Bakersfield Life

Why I Live Here: Natalie Erlendson and Zach Smith

larger view

There is so much to love about our town. From Rio Bravo to Rosedale, each neighborhood had its supporters. This month, Bakersfield Life asks newlyweds Natalie Erlendson and Zach Smith what makes the Christmas Tree Lane neighboorhood special.
What is the name of the neighborhood that you live in?
Northeast Bakersfield (Christmas Tree Lane, near BC and the Bluffs)

Three words that describe your neighborhood?
Peaceful, well-kept, friendly.

Favorite neighborhood memory?
Natalie: Having grown up in this neighborhood, I have many fond memories of this neighborhood. But my favorite memory is more recent. It would be moving into our new home on New Year’s day this year — having the comfort of returning to a familiar place plus the excitement of all the new experiences that were to come with owning a home and building a life with Zach.
Zach: My favorite memory is the first time I saw our dogs running around our backyard. We finally had a large area that could accommodate them. Or backyard is also big enough to have large gatherings – which we’ve already taken advantage of.

What attracted you to your neighborhood?
We like the area because each home is unique – not cookie cutter. We were able to afford a good-size home that, with a little TLC, has quickly become our own.  We’re also surrounded by areas where we can be active outdoors. We can walk our Greyhound, Nikko, over to the dog park for an impromptu play date – and if we need a good run ourselves, we can head over to trail along the bluffs.

What is the best thing about your home?
The best thing about our home is that in just a few months of living here we’ve made a ton of progress making it OURS. From literally knocking down walls to painting, organizing our library of books, movies and CDs, decorating and gardening, we’ve turned into a place that is beginning to reflect who we are. It’s been a true labor of love.

What do you like about your neighbors?
The neighbors we see all the time are basically our family and friends so we’re in good company. Natalie’s mom and step-dad are in walking distance, making it easy to stop by for Sunday dinners or a dip in the pool. Zach’s cousin lives a block away and drops in to doggie sit.  And our good friends live practically down the street so we have lots of spur-of-the-moment get togethers. We’re literally surrounded by our support network.

Anything you would change about your neighborhood?
The mall in the Northeast has really struggled, which means we have to travel for certain amenities such as shopping, new restaurants and entertainment. There has been some recent development such as the new Home Depot and a number of fast food spots, and it would be nice to see this redevelopment of the area extend to the mall landscape.

Why someone should move there?

Life in Northeast Bakersfield feels a little more at ease than other areas of town. There’s a diverse group of people here who are all down to earth and make for friendly neighbors. The proximity to the bluffs and University Park, along with some really good restaurants like Rosa’s, Red Pepper and Ichiban is also a big plus. And if you have kids or plan to, there are a number of really good schools in the area, including the community college that Zach attended.

Best kept secret about your neighborhood?
It’s probably not a secret if you live here, but every Fourth of July folks in the neighborhood gather at University Park – lawn chairs and fireworks in tow. We have the perfect view of firework displays from BC and the Bakersfield Country Club. Throughout the night people, light their own mini-firework displays along University Avenue, and we all share in a great community celebration of our country’s independence.  It has this quintessential, Americana feel and the best part is that what turns into an entertaining block party is completely unplanned.