to an old Catholic church. Sadly when I went to revisited the area, I was heartbroken because of how bad it looks now. 🥺 I hope to God that the good people I knew during my childhood are making a positive difference in the world now, including my past bullies.

[@NickJohnson]

I stopped at a stop sign??

[@chubbiMommi]

I lived in this street, and live the one over now.. standard is a pretty good district considering the neighborhood.

[@localgirl33]

Taft is a strange little town near Oildale. There is a good brewery, a good Thai restaurant, a now closed steakhouse and that's about it. There are also old memories of Bako when it was wealthier- the "petroleum club" and the private airport.

[@meganvanderhorst4797]

Honestly I live in Oildale, it is very different from when I was a kid. Back in the day it was awesome and fun and not scary to run around in now it’s very different a lot of homeless and drugs and shit people and thieves but that’s not all of Oildale. If you would of drive above China Grade loop you would of seen a lot of nice beautiful houses and places up there.

[@benjaminmahill5895]

It is really easy to talk down to an entire group of people simply because their economic status is less than yours. It’s really easy to completely crap on a band that went platinum 7 times with 400,000,000 in sales world wide at their peak, simply because it’s not your taste. But just because it’s easy to do so, doesn’t make you or any of your opinions right. The one thing you said that was remotely accurate is that no government official will do anything to help you. And neither will you, not with this garbage.

[@welcome2malibu]

i lived in oildale for about 7 - 8 years, i don't have many good things to say about my time there but oddly i do kind of miss it after watching this video.

[@GeorgeWMays]

I couldn't help but notice all of the trash cans. Are they waiting for the trash TO BE DELIVERED?

[@ogfight]

Great point. Very funny.

[@mattsmith1137]

I lived in Commiefornia for 50 yrs and never heard of this place till just now.

[@jontyrhodes4155]

That truly amazingly good

[@brianmatthews4149]

You must live under a rock.

[@mattsmith1137]

@@brianmatthews4149 under a big one, it’s very comfortable.

[@casketblack5660]

Oh man... i lived in southern california for 47 years and i can tell you, if the homes were free! You would never want to " live" there! Hell is hot and so is bakersfield

[@_mvr_]

As a south american, 300k USD for a home in such a decidedly bad place to live is inconceivable to me. It's still too damn expensive

[@JE-co8fx]

Some foo really said Bakersfield is the worst? I’m from here and a lot of people here are happy working class people.

[@greggstrakaluse2505]

Nick, wouldn't you say this is a distorted characterization from a single neighborhood perspective? There's 150 square miles more City to review. We are one of the top 5 largest cities in the State and rich in character. We're not one of the fastest growing Cities for no good reasons 😉. I moved from Naples Florida for Bakersfield! I'd love to take you on a tour.

[@NewWorldOrderFilms2030]

You didn’t like Naples?

[@samanthamichelle2094]

Why?

[@johnlosert922]

I for one, would like to see the “worst” places in a neighborhood, so I get an idea where NOT to move to.

[@crystalslater8727]

Bakersfield used to be a really nice place people help each other out everybody was friendly kids can run around all night everywhere until their street lights came on I am 38 years old born and raised here I lived in Texas for the month I live in Washington for a year and now I'm trying to get the f*** out of here everybody's only out for themselves lots of thieving lots of drugs the traffic is horrible beginning to look like la my children are 10 13 and 18 and I still don't want them bring up here soon as I save up enough money to get out of here I'm gone I miss Green Acres it's not the same here anymore since they started building young people coming in from La who are judgmental as f*** I grew up in Rosedale AKA Green Acres as of the moment I live in Oildale on the other side of the tracks the part you didn't show nice neighborhood but it doesn't stop the crimes

[@californiamade5608]

Bakersfield is the ninth largest city in California after Oakland, not 5th. That would be Fresno.

[@rayannaandrade6337]

OMG I was waiting for you to do a video on my hometown yes it’s dusty the air quality is terrible lots of crime lots of homeless people but it’s the only place you can work at Jack-in-the-Box and still buy a house tons of people from Southern California are moving there went to high school in a very expensive county in Southern California and half my circle people I know move there There are some actually really fancy new houses there too away from the old parts it’s a very mixed bag

[@c6ixproductionsnh]

This can't be a very depressing Dusty chapter of your life if you move to Bakersfield depending on what you have going on in your personal life

[@joeywitt7129]

Born and raised idk why im still here i owned a very popular skateshop for 20years btw at 1:17 Thats Korns recording studio used to be a radio station back in the day alot of hit songs came out of that studio

[@cralaw597]

I CAN SEE 👀 I' CAN SEE I CAN SEE I'M GOING BLIND 🤨☠️👹👿

[@Jetjockgordo]

My wife and I moved to Bakersfield four years ago and what you didn't mention is highway 99 bifurcates into east and west and you saw some of the old east side but did you venture to the newer west side? Much of the West side is quite nice! We love the house we bought and have great shopping and eateries aplenty. Yes it's a predominantly blue collar town but look at the cars and except for Oildale and the far east side, you will notice most people drive nice late model cars. Only a small percentage of Bakersfield could be deemed blighted so your depiction is really quite inaccurate. I can take to to parts of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia that is infinitely worse with widespread poverty, blight and drug use.

[@luisdg6232]

Yes! It’s like the 99 completely splits the city in half lol. Like you said if he were to drive out the west side from ming or stocktake I bet nobody would have expected for that area to be a part of Bakersfield, since we always get a bad reputation because ppl like him only talk about the bad side and never acknowledge the good side.

[@bryannforeman935]

I also live in Bakersfield. The video is speaking specifically about Oildale, Northeast Bakersfield. West of 99, Ming, Stockdale Hwy is not Oildale.

[@robertrescolaandcodywilson7809]

This video didn't explore enough of the city to paint a clearer picture of how how rugged, disgusting, and dangerous the worst parts of this city are. But then again you probably wouldn't want your car and belongings stolen by lingering around much longer lol. I'm sure there are worse places and as bad as this one is, there are some decent people here. But there are also many, if not more, of the worst kinds of people. I live in oildale and can judge from personal experiences. Anyone of the presentable homes you drove past are inhabited by everyday folks who in turn live within close proximity of some of the worst, conscienceless , thieving, murdering, vile, and disrupting excuses for human trash conceivable. It is IMPOSSIBLE, (I say this from personal experiences) IMPOSSIBLE to live in this town peacefully without someone bringing problems to your doorstep or robbing you blind when your eyes are turned. I live on edge around the clock, rarely able to leave my home because this place is so overwhelmed with coniving people just waiting for an opportunity and the instant you let your gaurd down here you will wake up with nothing. It amazes me that there are also so many good and hardworking people who dwell in the same vicinity and do not deserve the disrespect that some of their neighbors have earned by reputation of destroying their community. Yes there are worse parts of Bakersfield and oildale isn't ALL bad. But I've been to many other states and have run across people who have never heard of Bakersfield, but they can tell tales of how grimy and rotten oildale is! Most of the depictions I've heard are pretty accurate as far as the greater percentage of it's population go. You missed the more colorful areas however because you kept driving in a circle. I elect not t9 advocate the nicer areas because the shittier parts ruin it for the rest of us because the theft plague extends its reach across the entire city and nothing and no one is safe in this town.

[@mikaylatillett4427]

uh woah. maybe u need to move then. i’ve had tons of friends live in oildale & never had problems like these. get a good security system for ur home too. but let’s be honest, no one is just gonna rob him in broad daylight. oildale is not like GTA

[@theredsisters3368]

Those things mainly happen at night and it mostly happens inside homes it's never truly on "the outside"

[@kade_kam_dad]

Great channel Bud. I’ll hit you up when I retire.

[@gapadad2]

Born and raised in Oildale. Still there. Careful where you tread.

[@erich84502a]

It has a good dirt race track. Bakersfield Speedway

[@jsl5570]

And Famoso Raceway has the big drag racers testing their cars a couple weeks before the Winternationals. I haven't been there for quite a while, but I saw John Force & Kenny Bernstein there. And saw Larry Dixon blow a tire at over 250MPH and roll the car many times. He still went to Pomona 2 weeks later.

[@sherriewoolsey8141]

Talking bad about a city by driving thru a bad neighborhood I'd like driving thru Compton and saying this is what all os LA looks like. Drive thru the North west you will see nice homes drive thru the house in the West side

[@Bornjamerican24]

Look at the title of the video...

[@gamingwithscottie1478]

Nick - I want to go to California. Do you prefer San Francisco or Los Angeles?

[@poodles4u]

Looks clean and orderly to me. Also you mentioned McCarthy and Korn, but forgot Buck Owens studio was in Oildale, and Meryl Haggard was from there.

[@jessesaldua5]

Don’t forget the song streets of Bakersfield by good ol buck owens

[@daniellecarrasco9503]

I think I watched enough the moment you started talking. You can tell by the people constantly moving to buy up real estate in Bakersfield its horrible most of them are from big cities that look like skid row. The whole state of California like LA, Sacramento, San Francisco. Why not talk about those places? Did you drive through McFarland, Fresno, visalia? Honestly your opinion of what little area you drove through. Isn't accurate by which your video displays. Why dont you take sometime to drive Oildale completely before posting the worst areas. The posting and this much needed useless information inspired me to write this paragraph. Lol

[@robertbenkelman947]

I lived in Bakersfield for 26 years, yes Oildale is bad, so are other parts of Bakersfield. Honest, Oildale is not part of Bakersfield, independent island neighborhood, separated by the Kern River. Cross the bridge and you are in Oildale. Neighborhoods vary. Some neighborhoods can be crappy yet others old looking. It’s the people that make a neighborhood-good or bad. We can compare Oildale to east Bakersfield. Each neighborhood has names, some neighborhoods date back 100 years. In Oildale, homes look the same and are drab looking. But people live here in Kern County because it’s affordable. Compare that to certain neighborhoods in Southern California. If you like hot weather, come! In Kern County summer days usually 95 to 105, dry heat. People don’t stay indoors, they sit under a shade tree.