What It's REALLY Like To Live In Mojave, California?! You Won't Believe What We Found Out! 

The neighborhood being driven through at the beginning of the video is called Mojave Gardens. The street at 3:12 is Nadene street where I lived from 1965 to 1983. It was a beautiful neighborhood with manicured lawns and trees that lined both sides of the streets. Countless games of tag football were played on those streets in the 1970s. After turning 18 in 1983, I lived at a few different places in Mojave before moving away in 1996. I have a lot of good memories of living there. Many people blame Mojave's decline on the highway 58 bypass that choked off the businesses that depended on that traffic. That couldn't be further from the truth. When I was growing up in Mojave, it was a blue-collar town where everyone had a job. There was Ashland chemicals, Purdy chemicals, Texas Aluminum, Cal Portland, and nearby Borax. One by one, almost all those plants left the area taking those union jobs with them, thanks to California's high taxes and strict regulations. All those jobs kept the town going as they supported Little League, Youth Football and other organizations. The men working at the plants belonged to one of the lodges; Elks, Lions, Odd Fellows- all of which supported the towns different events. Almost every family attended church on Sunday and welcomed each other into their homes. There was always something going on at the Veterans building, a multi-use facility that people could rent to host Bingo, fundraisers, celebrations, or a town party. I may be comparing Mojave to Mayberry, but that's how I remember it. It was truly one of those towns where everyone knew everyone. Today, I know almost no one there

Sounds ideal for myself. I'm retired with no family. I use to visit MOJAVE once a year while on business trips from Pennsylvania so I do have some familiarity with the town. I'm now 90 and just a bit to old for moving across country. I will just visit via my computer. Thanks much for your information. Jim Hatboro, PA

For those who may be wondering , the other 25.7% of the population identifies as iguanas.

I grew up in this town from the time I was born until I was 13. I moved back for a bit when I was an adult and working at Scaled Composites at the airport there. Back in the late 80s and early 90s the town wasn't as bad. They had a lot more stores but they built the bypass for the 58 and businesses slowly died. There used to be a K-Mart, Del Taco, Wendys, Taco Bell and more. The place where McDonalds is now is where Taco Bell used to be.

My dad was the first Highway Patrolman to patrol Mojave, he and the captain. The radio base station was kept in our house. Early 50s. I remember Mojave as an exciting place to watch gliders. The winds would keep them aloft forever.

I lived and went to school in Mojave in 1982. One evening night, a flying large object with lights hovered over us. The next day it was printed on local newspaper, that some people who witness it and reported it almost suffered a cardiac after seeing the object, and my aunt was one of those. It has been the most mind-blowing experience I've ever witness. I tried finding the archives on the Mojave Library website, but cannot find anything. Someone in that town has to remember that experience. 🛸

Pros: Great place for off-road motorcycle riding! Great place to keep and fly an airplane/sailplane! Great desert camping! Great for rock hounds. Clean air. Endless open spaces! Doorstep of the Sierras! I love Mojave!

I like how this town in CA is affordable. The abandonment and emptiness looks kinda sad. Thanks for giving us a video tour.

I lived in Mojave from 89 to 2005 and raised a family there. I loved the small town atmosphere. My daughter still lives there in the same house she grew up in, and is raising her family there. A lot of things have changed over the years.

A distinct lack of homeless encampment makes Mojave a great choice for living! It's a relatively safe place, I lived on the outskirts in little Rock and in Acton. Great hiking too. Once you get out of the towns the desert begins to reveal its secrets. Thanks for the tour of the old place. It's a great place to live. Good neighbors and police as well.

I drove through Mojave in mid July of this year (2023), and stopped at the Shell station at point 11:46 in video to fill up with gas and eat at Subway. The one thing I remember most vividly getting out of the car was being blasted with a very hot wind. When I was a kid growing up on Los Angeles, we used to drive through Mojave to go to Mammoth to ski at Christmas time. Mojave reminds me of Barstow and 29 Palms!

Here in Mojave there is a beautiful girl behind every tree. But there are no trees.

Im a current mojave resident. I moved here in 2021 from LA. Ill tell you, i make a tiny salary, 40k a year. With that salary, i can afford to pay a 3 bd 2 ba home with a 7k lot size. Monthly pay is 800 a month but escrow fluctuates so it varies. 1 year it was 200 now its 600 so about 1400. Even then, i can live off with that. House is very descent too. Not glamorous but good enough to be happy. Mojave is good if you want quiet and youre tired of the city noise and traffic. The only loud noise youll hear is the train but youll get used to it. Plus youll see fighter jets as its about 15 miles away from Edwards AF base. Mojave is also close to tehachipi and palmdale so you have resources that the drive isnt bad. Plus fuel is cheaper here than in palmdale. Not ideal for 20's year old tho as thats the out and explire and on the move phase tho unless youre the one of a kind that never liked the traveling exploration.

I love the view of the distant mountains and the wide open sky full of light. It's definitely got an atmosphere. Artists would love this quality of light. It's got a lot of potential and positives. Thanks for the interesting film!

One of the main sources of revenue in Mojave was the Motel, Restaurant, and Service Station trade. It was where Hwy 14 and Hwy 58 met. But now Hwy 58 by-passes Mojave, and that part of Mojaves economy is about dead.

Checked Zillow cheapest home that looks livable start at 225k and go up. Nicer 1950's home over 1500 SQ feet is around $350k. Even if towns that are declining in California still higher priced then most states. Only thing I could find on Zillow under 200k were mobile homes and one SFH didn't look livable. Highest price home was $650k 2280 SQ foot home on 19 acres.

I was born just a few miles down the road, at Edwards AFB. I stopped there in 2017 and told the wanna be female gate guard it was where I was born and she tried to tell me I was mistaken because there was not even a hospital. There was in 1954.

Mojave has always been a fuel and breakfast stop,real breakfast not fast food. As a kid I remember the heavy train traffic and the roundhouse. Yes Mojave had a real old school roundhouse for switching locomotives on the west side of town. I think it was in the late 1950's early 1960's when they stopped using it and slowly dismantled it a few years later. That was sad because it might have been one of the only roundhouse still in use. Before freeways were built the drive from the San Fernando valley to the Owens valley was small roads one lane each way. No freeways built yet. We would leave hours before sunrise and by the time we got to Mojave we were very hungry and vehicles needed fuel. Back then there was a lot of restaurants with good food in the town. This is before fast food restaurants. The town took care of travelers, truckers and railroad personal. So I've seen the town change quite a bit over the years and Mojave will always have a place in my heart.

❤ Mojave was the first place I ever saw in California. I married a Marine ,and lived with his mom after we got married in 1965. He was at Camp Pendleton during week n home on weekends. I loved living there. Sweet memories.

Holy Cow, I'm writing a book where part of the action is taking place in Mojave, and never having been there, this fits with the mental picture I had of the town. Thanks for this.

I delivered bottled water in Mojave from the late 70s to the early 2000s. Met a lot of really good people that lived there. Many had spent their entire lives there. Thank you for the video! Sure brought back memories!

It’s actually a great place to see the Milky Way during the summer. Great dark sky area, they should promote it as such.

The #1 con for living in Mojave is the climate, especially the summer months. A casino or an outlet mall could bring more visitors to this city. For those who love nature and the outdoors, it's quite beautiful and tranquil to go hiking during the winter months when the weather is much cooler. Green energy industry (wind & solar) could thrive in this city.

Streets look clean and well maintained; better than L.A. I pass through there on way to the Sierras.

I ran a 21km half marathon in the mohave desert back in 2016. There was only 100 participants but the event organizers were very nice. It felt surreal running in the desert for 1 hour and 50 minutes. I definitely wouldn't want to live in this community but it was a great experience.

as a trucker i remember the police will pull over truckers going over one mile the speed limit. 500 dollar fine. people were happy when the by-pass was being build. to kept 18 wheelers traffic away. not knowing cars would take the by-pass. too now Tehachapi now have business truck stops eateries. pus many more

Anyone driving for the SF Bay Area to Vegas knows about Mojave, but few have actually been there. The 58 bypass has pretty much killed what little the town had. Tehachapi and Barstow are bigger towns with more services (and Tehachapi boasts a killer German bakery). About the only thing most people see now is the airplane storage yard.

Excellent video! Thank you. Driving around while you post stats is a great way for anyone to get an idea of what a city or town is like.

I have a friend that lives in Mojave. A while back Quentin Tarantino was making a film using the desert for some scenes. He ended up going to a local convenience store. My friend was in front of the store and asked him, "Can you spare any change?" Tarantino responded, "Sorry, man." And that was it. His brush with fame in the town of Mojave.

A lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. But you gotta do it right. I mean, you gotta have the hole already dug before you show up with a package in the trunk. Otherwise, you're talking about a half-hour to forty-five minutes worth of digging.

I’m from Los Angeles California but own property in Texas as well. My wife and I lived in Goodrich Texas for 5 years. The population there was only 171 people before we moved there. We loved it there and our house and property was amazing! There was a beautiful lake and park but that was about it. On the other hand you could drive 45-50 minutes and be in Houston or Conroe or Huntsville. We moved back to Los Angeles last year because of a death in the family. I miss the peaceful living, the great fishing, the four wheeling and the almost 11:46 zero crime rate..

Mojave just might be a city of the future with new concepts of infrastructure, solar, electric automobiles, etc. give it 50 years to be a growing city.

Travel through Mojave on my way to Tahoe, 395, and also raced at Pearsonville racetrack back in the 80's. Thank You for the memories.

Looks like a place nice to live to get away from the big city madness. Buy a dirtbike and a off road vehicle do some desert exploration, Camping , Might be fun.

Wow!! Look at those chem-yrailed skies. Yep. Looks like the same California I left 3 years ago. It's not really 100 miles north of Los Angeles county. The city of Lancaster is in the Los Angeles County, and that's not 30 minutes away.

Mojave is a great place for opportunities… quiet with ability of relaxation after a long days of work… never run out of power due to nearby solar and wind turbines… open areas for commercial, residential, and industrial…. Beautiful parks and ease of access to mammoth, mountain high, and big bear. Las Vegas seems closer when having the urge to gamble….

I lived in that area while in the Air Force. I now hate the desert with a passion. Antelope Valley Wind Festival: January 1st to December 31st

Was born and raised in Mojave...

WELL I THINK LIVING IN MOJAVE IS THE BEST IF THE HOT SUMMER DAYS YOU CAN ADJUST TOO. AS A PRIVATE PILOT I FLEW DOWN FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FOR A FEW DAYS IN THE SUMMER AND HAD A GOOD TIME. GOOD INFORMATIONAL VIDEO.

I had a great aunt and uncle that owned a beautiful resort and casino in White Sulphur Springs West Virginia back in the 50's. They competed a little with the Mafia. One day a large fire burned the place to the ground and aunt and uncle packed up and moved to Mojave back IN THE 50's! Talk about wanting to disappear. I remember going to Easter Sunrise Service when I was about 10 to Red Rock Canyon. We drove east along Hwy 14 and there was friggin snow on the foothills on the north side, the beginning of the Sierra Nevadas. It was cold!

Nice history capture. Mojave only gets more active when aerospace and equivilent is active. After the support activities go away, the town goes back to its default position as a small...broke...town along the 14/58 juction route.

I like your channel. It gives good information about cities and towns I've not been to.Gave you a thumbs up.

Does anybody know why Mohave died out and Landcaster just a few miles away is THRIVING. It used to be a a single trip in and out . We use to race dirt bikes around that area back in the early 70's. I was raised in Redondo Beach but moved to Oregon in 1978. I do really miss the desert.

I travel through Mojave from L.A. 5-10 times each year. Never use a credit card at an unattended gas station. You will get skimmed. I lost over $100 at a faulty gas pump at Shell. I only stop at Chevron now. Lock your doors and be alert. Otherwise, I have no problem with Mojave or its people.

I'm a 2nd generation resident my kids are the 3rd, we love our town everyone know everyone and bullshit is not tolerated, Its a small town the way we like it. Nothing makes me happier than when i see people talking shit about living here, please don't we dont need anymore morons moving here. That is all!!

My grandparents lived on Inyo st. They ran the Elite Motel. The building is still there behind Wendy’s! My grandfather was the Postmaster. He built the post office next to the hotel. Today the post office moved down the street.

I used to pass by Mojave on the way to Palo Alto, CA, for work. I love Tehachapi up in the mountains above. The mountain scenery is magnificent, especially the trains. It looks like a model railroad--as far as Mojave goes, I'm not a fan.

I enjoyed it. I can also see many buildings that used to be businesses that closed down. Nice little town to explore

Just left Mojave after 8 years there. Town's so dead even the mortuary is boarded up.

The death of this town was Hwy. 58 bypassing it. As a truck driver, I used to pass through the town and often lodged there and ate there, that's gone now. Fifty years ago, my family would pass through there every summer on our way to go east to see our extended family in Texas. Good memories.

You forgot to mention the heat as one the city's Cons.

Mojave is farther than 50 miles from Bakersfield. I live in Tehachapi which is between Bakersfield and Mojave. Tehachapi is over 50 miles east of Bakersfield and about 30 miles west of Mojave which makes Mojave about 80 miles from Bakersfield. Mojave is a poor community, but has a criminal and civil courthouse and Edwards Air Force Base. Its main grocery store is a Stater Bros which I cannot understand why it's there and not in nearby upscale Tehachapi. That requires me and many other shoppers here in T-town to travel to Mojave to shop at Stater Bros. My handyman lives in a fifth wheel in a RV camper site and drives to T-town for work. He said there are many camper sites in and around Mojave of people down on their luck. Quite depressing.

Back in the day I used to ride my bike through there enough times to figure out that it was always windy af. Wasn't surprised to see it in your cons.

When I was younger, my family & I used to travel from Los Angeles to Bishop for vacation. We always stop for lunch in Mojave at Primo's Burgers on the way up, and always stop for dinner at Graziano's pizza on the way home. Both great places.

I like Mojave, except it's too cold and windy from November thru March.

I have driven through Mojave California many times. When I make trips from my home in the San Fernando Valley to Mammoth Lakes or Death Valley National Park the town of Mojave is often a place where I stop for lunch.

I've only passed through Mojave on my way to Randsburg and then up the 395. While in Mojave, I stopped in for some lunch at Denny's. I have to say that the area looked a little bleak and even depressed. Not much really going on except for lots of semi trailers fueling up and heading out. A dwindling population of 3,780 say something about how things are going in Mojave.

I pass through a couple of times a month and stop at McDonalds for coffee. There are often deadbeats hanging round the parking lot. The staff seems to change every time I visit. The other day they had no coffee. The 14 is sometimes closed because of high winds. One time, about a dozen years ago, it was closed north of town... because of snow.

The up side of living in Mojave: small town, quiet, little crime, lots of space. The down side of living in Mojave: you live in Mojave.

I haven’t been to Mojave in years. I love the way you put this together with the facts and just driving around. New subscriber

Thanks for the tour. 3:46 The white curved building I believe is a WW2 USMC building from when it was a training base. It had the concrete "triangle" outside supports as I recall. 3:55 To the right is Mojave Elementary. I walked on their playground once many years ago. Sadly the children's playground is still dirt. See Google Satellite. 43% Hispanic. 22% Black. 28% White.

California has an amazing history. I love wheeling the areas around Desert Center and Eagle Mountain. Lots of cool stuff around that part of the state. Also check out the area from Coachella Valley south to I-8.

Must be a misprint . I think the title was supposed to be: What's it like to drive around in Mojave towns.

When I was a teenager in the late 60’s early 70’s, I would go with my dad motorcycle riding around Red Rock Canyon, Jawbone Canyon and Dove Springs. We passed through Mojave and would many times stop for breakfast at a cafe on the entrance to town from the south. I don’t remember if we got gas there or not. I know on the way back we stopped in Palmdale for dinner and we might have gassed up there for the drive back to Covina.

Doesn't sound bad if you are retired and older. If it has about the same spending power as Mexico, I would take Mavhove, but the wind might get annoying after a while

those trains blowing their horns is such a lonesome sound. even here in a big city.

At 7:04 you can see the Mojave Camera put up by the Tehachapi railroad cameras

The things you say in the text captions are very interesting. Mojave will appeal to some people!

don't forget, that the meth in Mojave is second to none !!!

I worked at the airport test area for a month. It was a great experience. Lots of interesting things going on there. All the trees around Mojave are leaning in the same direction from the constant wind. I was walking past a gas station and heard a large bang and thought a tire has exploded. But it was a sonic boom from a military plane. It’s worth a visit.

Mojave was a busy town until the freeway was built that bypassed Mojave. With so much less traffic a lot of businesses had to close. The new freeway that bypassed Mojave was needed though because of the horrendous traffic that flowed through the town in the daytime.

Moved there for a year from Florida in 2015-2016 to work at Scaled Composites. I actually miss it. Friendly ppl, cheap living, decent weather (compared to FL). The desert did get old though and I went back to FL. I wouldn’t be opposed to coming back to Mojave agin for work for a year or two again.

Living there is like the first step before reaching hell.

the best thing about Mojave is that there are lots of ways to get out of Mojave.

I wouldnt mine moving out there comparing to whats my mortgage payment here in la puente, its just ridiculous! How does $3,500 sound

I got a job with Caltrans, right out of college. I built the four lane south of Red Rock Canyon as a civil engineer. My future wife once asked me why I did not get married until I was in my mid thrities. It was because I spent most of my twenties in Mojave. LOL.

driving in from l.a., my friends and i would meet at this mcdonald's for breakfast (5:50) before making our way to jawbone canyon. may 3, 2023

What a nice clean town the wind really does blow hard. Beautiful country.

Went to Mojave HIGH early 90's wasn't that bad love the desert

Mojave rocks! I lived there in the 80s. I loved it. I still have thoughts of returning there now in retirement.

Chemtrails all over the sky..

I've passed through and stayed overnight a couple of times. Most of your cons were positives for me but the biggest con for me is lack of good restaurants. There are a couple of local places that are ok, are at least last time I was there. But you can head up the road and eat in Rosamond or Lancaster. Also worth noting a lot of night time train noise if you stay at a motel by the highway, so I'd expect you can hear it in the neighborhoods nearby.

I live near mojave very much off the grid and away. 20 miles to walmarts or costco. Basically a railroad highway junction for eastern california.

Mojave sounds like a wonderful place to live. No yuppies. Just real people. I've been through Mojave and loved how down home it was. If I wasn't heat sensitive, I'd consider moving here.

It's got that 90's movie vibe. I like the desert mixed with blue sky. Just found out your channel. You have sub! Greetings from southeast Europe! ✌️

I live in the Mojave Desert, Eastern Antelope Valley near the foothills. Almost chortled at the claim "Low crime, nothing to steal." You obviously know NOTHING about tweekers and other desert rats, which is fortunate. These people will strip EVERYTHING out of an unattended house, motorhome, car etc. and completely trash everything they don't take like papers. Not just appliances and furniture, but cabinets, doors, wiring, sinks/toilets, pipes, and carpeting. I even saw a church with the windows all boarded up in your video. Also high winds >4mph. Lol, try 40mph not counting gusts! On hot summer days whirlwinds will form and suck up everything in their path and scatter it half a mile away. I'll never forget the sight of a big plastic laundry tub full of trash mostly empty cans, spinning 50 feet above my mobile home and slinging its contents in every direction.

There R 22 towns in the Antelope Valley, Sierra Hwy used to be the only road that connected the San Fernando Valley to it. Palmdale is the 1st town U enter when U get to the Antelope Valley floor, Lancaster, Rosamond then Mojave R ea. 11 miles apart traveling North. In 1972 the 14 freeway was completed to Mojave & since then the town has become a junction for Motorists.

Love it 👍

missed snob hill and mojave gardens parts of town

Always windy, lots of wind turbines, USMC supply depot.

I grew up in the Rocky mountains in a town of 2000 people. To survive in a town like this, you have to be comfortable making friends and being pleasant to the people around you. I can imagine myself retiring there and then going out several times a week to take advantage of the desert and the hills and the abundant nature. I can also imagine myself buying 30 air conditioners. Los Angeles being 2 hours away would also be a factor. It would be interesting to be able to pop down to LA for a day trip.

You should check out Doyle CA. Mojave is absolutely booming in comparison. Lived there on 10 acres for about 4 months with 2 dogs. You can stop and check out EVERY place in Doyle in under 30 minutes. That includes the self serve laundromat. Wanna talk wind? I was used to 30+ mph daily.

I always bypass this depressing little town on my way to Lake Tahoe from Pasadena. If you continue on the 395 highway north, you will encounter some of the most beautiful and diverse natural scenery.

Just a wonderful video all about Mojave, california ❤

Well, all I know about this town is what I just seen in this video and it’s pretty depressing

Very good concept; honest, clear and informative! It gives me the feeling of being there for a short moment. 👍

I like Mojave!

I lived in Lancaster, 25-miles south of Mojave, from 1976 to 2010. In those 34-years I never stopped in Mojave or knew anyone that lived there. I guess I know why now.

I agree with you! If they ever had to give the Earth an enema Mojave is where they would stick the tube! My second "father" (for whom I was a pallbearer) is buried there, and my longest friend still lives there!

My grandparents lived in Mojave in the early 70's, my family lived in California City and Cache Creek. I really appreciated this video..... didn't recognize a thing beyond that first intersection and the airport. Thank you for the drive thru!