Investing in Bakersfield or Lancaster? Which one is recommended?

[Varouj Asdourian]

Hello.  My wife and I are thinking about investing in either a duplex or some other form of multi-unit.  I was doing some research and just wanted to get some input from other members who may have invested in either of these markets (Bakersfield, CA or Lancaster, CA) and have opinion on which one would be a more solid pick for the long haul.  Any input would be appreciated.

[Sanjeev Advani]

@Varouj Asdourian welcome to BP!

On your question, my opinion is this:

I believe that Bakersfield would be the best bet. Why?

When investing we look for job and population growth and on top of that we look at geography for any potentially advantageous situations.

As far as population growth is concerned, Bakersfield has been growing at a rate faster than that of Fresno or any other similar city since 2000. It is estimated that population could even triple over the next 10-15 years due to the high speed rail. We can also reach 90% of Bakersfield population within a 4 hour drive of the city.

As far as job growth, we are seeing Bakersfield repositioning into the transportation and logistics industry with many major brands bringing their DC’s here and focusing on bringing corporate offices here as well. We already have Target, Walmart, IKEA, Amazon, L’Oréal, etc. plus our vibrant oil and ag community.

As far as advantages, we are looking at two of the largest developments in years starting this year, the high speed rail, and increasing residential being pushed closer from the South (I.E. LA) which will be about 19,000 homes.

Feel free to look at some of my previous posts for more information and PM me if you have any further questions. We love to help!