Poor Phillip. I too was raised in a different Tehachapi and miss it also, but guess what I still love it. When I grew up you could ride your bike all over town without worring about getting hit by a car. There was the bicycle freeway where KMart is at now, great place to get across town away from the adults and cars. I used to ride a motorcycle through the old Nunes Ranch on the dirt roads without a problem as long as we didn't get to close to the trees. Mountain Meadows had some really awesome motorcycle tracks to race around also. In high school we would party at the creek on Fridays, now the houses are to close to even get there. As i kids I could go just about anywhere I wanted to, now I would let my kids go a quarter of the places I did allow.

Still I would rather live in Tehachapi than some of the other placed I lived during my tour in the Navy.

Phillip i just reread your post and i wanted to tell you to kick rocks you crybaby.

A few years ago some flat landers from Bako actually cut down a couple of fence post on Private property up towards the park and started a fire to stay warm.

Oh I grew up in Oregon and then not liking people from California is nothing new.

Mountain Park and Water Canyon are not set up to handle the now 100's of people who want to go there when it snows.  Maybe when you were "born here" only a small number of people wanted to go up there.  But now EVERYBODY does including locals and out of towners like you.  Mtn Park does not have adequate parking to accomadate the crowds, so people started to park on the road, then ambulances, police officiers and the local residents could not drive home.  Since the bathrooms are not winterized in Mtn.Park, people started going to the bathroom behind trees, in full view of the residents who live there.  Trash, dirty diapers and fast food bags got left in peoples yards.   What Tehachapi needs is a SNOW PARK!  With sled runs, cross country ski area, tubing areas, trash cans, fire rings, parking and bathrooms.  How about a concession stand to sell hot chocolate, burgers, coffee and other food?  It could be a day use park in the summer....

Have fun and enjoy Oregon, Phillip.  Be sure and tell them you are from California, born and raised here, as soon as you meet them.   Tehachapi does not need people with your attitude.

Poor Phillip - it appears you will get no sympathy.  All that has been said by Tehachapians is so true.  Out-of-towners come in here and mess this beautiful land all up with their citified ways.  You got some good advice at your blog.  You want to play here ... buy some land.  My guess is - when others come in and defile your property, you'll surround it with fences and ask those mean ole volunteers to help keep trespassers away.

How right you are that Oregon dislikes Californians.  My brother bought property up there to retire to, when he goes to visit he had Oregon plates to put on his car so it wouldn't get trashed.  His widow has since sold the property with no regrets.  I hope it was to another Californian.

A very nice lady has a pretty slope to her property and people from down the hill have torn her wire fencing, bent the metal posts, and threatened her little dogs when they tried to defend their territory.  Yes, Tehachapi has changed.  It's become popular.

Fuel is always more expensive in small mountain towns than in the big cities.  It costs more to move it up here, and there are probably various other reasons that I'm too lazy to research. 

I can't speak to the hotel prices.

"I'm still cracking up at poor Phillip thinking Oregon will welcome him! They hate anymore moving up there, especially Californians!" that's true, but ironic because half of those unwelcoming Oregonians are California natives themselves!

I just visited Tehachapi just before the New year. I didn't really get to see everything or my old friends and co-workers( I was here for less than 24 hours). But my biggest complaint is the prices for hotels and fuel. I was in the San Diego area for the past 5 weeks and it was actually cheaper there than in Tehachapi!

Tehachapi is changing, yes,  and I bet you have changed, too, Mr. Phillip.   You complain about a citizen volunteer who was assigned the job of keeping trespassers off other people's property... a thankless job made even more difficult by the likes of people like you who think you are entitled 'by birth' to tromp all over the place seeking fun.   I have a friend who lives off of Tucker Rd. south of Highline, and she has had people come there to play in the snow and leave their garbage on her lawn, park in her yard and ask to use her bathroom and telephone!!    Oh yes, and they sometimes bring their dogs who run free, leaving their 'deposits' everywhere.    Yes, Tehachapi has changed from the small town you grew up in.   If you really want to live here, buy a nice piece of property and a house, pay taxes like the rest of us, contribute to the community and grow up!    Otherwise, I'm sure Oregon will welcome your money but don't count on them welcoming YOU as a person.. they don't like Californians!

I'm still cracking up at poor Phillip thinking Oregon will welcome him! They hate anyone moving up there, especially Californians!

Tehachapi is still a fine little mountain town. Put on your big boy drawers and get over it. Things change. Hey, if you don't want to move back, that's fine with me. Not hurting my feelings one bit! It sounds as though you're the one who's changed by developing big city bad habits.

Won't miss you Philly...

My husband and I went down Teh-Willow Springs a few days back and there were about 15 cars at the top, parked in the lane, with people sledding down the hills on the side of the road.  When we got to Backus, there was even a road closed sign that everyone was just going around.  (Interesting that there was no sign on the Tehachapi side?) 

I can't blame anyone for closin Mountain Park.  If I understand right, that's county property.  And who should be more paraniod about lawsuit-happy people?  I'd hate to see a lovely park closed because of idiots.

My friends from Lancaster were planning on going there too a couple days ago, but I kept telling them it was probably closed.  Sure enough it was, so they decided to go to Wrightwood instead.  Pretty bad idea- that was the day another really nasty storm hit there.

I'm sorry that you're going to base your decision on something like that, but you can thank all the idiots that come up from bakes and the la area that don't know what "no trespassing on private property" means.

Is some rude volunteer cop the reason for basing a serious decision? The rude cop is probably a good old born & raised Tehachapian.

I too was told last weekend that I couldn't go up to the Park by a really rude -my moment of power- volunteer cop. I said I was going to the Monastery and I BROKE HIS LAW and also went to the park and when I got there I wasn't the only one having fun.

Don't trash the newbies. All towns grow. It isn't any ones fault that growth happens. I am welcoming it.