Anyone been near Calico the ghost town

[PolakoMafia]

Any of you been to Barstow on the 15 freeway/highway near Calico Ghost town? I think that's where it was or it might have been Hinkley and it was pretty scary there. It was like a desert town full of weird looking people all over. They are mostly white with a few Mexicans and look like a strange hybrid of hippys slash gangsters slash desert people slash tatoos all over slash prison/jail time slash truckers slash bikers slash drug distributors slash motorcycle leather jacket wearers. We drove by and it was like a ghetto full of broken down and abandoned buildings and houses and one bar there was called "For Us" or something basically suggesting they dont like outsiders. We stopped near a mart/gas station there and this guy with a hobbling leg and redish hair went in with tatoos all over his body and a massive build and came out with a bottle of vodka in his pocket or underwear or something. There was also this lot full of semi trucks and truckers in one area. What's funny is we went through the mission area in LA in this road trip I just came back from and we realized these desert breed might have been more cunning and witty and outhussled those black dudes there.

What I find hilarious is that most of the time hippys and gangsters are totally two sfferent breeds or subcultures where one is violent and the other one is peaceful yet these people were a strange combination or hybrid of both. They ahd the long hair and look of a hippy combined with the tatoos and massive build as well as action (coming out with licker in the morning in their pocket out of a store) of a criminal.

[PolakoMafia]

Barstow actualy has some interesting statistics I see:
http://inglewood.areaconnect.com/crime/ ... pton&s2=CA

it seems to rank above Compton in many crimes per capita except murder (its relatively low but above national average).

I find this area curious form wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstow,_California

"In a 2006 state-funded economic survey, Barstow ranks among the 10 poorest cities in California. One third of residents receive public assistance and 4 out of 10 receive welfare and social security funds. Its long distance from major cities and urban centers has created economic problems, and Barstow is seeking projects to boost the economy."


houses seem to be incedibly cheap there as well:
" * median house price : $115,276 (in 2005), significantly below California state average
* 10.4% unemployment is above state average.
* 9.1% of population have a bachelor's degree or higher, significantly below the state average.
* Crime index : 445.9 (U.S. average is 330.6)
* Temperature : 33 - 102 °F (0 - 39 °C) range"

[PolakoMafia]

original links with comments:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phunk/5977 ... et-150185/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phunk/5978 ... et-150185/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phunk/5977 ... et-150185/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phunk/5977599/

some of the places I saw.

[BPagent]

Barstow is a military town think you were smoking something not very big either

[TCC19]

Yeah Barstow is a military town but it's known to have its fair share of crazies lol Especially in the little neighboring towns like Hinkley and yermo alot of tweeks up there. Have any of you guys ever heard of this little town called Trona its up by this city called Ridgecrest I thought the old parts of adelanto looked bad until I saw that place. look it up on google maps its ridiculous.

[Klaxon]

houses seem to be incedibly cheap there as well:
" * median house price : $115,276 (in 2005), significantly below California state average
* 10.4% unemployment is above state average.
* 9.1% of population have a bachelor's degree or higher, significantly below the state average.
* Crime index : 445.9 (U.S. average is 330.6)
* Temperature : 33 - 102 °F (0 - 39 °C) range"

LOL, that was 2005 ... peak of the housing bubble (or close to it). You can buy a house in some parts of Barstow for $50-60k nowadays. Yeah, all of the desert is really really poor. I believe Imperial County in the Coachella Valley is right up there as one of the poorest regions in America.

[PolakoMafia]

It might have been hinkley not Barstow Im talking about. Hinkley sounds familiar so we passed through it for sure not sure if that is what Im talking abhout in the original post though. Anyway lots of white thugs in that area. prolly lots of ex cons/inmates too.

[TCC19]

You got that right I've been up there a few times and theres alot of homeless up that way too. I can see why alot of people are tweeked out its so fucking boring nothing but that lame ass outlet mall lol Whenever I hear anybody complain about how boring it is in Victorville I always say well at least its not Barstow lol.