Photo of Delano, CA
( 4 Ratings )

Living in Delano, CA

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Delano Reviews

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Underrated Gem (A Home Town Girl's Perspective) User Rating 3 rating By Anonymous ( Apr 23, 2020) I am a 30 year old English teacher and have lived in Delano since I was 6 years old. Let me set the record straight: my home town may be flawed, but it also possesses a unified community spirit unlike any place I've traveled, and there is more to the people and place than meets t ...Read More he eye.

First off, the people here are the backbone of agriculture in our nation, as Delano continues its legacy as the birthplace of the United Farmworkers Movement (led by Cesar Chavez). These farmworkers and their children, most of whom are Mexican immigrants, are some of the most humble, hardworking people I've ever met; do not equate a lack of education/opportunity with a lack of dignity. The only thing most people lack is entitlement. People take care of each other here, and as a white girl growing up in a mostly-Mexican-and-Filipino community, I can tell you that I feel absolutely at home here; don't believe the racism espoused by other posters.

Speaking of which, the high schools here are consistently the highest scoring in Kern County, we have several CA Distinguished Schools, and last year our percussion team competed in the WGI World Championship... so this F rating is completely misleading. I can't speak much of city/school board politics here, but in its essence, education is thriving.

Ok, now let's get real.

Pros:
Vibrant, tight-knit community feel, strong church base (if you're into that), strong education system, affordable housing, diverse population, accepting people, AMAZING Mexican restaurants/taco trucks, some diversity of food, lots of locally-owned businesses, fresh produce, mild winters, right off Highway 99, ~2 hours away from beaches/mountains/desert/LA, surprising amount of amenities (shopping, dining, movie theater, bar/casino, lots of parks), relatively quiet.

Cons:
Not many large businesses (people often drive 30 min to Bakersfield or Tulare/Visalia to go shopping at major retailers), gangs (we are home to 2 prisons and at the boundary of 2 rival gangs), summers are HOT (but there's nowhere without A/C), bad air quality (especially around harvest time), limited white-collar job opportunities (major industries include agriculture, hospitality, public service).

Overall, this place is not ideal for people who enjoy the bustle of big cities, but if you are looking to settle down in an affordable town that will take care of you and your family: look no further. Read Less
Delano is a small city in kern county..... avoid it! User Rating 0.5 rating By Anonymous ( Dec 31, 2019) I have worked in Delano the past 15 years and hate that town. Why? Everyone is either Mexican or Filipino or both. They have a very low white and black population and are prejudiced against anyone who is not mexican or Filipino. Delano has a couple good Mexican restaurants. They ...Read More do have a new shopping mall with a movie theater. Delano is not safe at night... nor during the day. The school district and city council is run by individuals who lack any sense of honesty or morality. To the west of Delano are two big state prisons. Gangs members are everywhere! Seriously. The weather is nice in the winter but the summers are about 115 for at least two months. The water fails safety tests. I'm trying really hard to think of some positives for Delano but they are few and far and wide. The lack of affordable housing is a problem in this town. Also, you just might get shot while driving down the 99. The entire area- from Fresno all the way south of Bakersfield is pretty nasty. Delano is about the nastiest place you can be in that entire stretch. Dont. Move. There. You have been warned. Read Less
Why Delano, CA Wasn't Right For Our Family User Rating 1.5 rating By Anonymous ( Apr 17, 2015) I lived in Delano, CA for two years. I relocated from Nebraska to work in the rail yard in Bakersfield. We chose to rent a house in Delano so that I could carpool with my manager to work. My manager was living in a beautiful house near the Delano Mortuary. We rented a house in a ...Read More nearby neighborhood, but learned that our neighborhood was not very nice. We lived off 13th Avenue by the Randolph Village Shopping Center and we didn't like living in Delano.

The first thing we noticed about Delano when we moved there was how run down and dilapidated the houses and buildings looked. Another problem with Delano is that I never felt safe. There are two prisons and several drug treatment facilities located in Delano. We didn't find many family friendly activities when we were there. Delano doesn't have any museums, zoos, amusement parks, etc. so we found ourselves driving to other places and sitting in the car for hours anytime we wanted to have some family fun.

There are several shopping centers in Delano so we were able to buy the things we needed, however I don't recommend visiting them after dark because in most areas safety is an issue. There is a large Hispanic and Asian community in Delano so we found many ethnic restaurants that we enjoyed. One of our favorite restaurants was and authentic Mexican restaurant called Mi Nayarit. When we found out we were moving to Delano, I was excited because I read that there are a lot of famous table wine vineyards there. Once we were living there, we learned that the vineyards in Delano are not like the vineyards in Napa Valley and they don't offer tasting rooms or areas where you can visit them. We moved out of Delano as soon as our lease was up.
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Why Delano, CA Wasn't Right For Our Family User Rating 1.5 rating By Anonymous ( Apr 17, 2015) I lived in Delano, CA for two years. I relocated from Nebraska to work in the rail yard in Bakersfield. We chose to rent a house in Delano so that I could carpool with my manager to work. My manager was living in a beautiful house near the Delano Mortuary. We rented a house in a ...Read More nearby neighborhood, but learned that our neighborhood was not very nice. We lived off 13th Avenue by the Randolph Village Shopping Center and we didn't like living in Delano.

The first thing we noticed about Delano when we moved there was how run down and dilapidated the houses and buildings looked. Another problem with Delano is that I never felt safe. There are two prisons and several drug treatment facilities located in Delano. We didn't find many family friendly activities when we were there. Delano doesn't have any museums, zoos, amusement parks, etc. so we found ourselves driving to other places and sitting in the car for hours anytime we wanted to have some family fun.

There are several shopping centers in Delano so we were able to buy the things we needed, however I don't recommend visiting them after dark because in most areas safety is an issue. There is a large Hispanic and Asian community in Delano so we found many ethnic restaurants that we enjoyed. One of our favorite restaurants was and authentic Mexican restaurant called Mi Nayarit. When we found out we were moving to Delano, I was excited because I read that there are a lot of famous table wine vineyards there. Once we were living there, we learned that the vineyards in Delano are not like the vineyards in Napa Valley and they don't offer tasting rooms or areas where you can visit them. We moved out of Delano as soon as our lease was up.
Read Less

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      F Amenities

      Are there many local amenities in Delano? Well, there are not many amenities close to this location.

      Parks

      Valle Vista Park
      Cesar Chavez Park
      Jefferson Park
      Kensinton park
      Memorial Park
      Albany Park
      Memorial Park
      Cecil Park

      Entertainment

      Maya Cinemas Delano 12
      Heritage Park Museum
      Charlotte Chichester Auditorium

      Food & Drink

      Jollibee

      F Commute

      Is public transit available in Delano? Of all people who commute, 0.1% take public transportation in Delano.
      Drive to Work
      79%

      2% higher than the US average

      Take Public Transit
      0%

      5% lower than the US average

      Walk to Work
      1%

      2% lower than the US average

      C Health & Safety

      Is Delano a healthy and safe place to live? Yes, there are some hospitals, police and fire stations.

      Hospitals

      Delano Regional Medical Center

      Pharmacies

      Doctors

      Delano District Medical Center